Jury

12th Edition / 2026

Official

Ane Rodríguez Armendáriz
Elise Jalladeau
Mercedes Martínez-Abarca
Ane Rodríguez
Ane Rodríguez Armendáriz
Ane Rodríguez Armendáriz is a curator and cultural manager with over twenty years of experience in the field of arts and cultural institutions. Her practice has developed in close connection with contemporary creation, the support of artistic processes, and reflection on the institutional conditions that enable certain forms of artistic practice. Highlights of her career include her work at Tabakalera as cultural director (2012–2019) and as head of the Matadero Madrid Artist Residency Center (2020–2023). In the field of film, her involvement in the design and implementation of the Ikusmira Berriak residency program for the development of audiovisual projects—in collaboration with the San Sebastián Film Festival—is noteworthy, as is her organization of the international film seminar at Tabakalera from 2016 to 2019. During these years, she also participated in the founding of the Elias Querejeta Zineskola film school in San Sebastián, where she has been a professor and project advisor since 2020. She has served on various juries and evaluation committees in both the film and visual arts fields. She has produced films such as La noche (2016), La verdad interior (2018), Mamá, mamá, mamá (2020), Misión a Marte (2023), Bird (2023), and Una sombra oscilante (2024).
Elise Jalladeau
Elise Jalladeau
Executive Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Elise Jalladeau began her career as a producer in the 1990s, working with a new generation of directors, including Rodrigo Moreno, Ildiko Enyedi, Jia Zhangke, Darezhan Omirbaev, Jérôme Bonnell, Petr Vaclav, and Martin Rejtman... She created and directed the “Produire au Sud” workshop in 2001, before leading EAVE’s Eurasian program “Ties that Bind” from 2010 to 2016. She is currently the general director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, a Greek cultural organization that includes: the International Film Festival, the International Documentary Festival, two major industry markets linked to the festivals, the “boutique” festival Evia Film Project, four cinemas operating year-round, and the Thessaloniki Film Museum (collections, library, film education, film archive). Elise is a board member and treasurer of Europa Cinema.
Mercedes Martínez
Mercedes Martínez-Abarca
Mercedes Martínez-Abarca is a programmer and consultant. Since 2009, she has been part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where she is responsible for programming from Latin America and the Caribbean and serves on the feature film selection committee. Previously, she coordinated the Holland Film Meeting, worked at Fortissimo Films, and collaborated with festivals and co-production platforms such as Abycine Lanza and FICX. She is also involved with Dones Visuals and has served on prominent selection committees, including Ventana Sur at Cannes and the Hubert Bals Fund.

Smart 7

Liyang Zhang
Ángel Alcocer Testón
Julia Padovan
Liyang Zhang
Liyang Zhang
Liyang Zhang was born in Beijing, China. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication at Carlos III University in Madrid. He served as a youth jury member at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival. His work focuses on audiovisual and photographic creation. He has organized various film screenings in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Spain and Chinese production companies, promoting cultural exchange through cinema.
Ángel Alcocer Testón
Ángel Alcocer Testón
Born in Madrid in 2000, he works at the intersection of audiovisual media and technology. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in AI and Big Data at ECAM, where he explores new methods of analyzing audiences and audiovisual consumption. He has participated in institutional projects and entertainment formats, working on the creation, editing, and development of digital content. At the same time, he develops his own AI-based tools to analyze the viability of TV series projects in their early stages, combining data from platforms with audience behavior. His focus is on understanding how technology is transforming creative processes and the new ways in which content and audiences interact.
Julia Padovan
Julia Padovan
Julia Padovan is a creative producer and filmmaker from São Paulo, Brazil, based in Madrid. She has worked in audiovisual production and marketing for platforms such as Netflix. Her artistic training includes studies in theater directing at the Schules des Arts (Vienna, Austria), as well as a background in acting and audiovisual communication in Brazil. She is the director of the short film Amarílis (2026) and the creator of the podcast Please Come To Brazil. Her work explores different forms of storytelling across film, audio, and contemporary culture.

Joven

Sami Hawka
Manuel de Sobrón
Alba Díaz-Caneja
Sami Hawka
Sami Hawka
He participated in the Clermont-Ferrand International Competition as co-screenwriter of “Sheep and Wolves” (2024), which was selected for AFI Fest, Palm Springs, Raindance, DokuFest, and more; winner of the Best Short Film award at Zaragoza and Shorts México, and featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick. He wrote, directed, and produced the series “Anarquía Relacional de los amores libres” (2024): selected as Best International Series at Rio WebFest in 2024 and 2025, an official selection at The Panama Series Festival, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Web Series and Film Festival, and recipient of three awards, including Best National Microseries at Cusco WebFest. Currently completing the Master’s in Distribution and Business in the Audiovisual Industry at ECAM.
Manuel de Sobrón
Manuel de Sobrón
He is currently in his final year of the Documentary Film specialization at ECAM. In his most recent projects, he explores working with archival materials and reflects on the concept of memory. Throughout his studies, he has engaged with the fields of experimentation, installation, and performance, shifting his focus from creation to research and curation, while simultaneously developing his interest in aesthetics and philosophy through essay writing.
Fotografía Alba Díaz-Caneja
Alba Díaz-Caneja
Alba Díaz-Caneja is a student of Audiovisual Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid. Her work explores the narrative possibilities of sound and musical composition as applied to film and audio drama. She has participated in short film, documentary, and podcast projects, in addition to working as a sound director on interviews conducted at the Casa de Velázquez. Her practice is rooted in experimentation and the pursuit of creative freedom.

The sections of FILMADRID 2026

 Explore the diversity and originality of the films in this edition.

with the assistance of:

Europa Creativa media
Logo Filmadrid

XII Edición / Junio

Pasajes filmadrid

Coming soon

XII Edición

5 – 14 JUNIO 2026

Viernes 5 de Junio

Sábado 6 de Junio

Domingo 7 de Junio

Miércoles 10 de Junio

Jueves 11 de Junio

Viernes 12 de Junio

Sábado 13 de Junio

Domingo 14 de Junio