Juries

Simon Ostermann

Simon Ostermann is a director based in Berlin who works on both fiction and documentary projects for cinema, television, and streaming. He studied directing at the Babelsberg Film University and loves stories filled with contradictions and cross-genre approaches. His work to date has been recognized with awards including the Max Ophüls Prize and the German Television Award.

Suzanne Pradel

Suzanne Pradel is a film dramaturg and the owner of the agency BuchScout. As an evaluator for major European funding organizations, she has assessed international co-productions. She currently serves on the FFA jury. She has mentored films like INGEBORG BACHMANN – JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT (Berlinale 2023) and VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA (Venice 2021) in story development. She is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA).

Alexander Wadouh

Alexander Wadouh has been working in the film industry since 1999. In 2006, he graduated from the dffb Berlin with a degree in film production. Until 2009 he worked on international arthouse films at Essential Film and the international sales company Coproduction Office. In 2006, he founded Chromosom Film. His award-winning films (including six Lolas, the European Film Award, the Bronze Lion, and Tribeca) have captivated festival and theater audiences. In 2021, he co-founded the ACROSS NATIONS film distribution company.

Dr. Sarah Babin

Dr. Sarah Babin is the exhibition and events manager at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig. She is passionate about art and culture, and in addition to fashion, she has a soft spot for film and television.

Lisa Herbers

Lisa Herbers studied film at the Screen Academy Scotland, as well as business administration in Hamburg, Nottingham, and Taiwan, before joining the JUNAFILM team in 2019. As vice chair of WIFTG—Women in Film & Television Germany e.V.—she advocates for greater equality in the film industry.

Tytti Rantanen

Tytti Rantanen, M.A., is the executive director of the Espoo Ciné International Film Festival. Previously, she worked as a programme coordinator in AV-arkki - Centre for Finnish Media Art. She is a cultural producer, film curator and a critic and also a member of the editorial board both in a philosophical magazine niin & näin and Filmihullu, the oldest film magazine in Finland.

Cornelia Rohse-Paul

Cornelia Rohse-Paul launched the 2019 TILDA Film Award for emerging female directors. She is a supervisor with her own practice, the founder of the “Wutambulanz” (Anger Clinic) for children and adolescents, and an author.

Karen Arikian

Karen Arikian founded her independent consulting company in 2012, with offices in New York and Germany. Currently she is Artistic Director at Hamptons Doc Fest in New York; Program Director at Green Visions Festival in Potsdam Germany; Program Advisor for EFM Startups at the Berlin International Film Festival; US Scout for the Munich Film Festival and North American Advisor for European Film Promotion.

Dr. Ines Bruchmann

Dr. Ines Bruchmann, Dipl.-Ing., is an environmental scientist and heads the Department of Climate Protection and Strategic Environmental Planning for the City of Braunschweig. She has conducted research and taught in the fields of landscape ecology, nature conservation, and sustainability communication. For over 15 years, she has initiated and overseen nature conservation and climate projects in Lower Saxony, such as the restoration of wetlands in the greater Braunschweig area.

Ewa Ewart

Ewa Ewart is a journalist, director and producer. She spent most of her professional career with the BBC in London, producing reports and films on political, social and humanitarian issues. Recently she has embraced the subject of environmental destructions, and directed THE CURSE OF ABUNDANCE, UNTIL THE LAST DROP & UNTIL THE LAST BREATH. She has won numerous awards, including the American Peabody Award, the Prince Rainer III Golden Nymph Special Award & the Royal Television Society Award.

Dr. Anja Hesse

Dr. Anja Hesse studied fine arts at the University of Fine Arts in Braunschweig and history at the Technical University of Braunschweig. In 1993, she earned her doctorate with a dissertation on art under National Socialism. Since 1992, she has held a senior position in the City of Braunschweig’s cultural administration. Since October 2010, she has served as Director of Culture and Science.

Eva Hieber

Eva Hieber studied literature and English language and literature in Bochum. She has been an editor at Braunschweiger Zeitung since 2014. As a member of the culture desk, she is particularly passionate about film, theater, music, and the visual arts. The 37-year-old has already served on several juries for regional art competitions. She especially enjoys watching movies with interesting characters.

Julia Roesler

Julia Roesler is a film and theater director from Lower Saxony and co-founder of werkgruppe2 filmproduktion. Her debut feature film, LUISA, premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival and has won numerous awards, including the Heimspiel Prize at the 2025 Braunschweig International Film Festival.

Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon

Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon are Brazilian directors and screenwriters. Their features SEASHORE (2015), HARD PAINT (2018) and NIGHT STAGE (2025) all premiered in the Berlinale. HARD PAINT won the Teddy Award for Best Film and the C.I.C.A.E. Jury Award. They live and work in Berlin, where they also teach Film Production and Acting.

Mareike Stober

Mareike Stober heads the LGBTIQ* Coordination Office for the City of Braunschweig. In this role, she has been advocating for the interests of the queer community in Braunschweig since 2019, with the goal of breaking down barriers and ensuring that queer people become a visible, accepted part of society.

Arabella Wintermayr

Arabella Wintermayr is a film and TV series critic. She writes about cinema, culture, and politics for publications including taz, Freitag, ZEIT Online, Sissy, Jacobin & Surplus. She also works as a TV editor for phoenix. Since 2024, she has been a member of the Fiction nomination committee for the Grimme Prize, and since 2025, she has curated the shortlist for the Televisionale German Series Award.

• Gordian Maugg (Jury Chair), director and screenwriter
• Shérazade Abarziz, student in Pont-Audemer (Normandy)
• Bilel Achour, student in Sotteville-lès-Rouen (Normandy)
• Jade Bouvard, student in Franqueville-Saint-Pierre (Normandy)
• Anne Brown, student in Braunschweig (Lower Saxony)
• Rosalie Ruth, student in Braunschweig (Lower Saxony)
• Vicky Stöber Pacheco, student in Peine (Lower Saxony)