Introducing the 2025 Official Competition Jury

Justin’s background as one of Australia’s best theatrical designers informs his strong visual storytelling as a director.  

His VCA graduating short, Bluetongue, was screened in over 13 international film festivals including International Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival and won Best Short at Melbourne International Film Festival. Justin’s first feature film Snowtown premiered at Adelaide Film Festival in 2011, winning the Audience Award. Justin was awarded Best Director at the AACTA Awards and the film screened at numerous international festivals including Toronto in 2011 and International Critics Week Cannes in 2012, where it was awarded Special Distinction of the President.  

Justin’s other films include an adaptation he directed, Boner McPherlin’s Moll which forms part of a feature film comprising the adaptations of all short stories in Tim Winton’s novel, The Turning; Macbeth (2015); Assassins Creed (2016); The True History of the Kelly Gang (2019); Nitram (2021), The Order (2023). Justin’s miniseries adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s book The Narrow Road to the Deep North, starring Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young, Ciaran Hinds and Thomas Weatherall, debuts on Prime Video in April 2025.

His debut documentary Ellis Park, about legendary musician and conservationist Warren Ellis, will have its NSW Premiere at Sydney Film Festival this June. 

Rachel House is one of New Zealand’s most highly regarded actors. She has had a long and celebrated career, both locally and internationally, which has traversed stage, television, and film. House has recently appeared in Our Flag Means Death, Heartbreak High, Foundation, Time Bandits, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Her work as an actor includes Moana, Soul, Thor: Ragnarok, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Penguin Bloom, Cousins, Millie Lies Low, The Moon is Upside Down, Next Goal Wins, and The Portable Door.

As a student at the renowned Prague Film School, Rachel was awarded ‘Best Director’ and the Audience Award for her two short films. She continued to garner awards as a director, notably for Te Reo Māori version of Troilus and Cressida performed at the Globe Theatre in London.

Her debut feature film The Mountain had its Australian Premiere at Sydney Film Festival in 2024, was shortlisted for the inaugural First Nations Award, and received widespread critical acclaim.

As an acting coach she has worked alongside Jane Campion for Top of the Lake S2 and The Power of the Dog; and with Taika Waititi on Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit, and Next Goal Wins. In recognition of her significant contributions to the theatre, film, and television industry, House has been awarded an Arts Laureate, NZ Order of Merit, ‘Mana Wahine’ from WIFT, and Te Waipuna a Rangi (Matariki Awards) as an actor and director.

Melita is the co-founder and Director of the Marrakech Film Festival for over two decades, establishing it as one the world’s major showcases of cinema, with a special focus on elevating Arab, Gulf, and Levantine films, plus orchestrating workshops for emerging African filmmakers.

She has also worked as a producer, most known for Masaan (2015), In the Fade (2017), Eva (2018) the Australian film Freedom is Beautiful (SFF 2023). 

Thomas Weatherall is a Kamilaroi writer and actor. His debut play Blue premiered in 2023 at Belvoir Theatre in a sold-out season in which he also starred. Commissioned by Belvoir Theatre, the world premiere of Blue received resounding critical acclaim. Blue was chosen to take part in the 2023 Australian Theatre Festival in New York, before going on to be programmed by State Theatre Company of South Australia and La Boite Theatre Company in Brisbane for their 2024 seasons. 
  
In his acting work, Thomas is best known for his performance as Malakai Mitchell, in Heartbreak High for Netflix. This performance earned him both an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama, and a Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor, along with multiple other nominations. 
  
After making his acting debut in 2018 in ABC’s AACTA award-winning series Deadlock, Thomas has acted in many roles across stage and screen, including RFDS, The Last Days of the Space Age, Exposure (SFF 2024), and The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Winnie has been a prominent figure in the Hong Kong film industry since the early 1980s, with extensive experience in film acquisition, distribution, and marketing. She served as the General Manager of Panasia Films Limited before becoming a Board Director at Golden Harvest Entertainment (Holdings) Limited from 1989 to 1998. In 1998, she established Golden Scene Company Limited, a company celebrated for bringing a wide range of high-quality Chinese and international films to audiences.

Beyond collaborating with acclaimed directors like Ann Hui, Stanley Kwan, and Fruit Chan, Winnie has consistently championed original works by emerging Hong Kong filmmakers. One notable success is her production and distribution of The Way We Dance, which garnered critical acclaim and impressive box office returns, motivating a new wave of young filmmakers to follow their creative aspirations. Under her guidance, first-time directors she has supported have garnered 25 Best New Director nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards, with 8 wins. Currently, Winnie also serves as a board member of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and the Hong Kong Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival.