top of page

Founding member of the script analysis team of the Creative Europe Producer Training Programme, EAVE, Clare has been with the JSFL since its inception in 2011 and in that context she mentored JSFL films such as The Kindergarten Teacher (Critics Week, Cannes 2014); The Accused (Venice, Toronto 2018); Murina (Camera d’Or, Directors’ Fortnight 2021); Cinema Sabaya (Israel’s Oscar submission 2022). She was Director of the Association of Independent Producers (1978-1980); Director of International Creative Affairs for The Ladd Company (1981-83); Producer of award-winning films - The Dress (1985) BAFTA best short; the feature High Season (1987) San Sebastian, Best Screenplay. A much sought-after consultant to various film funds and many international script workshops.

Clare Downs
UK

Screenwriter and script consultant, Jacques has been an integral part of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab since its inception in 2011. A graduate of NYU, he has worked with directors such as Bresson and Von Trier. He was involved with the development of award-winning films, many of which premiered at Cannes: A Screaming Man (Jury Prize, 2010 Cannes); Girls of the Sun (Cannes 2018); Raw (Cannes Critics Week 2016). A teacher of writing and directing at La Femis since 1988, Jacques has facilitated many international screenwriting and development workshops.

Jacques Akchoti
France

Thomas Hailer is the Artistic Director of the Nordic Film Days, Lübeck. From 2008 to 2019 he was responsible for the program of the International Competition as Berlinale curator alongside the festival director. He has been working as a dramaturg and script consultant since 1995. As a freelance dramaturg, he supervised, among others, the film adaptation of A.S. Neill‘s classic children‘s book The Green Cloud as well as Bernd Sahling‘s German Film Award-winning feature film The Duds. His current projects include script consulting for Barbara Kronenberg‘s directorial debut Mission Ulja Funk which premiered at the Berlinale 2021.

Thomas Hailer
Germany

Film director, screenwriter, script consultant, Sari born in Cannes, France. In 2008, she founded her own company for script consulting services (Scriptlight.com) and developed her own screenwriting method, which she teaches in professional workshops and master classes. Sari works as an artistic consultant for the Israeli Film Funds and as a mentor in workshops worldwide. She developed and script edited series such as Fauda (seasons 2, 3 and 4), Pillars of Smoke and others. She script edited the films The Cousin and The Testimony, which both took part in the Venice film festival and more.

Sari Azoulay Turgeman
Israel

MENTORS 2024

PAST MENTORS

Chief Content Officer at Beta Film GmbH, Koby has more than 17 years of experience in television and film. A graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Koby was previously chief content officer at YES, Israel’s leading satellite and OTT platform. Under his tenure, his credits included Fauda; Your Honour; On the Spectrum; Magpie; The Good Cop and Just for Today.

Koby Gal-Raday

Israel

Avi Nesher's acclaimed films have played a major part in Israeli cinema's success and rise to international prominence. His films have netted multiple Israeli Academy Award wins and over two dozen nominations. Among his best-known features are Turn Left at the End of the World; The Troupe, which has become a cult classic; and Rage & Glory. His latest film is the 2023 feature The Monkey House. Nesher was awarded the Cinematic Excellence Award at the Haifa Film Festival; the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival and a star on the Avenue of the Stars.

Avi Nesher

Israel

Eran Riklis is one of Israel's most acclaimed film makers and has been working as director, writer and producer for over thirty years. Among his best-known features are Lemon Tree; The Syrian Bride and Dancing Arabs. Riklis is a graduate of the National Film & TV School in Beaconsfield, England and also studied at the film department of the Tel Aviv University.

Eran Riklis

Israel

Hagai Levi is a writer, director and producer who, among others, wrote and directed the adaptation of Scenes from a Marriage for HBO, in 2015 Levi won the Golden Globe award for best drama series as the co-creator and co-producer of the series The Affair (Showtime, 2014); he co-created, co-directed and co-produced the HBO series Our Boys which won the Israeli academy award for best series. In 2005, Levi created, co-produced and co-directed the Israeli TV series BiTipul, later adapted to the HBO's series In Treatment (2007-2010).

Hagai Levi

Israel

Gino Ventriglia is a script consultant for cinema and television production companies. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and achieved a double Master of Fine Arts in Directing and Screenwriting at USC. He has written for both screen and television and has been a tutor with the Torino Film Lab Writers’ Room (Transmedia Projects) and with the Biennale College Cinema, Cinema Festival of Venice.

Gino Ventriglia

Italy

bottom of page