Adrian Oeser
Adrian Oeser studied directing with a focus on television journalism at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg and has been working as a writer and director of feature-length documentaries for Arte, Das Erste and Hessischer Rundfunk since 2017.
Anna Shepherd
Anna Shepherd is a Creative Producer from Manchester, UK. After studying English Literature, she began to pursue a career in Journalism, undertaking an internship with a local news start-up in Manchester and going on to gain a first-class Master’s degree in International Journalism. After winning an RTS Wales award for her documentary 'Portraying Islam', Anna began working for BAFTA-winning production company 'It's My Shout Productions'.
Benjamin Menekshe
Benjamin Menekshe, born in Prizren in 2001, is a filmmaker and theater director committed to portraying Roma identity and cultural heritage. With a background in theater and community arts, his work blends personal storytelling with collective history. His documentaries and stage productions have been recognized for their social engagement, shedding light on marginalized voices and intergenerational struggles.
Bob Entrop
Bob Entrop (1946) is a passionate filmmaker who huminizes complex themes through film with a strong focus on solidarity, culturele heritage and social impact. After attending the film department of the St. Joost Academy of Art in Breda in 1972 he produced and directed more than 220 film titles. Since 1979 he is the owner of SOL FILMprodukties. The company produces for several networks documentaries, talk shows, feature films and drama-series.
Carmen Chaplin
Carmen Chaplin (born 1972 in London) is an American-Spanish-French actress. The granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin and Oona Chaplin and great-granddaughter of Eugene O'Neill worked as a fashion model for many years. As an actress she has been working for major TV and film productions, alongside Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil, Adrian Paul, Jean Barney, Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi. In Hollywood, she played Ursula alongside Ice Cube, Eva Mendes, and Tommy Flanagan in All About the Money (2002) and in Day on Fire (2005), which was shown at the 2007 Berlinale.
Lara Izagirre
Lara Izagirre, *1985 in Garizurieta (Amorebieta, Vizcaya) is a screenwriter, director and film producer. After obtaining a degree in Audiovisual Communication, she completed her studies in New York and took Aspects of Film Production at NYFA. In Barcelona she studied at ESCAC for her Master in Screenwriting and began writing the script for what would be her first feature film. In 2010 she started Gariza (film production company).
Lisa Smith
Lisa Smith is a British Romani Traveller filmmaker. She was the creative producer of the animated documentary series: ‘People Can Die Twice’ featuring biographies of Romani holocaust survivors and victims. In 2023, she founded Patrin Films, between 2021 and 2024, she was programme manager, co-curator and in 2024 co-director of AKE DIKHEA? in Berlin. Currently, she serves as a Research Associate for the Critical Film and Image Hub at the Research Institute for Antigypsyism in Film at Heidelberg University.
Lotta Adolfsson
Lotta Adolfsson is a Swedish filmmaker, artist, film & animation teacher of Roma Traveler heritage. Grandma Mother Me is her first documentary and has been featured at Swedish National Television. Last year she received two scholarships, one for her documentary and one work grant for her animated short film which is in the making. Next year she will have a solo exhibition that will continue the theme of racism, exclusion and identity.
Jack Lilleywhite
Jack Lilleywhite is a British Romani filmmaker. He has worked as a director’s assistant on feature films, documentaries, and commercials for major studios and broadcasters. With Patrin Films, he developed, co-wrote and directed ‘The Angry Bird’ - nominated for Best Short Documentary at Raindance film festival. Alongside this Jack is developing an original script in collaboration with the BFI and creating a photo book with creative studio DoBeDo.
Jake Bowers
Jake Bowers is a Romani journalist, producer, media teacher and film maker with over 20 year’s experience in the media. He trained as a journalist with Johnston Press and the BBC before starting his own successful production company the Gypsy Media Company Ltd in 2007.
John-Henry Phillips
John-Henry Phillips (presenter and producer) is a Romani author, archaeologist, and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Romani Community Archaeology, produced No Roses On A Sailor’s Grave for PBS, presented The Great British Dig for Channel 4, created short film Searching For Romani Heritage, and authored the book The Search.
Martin Pav
Martin Páv studied directing at FAMU and is pursuing a PhD at the Metropolitan University Prague, where he is researching informal settlements in Nairobi. In his fiction and documentary work, he focuses on themes such as the relationship between man and nature and postcolonial identity.
Mehmet Kuyumcu
Mehmet Kuyumcu is a filmmaker and activist from Antakya, Türkiye. He documents the struggles of Dom, Abdal and Romani communities against exclusion and rights violations. Missed Lives – The Dom People is his debut feature documentary.
Nicolas Kourek
Nicolas Kourek has been a member of the editorial team of A2 Cultural Fortnightly for six years. Together with Martin Páv, he has directed several works for the documentary programmes Queer and Don't Give Up! for Czech Television.
Róbert Bordás
Róbert Bordás is a Hungarian Film Award and Kovács László & Vilmos Zsigmond Award-winning cinematographer and independent filmmaker. His poetry films and documentaries merge poetry, social engagement, and visual experimentation, with screenings at international festivals.
Sejad Ademaj
Sejad Ademaj, as the son of a Montenegrin Roma family, lived in Germany from 1991 to 2008 with a tolerated status. This period was marked by constant uncertainty and the threat of being deported. Sejad is trained as an event manager and studied Media Design and Production as well as screenwriting and directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. He writes and directs on topics such as (anti-Muslim) racism, ethnic minorities, and socioeconomic background. He speaks German and English and has a good knowledge of Serbian, Albanian and Romanes.
Toby Gorniak
Toby Gorniak (aka Toby G) is a transformational coach, actor, author, speaker, hip-hop artist and entrepreneur. Over 18 years, he has helped thousands across the UK, working in schools and empowering young people to re-enter education, find employment and give back to their communities. Toby is celebrated for turning his journey as a teenage refugee fleeing violence into his superpower, reaching the unreachable and bringing people into the light.