Jury Members : YallahFilmFestival

Darina Aljundi [ Jury Member ] Bio : Actress since the age of 8, Darina al Joundi is on every front : cinema, theater, television. She speaks Arabic, French and English. She is the author of several projects like the short film Superman, the short film Mimi martyr of the pin, the TV concept My story ... Its the story, of the play The Day Nina Simone stopped singing and of a documentary series. On Lebanese television, she played the lead role in Passions of Love (2001), as well as in the series Tomorrow is another day on the Arabic channel MTV (2004). In theater, she starred in plays by authors as famous and profound as Eugene Ionesco, Franz Kafka and Ingmar Bergman. She also starred in Un homme perdu by Danielle Arbid, selected in La Quinzaine des ralisateurs 2007. As a result of the quality of her acting, her films have often been nominated like The Gate of the Sun of Yossri Nasrallah, official selection at Cannes in 2004. Her beauty and eclectism make Darina al Joundi a truly all round artist.

Merzak Allouache [ Jury Member ] Bio : Merzak Allouache directs documentaries, comedy shows and several feature films including Omar Gatlato presented at the Critics Week in 1977 in Cannes. Bab El-Oued City was also presented at Un Certain Regard in 1994 in Cannes and his comedy Hello Cousin !, selected at the Quinzaine des Ralisateurs of Cannes in 1996. After a documentary he shoots for the European TV channel Arte (Life and death of Algerian journalists) and several TV movies, Merzak Allouache returns to the cinema in 2001 with The other world. The following year, he convinces his friend Gad El Maleh to act on the big screen in a comedy as a romantic transvestite Chouchou (2003) which he directs. Merzak Allouache then returns to his roots in 2004 to lead the trio Faudel, Samy Naceri and Julie Gayet in Bab El Web (2005), a smiling film with the backdrop of the meetings by Internet in Algeria. More recently, he shot Harragas (2010), a piece of technical art about immigrants trying to enter illicitly in Europe by boats.

In 2011, Merzak Allouache shoots The Bay of Algiers for television.

Hicham Ayouch [ Jury Member ] Bio : Hicham Ayouch was born in Paris in 1976, from Moroccan parents. He studied journalism and started writing and shooting for several French channels and Moroccan institutions. In 2005, he wrote the script of the movie Samba do Maazouz, and, a year later, shot his first short film, Bombllywood. He then left France and settled in Morocco, where he started shooting for local televisions. In 2006, he shot Les Reines du Roi, a documentary film describing the place of women in the Moroccan society. He then directed his first full-length fiction pictures, Heart Edges, which got very good reviews from different sources, including Variety. His next documentary, entitled Poussires danges is about disabled young children in Morocco. His second fiction feature film, Fissures, was written and shot in 2008. It will be released this year. Hes currently working on turning his first written script, Samba do Maazouz, into a movie.

Lubna Azabal [ Jury Member ] Bio : Lubna Azabal was born and raised in Belgium, from Moroccan parents. She started her carrer as a actress for theatre, after studying at the Conservatoire Royal of Brussels. In 1997 she was chosen by Vincent Lannoo to play in his short film Jadore le cinema for her first role in a movie. Her bilingual education allows her to play in both French and Arabic films. _ In 2001, she played the first part in Andre Techins Loin, and appeared in 2004 in another of his movie, Les temps qui changent. She played in independent productions, such as Viva LAldgerie, Exil, as well as some successful blockbusters (Body of Lies). She won the Black Pearl Award 2010 (Abu Dhabi Film Festival) as the Best Actress and the

Genie Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the 31st Genie Awards for her role in Incendies (2011).

Micha Khalil [ Jury Member ] Bio : While now having a successful career as a journalist, Micha Khalils background is in the fine arts. After graduating from art school in Lebanon, she started as a graphic designer working on art projects related to social change. After extensive study of comics and integrating cartoon animation techniques into her art work, she developed an interest in filmmaking, which led her to study screenwriting, directing and editing techniques in Paris. Her transition into journalism happened completely by coincidence. By now her career in media spans over almost a decade of writing, hosting and producing cultural shows for radio and TV. She is currently working with Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya and the TV channel France 24, where she is covering cultural and political events, film festivals and art exibitions internationally. In parallel to her career she is working towards her Masters degree in Information and Communication Sciences.

Mohamed Metalsi [ Jury Member ] Bio : Mohamed Metalsi was born in Tanger, Morocco, in 1954. He is a city planner with a Ph. D in Esthetics. He is also a specialist of Arabic cities. He has published several books about Arabic cities, including one about his native town of Tanger. Since 1985, he has taken part in the creation of cultural events and artistic events in France, Europe, and in the Arabic world. He is a recurring contributor to several architecture and urbanism publication, and is part of the editorial board of the Magazine Revue Internationale, and of the Quantara magazine published by the Arab World Institute (IMA), where he is Responsible of the Cinema Department. He currently runs the Cultural Actions of the Arab World Institut, in Paris (IMA).

Menem Richa [ Jury Member ] Bio : Menem Richa was born in Lebanon. He has achieved his studies in Sciences in France and has been teaching mathematics and physics for several years in Paris before switching to cinema. He has achieved his cinema studies at the Ecole Nationale Suprieure Louis Lumire as a cinematographer and worked in the production field notably as a director and production assistant. Since 2000, he is responsible in Europa Cinemas for different European programmes supporting distributors and exhibitors in Europe and the Mediterranean countries, mainly in the frame of Euromed Audiovisual I (2000-2004) and II (2006-2009) and Eurimages (20082011). He has been member of the Commission of the Centre National de la Cinmatographie that decides the supports for distribution and trainer in different professional training session, notably at the Venice University (Inter Mediterranean Master Mediation) and sessions organized by the Institut National de lAudiovisuel or by the CICAE. He was also member of the Jury during the Festival of the National Film in Morocco in 2010.

Ramzi Malouki [ Jury Member ] Bio : Ramzi Malouki is known from the French Public for its magazines and documentaries on the underside of Hollywood. Based in Los Angeles, he is the correspondent of the News Editor of Canal +, as well as its continuous news channel I-TV, and the TV channels Cincinma. Ramzi Malouki produces and presents live from Los Angeles Hollywood Live, an entertainment-news magazine which gives a funny analysis to Hollywood. It is also a columnist for the magazine "Film Week" on Cincinma Premier, and "Morning of Canal Plus." Outside of France, Ramzi Malouki has other TV magazines on Tahiti Nui Television (French Polynesia), and Jet Set Magazine TV (Tunisia). In the U.S., he works regularly for shows on the TV channel E ! Entertainment Television.

Ramzi Malouki is also a director of documentaries "Making Of". he worked for Oliver Stone (Freeway), and achieved, among other things, the making of "Simpatico" with Sharon Stone, and "Picking Up the Pieces" with Woody Allen. His first Drama, Plein Sud was awarded at the International Scenario in Los Angeles.