Take a look at the 2024 Jurors for the Film Competitions below!
2024 FILM COMPETITIONS JURORS
Clint Bentley
Narrative Shorts
Clint Bentley is a writer, director and producer based in Texas. JOCKEY, his feature directorial debut, premiered In Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize for Best Actor for Clifton Collins Jr. and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. It went on to play TIFF, AFI and over 30 festivals around the world. In addition to winning the Audience Award at AFI Film Festival, it was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and was chosen as a Top 10 Independent Film of 2021 by The National Board of Review. Clint also recently co-wrote and produced SING SING, directed by his longtime collaborator and creative partner Greg Kwedar and starring Colman Domingo alongside a cast of mostly formerly incarcerated individuals. It was released by A24 in July of this year to critical acclaim.
Additionally, Clint co-wrote and produced TRANSPECOS, which won the Audience Award at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival. He was chosen as one of 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2017 (with co-writer Greg Kwedar) by MovieMaker Magazine.
Clint recently wrapped production on TRAIN DREAMS, his second feature as a director. TRAIN DREAMS, based on Denis Johnson’s Pulitzer-finalist novella, will star Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones.
Anja Block
Documentary Feature
Anja Block is a creative executive for original documentaries and limited series at AMC Networks. Prior to AMC, she produced and acquired original docs and limited series for Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming platform, Discovery+. At D+, she helmed over 50 originals, including Emmy-Nominated A Radical Life and January 6th, Introducing Selma Blair, and Shaun White: The Last Run. She began her career developing mission-driven docs at Paul Allen’s Vulcan Productions, whose titles include Master of Light, The Reason I Jump, Academy-Award winning Summer of Soul, and Academy-Award nominated Lead Me Home and Hunger Ward. She is a documentary programming TV Academy member, a 2024 Women in Film fellow, and has programmed, paneled, and juried with numerous film festivals across the world.
Christopher Callison
Animated Shorts
Christopher Callison is currently the Creative Executive and a Producer at Starburns Industries specializing in animation development. He has helped packaged and sold animated shows to Amazon, Disney+, Max, Adult Swim, AMC+, and Peacock. He is currently producing a feature length animated documentary about the Beach Boys and the Beatles.
Kyle Castellanet
Narrative Shorts
After receiving his BFA in Film Production from Chapman University, Kyle started his career at Paradigm Talent Agency. Kyle joined Echo Lake in 2016 and has worked in both the talent and production departments. As the Director of Development and Production, Kyle manages the company’s development and production efforts in both film and television. He also works directly with clients including Forbes Magazine and Spycraft Entertainment to help develop and produce projects. In 2022, Kyle was honored on Coverfly’s Industry Next List for his work to support emerging filmmakers.
Tazbah Rose Chavez
Produced Digital Series
Tazbah Rose Chavez (Dinè, Nüümü, San Carlos Apache) is a performance poet turned WGA-nominated television writer and director from the Bishop Paiute Reservation. Tazbah is a Co-Executive Producer/episodic Director on FX’s Reservation Dogs. She has worked on SyFy’s Resident Alien, Peacock’s Rutherford Falls, directed HBOMAX’s Sex Lives of College Girls, and is a Writer/Director on FOX’s new series, Accused.
Tazbah has written ads for Nike N7 and directed health and cultural preservation campaigns and PSAs for tribes throughout California. She has performed her poetry in acclaimed spaces such as the Smithsonian – National Museum of the American Indian, Meow Wolf, and the Grand Performances Stage to name a few. She holds a degree in American Indian Studies from UCLA and is the former co-chair of the Writer’s Guild of America Native and Indigenous Writers Committee.
Additionally, Tazbah was awarded the 2023 Changemaker Award by Film2Future, is the inaugural recipient of the 2024 Sundance Graton Fellowship for California Native Artists and has been recognized by the California Tribal Leaders Association and the city of Los Angeles for her work in film and television.
Courtney B. Cook
Narrative Shorts
Courtney B. Cook, PhD is a researcher, writer, and producer. In her current role at POV on PBS, she works to support independent non-fiction filmmakers through impact strategy and engagement. As a former literature and writing teacher her career has always been rooted in storytelling. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Texas Austin, coaches a queer softball team, and enjoys two-stepping, pickling, and her pups.
Ashley Flores
Narrative Student Shorts
Ashley N. Flores is a creative producer and writer with a passion for projects that “hide the broccoli in the popcorn,” combining entertainment with impactful messages. With over a decade of experience in producing and education, Ashley has produced a wide range of content, from short films and educational series to branded content.
Ashley has produced a range of content, including short films and educational series. Her short films, Esmeralda and For Rosa, have received critical acclaim for their storytelling and social impact. For Rosa, inspired by the 1970s sterilization of Mexican women, was distributed on HBO Max and highlighted by platforms like HipLatina and Refinery29. In 2021, she was honored as a Producers Guild of America (PGA) Create Fellow.
Ashley served as a Segment Producer for Amazon Kids+ series Blippi’s Treehouse and recently produced Launch Fever, a short film, set to premiere at an upcoming LA film Festival and won multiple Telly Awards. She has worked for top production companies like Hello Sunshine, Nickelodeon, and Devon Franklin Entertainment. Ashley has written and produced branded content for clients such as the American Heart Association and Lexus of Austin. She plays a key role in Film Independent Artist Development Fiction programs, where she oversees the selection process for the fiction Labs and also serves as an Adjunct Professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Ashley holds an M.F.A. from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program, an M.Ed., and a BFA from Texas State University. She resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Daniela Gonzalez
Documentary Shorts
Daniela Gonzalez is a literary manager at Good Fear Content, a Los Angeles-based management and production company known for representing generation-defining talent and producing clutter-busting content. Daniela identifies as a TCI – a third culture individual: Venezuelan-born, with a childhood in South East Asia, Daniela’s found her roots in the United States. Prior to working at Good Fear Content, Daniela was with Circle of Confusion for nearly a decade. Her international background informs her taste as she builds her roster of clients who have unique voices and backgrounds. Daniela holds a BA in Film Production with a minor in Film Producing from New York University.
Jade-Addon Hall
Digital Series
Jade-Addon Hall is the Vice President of Drama Development at 20th Television where he develops television primarily for Disney+, HULU, ONYX, FX, ABC and other streaming platforms. Prior to 20th at Lionsgate TV, he oversaw THE POWER UNIVERSE, RUN THE WORLD, STEP UP, WELCOME TO FLATCH and HEELS. Jade is also known for his work previously at BET, helping to launch BET+, and shepherding multiple shows including TWENTIES, with Lena Waithe and the critical hit AVERAGE JOE. He has also developed multiple series at Disney Channel and Disney XD. Hailing from Hillside, NJ, he is a proud graduate of Syracuse University, holding a BA in Psychology and an MFA in Television Radio and Film. In 2021 he was named Man of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma society of Los Angeles, raising a quarter of a million dollars for cancer survivors and research.
Karl Hartman
Narrative Features
After graduating from college and returning home from Peace Corps Albania, Karl began his career working in physical production on films like: Still Alice, Manchester by the Sea, and Captain Fantastic. Karl became a partner at Big Indie in 2018 and oversees all its day-to-day operations. He produced Michael Shannon’s directorial debut, Eric LaRue, and was one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch of 2023.
Leigh Janiak
Dark Matters
Matthew Kiernan
Dark Matters Features
Matthew Kiernan is a film distribution marketing and promotions veteran for such companies as Dark Sky Films, IFC Midnight and Synapse Films and is the former Channel Director for the Midnight Pulp streaming service. He is also on the programming team at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, the largest (and best) genre film festival in North America.
Justin Lacob
Documentary Shorts
Justin Lacob is a 2x Emmy nominated producer, executive, and content strategist, with a mission to entertain, inform, and move culture through storytelling. Justin is Head of Development at XTR and a co-founder of DOCUMENTARY+, a nonfiction streaming platform. Justin curates timely, important stories, overseeing original nonfiction features, series, shorts, and podcasts, including Oscar nominated documentaries Ascension (MTV Documentaries) and Ninety-Five Senses (Documentary+), the Peabody and Emmy winning film The Territory (Nat Geo/Disney+), and Periodical (MSNBC Films/Peacock).
Roy Lee
Dark Matters Features
Roy Lee is a film and television producer and founder of Vertigo Entertainment. Lee has an undergraduate degree from GWU and attended law school at American University. His first producer credit was for The Ring (2002), and from there he went on to produce many of the iconic American horror films of the past two decades including The Grudge, The Strangers, and It. Lee also produced the beloved children’s animated films The Lego Movie, and How to Train Your Dragon. Currently, Roy is producing a diverse slate of popular video game adaptations, acclaimed-director-driven thrillers, television series at many of the major streaming services, and more horror films.
Adele Lim
Comedy Vanguard
Adele is a Writer-Director whose credits include Crazy Rich Asians (Warner Bros), Oscar-nominated Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney Animation Studios) and Joy Ride (Lionsgate). A Malaysian native of Chinese descent, she came to the States at 19 and graduated from Emerson College, Boston. She has over 16 years experience working as a TV Writer-Producer on prime time network dramas, including hit series One Tree Hill and Lethal Weapon, during which she ran writers rooms, developed and sold multiple series and was co-showrunner of Starcrossed for the CW. She transitioned to feature film, writing the screenplay adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians (Warner Bros) and Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney Animation Studios).
Additionally, Adele mentors emerging writers through the WGA (Writers Guild of America), CAPE (Coalition of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in Entertainment), and AMPAS (Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences) to promote equity and representation in entertainment. In 2023, she made her feature directorial debut with Joy Ride for Lionsgate Studios. Most recently, Adele, together with her producing partner, Naia Cucukov, launched 100 Tigers Productions, a TV and Film production company that celebrates female and cross-cultural narratives.
Berndt Mader
Texas Shorts
Berndt Mader is an Emmy Award-winning film, television and commercial director. Berndt’s vast and varied filmography includes Chop & Steele (2022), a comedy documentary that he co-directed with Ben Steinbauer. The film premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and has a rare 100% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. His hybrid narrative-documentary, Booger Red (2016), led him to co-direct the MAX docu-series, How To Create A Sex Scandal, based on his original film. His first feature, 5 Time Champion, premiered at SXSW in 2011 and was released by Warner Bros. in 2012. In addition to his work in film, Berndt has directed award winning advertising work for notable brands like Budweiser, RAM, Fritos, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Indeed, Yeti and many others. He is the co-founder and director at the Austin based production company, The Bear
Benji Samit
Animated Short
Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit are writer-producers who recently served as co-showrunners and executive producers of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, as well as Hulu’s adult animated comedy Koala Man. The duo also created the Disney Channel original show Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion. Other television credits include the Peabody-nominated One Day at a Time, The Tick, Central Park, Super Fun Night, and 1600 Penn. They are developing multiple shows under their overall deal at Disney.
In film, Dan and Benji’s credits include the critically acclaimed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and the Addams Family 2. They are currently working on the recently-announced Spaceballs sequel for Amazon/MGM, which they are co-writing with Josh Gad, the Figment movie for Disney, and features for multiple studios including Paramount and Skydance. In 2019, they were spotlighted as one of Variety’s “10 Screenwriters to Watch.”
Candace Tan
Comedy Vanguard
Candace Tan is the Director of Acquisitions at Utopia, where she negotiates deals for titles out of major festivals and markets, as well as supports distribution strategies for each film’s commercial release. She recently helped land fraternity thriller The Line starring Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman and John Malkvoich; Sean Price Williams’ debut, NYFF and Cannes selection The Sweet East; and critically acclaimed Fantasia Opening Night Film Red Rooms.
Tan has participated as an industry executive and/or panelist for several project markets, including the inaugural SXSW Sydney Film Festival, Gotham Week, Film Independent Fast Track and the Cinelink Co Production Market. Previously, Tan worked with HBO’s Film Programming and Bleecker Street’s Acquisitions teams. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University’s Business of Entertainment and Media program.
So Young Shelly Yo
Narrative Student Shorts
So Young Shelly Yo is a Korean-American filmmaker whose films were supported by HBO, SFFILM, Sloan, CAAM and others. Shelly’s first feature, Smoking Tigers was the winner of Tribeca x AT&T Untold Stories and was awarded best screenplay, best performance and a special mention for the Nora Ephron prize. Prior to Smoking Tigers, shelly created many award-winning short films including Soft Sounds of Peeling Fruit and Moonwalk With Me. Most recently, Shelly was awarded the New Voice Award at the 2023 Austin Film Festival and was chosen for the 2023 Bafta Breakthrough Program.
Monique Walton
Texas Shorts
Monique Walton is an independent producer. She is the 2024 recipient of the Film Independent Spirit Producers Award. Walton produced Greg Kwedar’s SING SING, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was acquired by A24. Before that, she produced Annie Silverstein’s award-winning debut feature BULL which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards in 2021. In 2022 she produced the documentary feature HOLLOW TREE, directed by Kira Akerman, which premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival and won the Jury Award for Best Louisiana Film. Walton has produced numerous short films, including “Breaking Silence”, winner of the 2023 SXSW Jury Award for Best Texas Short, and Silverstein’s “Skunk”, winner of the Grand Prix Jury Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Cineìfondation. Walton’s films have been supported by The Sundance Institute, Cinereach, San Francisco Film Society, Austin Film Society, International Documentary Association, and Film Independent. She was a 2016 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow, a 2020 Rotterdam Producing Fellow, and a 2024 Film Independent/Netflix Amplifier Fellow.
Stephanie Whallon
Texas Shorts
Stephanie Whallon received her MFA in film production from the Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Program with a concentration in screenwriting. After graduating, she worked in film production finance for companies located in New York, Los Angeles, and all over the world. While in Los Angeles she worked for Warner Bros and Clint Eastwood’s company, Malpaso Productions on films including Flags of Our Fathers, Nights in Rodanthe, Changeling, Gran Torino and as a visual effects accountant on The Dark Knight.
Stephanie has served as Director of the Texas Film Commission since 2018. Having been at the Commission nearly 14 years, she previously served as Manager of the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program. In her spare time, she can be found collecting way too many books and volunteering her time to teach writing for veteran’s programs.
Libby Williams
Documentary Features
Libby Williams works across sales and tracking at Cinetic Media, the multi-hyphenate firm specializing in film finance, sales, development, and talent management. Prior to Cinetic, Libby worked in independent sales and financing at Verve Talent Agency. Before joining the film industry, she worked in financial services managing private equity clients at Gerson Lehrman Group. Libby is from Richmond, TX and graduated with honors from Wake Forest University.