Caroline Peters is one of the most sought-after actresses in the German-speaking world. She’s been leaving her mark on German-language theater for years, for example at playhouses in Cologne and Zurich, at Volksbühne in Berlin as well as at the Burgtheater in Vienna. She’s been honoured for her distinguished portrayals of smart and fast-paced characters and received, among others, the German Acting Award as ‘Best Actress in a comedic role’ and the ‘Theater Actress 2016’ prize by magazine Theater heute. Caroline Peters became well-known to a wider audience with the main role in comedy crime show “Mord mit Aussicht”.

Bryan M. Ferguson is a self-taught filmmaker and photographer from Glasgow, Scotland. His visual style solidified while living in Florida, a place he felt evoked an atmosphere of candy-coloured nihilism. Ferguson’s work has been described as paradoxically beautiful and disturbing – his surrealism earns him the reputation as a unique visionary with a distinct film style in the British short film landscape. His films have received critical acclaim at festivals and exhibitions in the US, Canada, UK, France, China, and many more. His film “Umbilical Glue” has been picked up by the BBC for exclusive broadcasting rights in the UK.

Johannes Duncker has been the director of Short Film Festival Cologne since 2013. He was born into a parish family in Westphalia and later moved to Turkey with his family where he visited the German School of Istanbul. After graduation and next to his own short film projects, he studied Theatre, Film and Television as well as English and History in Cologne and Rome. He completed his studies with a master’s thesis about the aesthetics of digital film. In addition to his job as a festival director, he also produces short films and commercials as a freelance author and filmmaker.

My name is Emma, I’m 17 years old and I am in the 12th grade at Lobdeburgschule Jena. In my spare time, I like to be creative by engaging in painting and photography. I’m an elected representative of the pupils at my school and in this position represent the interests and opinions of the teenagers which is also my goal as a member of the youth jury. As I was visiting the course “Media and Communications” at my school, I was able to gain knowledge and personal experiences in the field of film and cinema. I’m looking forward to many emotions, exciting stories and great short films!

My name is Franka, I’m 16 years old and I’m in the 10th grade of Carl-Zeiss-Gymnasium in Jena. I have already been part of a youth jury at a short film festival in the past and therefore seen and assessed a lot of material. I’m very interested in short films and in films in general. In my spare time, I like to go swimming as well as to draw and engage in creative activities. I’m looking forward to participate in another short film festival and I’m excited for the festival week.

My name is Magdalena. I’m 19 years old and I’m currently in the final stages of my studies at Montessorischule Jena. There’s one thing I’m sure about: I want to be active in the fields of television and media later on. At cellu l’art I can gain experience as well as get in touch with professionals who could possibly show me which tasks I can expect in those fields. Furthermore, the film programme stimulates socio-critical reflections. All of this is enriching, and I’m looking forward to working together with a great team and to a lot of new impressions.