Three weeks ahead of its annual Amsterdam showcase, Indy Film Library (IFL) has announced the jury who will pick the winning films.
The filmmakers, programmers, critics and academics are based across four countries, and will spend the coming weeks voting for their picks across 14 categories.
Among the jury for 2025, there are also a number of IFL alumni. One of the filmmakers-turned-judges is Marie Lormeau, a French filmmaker based in South Limburg. After graduating in Literature, Linguistics and Cinematography from University of Perpignan Via Domitia in August 2016 she moved to the Netherlands and started writing scripts and short stories.
She has written and directed a few short films such as her debut film Les Yeux plus Gros que le Ventre (2020) Le Trajet (2022) which premiered at The Netherlands Film Festival and De Wissel (2022) which screened at Imagine Film Festival in the Nieuw Nederlands Peil category, and also won Audience Choice at IFL’s Halloween Horror Showcase. She is now working on several other projects – and since 2021, she has also been working for CineSud, as a project coordinator.
Speaking on her newest challenge, Lormeau commented, “I have been submitting my own films to the Indy Film Library since I started my film career. I remember receiving my first review on my debut short: it was thrilling, fair and displayed an expertise and a love for filmmaking that was both sincere and constructive. The critics were very just, never caustic and incredibly detailed which helped me grow and understand where laid my strength and short-comings as a filmmaker. Since then, I always sent out my work to them because the feedback you get is so valuable; I have personally been a guest filmmaker to the Indy Film Library Awards, and it has always been a pleasure to go, meet other talents and discover other voices. It is an honour for me to be part of the jury panel this year!”
The panel also features Federico Petrini, a well-known film programmer based in Amsterdam. Since June 2022, he has been hosting a label of events called Neo Kino A.D., screening forgotten or overlooked cult movies to a growing audience of loyal revellers.
Explaining his beliefs around the role of independent cinema, Petrini noted, “In unsure times for filmmaking as a whole, it’s important to create events and festivals that aren’t reliant on corporate platforms, and where the uniqueness of the different types of indie films takes centre stage. Independent filmmaking comes with a unique set of challenges; succeeding isn’t as easy as failing – and success isn’t even the endgame. More important is the experimentation and sharing of knowledge; of new techniques and methods that are rarely encouraged in mainstream cinema.”
The jury features expertise from beyond the world of cinema, too. Film enthusiast Jacob Porter, a senior cancer researcher based in the US, has been on the panel of judges for its last five editions.
Porter noted, “Judging this fest is always a huge privilege. There were a tonne of strong entries this year, and many worthy winners whose work I will continue to follow. I love being exposed to the variety of perspectives and styles on display, and I always come away from the process with broadened horizons.”
Also on the panel is Charys Schuler, an occasional actress and screenwriter, who serves as the developmental editor for SilvergrainClassics, a print journal about analog photography and cinematography – as well as owning a business with actor Jeff Bridges which aims to produce a new film camera. These threads have brought her into many interesting conversations about how writing, acting, and visual arts intersect, and she is always interested in seeing what independent cinema is up to.
“IFL’s reviews are among the most thoughtful and well-written I’ve seen,” Schuler said. “They don’t pull punches — the one-star reviews are often the funniest — and no matter the end verdict, the opinions are grounded in having watched the entire film closely, and having a solid background in film culture.”
The 2025 selection is also being judged for a new category: Best Sound Design. Helping to decide that is Melle Posthuma de Boer — sound expert, and director of last year’s Best Short Film, Johnny.
“Sound design and composition are the invisible hands of cinema,” Posthuma de Boer explained. “They guide emotion beneath the surface, and turn moving images into unforgettable moments. Unseen but unmissable, they are the soul beneath the surface of every great story.”
When the judges have completed voted, winners for the 2025 selection will be announced at the end of IFL’s annual film festival in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event, which takes place at Filmhuis Cavia on April 19th, are still available via FilmFreeway, or the IFL website.
IFL Chief Editor Jack Benjamin added, “I’m so excited to introduce our audience to the 2025 jury. These are people with a profound love for the art of filmmaking, who each bring unique insights and opinions to the table. That fresh perspective will be crucial to evaluate our diverse selection – and I look forward to hearing their thoughts on the dynamic programme IFL has on offer this year.”
IFL’s 2025 Jury:
Federico Petrini
Cult Cinema Expert, Netherlands
Marie Lormeau
Filmmaker & Previous IFL Winner, Netherlands
Melle Posthuma de Boer
Sound Design Expert & Previous IFL Winner, Netherlands
Dimitra Alexiou
Film composer and Film Programmer, Netherlands
Kino Lee
Musician and Previous IFL winner, UK
Dr. Vincent M. Gaine
Lancaster University, UK
Jacob Porter
Senior Cancer Researcher, US
Charlie Giggle
Journalist, UK
Tony Moore
IFL critic, UK
John Ranson
IFL critic, UK
Thisen Umagiliya
Filmmaker, Sri Lanka
Charys Schuler
Developmental Editor of Silvergrain Classics, Germany