H. Jay worked at a university institute of film in Seoul after completing a doctoral degree in film aesthetics. He had an interest in unique ways to create the meaning of film and through his studies and his time at the institute established the principle of signification using conceptual blending theory. However, all of a sudden, he left to the Himalayas so as to pursue his old dream as a film creator. After coming back to Korea, he is still seeking to fulfill his dream.

Oh Young-hoon is anthropologist on mountaineering and currently a contract professor at Kyungpook National University. He enjoys climbing rock, ice and all types of mountain peaks. He volunteers for the Korea Alpine Federation (KAF), the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), and for several other climbing-related organizations both in and outside Korea. He appointed as a jury member of Piolets d'Or 2025.

A film critic, Han Song-yi has completed a PhD degree in film studies and has created films and instructed scenario writing over several years and is still teaching filmmaking in Seoul. She takes a part in preliminary jury based on her personal experience of climbing club years ago.

Climbed a number of peaks in the Alps and Nepal Himalayas, and summited Everest in 2006. Worked as an editor of the MOUNTAIN journal, at once edited and published monthly reports, annual report, and English newsletters of the Korean Alpine Federation(KAF). Currently serving as an academic and cultural director of KAF & a member of Korea Mountaineering Lab. Wrote an essay Choice, my Youth’s Everest and translated&published Stephen Venables’ Himalayan Alpine Style to Korean. Won the ‘Go Sang-don’ special prize for Korean Mountain Awards, and the ‘Lee Eun-sang’ prize for Corea Alpine Club Awards.

Ramyata Limbu is Chairman of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival which is dedicated to cultivating an informed, dynamic, and resilient Nepali society through the power of stories. Her award-winning documentaries include Daughters of Everest which followed the first all Sherpa women’s team to ascend Everest, The Sari Soldiers about the conflict in Nepal told through the stories of six women, and Drawing the Tiger, an intimate portrait of the price a Nepali family pays to educate their daughter. She reports for Al Jazeera English in Kathmandu.

Jon Glassberg is an American documentary and adventure filmmaker. He works as a director, cinematographer and producer. Starting from his roots as a professional climber, Glassberg has ventured globally to capture historical moments in outdoor sports with the industry's biggest names. His production company, Louder Than 11, documents authentic stories in extreme environments around the world. Glassberg has filmed nine free ascents on El Capitan over 15 years.

Actress Gil Hae-yeon began her career in theater in 1986 as a founding member of the theater troupe “Little Shinhwa”. She made her film debut in 2003 with If You Were Me, and has since been praised for her ability to fully transform and embody any role. She also serves as a chairperson in the Korea Theater Welfare Foundation, where she actively supports the activities of theater professionals.

Starting his career with the media activism group “pinks”, he participated in documentaries such as Mamasang, 3xFTM, The Time of Our Lives, and Nora Noh. After making his directorial debut with Miracle on Jongno Street(2010), he worked as creative director on Two Doors, a documentary about the Yongsan tragedy, and later co-directed its sequel, The Remnants. Under his narrative experiment project “Kimsan”, he has edited Coming to You(2021), K-Family Affairs(2024), and Edhi Alice(2025). He is currently a programmer at the Diaspora Film Festival in Incheon, South Korea.

She loves the trembling moments faced in the wild, far from the world, and the profound stillness felt where the sounds of nature are most vivid. She began climbing the Himalayas in 2003 and achieved her dream of summiting the highest peaks on all seven continents in her 20s. In January 2025, relying solely on her two feet, she completed a solo crossing of Antarctica - 1,786 km in 70 days. She is currently preparing to share this journey through a book and a documentary.

Chalida Uabumrungjit graduated in film from Thammasat University and later pursued film archiving at the University of East Anglia, UK. She is a founding member of the Thai Short Film and Video Festival, where she has served as Festival Director since 1997. From 2006 to 2018, she was a selection committee member for the Asian Network of Documentary (AND) at the Busan International Film Festival. Since 2019, she has been the Director of the Film Archive, Thailand.

Actress Song Sun-mi debuted in 1997 with the drama Model, gaining attention for her urban sophistication and steady acting skills. She went on to showcase a wide acting range across both television and film (such as the drama White Tower and the film Mokpo, Gangster’s Paradise). Since starring in Hong Sang-soo’s Woman on the Beach, she has most recently appeared in Our Day. She also recently took to the stage in the play Pink Lipstick, where her delicate and deeply expressive performance earned her continued acclaim from both critics and the public.

Born in Daegu in 1975, he has directed feature films such as Back from the Beat(2019), The Boy From Nowhere(2020), Plant Cafe, Warmth(2021), The Layover(2022), and Journeys in Math and Genetics(2024), among others.

Kim Young-jo graduated at the University of Paris 8 in France majoring in film. He founded the independent film production company Monday Morning and produced and directed several documentaries. Currently he teaches students at the Digital Content Department of Dong-eui University.

He is the Chair of the Jeonbuk Independent Film Association, Executive Director of the Jeonbuk Independent Film Festival, and Representative of the Regional Film Network. He leads annual education programs for local creators and actively contributes to the regional film ecosystem. As a filmmaker, he consistently produces short and feature-length films rooted in local stories, dedicating himself to the growth of independent cinema in the region.

Born in Seoul and began her professional life in Incheon. Based in Incheon, she has been involved in community, feminist, and film-related activities, and currently serves as the head of the production company Cherry Elephant. She made her directorial debut in 2017 with the short film An Old Wait, and has since produced and directed the short films Late Afternoon, Gyeyangsan, It’s Not That I Don’t Like You, Crush, and A Flower on the Compass, as well as the feature film Eighteen, the Age of Becoming an Adult.

She majored in film and animation theory and built a career as a writer for film-focused broadcasting programs, contributing film critiques to various magazines and daily newspapers. She played a key role in the opening of the Korean Film Archive CinemathequeKOFA, where she served as a programmer for many years. After working as a programmer for the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and Seoul Indie- AniFest, she is currently serving as the Executive Committee Chair of the Seoul Independent Film Festival. She has also curated numerous multidisciplinary performances that blend classic films with various artistic genres, including a live narration performance of Crossroad of Youngsters(Ahn Jong-hwa, 1934).

Born in Seoul in 1977. He has been working regardless of genre, including fiction, documentaries, experimental films, and has been dealing with themes related to the environment issues in recent years. Experimental feature documentary Talitha kum, Plants Know No Nation(2020) was screened in UMFFsummit. And he participated Future School(2021), the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Choi Yoon was Director of the Busan Film Commission, Director of the Busan Asian Film School, and professor at Dong-eui University(Department of Film Studies). He has worked as a producer and executive producer in a number of films, and has been a judge at various film festivals and institutions, including the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival. He is currently serving as the CEO of Ubicontent2 and the general director of contents at Barunson Labs.

Kim Young-jo graduated at the University of Paris 8 in France majoring in film. He founded the independent film production company Monday Morning and produced and directed several documentaries. Currently he teaches students at the Digital Content Department of Dong-eui University.

Kim Do-hee began working on films with ISKRA21 in 2005. In 2009, began producing documentaries about Koreans living abroad and participated as an assistant director on Course - Jeju, Joseon, Osaka, and continues to document the lives of overseas Koreans. Kim directed I Remember the Village of Utoro(2020), and co-directed Discrimination(2023) with director Kim Ji-woon, receiving the Asia Development Foundation Award at the 13th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.

Moon Chang-hyeon founded the documentary creative community Ozifilm in 2011 in Busan and identifies herself as a Cine Activist. Her main works include Between Me and I(2013), a short biographical documentary about her turbulent 20s, and GIPEUSIL(2018), a documentary about a grandmother’s house that was submerged by the Youngju Dam. She is currently directing feature length documentaries, Daughters of GUMI and #with you, while she is also engaged in various activities such as film screening planning and media education.

Park started the documentary with Just Their Christmas(2006) about the life of his next-door grandmother. His works Sea of Butterfly(2011) and Soseongri(2017) won the BIFF Mecenat Award at the Busan International Film Festival. Cruel Season(2010), Legend of Miryang 2 - Miryang Arirang(2014), After Breaking the Silence(2016) and Last Scene(2018), Sasang:The Town on Sand(2020) were introduced to various domestic film festivals and received a number of awards. He is currently working in Ozifilm and continues his work by expanding topics such as the disabled, workers, females, and culture based in Busan.