International Guests
The festival brings together filmmakers, artists, and cultural professionals from different countries, creating a meeting point between local and international perspectives.
Among this year’s guests are filmmakers from the UK and representatives from European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, alongside contributors connected to the Critical Film and Image Hub at Heidelberg University. Their presence strengthens the dialogue between local and global practices, fostering exchange and collaboration across borders.
SEJAD ADEMAJ
Sejad Ademaj was born in Montenegro in 1991. After graduating from high school in 2012, he completed an apprenticeship in event management before deciding to pursue his passion for filmmaking. In 2016, he began studying Media Design and Production at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, where he developed and directed his own film projects, graduating in 2020. That same year, he started studying screenwriting at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg before transitioning into the directing program in September 2022.
ISMET SIJARINA
Ismet Sijarina is a film director and screenwriter based in Prishtina, Kosovo. Working across both fiction and documentary filmmaking, his films have been screened at major international festivals including the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and Göteborg Film Festival. His documentary Beyond the Rainbow premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2008, while his debut feature film Cold November premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2018 and later won numerous international awards. Alongside filmmaking, he has contributed actively to Kosovo’s film industry as a former board member of the Kosovo Film Center, lecturer at the University of Prishtina’s Film Directing Program, and member of the European Film Academy since 2018.
TOBIASZ GORNIAK MBE
Tobiasz Gorniak MBE is a Roma filmmaker, activist, and global mentor whose work focuses on leadership, identity, and cultural transformation. He is the creator of the “Gorniak Method,” an internationally used framework designed to strengthen authentic leadership, resilience, and community cohesion. His work has been featured by major UK broadcasters including the BBC and ITV, and he has received more than 50 awards for his contribution to community development and social impact. He was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his work promoting social cohesion. Alongside filmmaking, he works internationally with marginalised communities, developing leadership programmes and creating dialogue rooted in lived experience and cultural authenticity.
LISA SMITH
Lisa Smith is a filmmaker, producer, consultant, and curator committed to advancing Romani representation through film and cultural advocacy. From 2020 to 2024, she curated AKE DIKHEA? – The International Festival of Romani Film in Berlin. She is currently working with the Critical Film and Image Hub at Heidelberg University, developing projects focused on visual culture, social justice, and critical approaches to film and image-making. Alongside her curatorial and consultancy work, Lisa produces films and collaborates internationally on projects that amplify Romani voices and community-led storytelling.
PETRO RUSIENKO
Petro Rusienko is a Ukrainian Romani filmmaker, actor, and cultural curator based in Berlin. He is a Board Member of the European Film Academy and works as Community Coordinator at the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC). As an actor, he played the leading role in Chacho, which was awarded at the Odesa International Film Festival. His work focuses on film, Roma arts and culture, international cultural cooperation, and the development of platforms and collaborations for emerging Roma voices in Europe’s cultural and film sectors.
CÉCILE CANUT
Cécile Canut is a researcher and documentary filmmaker whose work explores language, power relations, and representation. After spending more than fifteen years researching sociolinguistic issues in West Africa, she is currently focusing on arratives surrounding Roma communities in Bulgaria and France through the Roma-Dikhila project. Alongside her academic work, she has directed several documentary films examining processes of linguistic and social subjectivity. Since September 2022, she has been affiliated with the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). Previously, she led the ANR research project MIPRIMO (Migration Taken Through Words).
