Juries 2026

JURY

MAIN COMPETITION (INT. SHORT FILM) | GRADUATION FILM & MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION

Joanna Quinn

Joanna discovered animation at Middlesex University London while studying for a BA degree in Graphic Design. Her graduation film Girls Night Out, a simple and humorous riposte to machismo and a celebration of uninhibited female sexuality, debuted her iconic character of Beryl. This film marked the start of Joanna’s animation career, winning three awards at the Annecy International Animation Festival in 1987. Beryl became the focus for two more films Body Beautiful and Dreams & Desires – Family Ties and the politics of gender and oppression together with Joanna’s obsessive fascination with the eccentricities of the human body, became the central themes of her work. In 1993, Joanna’s powerful critique of British imperialism, Britannia, further established her reputation and her most recent Beryl film Affairs of the Art earned Joanna an Oscar nomination. Her films have won numerous international awards, including four Baftas, three Emmys and two Oscar nominations. She is also a dedicated educator, holding Honorary Doctorates from three UK universities and serving as an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London. Recently, Joanna has dedicated her efforts to supporting a team of women animators in Gaza and promoting the animated films created by displaced children. She led a global initiative called to ‘Gaza with Love’ which resulted in the production of over 300 films from over 50 countries expressing love and support for the people of Gaza.

Cristina Lima

Cristina Lima, born in Mozambique, is a film festival artistic director and executive producer. She holds a degree in Modern Languages and Literature from the University of Porto, as well as a postgraduate qualification in Translation.

For over three decades, she has been a key member of CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, where she serves as Programming Coordinator, overseeing international relations and contributing to the management of juries and guests. She is also a curator for other international festivals and has served as a jury member at numerous animation film events worldwide.

Magda Guidi

Lives and works in Pesaro.
She studied animated film at the Scuola del Libro in Urbino.
Author of animated short films, illustrator.
She has worked as an animator on theater productions, short films, feature films, documentaries, fiction, theme songs, music videos, and commercials.
First prize at the “Castelli Animati” in Rome with “Ecco, è ora”.
“Via Curiel 8” (Mara Cerri/Magda Guidi) winner of the Turin Film Festival, shorts section.
“Sogni al campo” (Mara Cerri/Magda Guidi, 2020) was selected in the Orizzonti section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival and awarded at numerous international film festivals.
She worked on the films “Samouni Road” (S. Savona, animation by Simone Massi), which won Best Documentary at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and Invelle, Simone Massi’s first feature film, which premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
She has held animation workshops and masterclasses at the Cineteca di Bologna, the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna and Rome, and DAMS in Rome.
She has taught animation film at the ISIA in Urbino since 2018.
Co-founder and co-artistic director of ALMA (Associazione Libera Marchigiana Animatori)

Nancy Denney

Nancy Denney-Phelps is a journalist writing about European animation and festivals as well as a producer of music for animation. Along with her composer/musician husband Nik Phelps, she co-founded the Sprocket Ensemble dedicated to presenting live performances of original music with screenings of contemporary animation from around the world.

Nancy’s writings have appeared in such publications as CARTOON and ANIMATOON as well as on her regular blog for AWN (Animation World Network). She is also a regular correspondent for ASIFA/San Francisco and a member of the ASIFA International Board of Directors as well as an Ambassador At Large for the Emile Awards.

Nancy has served on numerous International Animation Festival juries and taught time management for animators at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, School of Art and Design. She is the pitching coach at ANIMARKT in Lodz, Poland as well as a member of their Brain Trust Advisory Board. She also awards the annual Nancy Award at the Kaboom Animation Festival in Amsterdam. Her strong interest in the history of animation has led her to present programs on the history of animation traced through music at many animation festivals and conferences worldwide. She also works as advisor to several animation festivals and in 2019 was the recipient of a Life Time Achievement Award from ANIMAKOM Animation Festival in Bilbao, Spain.

In 2024 Nancy’s book, ON THE ANIMATION TRAIL 20 Years of Animation Festivals was published.

Deanna Morse

Deanna Morse is an artist, educator, and a life-long advocate for building peace through international connections. Vice-President of ASIFA International (oldest international animation organization), a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), and a champion of public art. Her diverse animation and experimental film/video work was broadcast on Sesame Street, and is in permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her films consider our relationships to landscapes, exploring ideas of place, time, and seasonal change. Exploring what is between the frame, her films move very fast, and also very slow. She lives in Southern Oregon, USA, where she is a member of the Grants Pass Committee for Public Art. She resides on a lane with goats, chickens, native plants, and family. And a cat, named kitty.
www.deannamorse.com

JURY

CHILDREN'S SHORT FILM COMPETITION

In collaboration with the “G. Falcone e P. Borsellino – F. Carelli” Comprehensive School and the “Via Firenze-Forlani” Comprehensive School of Conversano, the following jurors have been selected to award special mentions and the prize for best animated short for children:

Serena Aquilino, Gianluca Mancini, Matteo Chiarappa, Francesco D’Orazio, Giorgio Laricchiuta, Francesco Lillo, Mattia Tricase, Giuseppe Tricase, Michele Solazzo, Antonio Francesco Sanna, Maria Caponio, Chiara Schiavone, Maria Francesca D’Aloia, Marco Giuseppe Di Mise, Angelo Fantasia, Leonardo Buonasora, Nathan Dalena, Alessandra Topputo, and Tea Murro.