Rose Kuo works in film production, film festivals and film journalism. She was CEO of the Qingdao International Film Festival in China and was executive director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where she oversaw numerous major film festivals. He also served as editor-in-chief of Film Comment magazine and has held leadership roles in other film festivals such as AFI Fest and the Santa Fe Film Festival. Kuo has extensive experience with independent films and studio projects, working with renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann.

Larry Gross is an American writer, producer and director. He is a visiting professor of film and digital media at New York University Abu Dhabi. Best known for his collaborations with Walter Hill, his films include 48 Hrs. (1982), Streets of Fire (1984) and We Don’t Live Here Anymore (2004), for which he won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Alexander Payne is an American film director, screenwriter and producer, renowned for his satirical portraits of contemporary American society. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous awards, including three Academy Awards, a BAFTA and two Golden Globes, as well as a Grammy nomination.

After several short films, Payne made his feature film debut with the dark comedy Citizen Ruth (1996). His career evolved with the political satire Election (1999), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the dramatic comedy About Schmidt (2002). Payne is a three-time Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing his directorials Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011) and for The Holdovers (2023) – Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2024. He also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), as well as for Nebraska (2013). More recently, he directed the comedy-dramas Downsizing (2017) and The Holdovers (2023).