Grand Jury Fiction

Christopher Zalla is an American film writer, director, and producer. His most recent film, RADICAL, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Festival Favorite Award. Radical won seven more Audience Awards and several Grand Jury Prizes at other international film festivals, before becoming the highest grossing drama in Mexican box office history. Mr. Zalla’s first feature , SANGRE DE MI SANGRE (originally titled PADRE NUESTRO), won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Mr. Zalla has taught Directing at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School, where he previously received an MFA with Honors in Directing. Before Columbia, Mr. Zalla served as the Assistant to legendary independent Film Producer Cary Woods (SCREAM, SWINGERS, KIDS, CITIZEN RUTH).

Thomas van Son graduated from the Amsterdam University of the Arts in 2017 and has been working for the Dutch Academy For Film as a policy and program officer since 2020. At DAFF he is responsible for, among other things, membership recruitment, the various activities for members and the Golden Calf Competition. Until December 2022, Thomas was affiliated with the Dutch Film Festival as coordinator of the international Holland Film Meeting program. Before that and to this day, starting at International Theater Amsterdam and Family Affair Films, he has worked as a freelance program maker, project leader, editor and production manager at Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Arno Schuitemaker, De Authors Union and Netwerk Scenariowriters, among others.