The Jury 2023 - RIFF - Rome Independent Film Festival

JURY 2023

This year, RIFF pays tribute to its spectators introducing the Audience Award. The audience, the recipient par excellence and essential pillar of the cinema, will judge the films in competition. Spectators will be called directly to express their opinion on a special sheet of paper delivered at the beginning of the film. The vote will affect the sections of Internationals Short Film. The initiative aims to make the experience in the room more interactive and engaging, allowing the authors to receive direct and immediate feedback.

Vida Diba is the WRÅD product and supply chain manager. WRÅD is a design studio for sustainable development and benefit society, born to challenge the status quo of fashion brands. Vida is also a member of Fashion Revolution Iran and the mind behind the RADICAL VOICE exhibition: Woman, Life, Freedom, presented in Milan by a group of activists to ignite change through the power of art.

He was born in Rome in 1971. He is curious and passionate about cinema. He started to work in the film production as soon as he turned 18. In 2000 he became an organiser and since then, he has collaborated with several Italian filmmakers including Giuseppe Piccioni, Mario Martone, Ferzan Ozpetek, Riccardo Milani, Luca Miniero, Marco Bellocchio, Cristina Comencini, Daniele Luchetti, and many more. In 2006 he became associate at the Bartlebyfilm company, where he has worked as both producer and executive producer.

After graduating at the National Accademy of Dramatic Arts “Silvio d´Amico“, he quickly gained a strong acting experience thanks to his contribution in various theatrical performances and TV productions. In 2014, he made his feature film debut in Tre Tocchi directed by Marco Risi. The following year, he starred in the film L’Attesa by Piero Messina, along with Juliette Binoche and also in the TV movie produced by Rai Sotto Copertura by Giulio Manfredonia and in Limbo directed by Lucio Pellegrini. In 2016, he starred as O’Principe, one of the main characters in the second season of Gomorra-La serie by Stefano Sollima. Later, he acted in the TV series I Bastardi Di Pizzofalcone by Carlo Carlei and in the film Ho amici in Paradiso by Fabrizio Maria Coretese. The following year, he performed in L‘Avenir by Luigi Pane. In 2018, he played in the film Capri-Revolution by Mario Martone and also in Thanks for Vaselina by Gabriele Di Luca. He had the leading role in the film La Vacanza by Enrico Iannaccone, which was screened at the Rome Film Festival, as well as in the film L’Amore non si sa by Marcello di Noto. In 2021, he performed in both seasons of the series A casa tutti bene by Gabriele Muccino, produced by Lotus company and also in the series Il generale dalla Chiesa produced by Stand by me. In 2023, he had the leading role, along with Maria Pia Calzone, in the romantic comedy Sottocoperta by Simona Cocozza and also in Shukran by Pietro Malegori.

After graduating at the National Accademy of Dramatic Arts in 1993, she quickly became one the most successful performers of the Italian theatre. That same year, she was selected and awarded as Best Drama School Student in Italy by the Wanda Capodaglio Award’s jury. It is very important for her theatrical carrer the collaboration with the director Luca Ronconi, with which she expecially stand out in the roles of Rosaura in Carlo Goldoni’s I due gemelli veneziani, Lucia in Giordano Bruno’s Il Candelaio, alonside Mariangela Melato, Lidia in Giovan Battista Andreini’s Amor nello specchio (Best Supporting Actress at the UBU Awards 2003). Successful actress in several performances directed by Massimo Castri, Manuela Mandracchia starred as Mommina in Luigi Pirandello’s Questa sera si recita a soggetto (UBU Award for Best Young Actress ) and Laura in August Strindberg’s Il padre. She also acted in other performances such as Thomas Bernhard’s L’ignorante e il folle by Mauro Avogadro and Ritter, Dene, Voss. The Mitipretese group, which she founded in 2006 with Sandra Toffolatti, Mariàngeles Torres and Alvia Reale, has produced several films including Elio Petri’s inquiry Roma ore 11, which won the Best Innovative Film Award in the Premio Olimpici del Teatro in 2007 and in 2009, Festa di Famiglia, based on Luigi Pirandello’s work, in collaboration with Andrea Camilleri. Also starred Fabio Cocifoglia and Diego Ribon. She has worked with film directors including Nanni Moretti (Habemus Papam), Cristina Comencini (Quando la notte), Francesca Archibugi (Il nome del figlio), Marco Bellocchio (Fai bei sogni), Alessandra Mortelliti (Famosa) Francesca Comencini, Susanna Nicchiarelli and Paola Randi (Luna nera) and Pietro Castellitto (I predatori). She is one of the voices of the radio programme Ad alta voce on Rai Radio3.

He was born in Santa Margherita Ligure and after graduating at the University of Genoa, he moved to Rome to study at the National Film School. He started to work behind cameras as assistant director in Italian films and TV series. He regularly worked as First AD in Italian and foreign productions, collaborating with Mario Monicelli, Giuseppe Tornatore, Martin Scorsese, Michele Placido, Ridley Scott, Tom Tykver, Roberto Benigni, Steven Soderbergh, Sergio Rubini, Abel Ferrara, Giovanni Veronesi, Woody Allen, Marco Bellocchio, Luca Guadagnino in both films and TV series. He contribuited in several commercials made by Italian and foreign directors and productions.cnowadays, he is working on Gabriele Muccino’s film Here Now.

He is the executive producer of various film production societies, in which he handles some projects and he is responsable for managing human and financial resources. For nearly thirty years, he has worked in film productions where he has coped with both the organisation of a film location and institutional relations.

Pegah Moshir Pour is an Iranian woman who moved to Italy following her family’s choice from her home country of Iran. Despite initial difficulties, she managed to integrate into Italian society and dedicate herself to her great passion: human rights. Her passion for human rights was born as a result of a few incidents in her life, including seeing the moral police in action in Iran and being denied the right to participate in a school trip to Italy. These events prompted Pegah to understand the importance of human rights and to fight to defend them. Pegah studied engineering construction architecture after high school language school and graduated with a UNESCO chair in Matera on “Pardis the Persian Garden.” She then became dedicated to the cause of human rights, becoming a student representative to the academic senate and on the board of trustees. She also began to study and talk about psychological and physical violence and gender differences, realizing how far behind we still are in equality. She has seen firsthand how stereotypes can affect people’s lives and how digital rights are important to ensure equality. Pegah believes that collaboration between different ethnicities, genders, religions, generations, and states is critical to promoting human rights. She saw how the coming together of these differences led to the successful completion of the first piece of the international space station, an event that saw the entire world united in joy. Her passion for human rights is not limited to Italy. Pegah has been involved in a number of initiatives at the international level and has shown herself to be a true human rights warrior, ready to fight for justice and equality wherever it is threatened. Her passion and commitment are an example for all those who want to make a difference in the world.

Filipino father and Italian mother, Ruben Maria Soriquez started as a musician and ended up devoting himself to filmmaking and acting only at 34 years of age, after experiencing many different professions. Ruben studied filmmaking at the New York Film Academy and acting with Actors’ Studio of New York’s teacher Danny Lemmo (acting for films) and Emanuele Montagna of the Colli School of Theatre of Bologna. As an actor he has won several awards in minor film festivals for portraying a missionary in his film “Of Sinners and Saints” which depicts poverty and violence on women and children in the Philippines. Recently he has appeared in 80 episodes on prime time of a popular Philippine soap opera and in the international film General Commander starring Steven Seagal. As a filmmaker Ruben loves to craft almost all the aspect of his films: from writing to directing, editing and grading sometimes also scoring a few scenes. His last works is “The Spiders’ Man” (2018) a dark comedy/thriller and “A Perfect Family” (2017) an experimental silent film. Being at home in both countries, Ruben is engaged in promoting Philippine Cinema in Europe and Italian Cinema in the Philippines.

He was born in Castellammare di Stabia. From a very early age, he has interested in puppetry. His passion for visual and representational arts has never left him and afer graduating, he decided to move to Rome and undertake cinema studies by registering on Dams. His passion for puppetry and, especially, for the Neapolitan tradition of the Guarattelle, found expression in his dissertation, dedicated to Bruno Leone, “guarattellaro” at which he worked for almost a year. Shortly, however, the desire to make films made itself felt again and the first opportunities to tread the first sets as assistant director began to appear (La Pecora Nera by Ascanio Celestini, Cavalli by Michele Rho). The casting job came almost by chance, but from then on it would become the high road. Alongside with his first experiences as casting assistant, he already signed La mia Classe by Daniele Gaglianone and Viva la Sposa by Ascanio Celestini. Then, the meeting with Valerio Mastandrea became decisive for what was one of his richest human and professional experiences of his journey so far, which is Non essere cattivo by Claudio Caligari. Subsequently, the arrival in Gomorra la Serie, which run from the third season to the final fifth, without forgetting the further significant meetings and collaborations, such as Vincenzo Alfieri, D’Innocenzo brothers, Marco D’Amore, Claudio Cupellini and Stefano Lodovichi. 2020 was a lucky year because he won the Nastro D’Argento Award as Best Casting Director for the film L’Immortale by Marco D’Amore and the Umbria Film Festival Award for the film Favolacce by D’Innocenzo brothers. In 2021, he signed films presented at the Venice Film Festival, such as America Latina by D’Innocenzo brothers, a film included in the official competition programme, Lovely Boy by Francesco Lettieri, presented at the Venice Days and Margini by Niccolò Falsetti, presented at the Critics’ Week. In 2022, he signed the casting for the film L’Immensità by Emanuele Crialese, in competition at the Venice Film Festival and he kept collaborating with D’Innocenzo brothers (TV series Dostoevskij , to be released in 2024), Marco D’Amore (film Caracas, to be released in 2024) as well as maintaining strong links with first-time authors like for Patagonia by Simone Bozzelli, in competition at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival.

JURY 2023

Vida Diba

Massimo Di Rocco

Antonio Folletto

Manuela Mandracchia

Alberto Mangiante

Luca Mezzaroma

Pegah Moshir Pour

Ruben Maria Soriquez

Davide Zurolo

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