Jury
The STIFF jury consists of three teams: one for fiction, one for documentary, and one for animated films. Each team usually includes previous years’ winners and a local student. This structure allows students to actively learn from professionals as a part of the jury, and fosters connections between local filmmakers and young international creators. The goal is to encourage collaboration, networking, and the exchange of ideas. With such strong competition, the jury faces the difficult task of awarding only three prizes: Best Fiction, Best Documentary, and Best Animated Film. The jury can also award special mentions for outstanding films from the program, while the audience plays a key role in selecting their favorite film through the Audience Award.
Animated film jury
Jalal Maghout
Jalal Maghout is a Syrian film director, working mainly in animation. His film career set off in 2010 with “Creatures of Inexistence”, his graduation project at Damascus University. After graduating, he taught visual arts at that university. In 2013 his short film “Canvas on Mixed Media” was screened in Annecy and on ARTE. Soon after, he left Damascus for Berlin where he began work on “Suleima”, an animated film that premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2014. His film “Up Here, With the White Gods” premiered at Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film in 2020. That year he got his Master’s degree from Film University Babelsberg. His graduation film “Have a Nice Dog!” premiered at Filmfest Dresden and won numerous awards at festivals around the world, including Grand Prix in Uppsala (which qualified the film for Oscar nomination). Jalal has also served as a jury member at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and other festivals.
Lucia Ilić
Lucia Ilić (2004) is a second-year student of Art Pedagogy at the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka. Madly in love in film and all forms of art.
Milan Trenc
Milan Trenc (Zagreb, 1962) is a Croatian film and theatre director. He graduated in film at the University of Zagreb, earning his doctorate at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb where he has been teaching animation and new media since 2005. He works in film, comics, animation, theatre, radio, literature, and illustration. His children’s book “The Night at the Museum” was adapted into a feature film in 2006, while his illustrations for the New Yor Times won prestigious awards. His feature film “Fishing and Fishermen’s Conversations” won three Arena awards in Pula 2020, later winning the Golden Reel for best cinematography at Tiburon Film Festival in 2021.
Documentary film jury
Barbara Babačić
Barbara Babačić, born in Rijeka, graduated in Cultural Studies at the University of Rijeka. Highly interested in social and political questions, she directed two documentary films: “The Settlers – Our New Armed Neighbours” about the colonialisation of the West Bank in Palestine; and “Silver Women” about widows of Bolivian miners in Potosi. She worked as a producer on numerous cultural and artistic projects, and is currently a producer in Drugo more.
Izidor Bistrović
Izidor Bistrović, born in Čakovec (Croatia) in 2003, is a student of film and TV directing at the University of Zagreb.
He made a number of films, amongst which two short documentaries dealing with family issues stand out – “Thank you, Mother” (2024) and “Gone Swimming, Love Dad” (2025). They were screened at several national and international festivals, including ZagrebDox, MakeDox, Pula film festival, and STIFF.
Katja Galunić
Katja Galunić (Varaždin, 2005) finished elementary and high-school in Zagreb, and is currently a second-year student of Psychology at the University of Rijeka. Katja went to a number of film workshops where she took part in creating several fiction films. She directed the short experimental Tko shvati, shvatio je (If you get it, you get it) that got a Special Mention at Four River Film Festival in 2024. In high-school Katja was a member of Zagreb Youth Theatre school, and she is currently a member of Pontes studio for drama in Rijeka.
Fiction film jury
Jelena Lopatić
Jelena Lopatić (Rijeka, 1980) graduated in acting at the University in Zagreb in 2006. Member of ensemble of Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka since 2009, and teacher at the Department of Performing Arts at the University of RIjeka since 2013. She performed in numerous feature and short fiction films: “Sleep Sweet, My Darling” (N. Hitrec), “What Is a Man Without a Moustache?” (H. Hribar), “The Man Under the Table” (N. Hitrec), “Vegetarian Cannibal” (B. Schmidt), “Love Island” (J. Žbanić), “Thunder” (R. J. Gonzo), “Anka” (D. Aćimović), “Death of the Little Match Girl” (G. Kulenović), “Kiddo” (R. Gallo), “Crocodile’s Teeth” (F. Heraković). For his role of Iva in short film “Thunder” she won the Best Actress Award at Transilvania Shorts in 2016.
Luka Ešler
Luka Ešler (2005) is a second-year student of Economy at the University of Rijeka. Former member of Try Theatre, where he performed in three English language productions (Le Temps est Bon, A Play About Migration, Their Beautiful), and is now a mentor for younger children. Screenwriter and actor in Figlio di due mondi (Son of Two Worlds) fiction film, and assistant director to Lena Jakšić on her Simbioza (Symbiosis) film. When not studying, Luka writes screenplays and develops film projects.
Marcin Kluczykowski
Marcin Kluczykowski is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He graduated directing at Film school in Łódź in 2024, after obtaining his PhD in Polish and Classical philology from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Author of short fiction films (“The clench”, “A cappella”, “Dirt”) and music videos that were screened and awarded at numerous Polish and international festivals. Kluczykowski also works in theatre, in community cultural projects, and in local initiatives. Winner of Papaya Young Directors Grand Prix in 2021.