Meet our team
Biljana Tutorov, Programme Director
Biljana Tutorov is a director, producer and curator. After graduating Art History (UCL, Belgium) she studied Film Anthropology (EPHE) and Drama (Jacques Lecoq School) in Paris. She was first director’s assistant to Yugoslavian film director Želimir Žilnik. In 2010, she founded Wake Up Films in order to produce talents from the CEE region. Biljana established and programmed Regional competition for fiction and docs at FREE ZONE Film Festival in Belgrade until the 2017. In 2018 she created a new platform for women filmmakers - CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator - which she is the head of. Her feature documentary When Pigs Come (2017) won several awards and was screened in Sarajevo, Hot Docs, Vision du Reel, Cinemed, DokuFest among many other festivals. Biljana was a member of the 59. Festival dei Popoli, Florence, international jury. She is among EAVE 2021 Producers workshop participants, Chicken & Egg 2021 grantees and is alumna of EURODOC and Producers On The Move, and a member of DOK Serbia, Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), European Women Audiovisual Network (EWA) and European Film Academy (EFA).
Brigid O'Shea, Co-head of Programme
Brigid O’Shea is a consultant helping documentary projects and filmmakers reach their full international potential and professional goals. Her international network spans the globe, working on all continents, with both emerging talent and industry veterans. She’s worked with ARTE on projects like the Generation Africa and Generation Ukraine. Films she has concieved strategies for and consulted on films that have premiered at all major international festivals including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, IDFA etc.. She serves on the boards of Documentary Association of Europe, and Dokufest in Prizren, Kosovo.
She founded together with other colleagues the Documentary Association of Europe, a members network and support system for documentary filmmakers inside and outside of Europe that has grown to 900 members in just five years and recently started the project Ateliers Cocoon to offer documentary filmmakers a space for recuperation and transformation.
She was head of the DOK Industry Programme at DOK Leipzig and worked for the Berlin International Film Festival for more than 10 years. She moderates and curates programmes and discussions on non-fiction filmmaking as an internationally-respected curator with a wide and diverse network. She serves on selection committees and scouts works for international platforms. She tutors across the globe, particularly in Asia, Africa, the Eastern Partnership countries on festival strategy, international co-financing and pitching as well as cultural management.
She joined CIRCLE fulltime in 2026 to oversee all programmes and has been a CIRCLE collaborator since its initiation.
Ira Cecic, Local Coordinator & CIRCLE Finances Team
Ira Cecić is a Ljubljana-based film producer and production executive with over 30 years of experience in the creative industries, spanning performing arts, independent cinema, and major international film and television productions.
Beginning her career in contemporary performing arts, she later transitioned into film production, contributing to award-winning European films showcased at prestigious international festivals, including Venice, Berlinale, and Karlovy Vary.
Her work bridges independent filmmaking and large-scale international productions.
Working across Slovenia, Croatia, and the wider European film industry, she has
managed complex productions and international collaborations, developing extensive expertise in project coordination, budget management, financial oversight, and European funding frameworks.
She is passionate about compelling storytelling, meaningful cross-cultural
collaboration, and bringing creative talents together to turn ambitious ideas into
reality.
Marie Pourcelot, Coordinator of CIRCLE Expanded Orbit
and CIRCLE Digital Empowerment
Marie Pourcelot is a French project manager working at the intersection of audiovisual creation, cultural cooperation, and talent development. Based in Lille, France, she has extensive experience designing and coordinating international projects, workshops, and professional events for filmmakers, producers, and creative industries. She previously worked with EURODOC, an international training programme and professional network supporting documentary professionals and creative collaboration across Europe and beyond. Her work focuses on supporting emerging voices, fostering international partnerships, and strengthening connections between cultural institutions, festivals, and industry professionals. She is particularly interested in collaborative practices, transnational exchange, and the circulation of artistic ideas, stories, and talents across borders.
Alba Çakalli, Project Coordinator
Alba Çakalli is a cultural producer and arts administrator with over a decade of experience managing complex cultural projects, multidisciplinary teams, partnerships, and public programmes. For more than ten years, she worked at DokuFest, eventually serving as Festival Producer and coordinating operations, teams, programmes, partnerships, and institutional stakeholders. Her experience also includes educational and cultural initiatives such as Film & Factual Media, Digital Media Clubs, and DokuLab. Working across diverse disciplines and contexts, Alba has developed a strong practice in strategic planning, collaboration, and project delivery, with a particular ability to build effective structures and guide ambitious projects from development to implementation.
Rafaela Karagianni, Social Media Manager and Location Coordinator
Rafaela Karagianni is a cultural producer and project manager working across film, industry development and cultural projects. For more than a decade, she has collaborated with festivals, cultural organisations and independent initiatives, contributing to production, communications, audience engagement and the delivery of complex projects. She has been the Creative Director of illustradays, a three-year initiative showcasing emerging illustrators and visual artists. Since 2019, she has been part of the Agora of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece’s leading film industry event, focusing on Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean. She began as a coordinator of its development programmes and is currently the Agora General Coordinator, overseeing industry activities while also being in charge of the newly established AGORA XR Lab, dedicated to emerging forms of storytelling and immersive media. Alongside her institutional work, Rafaela designs and facilitates cultural workshops and educational programmes, and evaluates film projects for funding programmes. She is particularly interested in fostering connections across disciplines, industries and borders, bringing a thoughtful and collaborative approach to creative development and professional opportunities. She joined CIRCLE in early 2026.
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