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JERRY SCHATZBERG
Chairman of the International Jury Manhattan-born director Jerry Schatzberg left TV commercials and fashion photography for feature films at precisely the right time: after the freak success of 1969's Easy Rider, the studios were scrambling for "personal style" directors who could relate to the younger filmgoers. Making his big-screen debut 1970's Puzzle of a Downfall Child, the story of an unhappy fashion model, Schatzberg didn't score with the critics until his second picture: The Panic in Needle Park (1971), a bleak study of cocaine addiction starring Al Pacino which won him the reputatuion of à master. Pacino costarred with Gene Hackman in Schatzberg's next film, Scarecrow (1973), which won Palm d'Or at Cannes.
After On the Road Again (1980) Schatzberg broadens his geography and shoots Misunderstood (1983) with Gene Hackman in Tunisia. Later on he makes two small genre films - a comedy, No Small Affair (1986) with Demy Moor in one of her early parts, and a gangster thriller Street Smart (1987) with Christopher Reeve and Morgan Freeman.
Since the end of the 80-ies, Schatzberg has worked in Europe more and more often, the beginning of his work there being put by the nazi time drama Reunion (1989) written by Harold Pinter and with Jason Robards in the main part. In 1995 Schatzberg is among the 40 world film directors invited to participate in the French Film Centre's project dedicated to the 100th anniversary of cinema. Lumiere et compagnie is a project where various directors, among which Wim Wenders, David Lynch, and Theo Angelopulos, each tell a story of their own in just 52 seconds and 3 frames. His, by far, last film Day the Ponies Come Back (2000) Schatzberg shoots with French support again. The action, however, takesplace in the Bronx, New York, where we witness the drama of a son searching for his father. |
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BABAK PAYAMI
Born in Tehran in 1966, Payami studied cinema at the University of Toronto during the early 90's. In 1998, he returned to Iran, after an almost two decade-long absence, to produce and direct his debut One More Day, presented at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival (Panorama). This film received the Special Jury Prize in Turin and the Best Artistic Contribution Award in Tokyo. Silence Between Two Thoughts is Babak Payami's follow-up to his internationallysuccessful Secret Ballot, which in 2001 won Payami a Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. |
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SAMUEL FINZI
Bulgarian and German actor, born in 1966 in Plovdiv, son of the great Bulgarian film and theatre actor Izhak Finzi. Studied acting at the Higher Institute for Theatre Arts in Sofia. Since the beginning of the 90's he has been working in Germany where he is amongst the most intensively working theatre actors. Some of his best Bulgarian movies are The Camp (1990) by Georgi Djulgerov, The Forbidden Fruit (1994) by Krasimir Krumov, The Devil's Tail (2000) by Dimitar Petkov and …And God Came Down to See Us (2003) by Petar Popzlatev. One of his most famous German-language pics is Geburtig - Austrian Oscar entry for 2002. On German stage he has played in productions of Leons and Lena, Woyzeck, Don Quixote, Phaedra and Platonov. |
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KORNEL MUNDRUCZO
Kornel Mundruczo was born in 1975 in Budapest, He graduated film directing at the Hungarian Academy for Film and Drama in 1998. Author of several award winning shorts and documentaries. In 2000 he made the experimental drama I Wish This and Nothing More. In 2002 he completed Pleasant Days that won him not only the international critics' acclaim but also scores of prizes among which the Best Film Award at the 7th International Sofia Film Festival as well as a European Film Award '02 nomination for Discovery of the Year. At the moment, Kornel Mundruczo is engaged in three feature projects under the working titles DELTA, The Unknown Soldier and Devils - Dreamer of Bloodless Crimes. |
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MARTHA KONDOVA
Bulgarian actress, born in 1980, in Sofia. Daughter of the great Bulgarian film and theatre actor Ivan Kondov. She graduated the Film and Theatre Academy in Sofia in 2001. She works with the Sofia Theatre. In 2000 she performed in the Golden Chest Award winning TV series, Shooting Party for Wolves. In 2001 she took part in another TV film, Kolober. In 2003 she played the main part in Krassimir Krumov's Under theSame Sky, winner of Best Film Award at the Golden Chest Festival and the KODAK Award for best Bulgarian feature at 7th International Sofia Film Festival. In 2003 she played in the French feature Death Penalty, directed by Gilles Bea. Martha Kondova is winner of the Nevena Kokanova 03 Award for Best Young Actress awarded to her for the part of Rufie in Under the Same Sky. |
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