Valentina and Nicole Bertani share a common background: they grew up watching the same films, reading the same books, and taking care of the same pets: they are indeed sisters, just 15 months apart. After reaching adulthood (against their will), Valentina devoted herself to filmmaking, directing commercials and music videos, before shooting a documentary, The Crown Shyness. Released in Italy in 2023 by I Wonder Pictures, the film was included in the 79. Venice Film Festival (Giornate degli Autori, Venice Days) and was shortlisted for the David di Donatello. It went on to win the Valentina Pedicini special prize at the Nastri d’Argento before being distributed in the UK by BBC and in the US by Chapter Two Films. Nicole studied art direction and graphic design in Milan and London (Central Saint Martin). She is a freelance creative director, graphic designer, and filmmaker. She works both in print and digital media, collaborating as a freelancer with publishing companies and brands. After many years of working together on many projects in different roles, Valentina and Nicole decided to co-direct their first feature film. Thus, Le bambine was born — the first film by the Bertani Sisters and the only Italian feature film in competition at the 78. edition of the Locarno Film Festival.

With a degree from La Sorbonne in French Literature and Cinema, Nathalie Jeung started her career as a sales agent at Le Pacte back in 2008, after meaningful experiences at Unifrance and Rezo Films. Following twelve engaging years as a senior sales manager at Le Pacte, she joined Kinology’s great team in 2022 as head of international sales.

Lee Hong-chi is a director and actor from Taiwan, China, and a graduate of Chinese Culture University. He won the Best New Performer Award at the 52. Golden Horse Awards and the Best Leading Actor Award at the 17. Taipei Film Festival for his role in Thanatos, Drunk. In recent years, he has starred in over 10 acclaimed art-house and commercial films, including Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018 Cannes), Cities of Last Things (Winner of Platform Prize, 2018 TIFF), Baby (2018 SSIFF), Tigertail (Netflix Original). Love is a Gun, his feature directorial debut which he also wrote and starred in, premiered at the Settimana Internazionale della Critica in 2023 and won the “Lion of the Future” Award of the 80. Venice International Film Festival. He will now present his second feature film as director, A Dance in Vain, receiving its world premiere at the 40. Settimana within the 82. Venice International Film Festival.

Alessandro Amato graduated in Film Production from the Gian Maria Volonté School of Cinematographic Art in Rome, after earning a master’s degree in Law. Following professional experience in theatre, audiovisual production, and the organization of cultural events, in 2015 he co-founded the film production company dispàrte with Luigi Chimienti. He has produced films selected and awarded at numerous international festivals, including Margins by Niccolò Falsetti (Venice Critics’ Week 2022 – Audience Award) and Maternal by Maura Delpero (Locarno International Competition 2019 – winner of four awards). In 2022, he was selected as one of the Producers on the Move at the Cannes Film Festival. He is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA), the European Producers Club (EPC), and the networks ACE, EAVE, and Berlinale Talents. He teaches film and audiovisual production at Sapienza University and the Gian Maria Volonté Film School, and is an expert for EAVE PUENTES.

Gianluca Matarrese is an Italian director based in Paris who, over the past five years, has directed ten films, touring international festivals including the Venice International Film Festival (Settimana Internazionale della Critica and Giornate degli Autori), Sundance, IDFA, Thessaloniki, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, DMZ, Torino Film Festival, Visions du Réel, Biografilm, Festival dei Popoli, Cinéma du Réel and more. He explores a variety of topics, including family, body manipulation, gender affirmation, economic decline, traces of unresolved traumas, the social meaning of sex practices, unemployment, debts, theatre, and the borders between reality and fiction. He has earned awards such as Best Italian Documentary at the Torino Film Festival and the Queer Lion in Venice. His main titles include Everything Must Go, The Last Chapter, Fashion Babylon, A Steady Job, Les Beaux Parleurs, Pinned into a Dress, and The Zola Experience. His ninth feature film, Gen_, focused on a hospital in Milan specializing in gender transition and fertility disorders, had its world premiere in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently touring around a hundred international festivals. His tenth feature, I Want Her Dead, produced by RAI Cinema, will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Giornate degli Autori section.

Since 2013, she has been a member of the selection team of the Venice International Film Festival and the curator of Final Cut in Venice, an industry program that supports African and Arab films in post-production. In 2016, she was elected President of the Milano Film Network and she is a founder of the Milano Industry Days, professional meetings dedicated to Italian independent cinema. Since 1991, she has been the Artistic Director of the FESCAAAL – African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival in Milan, and has distributed over 200 films within Italy’s alternative cinema circuits. She has also collaborated with other festivals and industry platforms such as the Torino, Locarno, and San Sebastián International Film Festivals, as well as the Doha Film Institute.