Juries of Official Competition

Amon Miyamoto became the first Asian ever to direct a musical on Broadway when in 2004, he staged "Pacific Overtures", a successful production which was nominated for four Tony Awards. In 2007, he directed Tan Dan's opera, "Tea: A Mirror of Soul", which made its American premiere at the Santa Fe Opera. In the following year, 2008, he directed a world-premiere staging of his original musical "Up in the Air" at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The music was written by Henry Krieger, composer for the movie, "Dream Girls". Miyamoto is taking his work worldwide with not only musicals, but straight plays and opera as well.

He also made his directorial debut in 1998 with "Beat" which was screened at the 1998 Venice Film Festival.

Brazilian (born in 1966).

Karim Ainouz holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Brasilia and in Film Studies from New York University. After his master's, he enrolled in the Program of Independent Studies of the Whitney Museum of American Art. He directed several shorts and documentaries including: Seams (1993, 29') and Paixao Nacional (1994, 9'). His first feature film, Madame Sata, was selected in 2002 to participate to the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard. Love for Sale, his second feature won in 2006 the Grand Coral  First Prize at the Havana Film Festival and Best Film at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival.

Recently, he lived in Berlin as a guest artist of the DAAD and is currently working on a TV series for HBO Latin America and his next feature film.

Born in Tokyo on October 6, 1988.

Maki Horikita made her screen debut in 2003 in "Cosmic Rescue: The Moonlight Generations" directed by Shinsuke Sato. As a model, she has appeared in many commercials including ones for Fujifilm, Suntory, Lotte and Shiseido. In 2005, she moved into the limelight with her role in a NTV drama, "Nobuta wo Produce". The same year, she was cast in "Always  Sunset on Third Street" (2005) directed by Takashi Yamazaki, and her performance in the movie won her many Best Newcomer awards including the 29th Japan Academy Awards. She has continued to act in a wide variety of roles, including the lead role in a TV drama,

"Hanazakari no Kimitachi  Ikemen Paradise" (Fuji TV 2007). She also starred in "Kurosagi" (2008), a film directed by Yasuharu Ishii, and is currently starring in NHK's historical drama, "Atsuhime".

Born in Tokyo in 1968. After working as a model, he began his acting career starring in a CX TV drama, "Kimi to ita Natsu (One Summer memories)". He later starred in numerous TV drama series, stage plays and films including "Hoshi no Kinka (Heaven's Coins)" (NTV) and "Gekiteki Kiko Shinya Tokkyu (Midnight Express)", an experimental series which combined documentary and drama, and attracted much attention for his impressive performances. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 28th Japan Academy Awards for "Gege" which premiered in 2004, and also for Best Supporting Actor for "Metro ni Notte (Riding on the Metro)" filmed in 2007. An actor with drive, he acts in a variety of roles in a variety of films. "Tsukiji Fish Market Third Generation" will premiere in June this year, followed by "Ichi", "Love Fight" and "Goemon".

Yoko Narahashi is a director, producer, lyricist and writer. Among the plays and musicals she has directed are HAIR, THE MAGIC MONKEY and the award- winning THE WINDS OF GOD, which was invited to play in several countries and also received the United Nations Prize for Arts. THE WINDS OF GOD was also the first feature film Yoko directed, and she received several awards including the Special Jury Award at Young Fantastic Grand Prix Competition of Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.

As a casting director and associate producer, Yoko worked on "THE LAST SAMURAI", starring Tom Cruise and also on casting for Rob Marshall's "MEMORIES OF A GEISHA". She also worked on national casting for "BABEL", a picture directed by Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu. "Babel" received the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2006 and Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes. Babel was also nominated in 6 categories at the Academy Awards R. She has worked successfully as a "bridge" between Japan and Hollywood.