FIPRESCI JURY
Ahmed Shawky BIO
He is an Egyptian film critic, programmer, and elected president of the international film critics federation (FIPRESCI). Publishing weekly articles about the cinema and entertainment industry. He has also published eight books on Egyptian cinema.
Shawky is also the president of Egyptian film critics association (EFCA). He is the head of CineGouna Funding, the industry program of El Gouna Film Festival.
He worked as an artistic director/ programmer for many film festivals including Cairo, Malmo, Aswan, Tripoli, Mumbai, among others. He acted as jury in various festivals such as Locarno, Shanghai, Eurasia, Transylvania, Macao, Luxembourg, Oran, and Taipei. Shawky was the president of the Cannes film festival 2022 FIPRESCI Jury and of the same Jury in Berlinale 2025.
Laura Pertuy BIO
A graduate in cultural journalism and literary translation, Laura Pertuy has spent over a decade promoting independent French-language cinema internationally, working both within the diplomatic network and independently as a project manager. She has co-developed and hosted cultural events in cities such as Shanghai, Stockholm, New York, and London, while also working as a translator (Le Monde, The Huffington Post, etc.) and journalist for various French media outlets.
With fifteen years of experience as a film critic—writing for Arte Magazine, Sofilm, Citizen K, Trois Couleurs, among others—she regularly serves on programming committees for several film festivals, including LuxFilmFest, the Poitiers International Film Festival, and Regards Satellites. A former board member of the French feminist collective 50/50, Laura has been an active voice in rethinking programming practices in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Thierry Verhoeven BIO
Thierry Verhoeven has been a film critic since 2009. He primarily writes for FilmTotaal, the largest Dutch film website, and occasionally contributes to Schokkend Nieuws, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to genre cinema. In 2022, he became the Editor-in-Chief of SerieTotaal, where he oversees reviews of television series.
A self-described cinematic omnivore, Thierry believes that quality in film transcends age, genre, or nationality and depends instead on the craft, creativity, and commitment of those involved. He is a card-carrying member of the Dutch Association of Film Critics and, in his free time, enjoys taking part in as many film quizzes as possible.