Youth Jury 2023

Sallar Othman was born in Al-Hasaka, Rojava, northern Syria. There he founded the theatre group "Koma Ararat". Due to the Syrian war, he fled to Europe where he began his film career. In addition to internationally screened short films, he has been working for two years on his first feature film "The Journey", funded by the Drehbuch Forum as part of ScriptLAB Fiction.

Marie Alice is a Vienna-based film director and screenwriter. Faith, ideology and utopia are recurring themes in her works. The 360° documentary, Bridge to Sovietopia, premiered at IDFA 2020. Her feature debut, Mother Superior, premiered at Slash 2022 and won Best Feature and Best Director at Brooklyn Horror.

Raised in Graz with Turkish-Ukrainian roots, Lidija studies film production at the Vienna Film Academy. She works as a sound assistant on feature film sets, produces, and directs short films. During her studies in theater, film, and media studies, she was part of the Diagonale team and supported this human world Festival.

Eleni Mak is 16 years old and when she is not out with friends or watching series, she loves to tell stories either on stage or privately on her laptop. Eleni is part of the young jury for the first time this year.

Anais Sturm places great importance on equality between men, women, and all genders in between. She advocates for a near future where all individuals, regardless of their skin color or religion, are treated equally. That's why she has decided to participate in the Youth Jury this year.

Born in 1967 in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Evi Romen is an Austrian film editor, screenwriter, and director. She studied at the Film Academy Vienna. Since the 1990s, she has been shaping Austrian cinema. In 2021, she received the Diagonale Prize for "Hochwald".

Ashkan is an independent film producer, director, and photographer with a focus on intercultural exchange. He is active in the Austrian arts and culture scene, a member of Linz's Cultural Advisory Board, and the chairman of the Closefilm Film and Culture Association. Additionally, he oversees the Linz International Short Film Festival.

Anna Starzinger from Vienna is a cellist, actress, and composer. Formerly engaged at the Vienna Burgtheater and the Reichenau Festival. She collaborates with bands like Soap&Skin and Wiener Blond. As a cellist, she performs from classical to ORF shows.

Mo Harawe was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. He studied visual communication and film. He has made several short films that have been shown at international film festivals and won numerous awards. He is currently developing his first feature film THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE.

David Lapuch was born in Graz in 1987. Takeshi Kitano's Hana-Bi finally got him into film at the age of 17. After several short films, he produced his first feature film, Adam, in 2014. With his most recent work “Cornetto im Gras” he won the Diagonale Prize for the best short fiction film in 2023.

Katharina Simunic is a long-time human rights activist and shot her first documentary film Europe, Can You See Me? (AT, 2021) on the Croatian-Bosnian external EU border. She leads film workshops in schools on gender equality and children's rights and loves to film feminist music videos.

Anna Hirschmann, born 1982, studied in Hamburg and Vienna. She worked at IG Kultur Wien, researched a film about Malaria in East Africa, and was active at the Schauspielhaus Vienna. From 2020-2022, she participated in theater projects in Vienna. Her documentary "Helga's Freedom and the Washing Machine" won at This Human World 2022. She's a filmmaker and editor based in Vienna.

Dariusz Kowalski, born 1971 in Krakow, has lived in Austria since 1991. From 1998 - 2004 studied visual media design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. His works have been exhibited in the following art institutions: Austrian Cultural Forum New York, Secession Vienna, Kunsthaus Graz and many more.

Tarek Lehner is 15 years old and a student of the 10th grade. His hobbies include theater and acting and meeting friends :). Since you don't know what it's like to award a film until you've done it, he decided to join the youth jury.

Elisabeth Hajek worked as an independent curator and cultural manager for art galleries and festivals. Since 2015 she is the head of Q21’ international Artist-in-Residence Program at the MQ and in 2012 additionally was appointed Artistic Director of the frei_raum Q21 exhibition space.