Naomi Brusselman
Benson Boyd
Mario Karner
Mario Karner is an Austrian Director and DoP based in Amsterdam. Mario’s journey into filmmaking began with capturing snowboarding adventures with friends, an experience that shaped his unique approach: focusing on the beauty and personal connections of his subjects to create authentic and visually captivating stories.
As his craft evolved, Mario embraced a more stylized aesthetic, featuring quirky characters and vibrant visuals that seamlessly merge reality with imagination.
Driven by an unwavering curiosity for every aspect of filmmaking, Mario thrives in exploring multiple roles. Whether directing or working behind the camera as a cinematographer, he brings a versatile touch to his craft, bringing his creativity and attention to detail to every project. An approach that has led to collaborations with brands like Red Bull, Nike and Samsung.
Andrea Jade Colomb
Andrea Jade Colomb (or AJ) was born in a shady suburb outside Johannesburg, where the streetlights flickered like her early ambitions. At 17, while running around film sets like a caffeinated intern, she had two epiphanies: one, she was destined to be a Director, and two, she made a cup of tea so good it could fix world peace.
Her obsession with comedy started young, thanks to a beat-up VHS of Fawlty Towers that she watched so much it’s a wonder the tape didn’t disintegrate. Since then, she’s honed her craft by making behind-the-scenes films, assisting directors, and developing a skin thicker than a rhino in winter.
In 2017, she won the Young Director Award for her film Visit Iceland, proving once and for all that she’s not just funny, she’s funny and good with a camera. Since then, she’s worked with brands like Barclays, eBay, T-Mobile, Phillips, and Nivea—because even giant corporations need a good laugh sometimes.
Bodhi Le Belle
Bodhi Le Belle is an Amsterdam-based director and writer. Inspired by film from a young age, Bodhi couldn’t wait to get his hands on a camera, thus beginning his deep dive into the world of filmmaking.
Bodhi honed his craft by creating short films and commercials, ultimately establishing his own production company. Bodhi’s portfolio spans from commercials to fiction work. He makes stories with a witty and intelligent sense of humour that ranges from the dry and subtle to the absurd.
His approach to storytelling prioritises strong cinematic visuals and memorable characters. With great attention to detail, it’s safe to say Bodhi takes his comedy very seriously. His short film ‘Unreal Estate Agent’, a satire on the Dutch housing market, premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival 2024.
Max Barden
Hailing from the land down under, Max graduated with a Bachelor of Film and Television from Bond University. Max started his career as a Production and Director’s Assistant at various Melbourne-based production houses. He also spent a year as Trainee Director at Czar Amsterdam where he was mentored in comedic direction by Bart Timmer.
Inspired by absurdist humour, Max will always try to squeeze every possible laugh out of a script, finding gags where others wouldn’t think to look. He recently won the Grand Pix, X2 Silver and X1 Bronze awards at Cannes Lions for his Flipvertising campaign with Samsung.
Rumi Kaul
A recent graduate of the Netherlands Film Academy (2020), Rumi immediately became a force in film to be reckoned with. Working across Music, Fashion, Commercials and Fiction, he has developed a distinctive creative voice that artfully blends cutting-edge style, human interest and irony.
Rumi’s inventive storytelling and infectious contemporary spirit enable him to touch the viewer with striking images and new perspectives. His short film Kooi (Cage) is testament to this as it approaches themes of brotherhood and toxic masculinity in a humorous yet thought provoking way. It recently won the New Generation Award at Berlin Commercial.
Matvey Fiks
Diek Pothoven
After graduating from ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design in Arnhem, Diek began his multifaceted career in Amsterdam. His work spans the fashion, film, and commercial worlds: having worked as both a show designer (for brands such as Iris van Herpen & Swarovski) and as Creative Director for countless projects (including his own fashion brand MARTAN and the Eurovision Song Festival).
Diek sees his filmmaking as a direct way to experiment with, and express, his impulses in fashion. Driven by a keen eye for innovation, he aims to push boundaries both technically and creatively. An approach which enables Diek to communicate commercial messaging with an artistic and interesting point of view.
Giomi
Amsterdam based Brazilian director Giomi is best known for his cinematic language that consistently produces stunning visuals. He’s a unique talent, with a background in set design and editing.
Throughout his career, Giomi’s creative mastermind flourished into one of the most relevant young names in Latin-American advertising. He has earned numerous awards over the years like Cannes Lions, Ciclope and D&AD.