This jury brings together top authors from various fields – from directing work awarded at Berlinale, Karlovy Vary, and Pula, to socially engaged film and television projects recognised throughout the region, and documentaries that address contemporary social and cultural challenges.

Zrinko Ogresta is a Croatian film director and screenwriter, professor emeritus at the University of Zagreb and member of the European Film Academy based in Berlin. He is the author of feature films with an intimate and psychological nature that have been screened and awarded at prestigious international and local festivals. Notable achievements include a nomination for the European Film Award in the Best Debut Film category for Fragments, the world’s most prestigious television award, the Prix Italia, for Washed Out, the Silver Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for Here, and a Special Mention at the Berlinale for On the Other Side. Four of his feature films have been awarded Grand Golden Arena for Best Film at the Pula Film Festival. He is a recipient of the Vladimir Nazor Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2003, he chaired the jury at the first edition of the ŠirokiBrijeg Film Festival.

Branka Bešević Gajić is a multiple award-winning film and TV director, screenwriter, producer, holds a Doctorate in Arts, and is a university professor. She completed her studies at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, where her graduation film ”The Home of Angels”, recognised as the first forensic thriller in the region, was awarded the Dr. Dejan Kosanović Award for the best graduation thesis. She made her debut with the documentary-fiction film “Lauš”, an intimate portrait of the actor Žarko Laušević, and achieved international success with the feature film “Decision”. She is the author of numerous fiction and documentary films, theatre plays, and television projects, in which she explores identity, justice, and human rights. She is the founder and artistic director of the Croatian Film Festival in Belgrade, through which she actively advocates for the preservation and promotion of Croatian culture and identity abroad. She is a member of the European Film Academy and professional associations of film and drama artists.

Toni Cahunek is an actor, director, TV presenter, and journalist. He completed his studies in dramatic acting at AGRFT and a master's degree in political science. In his youth, he appeared on television as the host of a youth program, and on the big screen as Storž in the film“Tu pa tam”. For the past 15 years, he has been co-creating programs for RTV Slovenia, working as an event host and sports commentator, but he dedicates most of his time to creating documentary films. The topics he deals with are mainly focused on a wide range of current social and cultural challenges. In 2025, he presented the feature-length documentary film "New classmates" about the integration of children from Kosovo into the Slovenian school system.

The jury in this composition will decide the winner among nine films competing for the Grand Prix at the 26th Mediterranean Film Festival.