Katia Houde
Katia Houde is a filmmaker and video & sound installation artist from Montreal living in Toronto. Her work deals primarily with memory, identity, and trauma using both found footage and original images. Her work has shown in the USA, Canada, Spain, Mexico, and Peru. She is currently on the board of directors at the8fest, a programmer with Ad Hoc, and a former board member of aluCine Latin Film Festival. She is currently pursuing a PhD in cinema and media studies at York University.
Ned Daly
Boston-born filmmaker Ned Daly has made found footage works, a mockumentary, an architectural study and several semi-abstract films. His directing career only began after retiring as a city planner and real estate consultant. Ned is a member of the Boston chapter of the National Writers Union (AFL-CIO)
He was trained as a stage actor in Massachusetts. As a film/television actor he has worked with directors Alan Arkush, Miklos Gyulai and more recently with Morten Tyldum and Greta Gerwig. His earlier films, Pastiche Vol 1 No1 (2014), Why We Went to the Moon (2016), Abang Aku (2018), The Closer You Look (2020), Four Questions (2022) and WET (2023) have played to appreciative audiences at scores of film festivals worldwide.
In 2016 he was awarded Third Prize at the 2016 Bed-Stuy Popup! Cinema Festival for Why We Went to the Moon. In 2018 he was named Best Newcomer at the Borobudur International Film Festival in Indonesia (Abang Aku). In 2021 he won the award for Best Cinematography at the French International Film Festival (The Closer You Look). His 2023 film, WET, has screened at festivals in ten countries and won Best Super-short Experimental Film at the 2023 AltFF Festival in Toronto.
Jérémie ARNAUD
Jérémie began his career as a curator at the Clermont-Ferrand Documentary Film Festival, Traces de Vies. After completing his studies at the National Audiovisual Institute (INA) in France, he became a producer and joined the company Les Films de la Nuit.
In addition to his professional activities, he develops and hosts several podcasts.
Mauro John Capece
Film producer and director.
The international experience and the set have perfected the instinct in the choice of the productions to be undertaken.
He currently controls Evoque Art House, a company founded in 1996, focused on the production and co-production of genre films that follow the tradition of European cinema.
Evoque Art House’s productions have been sold and distributed (theatrical; television; V.o.d.) in the following countries: Italy; Canada; China; Japan; United States;
The films produced and directed by Mauro John Capece have been repeatedly selected and awarded by important national and international Film Festivals.
DANIELLE JOHNSON
Co-Executive Producer/Co-Creator/ Screenwriter/Music/Social Media
Danielle Johnson is the founder of her own Music/Social Media company “deejayandcatsproduction”, a musician, mix engineer, music
producer, a Digital Media Content Creator for end-user/audience in specific contexts, and Co-Executive Producer/Co-Creator/ Screenwriter of her first scripted drama series known as Jillian’s Peak with her lifelong partner Charzette Torrence. She has been an advocate in the Industry for the diversity of African American women in screenwriting, music, television, and streaming. Their script, Jillian’s Peak, was officially selected in two major film
festivals in 2018 in N.Y. and LA and vote one of the top 10 scripts in 2019 for
the LGBTQ Toronto Film Festival. She is a member of NYWIFT, IFP, and SAG-AFTRA New Media Project. Danielle and her partner have been casting, screening,
review rating, and voting on films for IFC New York, LA, and the Gotham Awards
for the past six years. This spring, they will be filming a short trailer for Jillian’s Peak with a well-known African American female producer making her directorial debut. They are the newest upcoming creators of content for streaming and television media. https://www.deejayandcatsproduction.com/
Shizico Yi
Shizico Yi is an award winning documentary filmmaker, she holds PhD in Fine Art. She is also a painter and installation artist; the Curator and Editor of No Barking aRt , a non-profit art organization based in London supporting independent artists and filmmakers worldwide.
Michael Marco
Michael Marco was born Michaël Joseph Raymond Marco, in Toulon, France. The son of Lyna Pont, a French Navy employee and François Marco, a talented carpenter. His parents are both from Spanish decent.
Marco got bit by the acting bug at an early age while performing in a summer camp play.
He grew up watching American and French classics such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Great Escape (1963), Le Samouraï (1967), The Night Caller (1975), The Towering Inferno (1974), Death Wish (1974), Dirty Harry (1971), Buffet Froid (1979), and the list goes on and on…
In the ’80s, Marco was lucky to have found a video group in the little town he grew up in, who took a few kids under their wing and gave them proper training in production and post-production. They let the teenagers borrow the equipment and taught them how to work a Umatic editing bench. They started writing and shooting short films.
Marco ended the last year of junior high by acting in the short play “Edouard et Agrippine” de René de Obaldia, a story written with three characters and one location. It was just enough for the acting bug to permanently sink its teeth into him.
When Marco moved to Dallas, Texas in 1993, it was inevitable that he would get into the film and TV business.
Today Marco lives in Connecticut with his wife Jennifer. He is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, a seasoned editor and a passionate actor… who now produces as well.
Cedric van Eenoo
CHARZETTE TORRENCE as a Memory
CHARZETTE TORRENCE
Co-Executive Producer/Co-Creator/ Screenwriter/Fine Art Photographer
Charzette Torrence has always been a spokeswoman for making a change in diversity
in the photography, film and television industry. The project Jillian’s Peak which is an episodic drama series made for television and streaming with her Domestic Partner Danielle Johnson. Jillian’s Peak script was officially selected in two major film festivals in 2018 in N.Y .and LA, and voted as one of the top 10 scripts in 2019 for the LGBTQ Toronto Film Festival. She is a member of NYWIFT, IFC, and SAG-AFTRA New Media Project. Charzette and her partner Danielle have both been casting, screening, review, rating, and voting on films for
IFP New York, LA, and the Gotham Awards for the past six years. This spring they will be filming a short trailer for Jillian’s Peak with a well-known African American female producer making her directorial debut. They are the newest upcoming creators of content for streaming and television media.
https://jillianspeak.com/
Lukas Berger
Lukas Berger is a photographer and film director. He worked on projects in Burkina Faso, China, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan and many European countries. He directed the short films Circus Debere Berhan (2016), Circus Movements (2019) and Wuqiao Circus (2020), which were screened at more than 200 international film festivals including Ann Arbor, Melbourne, Vienna, Tallin and Hongkong. Freed from its urban surroundings fascinating circus performances take place in Lukas Berger’s circus films. The camera stays static and great techniques of stilt runners, jugglers and acrobats are being shown in uncut scenes. His artistic work evolved from a documentary photographic background und his big interest in the world and human beings is visible throughout. He has a university degree in photojournalism and is a M.A in Documentary Film Directing (DocNomads).
Yanghuixiao Gao (Gaoyang)
US-based independent filmmaker, Yanghuixiao Gao (Gaoyang), has been honing her skills in fiction film directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and editing for the past ten years. She recently completed her Master’s Degree in Film and Media Art at Emerson College. Her works explore personal growth on a universal level and feminine sensibility.
Her most recent narrative short film “What If” has earned recognition as an official selection of Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival and Directors Notes, and as a Semi-Finalist of Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Her previous directing and cinematography projects have been selected by Asian Film Festival, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, Hollywood New Directors, LA Documentary Film Festival, New York City Independent Film Festival, and New York International Film Award.
Pierparide Tedeschi
Pierparide Tedeschi is an Italian journalist, writer and filmmaker. Finalist at the national screenwriting award I Girasoli promoted by the Cultural association Cesare Zavattini with the short film Una storia così, he was assistant director of Giorgio Strehler at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. He wrote and shot the video Arte in villa (Gori collection in Pistoia) for Condé Nast Editions and he directed Beuys frames. The film it was presented on 2014 at New York City Independent Film Festival, at Buddhist Film Festival Europe 2015 in Amsterdam, at Kunsthaus in Zurich and in many Italian and international cultural institutions including Renzo Renzi Library of Cineteca in Bologna. He has been the curator of several exhibitions of contemporary art, photography, and set design.
He wrote Metamorphosis of a Life. Lucrezia De Domizio Durini:International art, culture, and society from the 70’s to the present (Rizzoli Electa, 2018).
Rob Lobosco
Rob Lobosco is a Melbourne based Actor, Comedian, Writer, Author, Filmmaker, Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Film Judge.
Rob has had various roles in Australian TV (Halifax FP, Frontline, Blue Heelers and Neighbours-playing Doug Marshall and the infamous role of Tom Jones). He has had appearances in the Australian films Amy, The Interview, The Zone.
He funded/produced his first feature film ‘Groomless Bride,’ playing one of the main roles – Adam.
He released his series of three books titled, ‘Heal yourself with my learning’s, his romantic novel, “In love with love-not him,” and his Dramedy novel, “Tough Lessons.”
Rob produced/wrote/directed/acted the comedy stage play called ‘Dress to Hide,’ (2010 International Comedy Festival) and in Feb/Mar 2012, the Italian stage play, ‘Due Paesi, Due Cuori.’ He also wrote ‘Due Paesi, Due Cuori,’ to a feature film that same year.
Rob wrote, produced, directed and plays identical twins, Tony and Lewis, in the film, ‘FATE – It is what it is!’ This film was an Officially Selected film at the 2013 New York City Independent Film Festival, 2014 World Film Awards (Jakarta), 2015 Mykonos Biennale Film Festival, Best shorts film festival, the Accolade Global film competition winning four awards.
Vittoria Becchetti
Vittoria Becchetti ,born 86‘, is a video artist and film director always ready to experiment in new fields. Active since she is seventeen, she begins to exhibit digital art works and then devote herself to video art. She has collaborated with important institutions such as Teatro della Pergola in Florence and known artists like Giacomo Costa. Her constant research for beauty and innovation led her to the world of the Immersive Art Expierence and fashion field ,working at The Fake Factory in Florence. In recent years her films have been obtaining numerous selections and international awards in festivals such as “New York City Independent Film Festival” 2021 Winner for the BEST EXPERIMENTAL / ART FILM, “Girona Film Festival 33edition”, “Rome Independent film award Prisma”, “European Cinematography Awards”, Amsterdam, “Big Apple Film Festival”, New York , “Canadian International Fashion Film Festival”,Toronto, “Porto Fashion Film Festival”,Guimaraes, “Berlin Commercial” and other . She is currently working on the production of new experimental films, developing the “I am |A|” project, which will not be destined to be just a film…
Yingtong Li
In 2022, her latest narrative short film The Silent Whistle(FENG ZHENG) was premiered at the 75th Cannes film festival and selected for a bunch of Oscar-Qualifying and Bafta-qualifying film festivals.
Saskia Filoteia Yland-Noaghiul
Travis Leland
Travis is a writer, producer and actor whose work has been seen in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and across the country. Recent work includes: BURY ME IN ARMOR, a short film starring Alice Kremelberg and featuring the late Ed Asner currently in film festivals around the country (2021 New York Independent Film Festival, San Jose International, Richmond, Garden State, Newport Beach, 2022 Mammoth Film Festival…). WEATHER OR NOT, an adaptation of a David Sedaris entry and TRAPPED IN MOTION. Recent performances include: Charles Bingley in Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical (Amazon Prime), the World Premiere of Prince of Egypt at TheatreWorks, Silicon Valley, Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg in Los Angeles (Dir. Michael Arden), and Kristoff/Hans in Disney California Adventure’s Frozen Live at the Hyperion. Travis is a graduate of UCLA. @travisleland20
Gaetano Nino Campolongo
Gaetano (“Nino”) Campolongo is a 1st AC/Focus Puller and Camera Operator with over 10 years of worldwide experience, currently based between Frankfurt and New York.
Has worked on a variety of TV shows, feature films and commercials”
Siti Lu
Siti Lu is an animation director, storyboard artist and animator from Los Angeles. After graduation character animation program from CalArts in 2021. She is been working as a storyboard artist at Cartoon Network and Netflix Animation. She is also part of the judge committee for the 48th Emmy award.
CHAN, Chitman (陳哲民)
CHAN, Chitman (aka Lester) is a seasoned actor and theatre director, prior to making his film directorial debut, APART《散後》, which won Champion in the 2nd First Feature Film Initiative (Professional Group) competition in Hong Kong. APART was selected for competition in the 15th Osaka Asian Film Festival 2020, and the 12th New York City Independent Film Festival 2021.
As actor, Chitman appears on screen and stage in U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. His memorable performance as Frank the father in the Canadian film EVE AND THE FIRE HORSE won him a Best Supporting Actor Nomination in the 27th Genie Awards of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. He played the Bohemian lover, Raymond, in the Oscar-nominated Taiwanese film EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN《飲食男女》, and served as its acting coach. His American film debut COMBINATION PLATTER《拼盤》in which he starred as Sam the waiter won a FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) Prize in the 18th Toronto International Film Festival. His TV drama debut in Hong Kong as Jeff the architect in Glass Wall《玻璃牆》 of Radio Television Hong Kong won a Silver Award in the 17th International Disability Drama Film Festival. His co-produced film Cure《金不換》also won a Best Asia-Middle East Film Nomination in the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Christopher Rakas
Bar Elyakim
Bar Elyakim is a filmmaker, playwright and an actress based in Tel Aviv, israel.
Zilai Feng
Zilai Feng graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Animation in 2020 and from the Character Animation program at CalArts in 2017. Based in NorCal, she is currently a story artist at Pixar. Her personal short films, “Wedding on the Execution Ground”, “The Remedy”, “Sweater” and other films, have been selected and received awards in multiple international animation festivals such as Beijing Feinaki Animation Week, Anima Brussel, POFF Tallinn Black Nights and so no, and received a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Matthew Taylor
Matthew Taylor is an American artist. For over twenty years he has worked in a variety of creative fields ranging from sculpture, fashion, technology and filmmaking.
From a young age, Matthew took an interest in art history and theory, and in the late 1990’s he embraced conceptual artist, Marcel Duchamp, and his ideas as a guiding principle for the 21st century. Drawing on Duchamp’s own journey, Matthew set out to make a documentary to explore Duchamp’s relationship to the 21st century. Marcel Duchamp: Art Of The Possible is a documentary that realizes Matthew’s vision to bring Duchamp to a broader audience and present him as a guiding light in an increasingly technological world.
In addition to this film on Duchamp, Matthew has made over 100 short films, worked with ballet dancers to create contemporary multimedia installations, and undertaken extensive travel photography around the world. He directed the short film series This is New York in 2021 and directed the film, Invisible Hand, which is making its way through film festivals around the world.
Malcolm Green
Malcolm Green is an international award-winning writer and director. Passionate about creating content that challenges, entertains and surprises, Malcolm makes highly creative, emotional, impactful and effective films, documentaries and commercials.. He is also dedicated to introducing audiences to those human stories that usually remain unseen or unheard.
Amongst his prizewinning films are ‘Finding Abraham’, ‘EDEK’, ’Pearls’, ‘The Bee Queen’, ‘SEFA’ and ‘The Salmon Sisters’.
Malcolm is currently developing a musical documentary in collaboration with young UK prisoners.
Malcolm Green is based in London UK. His recent work can be seen at LoveFromMalc.com
Mariana Zarpellon
Wayne Yu
Wayne Yu is an award-winning director, writer, and DP based in Boston. He has worked extensively in the field of short films, many of which dealt with social issues and marginalized communities. His most recent short film, Breathless (2021), was a finalist at the USA Film Festival and received the Boston International Film Festival’s award for best cinematography.
Leann Barna
Leann Barna is an award-winning screenwriter, story analyst for Disney, film festival programmer, and instructor at Transformation Film Institute. She holds an M.A. in Cinema/Screenwriting and in Biblical Studies. Leann owns Mining Company Media, which helps screenwriters tell their best stories and takes on select production projects.
SangJin Ko
SangJin Ko is an Award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer from Seoul, Korea.
His films have been selected for more than 130 Film Festivals over 23 countries around the world.
He majored in law at the university and performed military service in South Korea.cThen, he decided to follow his dream and moved to the United States to study filmmaking. After he completed Master of Fine Arts Degree in Filmmaking, SangJin has started his career as a filmmaker.
Since 2014, SangJin has been participating in New York City Independent Film Festival as a Jury member.
Greg Babalas
Independent film director and cinematographer, based in Greece and UK. His short film ‘The Violin and its Shadow’ was shown in festivals worldwide, including New York City Independent Film Festival. It has been awarded in Vienna for Best Art Direction, and in Montreal for Best Cinematography.
He is a member of the Club for Unesco Art-Literature and Science of Greece, and also an award-winning photographer who has participated in thirteen photography and mixed-media exhibitions, collective and personal. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree in Photography, Video and Digital Imaging. During his photography studies, Greg Babalas was selected to join a mentoring scheme as Director of Photography, with Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam, and additionally to his degree, he has been awarded with the Puttnam Scholars Prize. In 2019 University of Sunderland awarded him with a scholarship, and in 2020, he received a Master of Arts degree in Media Production (Film and Television), with Distinction.
IMDB | Social Media: Greg Babalas
e-mail: gregbabalas@hotmail.com
Esteban Celi
Esteban Celi, has a BA in Cinema and Television, and received a Master in Communication. He is currently a research professor in Film Analysis and Film Theory at the Universidad Tecnológica Israel and a PhD candidate at the University of Palermo Argentina.*
Erin Babbin
Erin Babbin is a documentary filmmaker who believes in keeping it real. Her work centers around elevating true stories from real people who exist in the margins of the mainstream. Erin continues her family’s tradition led by her great grandfather’s home movies, her grandmother’s photography and her mother’s filmmaking. In 2011, she co-founded the Chicago based film and photo production company On The Real Film, which creates social justice and art centered work. On The Real Film has had films distributed by Fusion network and screened in festivals internationally. Babbin has sat on the pre-screening committee for the International Documentary Awards and is on the jury of Slamdance 2018-2020, and the NYC Indy Film Fest 2016-2020.
Bruno Brejt
Bruno Brejt – director, screenwriter, editor, born in Warsaw. Graduate of Warsaw University Department of Law and Administration and the Warsaw Film School.
He has produced over a dozen of short films, for which he gained recognition during international film festivals in Europe and the United States. Creator of music videos and founder of a collective of film artists called The Film Ensemble.
Currently, he is wrapping up his feature film debut entitled “Contract” and editing a documentary called “Saints of the Nineveh Valley”. The document tells the story of ordinary people touched by the drama of the Iraq War. Working on documentaries allowed the director to obtain the skills required to undertake the role of a feature film creator – patience, sensitivity and the ability to acutely observe human behavior.
He does not use social media, he prefers to meet people directly. Cat lover, enthusiast of long evenings and old records.
Pedro Coutinho
Pedro Coutinho started his career as Assistant Director. In 2008, he directed his first short film “The Name of the Cat”. The film was selected for many festivals, including Shanghai International Film Festival. Between 2009 and 2012 Pedro attended Columbia University to pursue his MFA in film. “The Game”, his thesis short film, was selected for more than 50 festivals, winning prizes in many countries, such as: Brazil, USA, UK and Croatia.
In 2013, he started to direct commercials, making films for big brands, like: Coke, P&G, Harley Davidson, Bayer, among others. At the same year, he directed the second season of “Elmiro Miranda Show” a TV comedy series, for TBS. As screenwriter, he was the showrunner of the TV show “Me, she and One million of followers”, that aired in 2017.
In March of 2018, Pedro’s first feature, “All the Reasons to Forget” was released in theaters in Brazil. The film, a micro-budget dramedy, is now is available on Netflix, all over the world, and was nominated to the Brazilian Cinema Grand Prize, as comedy of the year.
Michelle Lambeau
Michelle Lambeau is an independent filmmaker, actor, voice coach, and simultaneous interpreter based in Sedona, Arizona. Her award-winning documentary, Lady Susan – Missing Masterpiece by Jane Austen, has been shown at Festivals in New York, Paris, Palm Springs, Texas, and Costa Rica. She is a regular judge for the Ethnografilm Festival, and has enjoyed reviewing this year’s submissions to the New York City Independent Film Festival for the fourth time. Find her on IMDb and the usual social media platforms. SAG-AFTRA
Leandro Goddinho
Leandro Goddinho is a Brazilian filmmaker dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues. He got selected for BERLINALE TALENTS 2018 and won more than 100 awards in Film Festivals around the world. In 2015, he was selected to the German Chancellor Fellowship for Prospective Leaders sponsored by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to research and develop a documentary project on LGBTQ+ issues. His graduation Project DARLUZ (2009) won 38 awards and his 2016 short film Piscina (Pool) had its World Premiere at Palm Springs Film Festival, winning 46 Awards and being selected for more than 140 Film Festivals since then. Goddinho is currently lecturing Machinima and Screencast Films within the Master of Arts in Media and Visual Anthropology at the HMKW University – Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und Wirtschaft Berlin.
William Saunders
William Saunders is a New York City based Director, Editor and Filmmaker and CEO of production company Fourth.Media.
Prashant Naik
Prashant Naik is an award-winning photographer and Filmmaker based in Atlanta, Georgia. For more than two decades, he has been documenting exotic locations and wonders of our natural world, that show human relationships with natural environments – from the Western Ghats in India to the deserts and mountains of the United States. His work has appeared in magazines and publications around the world. He has a keen interest in Astro and landscape photography, and over the years his work has gained international recognition in the field. His creations have been prize winners in global photography contests – such as the 2nd prize in International Photography awards 2022 and the Gold Award at the Moscow International Foto Awards in 2018 to name a few.
Mário Gajo de Carvalho
Eric P. Granger
“Top 50 up and coming screenwriters for 2018” – Roadmap Writers
A student of Robert McKee’s “Story” and Arron Sorkin’s “Masterclass”. Since 2000, besides screenplays, I have written, directed, and produced 4 murder mystery stage plays, and a full-length stage Musical (Book, Music and Lyrics), a collection of short stories on Kindle, and numerous magazine articles. I have won 2 “Grand Prize” awards for lyrics in Nashville and penned 20 original songs.
I have been a Judge for The Berlin International CineFest , the Lake Placid Film Festival the NYC Independent Film Festival. Now living in Lake Placid, NY and Costa Rica.
I have written eleven features, three shorts, and have four other features in progress.
Garnering 100 “Film Festival Screenplay Awards” in the past five years. 18 “BEST SCREENPLAY” * (eight different scripts) and 49 “Finalist” Awards. Including 3rd place at Cannes*.
Marcos Magario Filho
Marcos Magario Filho is a Brazilian award-winning Creative Art Director with 18 years of experience working for advertising agencies. He’s also a filmmaker, director and screenwriter in the spare time he gets between the creative conception of advertising campaigns. His short film “Inflatable Sex Doll” was part of the NYC Indie Film Festival’s official selection in 2021.