Jury Members
Our jury reviews every entry submitted to the festival. This year we are in contact with 6,543 groups of directors from around the world.
Maksym Tuzhylin
Director, DOP, member of the DFAU (Documentary Film Association of Ukraine). Worked at the TET, UA:TV and NTN television channels (2006–2014); since 2014 runs his own studio, 2M-Video. His documentary credits include the series "Kvartal and His Team" (2012–2014), "In the Sights of Happiness" (2016–2017, about people displaced from Luhansk) and the ongoing "Herts of Ukrainian Fans", supported by Derzhkino, as well as the Netflix documentary series "Turning Point: The Cold War and the Bomb" (2022–2023) — a finalist for the Emmy Awards. Finalist of the YO! DA young directors' competition (2020) and winner of the music-video contest for Go_A's Eurovision 2021 entry.
Oleksandra Ovchynnykova
A highly skilled specialist in television marketing and on-air promotion. Since 2017, she has headed the Promo Department of K1 TV channel (Inter Media Group), after leading promo at STB, "TVi" and "Sontse". A television director by training (KNUKiM), she has directed music videos and TV projects, and now leads the channel's creative team shaping its on-air image.
Olena Yova
Cultural activist, human rights advocate, and grant-writing expert. She works on developing film projects and civic initiatives, content distribution, coordinating cultural events, and youth development in creative education across Ukraine and Europe.
Kateryna Nekrasova
A film and television director with over 22 years of experience in the industry. A psychologist, coach and NLP practitioner, she combines the art of directing with a deep understanding of human psychology, paying particular attention to dramaturgy, directorial choices, character development, emotional authenticity and the power of the author's voice.
Iryna Orel
Head of International Communications and Partnerships at the Mriya International Film Festival (MIFF), and an expert in cultural diplomacy and the international promotion of independent cinema. She heads the NGO Territory of Participation (Belgium), which runs film and cultural projects and fosters international cultural dialogue, and has many years of experience working with festivals, cultural institutions and NGOs across Europe.
Tetiana Lazareva
Member of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Film Association. A theatre and film actress, television director and film producer, born in Dnipro. She graduated from an acting school in St. Petersburg (1983) and later earned a producing degree (Bachelor's and Master's) from the Karpenko-Kary Institute in Kyiv. Active in film since 2012, she has produced over 10 projects with studios including Pronto, Mars Studio, Spilna Peremoha and ABCfilm, and is the founder of the ASSA producing agency and LTV Pictures film company.
Oksana Kamenchenko
A professional director and actress, graduate of the University of Culture and Arts, with training in acting, TV presenting and public speaking. She hosts YouTube and TikTok channels, and directed a large-scale Ivan Kupala–themed birthday event for a millionaire at which $300,000 was raised in support of Ukraine. She has experience acting in films, TV series and commercials, has directed several short films, and writes screenplays. An avid mountain hiker, she has climbed Hoverla and nearly all of Ukraine's highest peaks, as well as several summits in Slovakia's Tatra Mountains.
Inha Makarova-Krentsel
A director and screenwriter with over 15 years of experience in the film industry, specializing in documentary cinema and large-scale historical projects, with deep research often at the heart of her work. Her portfolio includes the multi-part documentary project "Ecclesia", devoted to the history of Christianity and philosophy, for which her crew traveled to over 13 countries to film interviews with leading scholars and historians. Another notable project is the documentary "WE are all one" (Japan, 2024), which she co-directed and co-wrote and which won the Judge Recommendation Award internationally. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Natalka Hordii-Kukharska
A graduate of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University with a Bachelor's degree in "Direction of Fiction Films" (2016). She began her career as 1st AD on an international reality show and worked as a casting assistant and 2nd AD on Agnieszka Holland's feature film "Mr. Jones". Since 2017 she has been writing short scripts, and has since worked as both a film director and screenwriter. In 2022 she created and directed the documentary series "Filmforfreeukraine".