Marc Innaro
Journalist (Italy)

Marc Innaro was born in 1961 in Naples, Italy. In 1991 he began a career in journalism at the editorial department for foreign affairs of the RAI radio news channel. He was foreign correspondent for RAI in Moscow and Jerusalem, and currently holds the post for Cairo. With Giuseppe Bonavolontà, he co-authored L'assedio della Natività (2002). Innaro won the 2003 Saint Vincent Prize for Journalism for his TV reportage (TV7, TG1) on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has directed with the photographer Sandro Vannini the documentary The Throbbing Desert (Mal di deserto, 2008).

Valentina Carnelutti
Actress (Italy)

Valentina Carnelutti was born in Milan in 1980. From 1991 to 1993 she studied at the Acting School Teatro Azione. Then she studied Acting (with Susan Batson, Geraldine Baron and Marilyn Fried), mime (with Marcel Marceau), theatre (with Richard Schechner and Ludwik Margules) and classic and contemporary dance (with Andy Peck and Milena Zullo). Her debut as an actress was in theatre in 1989; she made his film debut in the short Marta Singapore (1994) by Barbara Melega. Valentina Carnelutti is one of the most promising actresses in Italy, working with directors as Gianni Zanasi (Nella mischia, 1995), Ridley Scott (Hannibal, 2000), Marco Tullio Giordana (La meglio gioventù, 2003), Enrico Pau (Jimmy della Collina, 2006), Angelo Orlando (Sfiorarsi, 2006), Giovanni Veronesi (Manuale d'amore II, 2007), Antonello Grimaldi (Caos calmo, 2008) and Paolo Virzì (Tutta la vita davanti, 2008).

Fariborz Kamkari
Director (Iran)

Fariborz Kamkari is an Iranian director. He was born in 1971 and studied Cinema in Amsterdam and Theatre. He has written several scripts for other Iranian directors and produced and directed some short films. In 2002 Kamkari wrote and directed his first feature film Black Tape, the dramatic story of a 18-year-old Kurdish girl. The film won the Top Jury Prize at Cinequest Film Festival and was in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2002 and several other festivals. In 2005 he wrote and directed the thriller The Forbidden Chapter, an Italy, France and Iran co-production. The film has been in competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2005 and won the Best Director Award at Bruxelles Film Festival 2006. He is currently preparing his new film starring Hafsia Herzi, the romantic drama The Flowers of Kirkuk.