Jian Liu
Director. Professor at the China Academy of Art. His animated films "Piercing I", "Have a Nice Day", and "Art College 1994" have won numerous international and domestic awards, including nominations for Golden Bear for Best Film at the 67th and 73rd Berlin International Film Festivals, Best Animated Feature at the 54th Golden Horse Awards, and Best Director at the 1st Pingyao International Film Festival.
Nienke Deutz
Director and animator based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In her films, she explores the narrative and visual possibilities of animated film and strives to combine different animation techniques and storytelling methods. Her work often revolves around human experiences, with alienation and discomfort being recurring themes. Her films "Bloeistraat 11" (2018) and "The Miracle" (2023) received global recognition, winning numerous awards, including the Cristal for best short film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Grand Prix at Animafest Zagreb. In 2023, Deutz, in collaboration with filmmakers Alice Saey and Wiep Teeuwisse, established Tinsel Studio—a collective dedicated to directing and producing independent animation films. She is currently finishing her newest film "This is Your Captain Speaking", an animated documentary co-directed with Digna van der Put.
Nobuaki Doi
As a founder of New Deer, Nobuaki Doi is active as a distributor and producer for international indie animation films. While focusing on international co-productions, he not only produces films for Japanese directors but has recently expanded his scope to produce films by international directors as well. He has also been a driving force behind well-known Japanese animation festivals, serving as an artistic director for the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival until 2021, and since 2022, as a producer for Hiroshima Animation Season. Doi has authored four books on animation, covering subjects from Yuri Norstein to Makoto Shinkai.
Max Hattler
A German abstract and experimental animation artist living in Hong Kong. After studying at Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art, he completed a Doctorate in Fine Art at the University of East London.
Max Hattler's work has been showcased at festivals and exhibitions worldwide, garnering awards and mentions from notable institutions such as the Annecy Animation Festival, Ars Electronica, Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Punto y Raya Festival, Cannes Lions, London International Animation Festival, and many others. He has presented his audiovisual live performances around the world, including at Fest Anca, Anifilm Festival, Playgrounds Festival, Animafest Zagreb, Seoul Museum of Art and the European Media Art Festival. Max Hattler is a Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. He's also the co-founder and curator of Relentless Melt, a society for abstract moving image which regularly presents screenings of Hong Kong experimental animation around the world.
Dian
Artist, musician, director. Born in Beijing and shaped by a multicultural upbringing, she graduated from the Animation Department of the Communication University of China before moving to Tokyo, where she founded the art collective "XL-UNIVERSE" and the gallery and creative label "SOMSOC GALLERY". Her art style, filled with Eastern imagination, weaves together painting, installation, music, and animation into a singular narrative world. She directs and designs all of her own music videos, fusing sound and image into a poetic expression of self. Her works have been exhibited at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, and she has performed at international music festivals, continually expanding the boundaries between art and music.
Jasmine Cai
Animation teacher and curator, teaching at the School of Fine Arts, South China Normal University. Co-founder of animation media named "AT!". She was previously responsible for content editing, management, and operations at AT!, as well as planning and hosting animation salons. Over the years, she has consistently focused on Chinese independent animation and its creators, dedicated to promoting outstanding works and fostering exchanges among domestic and international animators. Her academic research areas include independent animation creation, animation art theory, and animation history.
Yishu Wang
Programmer, film festival professional, and founder of CineFun Studio. She previously served as Head of Competition and Screenings at
the FIRST International Film Festival and as Director of the Minute International Short Film Festival. Through co-founding CineFun Studio, she has established a platform dedicated to programming and creative production for film festivals and cultural events, including Aranya Waves Film Festival, Silk Road IFF, Pingyao IFF, and Italian Screens. Films represented by CineFun Studio have been selected for and honored at Sundance, IFFR, IDFA, Clermont-Ferrand, Moscow, FIRST, Pingyao, among other renowned festivals worldwide.
Sijia Luo
Born in China and currently resides in Tokyo. She received her master's degree from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Her practice centers on animated short films, video, and installation works, and also extends
to sound-related formats such as music videos, sound design, and VJ performance. By getting inspiration from other art forms, she develops her films through experiments and seeks liberation from visual language. Her animation works have been selected and awarded by film festivals around the world, including Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Hiroshima Animation Season, Animest, Feinaki Animation Week, and New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival.
Yunyi Zhu
Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University and Le Fresnoy - National Studio for Contemporary Art. He lives and works in Shanghai, and his practice explores memory and perception primarily through the media of video and installation. His films have been shortlisted and awarded for national festivals such as Cinéma du Réel, the Berlinale, and the Golden Horse Awards.
Xi Chen
An Animation Filmmaker and a Comics Writer. He is currently a lecturer in Beijing Film Academy. His animation works have been selected in renowned animation festivals and won awards; he has been invited to France, Japan and Canada for art residency program; his Animation films retrospective were held in Japan, France and Russia; His films include the series of animated short films "Solar Terms", "Yao-Ship Down the Well", etc. He is one of the founders of Feinaki Beijing Animation Week.
Yantong Zhu
Festival director and one of the founders of Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, an animation filmmaker, and picture book author. Her animated film "My Milk Cup Cow" won numerous prizes worldwide, such as the Grand Prix of KROK and the Young Animation Award of Stuttgart, etc. She was invited as a jury member, and curated Chinese animation programs for many international festivals such as Hiroshima, Big Cartoon, Animateka, New Chitose, Tricky Women, BIAF, StopTrik, etc. She is the executive producer of the animated omnibus film "To the Bright Side", which won the Grand Prize feature film at the New York Int'l Children's Film Festival.