Guests

Guy Nattiv

GUY NATTIV is best known for directing, co-writing, and producing SKIN, for which he won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. Guy went on to write and direct the featureversion, also titled SKIN, which starred Jamie Bell and won the Fipresci Critic’s Prize at theToronto Film Festival in 2019. The film was acquired by A24. Most recently, Guy co-directed and co-wrote TATAMI, a historic collaboration between Israeli and Iranian filmmakers, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 to significant acclaim. The film won two prizes at the Tokyo Film Festival, Best Film at the Munich Festival, and two prizes at Camerimage in Poland. In 2022, Guy directed Helen Mirren in the film GOLDA, premiering at the Berlin Film Festival and earning an Oscar Nomination. Guy recently wrapped production on his next feature, HARMONIA, based on the true story of his grandmother’s involvement with an all-women’s cult. It stars Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey, Lily James, and Tracey Letts, and will be released by Bleecker Street in 2026. Guy lives in Los Angeles, where he runs New Native Pictures with his wife and producing partner, Jaime Ray Newman.

Jaime Ray Newman

JAIME RAY NEWMAN is an accomplished actress and Academy Award-winning producer. She currently stars as Callie Baskin on the breakout Netflix hit THE HUNTING WIVES, and will recur on the limited series UNSPEAKABLE: THE MURDER OF JONBENET RAMSEY opposite Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen. Newman played Kathe Sackler in the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning Hulu series DOPESICK opposite Michael Keaton, and the Apple TV series created by Don Cheadle, THE BIG CIGAR. She has been a series regular on a slew of shows, including THE PUNISHER for Netflix and EASTWICK on ABC, and has recurred on dozens of series, including LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE opposite Reese Witherspoon. As a producer, Jaime won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for SKIN alongside her partner, Guy Nattiv. The feature version, also titled SKIN, starred Jamie Bell and won the Fipresci Prize at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019, where it was acquired by A24. She produced and starred in the film TATAMI, which was in competition at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Her latest film, HARMONIA, will be released in 2026 and stars Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey, and Lily James.

Ellen Greene

Stage, film, and TV star Ellen Greene created the role of the lovably good-hearted Audrey in the Off-Broadway, Los Angeles, and London productions of Little Shop of Horrors and was subsequently chosen to reprise the part in the beloved 1986 cult film. She also re-envisioned her Audrey for three sold-out, standing-room-only performances opposite Jake Gyllenhaal at New York City Center in the summer of 2015, earning rave reviews from every major critic. On Broadway Ellen was seen in Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don’t You Ever Forget It,The Little Prince and the Aviator, Three Men on a Horse, and at Lincoln Center, The Threepenny Opera (for which she was nominated for a Tony Award). Some of her Off-Broadway credits include The Nature & Purpose of the Universe, Teeth & Smiles, and for The Public Theater, In the Boom Boom Room and The Sorrows of Stephen. Her numerous films include Next Stop, Greenwich Village; The Professional; Talk Radio; Me and Him; Wagons East; I'm Dancing as Fast As I Can; Naked Gun 33/1/3; One Fine Day; and The Cooler, while her TV credits include Glory! Glory! for HBO (Ace Award nomination), Dinner at Eight, Aunt Vivian in Pushing Daisies, and Sylar's mother in Heroes. She was also a guest star on The Walking Dead and Hannibal. In 2009, she played Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl. Also a recording artist, Ellen's debut solo album, In His Eyes, was named vocal recording of the year by Playbill, and her Christmas album, Songs for a Winter's Night, also received glowing reviews. Most recently, she starred in the short film Beatrix Is Invisible, as well as Estelle, a short for The Academy of Motion Pictures Gold Program, and a film California Scenario that just premiered at the Santa Barbara International Festival in February.

Evgueni Galperine

Evgueni Galperine is a critically acclaimed composer whose work has redefined the landscape of contemporary film scoring. Known for a minimalist yet profound style, his music blends technical precision with raw emotional depth. His artistic signature is best exemplified by his collaboration with Sacha Galperine on landmark films such as Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless. This year, he scored Minotaure, which won the Grand Prix at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to significant projects in global cinema, including François Ozon’s By the Grace of God, Kantemir Balagov’s Beanpole, Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi, and Audrey Diwan’s Happening. His versatility spans across major streaming hits, notably composing for the Netflix sensation Baby Reindeer and the Disney+ series Becoming Karl Lagerfeld. In 2022, Evgueni released his solo album Theory of Becoming (ECM), lauded for its evocative originality. Whether scoring complex dramas or high-budget spectacles, Galperine remains a pioneering voice in modern film music.

Yona Speidel

Yona Speidel (also known as Our Lady J), one of Hollywood’s most influential and acclaimed trans creators who recently converted to Judaism, joins the festival for an exclusive masterclass. Speidel made television history as the first out trans writer hired in a Hollywood writers' room, establishing herself as a groundbreaking writer and producer on award-winning masterpiece series such as "Pose", "Transparent", "American Horror Story" (where she also made her directorial debut), and the new Netflix hit series "The Boroughs". Prior to her stellar television career, she enjoyed a rich musical path as a classical pianist and singer-songwriter, becoming the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall. In her special masterclass, Speidel will share the secrets of writing, producing, and directing in the entertainment industry, exploring how authentic storytelling can drive real-world change.