Fariba Sheikhan is a Basque actress born in Gernika (Basque Country, Spain) in 1988, with a Basque mother and an Iranian father. She has established herself as a versatile performer in both Spanish and international productions. She has appeared in projects such as La Unidad, Salvador, Matices, and the international series Tehran, often working in thriller and drama genres.

Throughout her career, she has worked with directors like Daniel Calparsoro, Dani de la Torre, and Guy Ritchie, and has shared the screen with actors such as Hugh Laurie and Jake Gyllenhaal. Her career spans both national and international productions, positioning her as a rising talent in contemporary film and television.

Film director, screenwriter, author (Madonna Was Not Born in Wisconsin), and stage director for Ara Malikian’s shows, as well as the creator and director of his music videos and advertising campaigns. She studied Drama at the J.C. Corazza International Acting Studio, combining her training with international workshops alongside Augusto Fernández, Claudio Tolcachir, Adriana Roffi, Jean-Guy Lecat, Peter Brook, and Lee Strasberg, among others.

In 2016, she founded the production company Kokoro Films, through which she has created various advertising campaigns as well as her personal projects. Le chat doré (2017) received more than eighty national and international awards; Al’amar (2018) is her most daring and personal work, addressing migration; and Madreselva (2022) is a western starring Luis Tosar. In 2020, she won the Goya Award for Best Documentary Feature for Ara Malikian: A Life Among the Strings. She has recently directed Las Berrocal for Movistar+.

Ara Malikian is a virtuous violinist of Lebanese origin and Armenian descent. At the age of 15, he recorded his first album in Spain, and since then, he has collaborated with renowned artists on stages such as the Teatro Real in Madrid, Royal Albert Hall in London, and Luna Park in Argentina, among others. His unique style, which fuses various musical genres with a unique sensitivity, has made him one of the most acclaimed violinists internationally.

Among the many accolades he has received are the Felix Mendelssohn, Pablo Sarasate, Niccolò Paganini, Zino Francescatti, the International Artist Guild and the International Music Competition of Japan awards. With Warner Music Group, he has built an extensive discography that includes works by Antonio Vivaldi (The Four Seasons, with over 80,000 copies sold for UNICEF), flamenco music alongside guitarist José Luis Montón (Manantial and De la Felicidad), as well as Lejos and Con los ojos cerrados with guitarist Fernando Egózcue.

With seven albums released, five nominations, and winner of the Latin GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2021, pianist, composer, and music producer Iván ‘Melon’ Lewis (1974, Cuba) is considered one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Widely recognized for his work with Cuban singer Issac Delgado, ‘Melon’ has played a remarkable role that has profoundly shaped the concept of piano performance in contemporary Cuban dance music.

Awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Universidad del Sur (Mérida, Mexico), since 2003 he has led his group, ‘Melon’, performing regularly on some of the world’s most important jazz stages and festivals, including the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note Jazz Club, the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Marciac Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with Wynton Marsalis, Chucho Valdés, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Paquito D’Rivera.

Screenwriter, director and producer, he wrote and directed The good boss (2021), winner of six Goya Awards from the Spanish Film Academy, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, as well as the European Film Award for Best Comedy and the Ariel Award from the Mexican Film Academy for Best Ibero-American Film.

Fernando has received ten individual Goya Awards, as well as the Concha de Oro at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for Best Film for Los lunes al sol and the Concha de Plata for Best Director for Barrio, among other awards. In addition to feature films such as Princesas, A Perfect Day, Amador, and Loving Pablo, he has also made documentaries, including Sintiéndolo mucho, about Joaquín Sabina. As a writer, he has recently published Leonera, Here lie dragons, and Against hypermetropia. He founded his own production company, Reposado, in 2004.

Sahrawi refugee, green tea expert, videographer and co-founder of Saharawi Voice, which is a collective of Sahrawi filmmakers and storytellers based in the Sahrawi refugee camps. Saharawi Voice aims to raise awareness about Africa’s last colony, Western Sahara. The combined knowledge and expertise enable them to tell a story about Western Sahara that is compelling, unique and informative.

Rami Abbas is a Palestinian director, animator, painter, and multidisciplinary artist. He studied art in Syria and later continued his studies in Madrid, where he currently resides. Abbas has directed several experimental and animated short films. In addition to participating in numerous artistic exhibitions worldwide, he has worked for many years in animation and graphic design, producing promotional projects addressing humanitarian, social, and justice issues. Moreover, he conducts animation training workshops & youth empowerment. He won several international awards for his latest animated short film Hide & Seek.

An actress and dancer from Alicante, trained in Dramatic Arts, Marketing at URJC, and Humanities at UNIR. She is known for her work in El Refugio Atómico by Vancouver Producciones for Netflix, the series UPA Next, and films such as The Nanny’s Night by Ignacio Vargas, Malasaña 32 by Albert Pintó and Yerma by Emilio Ruiz Barrachina. She has also worked in Spanish television on series such as Las chicas del cable, El Ministerio del Tiempo, and Centro Médico.

Since her early, primarily theatrical beginnings in Madrid, she has appeared in several stage productions, including La Madre, directed by Juan Carlos Fisher, where she shared the stage with Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. She has also taken part in musical theatre productions directed by Sergio Peris-Mencheta with the company Barco Pirata, such as Ladies Football Club. She is currently awaiting the release of the series El Problema Final for Netflix, with José Coronado and Maribel Verdú.

Johannes Vang (2001) is a Sámi director and producer from Ráisa – Nordreisa, along the coast of Sápmi. He passionately crafts films that celebrate and elevate the rich narratives of Sámi, Indigenous, and Northern Norwegian society, culture, and identity. Among his films, For Our Rights, Red Shaded Green, and Borderline stand out.

Críspulo Cabezas (Madrid, 1982) began his acting career in the late nineties. His breakout role in the film Barrio (1998) immediately put him on the map of Spanish cinema and earned him his first nomination from the Spanish Actors and Actresses Union. Since then, he has appeared in a steady stream of films, including Nadie conoce a nadie, Hay motivos, and REC 4, the latter of which garnered him another nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor. With Planeta 5000 (2020), he secured yet another nomination, confirming a career that has successfully balanced independent cinema with more commercial productions.

He has been a part of many of the most influential Spanish TV series of the last few decades, ranging from classics like Cuéntame cómo pasó and El comisario to more recent titles such as La catedral del mar, Apaches, Amar es para siempre, Servir y proteger, Los herederos de la tierra. His theatrical background is equally extensive. He has worked with renowned directors such as Gerardo Vera, Juan Carlos Pérez de la Fuente, Pepa Gamboa, Luis Luque, and Georges Lavaudant. His stage credits includes notable productions such as Mother Courage, Numancia, Trainspotting, Yerma or La Señorita de Trevélez, among others.

El Hadj Ghedifa is a content creator with a passion for photography, editing, and cinematic directing. His film Between Sand and Olives marks his first official cinematic work, following years of involvement in previous local productions and independent projects as a hobby.

He developed his skills through self-learning and hands-on experience, building his craft over time. This film represents his first step into the world of cinema, reflecting his passion for storytelling and his desire to create meaningful, human-centered narratives with a simple yet creative approach.

Peruvian director and screenwriter whose films have earned awards such as the FIPRESCI Prize for La Espalda del mundo at the San Sebastián International Film Festival; the Silver Biznaga at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival for Invierno en Bagdad; and the Goya Award for Best Documentary for Invisibles.

His feature films also include Sigo siendo, winner of more than fourteen international awards; El viaje de Javier Heraud (2019); and No somos nada (2021), which received the Audience Award at the In-Edit Festival in Barcelona. In 2025, he won again at the same festival with Mariem, which was awarded Best National Musical Documentary Short Film. This year, he premiered Uyariy. He is the founder of the Sahara Film Festival (FiSahara).

Actor and theater producer, trained at the Cristina Rota School, where he coincided with Ernesto Alterio and Alberto San Juan, with whom he co-founded the theater company Animalario. He has appeared on television in the popular sitcom Siete Vidas. Nominated twice for the Goya Awards for El otro lado de la cama and Crimen Ferpecto, he has appeared in titles such as Morirás en Chafarinas, Juana la Loca, Días de fútbol, Los amantes pasajeros, and Los favoritos de Midas.

More recently, he has worked on the television series Maricón Perdido, El grito de las Mariposas, Romancero, and La última noche en Tremor, as well as on the feature films Escape and Todos los lados de la cama. He produced the short film 8 de Febrero and performed in the successful stage play 1936. He is also co-author of Razones para la rebeldía, with a foreword by Julio Anguita.

Mohamed Aziz is a Mauritanian artist, actor in theatre and film, photographer, and director of a production company. He has created numerous theatrical works and participated in several films, including Artou, directed by Abdel Rahman Sissako and filmed in France. He has taken part in many international festivals. He is currently the Head of the Exhibitions and Fine Arts Promotion Division at the National Institute of Mauritania.

Journalist, co-founder of EntreFronteras and CEO of the documentary brand AliquinDoc, part of this social production company. She is also the founder and creator of La Poderío, a magazine focused on Andalusian feminism. Among her work, she is co-director of the documentary Tívoli (2024), and assistant director and original creator of the documentary series Operación Brooklyn (2023). She is also the director of photography of the non-fiction feature film Paralelo 35º50 (2021), which received the Desalambre Award from eldiario.es and a special mention at the Valencia Human Rights Film Festival. Her most recent works include Jornaleros: el mal patrón and Aminetu.

PhD in Information Sciences from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, focusing on the study of film marketing. His thesis received the research awards granted by the Fundación Autor – SGAE 2006 and the Extraordinary Award from the URJC. Currently, he is a Tenured Professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University and founder of Tuescena, the first online search engine specialized in Performing Arts (2014-2016).

He is also a founding partner of Creta Producciones S.L., a production company focused on social and transmedia documentaries. He has been nominated for the Goya Awards on four occasions for the documentaries Harraga (2009), Un cineasta en La Codorniz (2013), Primavera Rosa en México (2018), and Disonancia (2026). As an author, his notable books include La promoción cinematográfica. Estrategias de comunicación y distribución de películas (Fragua, 2009) or  Marketing cinematográfico (UOC, 2016), among various publications.

Algerian filmmaker whose filmography as an executive producer includes Nomad Shadow by Japanese-American director Eimi Imanishi (2025); The Goat Life by Blessy (2024); and The Last Queen by Adila Bendimerad & Damien Ounouri (2023). As a producer, his credits include Le droit chemin by Okacha Touita (2018) and Zabana by Saïd Ould Khelifa (2012).

Mohamed Sleiman is one of the most internationally recognized Sahrawi artists. He is the founder of the MOTIF art studio in the Sahrawi refugee camp of Smara in Algeria. His art portrays social, political, and environmental issues that impact his community and the world.

Mohamed experiments with discarded materials found in the camp to create meaningful visual pieces. He also facilitates intergenerational learning through the arts, particularly focusing on preserving traditional storytelling and oral history. The studio has become a hub for artistic practice in the remote desert, simultaneously serving as a space for young Sahrawis to acquire skills and explore their creative potential. He has directed films such as The year of balls, Western Sahara Land of Mines, and Desert PHOSfate.

Mahfud is a Saharawi political, climate and human rights activist, born, raised and currently living in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria. He is a member of various Sahrawi local groups with international advocacy responsibilities. His main focus is supporting Saharawi human rights defenders in the occupied territories of Western Sahara working to bring attention to their situation under the Moroccan military occupation. He has also been researching and campaigning against multinational companies illegally operating in Western Sahara.

Mahfud is a member of the human rights working group which consists of local and international activists working on documenting and reporting about the systematic  human rights violations that Saharawi are subjected to in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. He is also a co-founder and member of the coordinating team of the “Western Sahara is not for sale” platform and he works as the Western Sahara country representative for the international institute of Nonviolence NOVACT.

Layla Hazaineh is a Palestinian Political Coordinator with Progressive International and freelance writer, based in Paris. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action and focuses on Middle East politics and history.

Algerian researcher and activist, founder of the media outlet Twala. Author of Rising for Palestine: Africans in Solidarity for Decolonisation and Liberation, the first anthology bringing together African and Palestinian voices around the intertwined histories of colonialism, apartheid, and genocide, as well as solidarities and forms of complicity.

He is currently working alongside Sahrawi activist Najla Mohamed-Lamin on the collective book Unsilencing Western Sahara: Voices Against Occupation, which brings together different perspectives on how to break the silence around the Sahrawi issue.

Anna Klara Åhrén has been involved in the RåFILM filmmakers collective since 2005 and made many documentaries, campaign films and animations, but also developed film education activities and held international video workshops.

With a core of video activism, she has experimented with forms of display and distribution alongside the conventional. In addition to filming, Anna Klara is an ethnologist and mosaic artist in the group Mosaika, which makes public decorations through participatory culture. Anna Klara Åhrén is currently teacher in documentary filmmaking at Ölands folkhögskola. Among her filmography, the following stand out: HAIYU – Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara (2024), 3 Stolen Cameras (2017), Playtime (2013), Once Upon a Hill (2010) or Repainting Cuba (2009).

As a co-founder of RåFILM filmmakers collective he have worked during 25 years with connecting art and activism. This has been partly by building an organisation/group striving against hierarchies and individualism in film production. Partly through all the films and projects we have done during the years. With focus on social issues, labour conflicts and with help of models as community media/participatory video the collective strives for social justice and economic democratisation. RåFILM have always had a focus on our own screening platforms and worked with different ways to screen film in public places, like the bike cinema.

Filmography:  Victory Train (2025), HAIYU – Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara (2024), 3 Stolen Cameras (2017), Dream House Dreams (2018),  HACKITAT (2020).

Sarah is an Algerian-Lebanese multidisciplinary artist and activist. Born and raised in Paris, she also earned a degree in Humanitarian and Development Project Management from the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS Paris). Over the years she has evolved in a multicultural and international environment whether through internships she has done, for example in New York, or academic exchanges abroad, in Brazil and Canada.

Passionate about languages (she speaks 5), she worked in various projects in collaboration with NGOs, and also in the cinema industry in Paris. She would like to start directing for documentary film, on topics related to human rights issues and resilience.

Thanks to his victory in the third season of MasterChef, Carlos Maldonado (1991) went on to study the Master’s Degree in Cooking, Technique, and Product at the prestigious Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián. In 2017, he fulfilled his dream by opening his own restaurant, Raíces, in Talavera de la Reina. A few months later, he won the Newcorred Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Revelation Chef Award at Madrid Fusión.

Raíces has earned its first Repsol Sun, a Bib Gourmand distinction from the Michelin Guide, and one Michelin Star. In addition, in 2019 it was selected as one of the 10 best restaurants in Spain according to users of El Tenedor. Through the Carlos Maldonado Foundation, he promotes the social initiative Semillas, a hospitality school and training restaurant aimed at integrating vulnerable or at-risk individuals into the workforce through practical training in gastronomy and front-of-house service.

Banani’s story is a blend of flavors, cultures, and a deep desire for change. She grew up in the Sahrawi refugee camp of Ausserd (Algeria) and inherited her passion for cooking from her grandmother and her father. Today, that connection to her roots has evolved into an ambitious project: Cooking for Change, a culinary school and community kitchen aimed at improving the food conditions and employment opportunities of Sahrawi women in the camps. In addition, her training and passion for cooking have led her to combine Cooking for Change with her work as head chef at the Semillas restaurant of the Carlos Maldonado Foundation.

Iván Prado is one of the leading international figures in socially engaged circus today. In recent years, his projects have brought about an unprecedented boost to conflict-affected regions, working across geographies ranging from the favelas of Brazil, the refugee camps in the Sahara, and Indigenous communities in Chiapas, to the refugee camps of Palestine.

Promoter of the Festiclown Palestina 2011, Iván Prado—director of Pallasos en Rebeldía—will receive the Esperanza Award on May 10 at the Palau Robert in Barcelona. The award is granted by the Comunitat Palestina de Catalunya, and was previously awarded to Maruja Torres in 2012 and Rosa Regàs the year before.

María Carrión is a journalist specializing in human rights and cultural action. She is the Executive Director of FiSahara and co-founder of NomadsHRC, an NGO based in Madrid focused on film, culture, communication, and human rights projects in Western Sahara.

Previously, María worked for the American news program Democracy Now! and was a correspondent in Washington for the newspaper El Observador. She has collaborated as a journalist in numerous media outlets including The Progressive, BBC Radio, El País, Televisión Española, and Diario/Cambio 16. María has worked on several documentaries as a producer, researcher, and scriptwriter, including La espalda del mundo and Condenados al corredor by Javier Corcuera, and Granito: How to Nail a Dictator by Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís.

Politically involved since his youth, Salma served as the Secretary General of the Union of the Youth of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (UJSARIO). Later, he was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), participating in the coordination of initiatives such as the Holidays in Peace Program or the Sahara Marathon. More recently, in 2023, he took over the portfolio of Culture, advocating for Sahrawi cinema as a cultural tool for social change.

Abdulah earned a Degree in International Political Relations from the International Institute of International Relations (ISRI) in Havana, Cuba. He worked at the Sahrawi Commission for the Referendum (COSAR) from 1991 until late 1995, when he joined the Central Delegation of the Sahrawi for Spain. He has held positions as Sahrawi Delegate in the Community of Madrid, in Catalonia, in Castilla y León, and in the Basque Country.

Since January 2020, he has served as the Sahrawi Delegate for Spain, coordinating and informing various political and social institutions about the developments in the Western Sahara conflict and strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the Sahrawi people and the people of Spain.

Dr Samaneh Moafi is the assistant director of research at Forensic Architecture (FA) where she provides conceptual and methodological oversight across projects. Since joining the team in 2015, Samaneh has taken part in high-profile investigations such as Situated Testimonies of Grenfell and A Cartography of a Genocide. She earned her PhD from the Architectural Association (AA) with a thesis on Home Rebellion and shared practices of resistance in Iran.

Sahrawi Agricultural Engineer and innovator working on food sovereignty and the climate crisis in the refugee camps. Taleb has lived in the Sahrawi refugee camps since the age of five, after he and his family fled the Moroccan invasion of Western Sahara. For the past 30 years, Taleb has worked as an engineer, expert and consultant on numerous agricultural projects, and is director of the Sahrawi Home Gardens project — a network of around one thousand family-run gardens in the refugee camps. He is also the National Director of Agriculture at the Sahrawi Ministry of Economic Development. In collaboration with several NGO’s, Taleb has conducted innovative experiments in low-tech hydroponics to produce green fodder and other crops in the desert.