Programming team
Tsogtbayar Namsrai
Mongolia
Tsogtbayar Namsrai is a member of the Board of Directors for the non-governmental organization "Film Bridge Development Association" and serves as an artistic director and a program developer for the Kharkhorum International Film Festival. Beyond his organizational roles, Tsogtbayar Namsrai is an accomplished film producer with an extensive portfolio comprising more than 30 films. As the founder of Mongol Films Distribution, a U.S.-based sales company, he is dedicated to representing Mongolian films in the global market. Under his leadership, the company has successfully distributed Mongolian films in various territories, including the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Korea, China, and more. In addition to his international endeavors, Tsogtbayar Namsrai established The Filmbridge LLC, a distribution company based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, specializing in foreign language films for the Mongolian market. Under the banner of Filmbridge, he and his team distributed more than 800 titles in Mongolian cinemas, TV channels, and digital platforms. Their collaborations extend to renowned companies such as Paramount, Warner Brothers, Miramax, Lionsgate, Pathe, and major Korean sales and production companies, including CJ Entertainment, NEW Content Panda, Lotte, BarunsOn A&E, Showbox, Acemaker, and more. Tsogtbayar Namsrai's journey in the film industry began with two years of study at the University of Film and Art in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Later, he relocated to the United States with his family, where he earned a degree in film directing in San Francisco. Following his education, he founded Rise Pictures, a production studio responsible for the creation of numerous short films, music videos, corporate videos, and commercials. In 2009, he returned to Mongolia and initiated a timed short-film-making completion festival and ran it successfully for 10 years. Through this festival, he supported many young filmmakers and discovered new talents who went on to make their feature films. Recognized for his expertise, he is frequently invited to serve on the jury for various film festivals globally, with a particular emphasis on those held in Mongolia.
Onon Batmunkh
Mongolia
Onon B is a film writer and culture manager and graduated from the Cinematography Institute of Mongolia. For the last 18 years, she has been working as the director of the Culture and Arts Program at the Globe International Center for Human Rights. She worked as a writer for more than 10 television drama series and feature films, and as an executive producer for 3 feature films. She has experience as a coordinator, manager and leader of more than 30 human rights projects. Right now, she is working as the manager of the "Incorporating Human Rights in Films" project.
Maria Razakamboly
Madagascar, France
Maria studied Cinema and Audiovisual studies at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon, France. In 2010, she was a logistics assistant at the CINEMED Mediterranean Film Festival in Montpellier, France, in 2011 she was a program assistant at the Paris film company Pyramid Distribution, in 2011 she was a sales and DVD store assistant at the Lumiere, Grand Lyon Film Festival in Lyon, 2012-2014, production assistant at Moby Dick Films in Paris, program and film coordinator of REX, European Animation Film Festival in 2015-2017, program coordinator of Stockholm Film Festival in 2015-2018. She is also festival manager for short film and documentary at the Swedish Film Institute, now, since 2014, she has been the director and program director of Franska Filmfestivalen, French Film Festival of Sweden, co-founder and program director of Asiatiska Filmfestivalen, Asian Film Festival of Sweden from 2018-2021 and did acquisition for international films. Since 2021, Maria is responsible for the catalogue of classics Timeless of the independent distribution company NonStop Entertainment in Sweden.
Kim Young-woo
South Korea
"Visual Arts and TV" department of the University of New Jersey, USA . In 2017-2018, he was an international consultant for the Singapore International Film Festival, in 2014-2019 he was the program developer and curator of the South Korean Busan International Film Festival, and in 2019-2021 he was the program developer and curator of the South Korean DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. worked. Now, from 2014 to the present, as a program developer and curator of the South Korean "Seoul Independent Film Festival", from 2021 to the present, the Saudi Arabian "Red Sea International Film Festival", and from 2021 to the present, the program of the South Korean "Marie Claire Film Festival" From 2021 to now, he has been working as a director, and as a program consultant for the Asian Cinema section of the Locarno Film Festival. As a member of the selection board of the festival, the Netherlands "International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam (IDFA)", "Asian Cinema Fund (Busan IFF)", "Ties That Bind (EU-ASIA)", "Asian Film Academy Awards (HKIFF, Tokyo IFF, Busan IFF Festivals). He worked as a judge at festivals such as " International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam (IDFA) ", " Asian Cinema Fund (Busan IFF) ", " Singapore IFF " , and " Hong Kong International Film Festival ". He has written more than 100 articles and programs about Asian cinema, worked as a co-producer of the KBS TV program "The Power of Asian Cinema", and has experience working at festivals and exhibitions in many other countries and cities.