Talent Press Warsaw 2025

The FIPRESCI Warsaw Critics Project takes place during the 41th Warsaw International Film Festival, which runs from October 10 to 19, 2025. The training workshops for young critics and film journalists from Central and Eastern Europe is coordinated by the Warsaw Film Foundation and FIPRESCI. The course is run and mentored by British critic Amber Wilkinson and Italian critic Tommaso Tocci.

Edin Čusto

Edin is a film critic, writer, and poet from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He holds a BA from Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he studied within the liberal arts tradition. A voting member of Film Independent (Spirit Awards), he is also the founder of The Self Reproaching Critic, a platform for film and cultural criticism. In addition to his critical work, he writes poetry and is pursuing publication in leading literary journals.

Alex Petrescu

Alex is an aspiring film critic and curator, pursuing his master’s degree in “Audiovisual Archives: Preservation and Programming” at National University of Theatre and Film “I. L. Caragiale” Bucharest, with a thesis on unearthing and retracing Transylvania’s 20th century history through regional archives. He is part of the Films in Frame editorial team and has collaborated with Talking Shorts and F-Sides Cineclub. Additionally, he publishes on his personal blog – https://variatiivizuale.wordpress.com/

Kaiyrkul Abdyrakhmanova 

Kaiyrkul is a film critic whose work covers short films, features, and documentaries published on various platforms. She is a frequent participant in national and international film festivals and discussions, and an alumna of workshops in film criticism, film
journalism, and visual storytelling. Fluent in Kyrgyz, English, Russian, and Turkish, she draws on multiple cultural perspectives in her film criticism, enriching her analyses and deepening her understanding of social and cultural contexts, while reaching wider audiences. She also has experience in script reviewing and editing. Alongside film criticism, she is interested in short stories, and in 2022, won second place in Kyrgyzstan’s national 55-word short-story competition.
Ilo Tuule Rajand

Ilo is an Estonian writer and critic exploring the intersections of film, performance, and music. She holds a BA in Semiotics and Cultural Studies and has taken part in the Talking Shorts Workshop for film criticism. Her work has appeared in several Estonian cultural journals, where she focuses on bridging critical thought with creative practice.

Esra Kars

Esra has built her career in cinema through her work as a film critic and coordinator. She
previously supervised the Discovery Team of Fil’m Hafızası and served on the pre-jury of the Çalı Köy and Güzel Ordu Short Film Festivals. She also worked as a guest and volunteer coordinator at the 28th Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival and as a production coordinator at Kaltfilm. A participant of the 19th Talents Sarajevo as a Talent Press, she continues to write about cinema and produce independent films.

Saba Osanadze, Georgia

My name is Saba Osanadze. I am from Georgia and have a very strong passion for cinema, film criticism, and cultural history. I have a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a Master’s degree in film studies. My research focuses on European directors who fled Nazi Germany to Hollywood, exploring how exile shaped their work and influenced American cinema during World War II. Alongside my academic interests, I create film-related content on YouTube and aim to make film-related Georgian media on youtube.