IIFSA Astar Award 2025 International Jury | Full lineup introduction

Chair of the IIFSA Astar Award Jury: Professor Karl Bardosh

Introduction: Professor at Tisch College, New York University

Achievements and judging experience: Tony Award winner of the highest award in American theater, pioneer of mobile cinema, serving as chairman and judge of the short film section at the Cannes International Film Festival, and judge at multiple international film festivals such as the Sarajevo Film Festival.

IIFSA Astar Award Jury Members:

Demetri Terzopoulos

Introduction: UCLA Chancellor's Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles

Representative achievements and honors: won the 2006 Technical Achievement Oscar in the field of animation for the theory of "elastic deformation model"; 2020 IEEE Computer Pioneer Award; He is also a fellow of ACM, IEEE, and the Royal Society of the United Kingdom.

Review experience: served as the Technical Chair and reviewer for SIGGRAPH conference, and also served as a technical unit reviewer for Sundance New Frontier film festival; Its influence is widespread in Hollywood film production.

Anton Juan

Introduction: Professor at the University of Notre Dame in the United States and Professor at Santo Tomas University in the Philippines,

Review experience: "Asian Film Perspective" screening at the 2016 Busan International Film Festival, Best Director/Best Film at the 2017 Canadian International Diversity Film Festival, Best Feature Film/Best Actress at the Chandler International Film Festival (Woven Wings of Our Children), international judge at the 2021 Bangkok International Documentary Film Festival, served as a judge at the Cairo International Film Festival and mentor at Berlin Talents.

Vikrant Kishore

Introduction: Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK

Representative works and awards: The director's work "Pariza's Lockdown Diary" (2020) won the Best Documentary Award at the Tagore International Film Festival and Port Blair International Film Festival; Dancing to the Tunes of Bollywood II won the Special Mention Award at the NOIDA International Film Festival.

Review experience: Previously served as a judge for the ATOM Awards (Australian Teacher Media Awards, 2009, 2011), Melbourne Web Film Festival (2019), Real Film Festival (2013), and also served as a judge for the AACTA Asia Pacific Film Unit.

Amy Villarejo

Introduction: UCLA Distinguished Professor of Film and Media Studies and former Chair of Cornell's Department of Performance and Media Arts

Representative works and awards: The book 'Lesbian Rule' won the Katherine Kovacs Best Book Award and is also the editor in chief of the Oxford Queer Film Handbook.

Review experience: Served as a judge for international LGBTQ+film festivals such as Frameline, Outfest, BFI Flare, and also served as a keynote speaker and speaker for the conference.

Tan Jing (judge of Astar award music category)

Introduction: Tan Jing is a world-renowned Chinese singer and national first-class actress. She pioneered the integration of ethnic, popular, and bel canto singing techniques, and is renowned in the music industry for her cross-border singing style. She is known as the "Sarah Brightman" of the East.

Representative works and awards:

In 2000, She won the gold medal in popular singing at the CCTV Youth Singer TV Grand Prix and was honored as the "Audience Favorite Singer". Has appeared on the stage of China Central Television Spring Festival Gala 12 times.

She has held solo concerts at world-class music venues such as the Golden Hall in Vienna in 2006, the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, and the Sydney Opera House in 2019.

Her singing has become a symbol in major national events such as the Beijing Olympics, Shanghai World Expo, and Guangzhou Asian Games.

Julian Stringer

Introduction: Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK, and a member of the East Asian Cultural Studies Center, he is a highly respected scholar in the field of international film studies, particularly in East Asian cinema, Hollywood, film festival research, and cross-border media culture.

Review experience: Served as a judge for the Quanzhou International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and actively participated in the network and academic exchanges of the Asian Film Festival.

Emiel Martens

Introduction: Film scholar and producer at Leiden University in the Netherlands

Representative contribution: Establishing "Caribbean Creativity" to promote Caribbean film education and practice.

Review experience: served as a judge for the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) and curator for the "Africa in the Picture" film festival.

Farhat Basir Khan

Introduction: Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia Communication Center in India

Representative role: UNESCO Media Education Consultant;

Review experience: Reviewed at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).

George Huang

Introduction: Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Taiwanese American director, and one of the directors of "Dancing with Sharks"

Review experience: Reviewed at the Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival and served as a mentor for Sundance and AFI director training camps.

Yang Yishu

Introduction: Professor, independent director, and film critic from Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Representative achievements: The work has been nominated for youth film festivals such as Rotterdam, Busan, and FIRST, focusing on realism and female storytelling.

Gong Jie

Introduction: Professor of Documentary and Film Education at Northwest University in China

Review experience: Participated in the evaluation of the China National College Student Film Festival and promoted innovation in youth documentary creation.

Zhou Anhua

Introduction: Professor of Film Studies at Nanjing University, China

Specialty: Psychoanalysis and Film Aesthetics Research, authored multiple academic monographs

Meng Jun

Introduction: Dean of the School of Arts at Wuhan University in China, expert in digital art and new media

Contribution: Curating national level media art exhibitions and promoting the integration of art, AI, and imaging.

V. Ilamparithi

Introduction: Associate Professor at Loyola College (Chennai, India)

Expertise and judging experience: Proficient in Tamil cinema and local visual culture, serving as a judge for multiple Indian short film festivals

Lev Manovich

Introduction: Outstanding Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY)

Representative works: Authoritative work on "New Media Language"; His research results were exhibited at the Venice Biennale, ZKM, and Transmediale

Leah M. Feldman

Introduction: Associate Professor at the University of Chicago

Research and review experience: Focusing on cross-cultural aesthetics between Europe and Asia, serving as a curatorial consultant for independent film festivals in Central Asia and Europe.

Tan Fei

Introduction: Tan Fei is an influential film and television investor, planner, producer, film critic, writer, and actor in the Chinese film and television industry. He is also a director of the China Film Critics Society. He founded and edited the professional official account "Four Tastes of Poison Uncle", which is famous for its sharp views and is nicknamed "Poison Uncle".

Saniuddin Khan

Introduction: Creative Technology Expert at the National Institute of Design in India

Contribution: Curating AI+Art cross-border exhibitions and youth innovation incubation projects.

Kristen Wright

Introduction: Executive Director of the Australian Academy of Humanities

Contribution direction: Promoting gender equality in film and television, cultural diplomacy, and inclusive storytelling.

Baidurya Chakrabarti

Introduction: Professor of Media Culture at Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Professional Focus: AI and Media Ethics, serving as a judge for the Digital India Media Festival.

The Astar Award judging panel integrates academia, creativity, and technology. They have rich experience in international film festival judging and authoritative award accumulation, which is a solid guarantee of the fairness and global perspective of the Astar Award.

Award ceremony time: August 2025

Consultation email: secretary@iifsa.org  /  award@iifsa.org