International Guests of the Festival

Bernd Buder

Bernd Buder is a freelance curator, lecturer, and film journalist. Since 2015, he has served as the Programme Director of the FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of East European Film, and since 2021, he has also been the Programme Co-Director at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg. In addition, he works as a Programme Advisor for the Cinedays Festival in Skopje and as a Consultant for the SloVision Slovenian Film Days in Berlin. In the past, Buder has held several key roles, including Head of the East-West Co-Production Market, Programme Director of Berlin's Filmkunsthaus Babylon, and Programme Consultant for various film festivals such as the Prishtinë Film Festival, Skena-Up Film and Theatre Festival Prishtinë, goEast Film Festival, dokumentART Neubrandenburg, Turkish Film Week Berlin, Zagreb Film Festival, and Berlinale-Forum.

Vincent Poymiro

Vincent Poymiro is a French screenwriter. He began his career in journalism and live performance before transitioning to screenwriting in 1998. He co-wrote Tehilim with director Raphael Nadjari, which was in competition at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, and has since collaborated with notable filmmakers such as Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, and Arthur Harari. Poymiro has written and created several acclaimed series, including Churchmen, Reign Supreme, and En thérapie, the French adaptation of BeTipul. He co-directed the Series Department at La Fémis (the National School of Cinema) and received a César Award for Best Screenplay in 2022. Through his company, "Perpetual Soup," he is dedicated to developing international film and TV projects, fostering new talent, and pioneering innovative storytelling.

Matthias Glasner

Matthias Glasner is a German filmmaker. He started his career in the 1990s with his "hipster trilogy" of films: Die Mediocren, Sexy Sadie, and Fandango, all of which premiered at the Berlinale. He continued with notable films such as Der Freie Wille, for which Jürgen Vogel won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlinale in 2006, This Is Love (San Sebastián Competition), and Gnade (Berlinale Competition). In television, Glasner directed the acclaimed series KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst, which won the Grimme Award and the German Television Award, among others. He also wrote and directed the series Blochin, and the two-part miniseries Landgericht (Redemption Road), based on the German Book Award-winning novel by Ulrike Draesner, which earned him another Grimme Award. He directed the second season of the international series Das Boot for SKY. His latest feature film, Sterben, won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale in 2024 and garnered four Lolas at the 2024 German Film Awards, including the Golden Lola for Best Film.

Natalie Movshovych

Natalie Movshovych is a cultural manager specializing in the audiovisual sector, particularly in film promotion and cultural diplomacy. She currently serves as the Head of Festival Promotion at Co-Production and Outsource Commissioning for the Ukrainian public broadcaster, Suspilne Ukraine. From 2018 to 2024, she was responsible for film programs at the Ukrainian Institute, the country's cultural diplomacy organization, and held the position of Head of Film starting in 2021. With over 10 years of experience in the film industry, Natalie has previously worked with Arthouse Traffic distribution company, Odesa International Film Festival (2013-2016), Universal and Paramount Pictures Ukraine (2015-2018), and the British Council's Culture Bridges program (2018-2020).

Sarig Peker

Sarig Peker is a London-based independent producer for film and theatre, with expertise in film theatrical distribution. Most recently, he has served as Senior VP of European Film Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures International. He produced Ran Tal's documentary 1341 Frames of Love and War. His London theatre credits include Rose (Ambassadors Theatre, 2023), Clybourne Park (Park Theatre, 2022), and Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana (Noël Coward Theatre, 2019).