jury 2024
MAYSSA MAGHREBI
President of Jury- director
Born in Morocco and raised in the Gulf, most notably in Saudi Arabia, where she began her career in drama, Mayssa Maghrebi is an actress who has dazzled Arab and Gulf drama audiences with her performances and appearances over the past 18 years. She has excelled in various roles and characters and is truly one of a kind. Mayssa completed her studies at the London School of Film, Media, and Performance, majoring in Film Directing. She started her production career by producing the first Emirati movie, "Tarab Fashion," in which she also starred in the lead role. The movie achieved wide success and high ratings in the box office and DVD distribution. Mayssa has served as a jury member at several international events and festivals, including the Damascus International Film Festival and the Murex d’Or Festival in Lebanon for TV and cinema. Her dedication to her career includes projects and humanitarian actions focused on women's issues. She directed a long documentary about violence against women, visiting the Sabra Palestinian refugee camp and filming women's stories there during her show “Mayssa Bela Hodood” with Alaan TV. In 2018, she produced and directed the Saudi movie “Wojooh Moharama,” which discusses the prohibition of drawing and arts in Saudi Arabia in the eighties. Mayssa has received multiple distinctions, including the Knights of Quality shield (a certificate of quality) at the Knights of Quality Festival ISO 2011, being honored by the Minister of Information in Kuwait City for her successful work during Ramadan in 2011, being honored by Rotana Magazine for her outstanding performance in the TV series "Hawameer Al Sahra III" during Ramadan 2011, and being appointed by the International Organization For Peace, Care, and Relief as a Member of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and the Goodwill Ambassador in 2024. She was also honored at the Beirut International Award Festival (BIAF) for her achievement as the best GCC actress in 2011. Her appearances at the Cannes Film Festival are always accompanied by high luxury brands like Chopard and Grisogono. With a career as an actress, producer, and director, Mayssa is always keen to raise the voice of those in need through her work and her engagement with international NGOs.
NADIA KOUNDA
actress
born in Casablanca, Morocco, is a distinguished actress known for her impactful roles in cinema and television. She holds a degree in Film Studies from the University of Montreal. Kounda's breakthrough came with her debut feature film, "L'amante du Rif," directed by Narjiss Nejjar, which garnered her several nominations at various film festivals and put her in the spotlight. Since then, she has consistently delivered compelling performances both on the big screen and on television. In 2017, her role in Faouzi Bensaidi's "Volubilis" earned her multiple Best Actress awards at different festivals. By 2019, she expanded her reach to Egypt, portraying the character Kenza in the TV series "Abu Omar Al Masry." That same year, Vogue Arabia recognized her as one of the standout actresses in Arab cinema. In 2020, Kounda starred in the popular Algerian series "Achour El Acher." The following year, she appeared in two Canadian series: "L'homme qui aimait trop" directed by Yves Christian Fournier and "Les moments parfaits" by François Bégin. Her influence and contributions to Moroccan society were acknowledged when Tel Quel magazine named her among the 40 Moroccan personalities driving change in the country. Nadia Kounda is set to star in the upcoming feature film by Hicham Lasri and will also be featured in the second feature film by Yassine Fenane.
SOFIA ALAOUI
Director
Born in Casablanca, Sofia Alaoui spent her childhood between Morocco and China. After studying in Paris, she returned to Casablanca in 2015, where she founded her production company, Jiango Film. She has directed documentaries such as "Les enfants de Naplouse" and "Les vagues ou rien," as well as fiction films like "Le rêve de Cendrillon" and "Kenza des Choux." Her latest short film, "Qu'importe si les bêtes meurent," won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the French Critics' Award, and the Jury Prize at the Paris Courts Devant Festival in 2021, followed by the César Award for Best Short Film in 2021. After directing a commissioned short film for a genre series by 20th Century Fox (Hulu), she directed her first feature film last year, "ANIMALIA," produced by Wrong Film and Srab Films in France, along with Dounia Benjelloun and Jiango Film in Morocco. The film won the Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and continued its international journey, appearing at major festivals such as BFI London, Karlovy Vary, and Palm Springs, where it also won the Special Jury Prize. In the Middle East, the film premiered at the Marrakech Film Festival and was a festival favorite at the RED SEA Film Festival. It is distributed in the region by Film Clinic. Sofia Alaoui then ventured into television, working on a crime series titled "Let the Earth Burn," and is also developing a second project with a European streaming platform. She began developing a television series adaptation of "ANIMALIA" with a British company. Additionally, she is working on two feature film projects: "Tarfaya," set in the Moroccan desert, and "The Delta at Sunset," her first English-language film adapted from a J.G. Ballard short story, with the BBC and Paradise City (producers of "Call Me by Your Name"). In 2023, she was named "Arab Star of Tomorrow" by Screen Daily, and recently, she was listed among the "10 Talents to Watch" in France. In the United States, she signed with the renowned agency WME and manager Jerome Duboz (Bong Joon Ho, Justine Triet, etc.).