2023 FESTIVAL JURY
ALEKSANDRA MACHNIK
Film and performances producer, artists manager for Polish and international artists. Curator, producer, and initiator of numerous international artistic projects in Poland, Europe, USA, and Canada.
As an artist, she has choreographed and directed, as a producer and manager involves overseeing project teams for events, marketing campaigns, advertising, theatre, and film productions.
Picture and sound are her passion, both together and apart, with the aim of creative direction.
She degrees in Sociology, Cultural Management, and American Studies from Jagiellonian University. She’s equipped with expertise and certifications in marketing and management, including an MBA QUEST.
She managed the Silesian Dance Theatre and co-produced the International Contemporary Dance Conference and Dance Arts Festival in Bytom. She’s a member of the International Leadership Development Forum for arts managers and served as a Company Manager at Theatre Junction at the Grand in Canada. A producer and manager for numerous artists and performances, including W&M Physical Theatre and the Maciej Kuźmiński Company.
She’s the creator and curator of the project “Film and Edit THE DANCE” and the program “Mov(i)e Flow – Polish Dance Film Showcase & Mentoring,” which promotes Polish dance films worldwide.
Author of communication strategies for the MATERIA Foundation, operator of the pilot program “Art Spaces.”she realized the reconstruction of the performance “Short Stories”.
In 2021, she managed the project „reconstruction of the “Short Stories” performance choreographed by Avi Kaiser, featuring the Silesian Dance Theatre’s first cast, on its 30th anniversary.
She produced the award-winning film “UNFRAMED” (dir. Paweł Zawadzki) and “Silent Rage” (dir. Sebastien Goyon). Co- creator with directors Krystian Kuczkowski and Michał Bandurski documentary films: “Krzysztof Krawczyk – My Whole Life,” “Maryla. I Loved Like That,” and “ANIA” about Anna Przybylska’s story.
ALLIAH FAFIN
Alliah Fafin is a director with a poetic and original cinematographic vision, both sensitive and committed. She grew up in different African countries, which keeps on being reflected in her films. After studying directing in New-York, she directed music videos for Dominique Fils-Aimé, as well as promotional videos for artists such as Rafael Lozano Hemmer (Winner of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts).
She left Quebec in 2016 for Chad, where she worked with UNICEF on the production of several videos illustrating the problems encountered by local populations, Nigerian refugees and Central African returnees. In 2018, she shot her first short film “Amani” in Chad; a tale, halfway between reality and fantasy, where a mysterious narrator tells us the story of Amani, a young boy passionate about dancing who finds himself hostage to a new reality. The film was selected in many festivals, it premiered at the Festival Regard 2021 in Saguenay, Quebec and has won several awards and mentions, such as the Silver Poulain FESPACO 2021 in Ouagadougou, Best of the festival at WildDogs International Screendance Festival 2022 in Calgary, Best Canadian Short at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival 2022, among others. “Amani” was also sold to Canal+ Africa, allowing it to be broadcast Africa-wide.
Since then Alliah has been living in Montreal, where she filmed her second short film “Maybe
someday…”, which will be released in November 2023. She’s also writing her first feature film
“Between us too”.
HELENA JONSDOTTIR
Helena Jonsdottir studied at the National Theatre Ballet School of Iceland, with additional studies at Alvin Ailey, New York. She has performed in and choreographed countless productions for television, film, music videos and the stages. Helena has also written, choreographed and directed many choreographic films – Physical cinema, including Breaking voices for Art Festival in Reykjavik 2002 screened at the Reykjavik Art Museum. One of 10 winners at the Moving North project with the film While the cat’s away in 2003, then Zimmer which won first prize at the IV.Videotanzpreis 2003/2004 of SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne German The award winning short television/ film Another/ Teine that won the Grand Prix at the Cinessonne Film Festival in Paris, France in 2006. A collaboration with Estonia Broadcasting service ETV, EBU European Broadcasting Union, Arte Germany, YLE, SVT, DR, SDF, NRK, NPS. Latest film Gone was awarded best script in Italy and best film in Germany, still running in festivals.
Helena is recognized internationally for her work in Scandinavia, UK and USA. She was nominated in Los Angeles 2001 as the best choreographer at the Music Video Production Association Awards LA. Helena won the first prize in the Icelandic Dance
Theater Awards in June 2003 with the work Open Source. She developed Open Source into a full evening production and made an Irish version, which premiered at the Galway Art Festival in Ireland, and a Belgian version, which premiered at Ghent Art Festival in 2004. Lastly, she created an Icelandic version for Iceland Dance Company which premiered at the Reykjavik City Theater in 2005. In 2007 she recreated a touring version with a new cast that opened the Guangdong modern dance festival in China and was running at the Reykjavik City Theater autumn 2007. Open source was chosen by the Belgian press to go to Belgium Brussels performing at the BOZAR in 2008.
As a visual artist Helena created an installation project entitled Freeze in 2009 in collaboration with Grandi Studio Iceland, shown in Alaska and organized by the Alaska Design Forum and the International Gallery of Contemporary Art. Another visual art project Birgir, an installation, was shown in the UK as well as Hinterland on the River Trent in Nottingham. Furthermore, Helena was part of the traveling exhibition 100 artist see god curated by John Baldessari and Meg Cranston 2002 – 2006.
In addition to her creative projects Helena is an associate professor both at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and at Gothenburg University in Sweden and freelance internationally as a lecturer and workshop leader. Founder and artistic director of PHYSICAL CINEMA FESTIVAL in Reykjavík Iceland, a collaboration with Stockfish Film Festival and Bio Paradis. Outside of her own works she is running the Estate of Thorvaldur Thorseinsson, writer and artist.
Helena is awarded as the 2017 Dance artist of the year in Iceland by The Icelandic press and culture for her pioneer work with Physical Cinema.