The International Recommendation Committee of the 18th China International Children's Film Festival is composed of six distinguished experts in the fields of children’s cinema and education, hailing from Romania, Russia, Tunisia, Spain, Germany, and Greece.
From October 12 to 24, 2025, the committee members will watch films together with young audiences, cast their votes for the recommended films of this year’s festival, and announce the results at the Closing Ceremony.
Ema Pendiuc
Ema Pendiuc is a Romanian producer and teacher. She is the producer of the TV program Drumul Succesului (The Path to Success), which airs on TVR1 (Romanian Television 1).
She works as a trainer of the EMAR educational communication method. She is the founder and program director of MICILE VEDETE / LITTLE STARS (School of Film and Television for Children), with the school's official website: www.micilevedete.ro.
She also serves as the president of LITTLE STARS - School of Film and Television for Children.
Ema Pendiuc is the producer of the short films "Magda" "The Sign of Time" "Little Stars in School" "Little Stars in the Countryside" "Little Stars Discover the Secret of the Magnets" "Adventures of Little Stars in the Park" and "Homework Machine" that were selected at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2010-2015 in the Short Film Corner and Romanian Short Waves Sections. In addition, Ema has directed two ecological and educational films produced by the Little Stars School, "Little Stars Live a Healthy Life " and "Aurora. Doctor of the Forest ".
Ekaterina Bordacheva
Producer, programmer, festival organizer, film lecturer, film distributor.
Born in Moscow in 1982 and in 2006 graduated from Russian Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov (VGIK), where for several years he taught "Advertising and public relations in the film industry".
Started in the film industry in 2003 as an assistant film producer in the production company for children and youth films "Rakurs". Author of articles on the problems of content distribution in Russia and Europe.
Since 2011–until now, Member of the Organizing Committee of IDFF"Spirit of fire" Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Area-Yugra, Russia.
2013 –2019, CEO program and promotion-producer of the Russian Film Market, Moscow and Sochi together with Open Russian Film Festival "Kinotavr".
2015 - 2020 Cinema Fund Russia (Member).
2017-until now ECFA (European Children's Film Association) and CIFEJ member;
Since 2019, has been a CEO of the International Film Market and the Russian Film Business Forum in Moscow.
Since 2022, co-founder of the "Eurasian Film Market" in Kazakhstan.
Anis Lassoued
Anis Lassoued is a Tunisian director, screenwriter, and producer known for his deeply committed work focused on childhood, adolescence, and social realities.
In 2021, he directed his first feature film, Gadeha (A Second Life), a socially engaged drama marked by a strong humanist sensitivity. The film received critical and public acclaim, earning awards at over 20 major international festivals, including the Golden Slippers for Best Feature at the Zlín Film Festival, the Best Screenplay Award at Olympia (Greece), and Best Film Awards in Toronto, Amman, Durban, and Cinekid.
In 2022, he launched JCC Kids, the first children’s section of the Carthage Film Days (Carthage Film Festival / Journées cinématographiques de Carthage / JCC), a pioneering initiative in the Arab world.
In 2025, he co-founded and became the artistic director of the Mouna Taba Festival, the first pan-African film festival dedicated to children and youth cinema, with its first edition to be held in Yaound é (Cameroon).
Josep Arbiol
Josep Arbiol was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1962. He currently serves as President of the Cultural Association"Jordi el Mussol", and is the Founder and Director of the Valencia International Educational Film Festival (MICE) based in Valencia, Spain. Additionally, he holds the position of President of the MICE Network, which has headquarters in Madrid, Havana, Western Sahara, Argentina, Mexico and Galapagos.
Arbiol works as a cultural manager, programmer and independent audiovisual director. Having begun his career as an educator, he now focuses his professional efforts on children's and youth films as well as media education. As a mentor for audiovisual works created in educational environments, his guidance has contributed to these works winning awards in numerous international competitions. He has also participated in various international children's film festivals in multiple capacities, including as a speaker, jury member, programmer and guest.
Michael Harbauer
In 1996, Michael Harbauer initiated the SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences. What originally started as a film week with no more than twelve films is now one of the most comprehensive platforms for international and national children's and youth film in Europe and also worldwide.
As director of the SCHLiNGEL Festival, Michael Harbauer also organizes support measures for the participation of German films in international film festivals, especially outside Europe, with the SCHLiNGEL International program, as well as independent tours (e.g. Russia, China, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Vietnam) regularly in cooperation with the local Goethe Institutes. In addition to directing the SCHLiNGEL film festival, Michael Harbauer is chairman of the non-profit association "Saxon Children's and Youth Film Service", which is committed to the theoretical and practical film education of children and young people. Successful international SCHLiNGEL films are integrated into this educational work. In addition, Michael Harbauer is and has been a film commissioner for the important regulatory institutions and advisory boards for film, cinema and television in Germany.
Vassilis C. Karamitsanis
Born in Athens, in 1976. After finishing school at the Athens College, he studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR). Holding postgraduate degrees from the Universities of Rotterdam (NL), Hamburg (D) and Aix-Marseille III (F), he is an attorney-at-Law licensed by the Athens Bar since 2001. Since 2008 he is president of ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival and during 2015-2023 he has been president of ASIFA HELLAS - Hellenic Animation Association. In 2018 he received the title of the Knight in the Order of Letters & Arts of France, while during 2018-2019 he chaired the board of the Greek National Opera. Since 2022 he is president of CIFEJ - International Center of Films for Children & Young People.