Meet the mentors - DW Akademie Film Development Fund

Meet the mentors

Amjad Abu Alaa

Amjad Abu Alaa is a Sudanese director and producer, born in UAE and raised between Dubai and Sudan. He studied directing and media at UAE University and worked as a film director and producer with various media institutions for Arab and Western channels. He has made many short films that screened on different film festivals, including „Teena„, „Coffee and Oranges„, „Feather of the Birds„ and „Studio„. In 2013, he received the Best Arabic Theater Script award from the Arab Authority for Theater for „Apple Pies„. Since 2014, has Amjad worked as the Head of the Programming Committee at the Sudan Independent Film Festival. His last feature film as a director and co-producer, „You Will Die at Twenty„ won the Lion of the Future at the Venice International Film Festival and 20 awards from various Arab and international film festivals. It was the first submission in history from Sudan to the Oscars. Now with his production company Station Films, he is producing many new feature films with different Sudanese filmmakers. 

Hawa Essuman

Hawa Essuman is a filmmaker, writer, director and sometimes producer of films who originally directed theatre and television drama. She now has a track record of over a decade of successful filmmaking. She co-directed the documentary feature „Silas“, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and directed the multi award–winning film „Soul Boy“ that screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide. Other completed works include a short film contributed to the Tate Modern exhibition for Olafor Eliasson‚s Little Sun Project. She‚s also the co-founder of Manyatta Screenings – a bi-annual film program showcasing shorts from greater East Africa. She supports the next generation of African filmmakers by running master classes, workshops and panels on filmmaking across the continent. 

Heidi Fleisher

Heidi Fleisher is an American documentary film producer and consultant based in Paris. She previously handled international acquisitions for France Télévision‚s feature doc strand 25 Shades of Docs, has worked as a development executive in Los Angeles, and as head of sales and acquisitions for ARTE Sales. She frequently works as a mentor and expert for producer/filmmaker labs, festivals, pitch forums and industry events. Production credits include feature documentaries „Wake Up on Mars“ by Dea Gjinovci (Tribeca 2020), „Don’t Breathe“ by Nino Kirtadze (TIFF 2014), and the collection of short docs currently in production „Elemental: Atomic Tales & Periodic Fables„

Lorna Tee

Lorna Tee is a pan-Asian film producer and festival curator, dividing her time between Asia and Europe. She has worked for Focus Films (Hong Kong), Variety (USA), Irresistible Films (Hong Kong/ Japan), the Berlinale, CinemAsia Film Festival and was the founder/head of festival management for the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. Selected filmography includes „The Beautiful Washing Machine„, „Rain Dogs„, „Crazy Stone„, „Love Story„, „My Mother is a Bellydancer„, „The Shoe Fairy„, „At the End of Daybreak„, „Lover‚s Discourse„, „Come Rain, Come Shine„, „Postcards from the Zoo„ and „Mrs K„. She is developing film projects in Asia with her production company Paperheart, mentors/lectures with global film training programs/labs and consults with various international film institutions and film funds. She is also currently curating the year–round film screenings program at the Cinematheque Passion in Macao.