Jury of the International Debut Competition

For the second year running, the Northern Lights Film Festival holds the Debut Competition.

During the festival, the International Jury consisting of three people will review full-length debut films from Northern Europe, the Baltics, and other European countries. Both fiction and documentary films take part in the Competition. The winning film will receive the title of the Best Film and a Northern Lights FF diploma. At the same time, the Jury can mark other films of the competition program with Special Mentions.

For the second year running, the Northern Lights Film Festival holds the Debut Competition.

During the festival, the International Jury consisting of three people will review full-length debut films from Northern Europe, the Baltics, and other European countries. Both fiction and documentary films take part in the Competition. The winning film will receive the title of the Best Film and a Northern Lights FF diploma. At the same time, the Jury can mark other films of the competition program with Special Mentions.

lja Stenberg manages the NGO B2B Doc—Baltic to Black Sea Documentary Network, supporting filmmakers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. She holds a B.A. in Culture Science from Stockholm University, with a focus on Film and Project Management, and has a background in visual arts and sculpture. Her experience in the documentary industry encompasses programming, educational television, festivals, and outreach campaigns, and has recently expanded to include film production. Ilja's love for documentary filmmaking and human storytelling drives her passion for fostering connections between people.

ILJA STENBERG

Producer, project manager

Sweden

Marta Golba-Naumann is a producer, curator, owner of ENDORFINA studio company based in Warsaw and Berlin, and a co-director of the HER Docs Foundation. In 2015 and 2017, she was awarded by the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce for the best producer’s debut for the documentary "15 Corners of the World" by director Zuzanna Solakiewicz (Critics Week Award at Locarno Film Festival 2014) and for the multi-awarded drama "All These Sleepless Nights" by Michał Marczak (Directing Award at Sundance 2016). In 2018, Marta took part in a program for film professionals conducted by the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs organization. Since 2021, she has been developing an industry section within HER DOCS Film Festival, the first documentary film festival in Poland, presenting the oeuvre of female film auteurs. The aim of the HER Docs Forum is to support women active in the field of documentary filmmaking.

MARTA GOLBA-NAUMANN

Producer, curator

Poland / Germany

Sasha Kulak is a director and cinematographer whose artistic view focuses on the thin layers of reality invisible to the human eye. Sasha's portfolio includes a variety of independent cultural projects made in collaboration with young talents across the globe. Born in Vitebsk, Belarus, her films have taken her to communities all over the world, whether it be the Mexican mennonites ("Salamanca", 2015, 41’), an abandoned mining town in the USA ("Quicksilver Chronicles", 2019, 75’), or the Belarusian protests of 2020 ("Mara", 2022, 61’).
"Mara" won the Belarusian Competition of the Northern Lights FF in 2022. Her latest film “A hawk as big as a horse”, 77’, made in collaboration with Arte La Lucarne, won a special mention at Dok Leipzig in 2022.

SASHA KULAK

Director, cinematographer

Belarus

lja Stenberg manages the NGO B2B Doc—Baltic to Black Sea Documentary Network, supporting filmmakers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. She holds a B.A. in Culture Science from Stockholm University, with a focus on Film and Project Management, and has a background in visual arts and sculpture. Her experience in the documentary industry encompasses programming, educational television, festivals, and outreach campaigns, and has recently expanded to include film production. Ilja's love for documentary filmmaking and human storytelling drives her passion for fostering connections between people.

ILJA STENBERG

Producer, project manager

Sweden

Marta Golba-Naumann is a producer, curator, owner of ENDORFINA studio company based in Warsaw and Berlin, and a co-director of the HER Docs Foundation. In 2015 and 2017, she was awarded by the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce for the best producer’s debut for the documentary "15 Corners of the World" by director Zuzanna Solakiewicz (Critics Week Award at Locarno Film Festival 2014) and for the multi-awarded drama "All These Sleepless Nights" by Michał Marczak (Directing Award at Sundance 2016). In 2018, Marta took part in a program for film professionals conducted by the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs organization. Since 2021, she has been developing an industry section within HER DOCS Film Festival, the first documentary film festival in Poland, presenting the oeuvre of female film auteurs. The aim of the HER Docs Forum is to support women active in the field of documentary filmmaking.

MARTA GOLBA-NAUMANN

Producer, curator

Poland / Germany

Sasha Kulak is a director and cinematographer whose artistic view focuses on the thin layers of reality invisible to the human eye. Sasha's portfolio includes a variety of independent cultural projects made in collaboration with young talents across the globe. Born in Vitebsk, Belarus, her films have taken her to communities all over the world, whether it be the Mexican mennonites ("Salamanca", 2015, 41’), an abandoned mining town in the USA ("Quicksilver Chronicles", 2019, 75’), or the Belarusian protests of 2020 ("Mara", 2022, 61’).
"Mara" won the Belarusian Competition of the Northern Lights FF in 2022. Her latest film “A hawk as big as a horse”, 77’, made in collaboration with Arte La Lucarne, won a special mention at Dok Leipzig in 2022.

SASHA KULAK

Director, cinematographer

Belarus