The Film Forward International Competition Section presents the work of new, daring filmmakers who challenge our relationship with storytelling and aspire to renegotiate it, beyond the boundaries of film genres. The films compete for the Golden Alexander – Best Feature Film Award (8,000 euros cash prize) and the Silver Alexander – Best Director Award (4,000 euros cash prize).
The members of the Film Forward Jury are Mina Kavani, actress; filmmaker Lois Patiño; and filmmaker Haris Vafeiadis.
Mina Kavani
Mina Kavani was born in Tehran and raised in an artistic family. Fascinated by acting from an early age, she began participating regularly in rehearsals of her uncle – the well-known theater and film director, Ali Raffi. At the age of sixteen, she made her stage debut at the Tehran City Theater, launching her career in Iran as an actress. She soon collaborated with some of the most prominent film and theater directors in the country. At twenty-two, she moved to Paris and was admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur. In 2013, she starred as the protagonist in Sepideh Farsi’s film Red Rose. The film was showcased at numerous international festivals, where Kavani received several nominations for Best Actress. However, due to the presence of nudity in the film, she became the target of threats from the Iranian media, which ultimately led to her exile. Kavani continued her career in France, appearing in both theater and cinema. In 2022, she starred in the film No Bears by the acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 2023, she took on a leading role in the series Embassy 87 by British director Colin Teague, set to premiere in 2024. She also starred in Reading Lolita in Tehran, based on the work of Azar Nafisi, directed by the renowned Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, with the film scheduled for release in 2024. In 2024, Mina Kavani was selected as a jury member for the “L’Oeil d’or” award at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside Nicolas Philibert (President of the Jury).
Mina Kavani was born in Tehran and raised in an artistic family. Fascinated by acting from an early age, she began participating regularly in rehearsals of her uncle – the well-known theater and film director, Ali Raffi. At the age of sixteen, she made her stage debut at the Tehran City Theater, launching her career in Iran as an actress. She soon collaborated with some of the most prominent film and theater directors in the country. At twenty-two, she moved to Paris and was admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur. In 2013, she starred as the protagonist in Sepideh Farsi’s film Red Rose. The film was showcased at numerous international festivals, where Kavani received several nominations for Best Actress. However, due to the presence of nudity in the film, she became the target of threats from the Iranian media, which ultimately led to her exile. Kavani continued her career in France, appearing in both theater and cinema. In 2022, she starred in the film No Bears by the acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 2023, she took on a leading role in the series Embassy 87 by British director Colin Teague, set to premiere in 2024. She also starred in Reading Lolita in Tehran, based on the work of Azar Nafisi, directed by the renowned Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, with the film scheduled for release in 2024. In 2024, Mina Kavani was selected as a jury member for the “L’Oeil d’or” award at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside Nicolas Philibert (President of the Jury).
Lois Patiño
Lois Patiño was born in Vigo (Spain) in 1983. He combined his Psychology studies at the Complutense University of Madrid with cinema studies at TAI School. He followed his cinema education at NYFA, in New York and with the Master in Cinema Documentary at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. His films were screened in festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, Viennale, IDFA, and Oberhausen. His recent works Sycorax (2021) and The Sower of Stars (2022) have premiered at Cannes Quinzaine and Berlinale Shorts. His two feature films Costa da Morte (2013) and Red Moon Tide (2020) premiered at Locarno and the Berlinale Forum. His last feature Samsara had its world premiere at Berlinale Encounters (2023) and won the Golden Alexander of the Film Forward Section at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
Lois Patiño was born in Vigo (Spain) in 1983. He combined his Psychology studies at the Complutense University of Madrid with cinema studies at TAI School. He followed his cinema education at NYFA, in New York and with the Master in Cinema Documentary at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. His films were screened in festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, Viennale, IDFA, and Oberhausen. His recent works Sycorax (2021) and The Sower of Stars (2022) have premiered at Cannes Quinzaine and Berlinale Shorts. His two feature films Costa da Morte (2013) and Red Moon Tide (2020) premiered at Locarno and the Berlinale Forum. His last feature Samsara had its world premiere at Berlinale Encounters (2023) and won the Golden Alexander of the Film Forward Section at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
Haris Vafeiadis
Haris Vafeiadis was born in Athens in 1977. He studied drama at the Contemporary Theatrical Rhythm drama school, and filmmaking at the Stavrakos Greek Cinema and TV School. He continued his studies in fiction filmmaking at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London, with a grant from the Greek State Scholarships Foundation and United International Pictures. He is based in Athens and works as a director in advertising in Greece and abroad. His short film 13 ½ was screened in many international short film festivals, receiving the Second-Best Fiction Short Film, Best Female Performance; and the Best Film Award presented by the Greek Film Clubs Association at the Drama International Short Film Festival in 2011; and the Best Film Award at the Fuji Shorts Film Festival in 2011. His debut feature film Litte Things That Went Wrong was awarded at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival with the Greek Film Centre’s Best Location Manager Award; and was nominated by the Hellenic Film Academy for five Iris Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best First-Time Director.
Haris Vafeiadis was born in Athens in 1977. He studied drama at the Contemporary Theatrical Rhythm drama school, and filmmaking at the Stavrakos Greek Cinema and TV School. He continued his studies in fiction filmmaking at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London, with a grant from the Greek State Scholarships Foundation and United International Pictures. He is based in Athens and works as a director in advertising in Greece and abroad. His short film 13 ½ was screened in many international short film festivals, receiving the Second-Best Fiction Short Film, Best Female Performance; and the Best Film Award presented by the Greek Film Clubs Association at the Drama International Short Film Festival in 2011; and the Best Film Award at the Fuji Shorts Film Festival in 2011. His debut feature film Litte Things That Went Wrong was awarded at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival with the Greek Film Centre’s Best Location Manager Award; and was nominated by the Hellenic Film Academy for five Iris Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best First-Time Director.
