Short Film Competition Jury

Büşra Bülbül

Türkiye

Üye Short Film Competition

Büşra Bülbül was born in İzmir. After completing her primary and secondary education in Istanbul, she continued her studies at Istanbul University. In 2018, she founded the production company "Mayıs Film." She wrote and produced the films "Benim Küçük Sözlerim" (My Little Words) and "Bir Tutam Karanfil" (A Pinch of Clove). Her 2020 short film "Çamaşır Suyu" (Bleach) has competed at numerous festivals and won awards. In 2024, her first feature film, "Bir Anne Hakkında" (About a Mother), a TRT co-production, had its world premiere at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival; the festival run is ongoing. Filmography 2016 - Bulgur Değirmeni (Bulgur Mill) (Documentary Film) - Producer 53rd Antalya Film Festival – World Premiere 2018 - Benim Küçük Sözlerim (My Little Words) (Feature Film) - Producer and Screenwriter 37th Istanbul Film Festival – World Premiere 11th Kosovo Film Festival – Best Film Award 2020 - Çamaşır Suyu (Bleach) (Short Film) - Director and Screenwriter 40th Istanbul Film Festival – World Premiere Kayseri Film Festival – Special Jury Prize Eskişehir Short Film Festival – Second Prize Balkan International Short Film Festival – Best Film Award - European Film Market, 43rd Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, Film Market Linea d'Ombra Film Festival – Best Short Film Nominee 2022 - Bir Tutam Karanfil (A Pinch of Clove) (Feature Film) - Producer and Screenwriter Tokyo Film Festival – World Premiere Sofia Film Festival – Special Jury Prize Mediterranean Film Festival – Best Film Award 42nd Istanbul Film Festival – Best Cinematography Award Bir Anne Hakkında (About a Mother) (Feature Film) - Director and Screenwriter TRT Co-Production Award at the TRT 12 Punto Screenplay Competition 28th Shanghai International Film Festival – World Premiere 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival – Turkey Premiere 24th Dhaka International Film Festival – Bangladesh Premiere

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Gulmira Kerimova

Kırgızistan

Üye Short Film Competition

Born in Kyrgyzstan, she is a producer and film executive. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow. She serves as the Executive Director of the “Umut” Forum, an initiative dedicated to supporting young filmmakers from Kyrgyzstan and the CIS countries, and works as a producer at OFC “Umut Art Cinema.” Her areas of expertise include film project management, budgeting and finance, grant and fund development, and international co-productions. Since 2017, she has been a member of both the Asian Pacific Screen Academy (APSA) and the Union of Cinematographers of Kyrgyzstan. Producing Credits: Maimyl (2001) Light Thief (2009) Kurmanjan Datka (2014) Koch (2014) Centaur (2016) Call of God (2022) The Gift (2023)

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Maksat Gylyjov

Türkmenistan

Üye Short Film Competition

Screenwriter and Director of the Turkmenfilm Association named after Oghuz Khan.

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Nurgisa Almurat

Kazakistan

Üye Short Film Competition

Nurgisa Almurat is a director, actor, and screenwriter. He graduated from the T. K. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts, earning a degree in Theatre and Film Acting in 2009 and a Master's degree in Film Directing in 2015. Directing Credits: 2015 - Tańdau, Director, television series, Qazaqstan TV. 2016 - Zhibek, Director, television series, Astana TV. 2016-2017 - Zhibek 2, Director, television series, Astana TV. 2017 - Asyl Arman, Director, television series; the project won the Túmar Award for Best Television Series of the Year. 2018 - Shyraǵym, Director, television series, Qazaqstan TV; the series was later acquired for broadcast in Indonesia. 2020-2021 - Mendirman Jaloliddin (I Am Jalaluddin), Season 1, Director; an international historical television series co-produced by Türkiye and Uzbekistan. 2022-2023 - Mendirman Jaloliddin, Season 2, Director; continuation of the same international co-production. 2025-2026 - Qūşaqtaşy, Mama (Hug Me, Mom), Director; a Kazakh feature-length drama film.

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Umid Khamdamov

Özbekistan

Üye Short Film Competition

Uzbek film director and screenwriter. Between 2001 and 2005, he studied directing at the Tashkent State Institute of Arts, where he was a student of the renowned Uzbek director and People's Artist Shukhrat Abbasov. In 2008, he completed his master's degree and began teaching acting at the institute. His directorial debut was the short film Nazar (2010), which won awards at the Golden Cheetah and Eurasia film festivals. He subsequently directed Onaginam Orzusi (2012) and Shunqorlar (2014). As both a screenwriter and director, he is best known for Issiq Non (Hot Bread), which won the Grand Prix at the Kinoshock Film Festival and received the Best Screenplay and Best Director awards at the Golden Humo National Film Awards 2019. He also wrote the screenplay for Rangsiz Tushlar (Colorless Dreams), directed by Ayub Shahobiddinov. The film won the Best Screenplay Award at the Golden Humo National Film Awards 2021 and received recognition at the Dhaka International Film Festival. In addition, he worked as a screenwriter and production manager on the documentary Abdulla Qodiriy.

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Gülzar Qurbanova

Azerbaycan

Üye Short Film Competition

Born on 24 July 1970, she began studying Theatre and Film Acting in 1986 at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, in the class of the renowned actor and director Aleksey Batalov. Since 1990, she has performed at the Yuğ State Theatre and has appeared in numerous stage productions as well as more than 20 films. She is widely recognized for her performances in Ölsəm... Bağışla, Dolu, Yarımçıq Xatirələr (Incomplete Memories), and Qırmızı Bağ (The Red Garden). In recognition of her contributions to Azerbaijani cinema, she was awarded the honorary title of Merited Artist of Azerbaijan in 2011. In 2015, she received the Best Actress Award at the Golden Fairy (Qızıl Pəri) Awards for her performance in Yarımçıq Xatirələr.

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