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Haifaa Al Mansour, born in 1974, is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia. Her award-winning documentary, 'Women Without Shadows', inspired a new movement of independent filmmaking in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She is famous for penetrating the wall of silence surrounding the lives of Saudi women and providing a platform for their unheard voices. The BAFTA nominated 'Wadjda' (2012) was her first feature film.

Olivier Assayas was born in 1955 in Paris. His father, the director Raymond Assayas, helped him find a job in the film industry by giving him various screenwriting jobs. He started directing in 1986 as well as writing for the legendary French film magazine, Cahiers du Cinéma. After a series of his successful films screened in Cannes, he became a member of the festival's jury in 2011.