Vincent Ward (director, producer, cinematographer)：

Writer / Director / Producer Vincent Ward has earned international acclaim through films with a unique vision on subjects that are always human. Vigil (1984), The Navigator (1988) and Map of the Human Heart (1993) were the first films by a New Zealander to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Between them they garnered close to 30 national and international awards. What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1999 (Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects), winning the Oscar for the latter. Whilst in the United States, Ward wrote the screenplay for Alien 3 and developed material that formed the basis of The Last Samurai. He selected its director and acted as executive producer on the project, before going on to write and direct River Queen. Ward began writing and directing films at 18. In 1978-1981 he conceived, directed, and produced the documentary In Spring One Plants Alone, which provided the starting-point for Rain of the Children. Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to filmmaking.

Catherine Fitzgerald (producer) :

Since establishing Blueskin Films Ltd in 2002, Catherine has produced a slate of international award winning films working with new and recognised talent, and contributed creatively to the production of many more. Her most recent success has been as producer of Oscar-nominated Samoan-language drama O le Tulafale (The Orator), which premiered worldwide at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. She worked as co-producer on Rain of the Children, and producer on Oscar-nominated short film, Two Cars, One Night. She is currently Executive Chair, New Zealand Film Festivals Trust.

Xie Meng (UCCA Art Cinema programmer)