ECFA Short Film Award

Gudrun Sommer was born on the Mur river. After stints on the Thames, the Tagus and the Spree, she landed in the Ruhr. The philosophy graduate set up doxs! and doku. klasse in 2002, followed a few years later by the association Freunde der Realität e. V. (Friends of Reality), plus the regional festival DOXS RUHR, which she has headed since its creation. Before that, she worked as festival director for the Duisburger Filmwoche film festival, and has been a curator at the Diagonale, the Goldener Spatz children’s media festival and the IFFF Dortmund+Köln, among others. Gudrun Sommer is on the Grimme Prize jury and on the board of the ECFA association.

Lara Melegari is a linguist and a translator with a deep fascination for all types of art. In 2017, she joined the staff of Ennesimo Film Festival, an international short film festival based in Fiorano Modenese, Italy. In its first eight years, the educational project Ennesimo Academy has involved over 10,000 kids and young adults from preschool to university, promoting a deeper understanding of the film-making process and a critical approach to media.

Marjo Kovanen works as senior specialist at Koulukino – Skolbio (Finnish School Cinema Association). Koulukino promotes film education and film literacy in Finland and film screenings for children and young people in cinemas during the school day. Kovanen specialises in film education, media literacy and children’s film. She is currently also chair of The Finnish Society on Media Education.