The Tribeca Festival announced the 2024 jury members who will select winning projects in the film, games, and audio storytelling sections. The Festival has 17 competition categories in which jurors will honor winning storytellers and creators with artistic awards.
This year’s festival jury includes a diverse roster of groundbreaking filmmakers, award-winning actors, celebrated multi-hyphenate producers, and leaders from entertainment, including David O. Russell, Selma Blair, Asghar Farhadi, Kim Cattrall, Chinonye Chukwu, Nisha Pahuja, Nikyatu Jusu, Sheila Nevins, Francesca Scorsese, Clara McGregor, and more. In addition to the awards in competition categories, the Nora Ephron Award, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer, will be presented.
“We are thrilled to once again welcome a diverse group of remarkable filmmakers, creatives and industry players as jurors for the 2024 Tribeca Festival,” said Executive Vice President at Tribeca Enterprises Nancy Lefkowitz. “We look forward to their wide-ranging perspectives across storytelling genres and mediums coming together to honor the extraordinary group of submissions this year.”
More than 30 industry leaders were selected to honor feature-length and short film categories, composed of narrative and documentary films. Juries have also been established to honor the best work in games, as well as submissions in Tribeca’s returning audio storytelling category.
The winning films, projects, filmmakers, storytellers, and actors in each category will be announced at the Tribeca Festival ceremony on June 13.
The following is a list of the 2024 Festival Jurors and their respective categories.
Feature Film Competition Categories
Jurors for the 2024 U.S. Narrative Feature Competition are:
Chinonye Chukwu
Chinonye Chukwu is a globally revered screenwriter and director. Most recently, she directed and co-wrote TILL for MGM, based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley and her pursuit of justice for her son, Emmett Louis Till who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 at the age of fourteen. The film had its world premiere as a Spotlight screening at the New York Film Festival and was released in theaters on October 14, 2022 to rave reviews. In 2019, Chukwu wrote and directed the feature film CLEMENCY, which won the US Dramatic Grand Jury prize at Sundance and was critically praised domestically and overseas. CLEMENCY was recognized with nominations from Film Independent for Spirit Awards in the categories of Best Feature, Best Screenplay (Chukwu) and Best Female Lead (Alfre Woodard), the Gotham Awards, and was recognized throughout a slew of international film festivals.
Noah Hawley
Award-winning Noah Hawley is one of the most accomplished auteurs and versatile storytellers working in television, film and literature. Over the course of his more than 20-year career, Hawley’s work as a novelist, filmmaker, series creator, and showrunner have garnered much acclaim and passionate response from audiences along with offering thoughtful and entertaining cultural commentary and observations. Recent projects include his feature film directorial debut, Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman; the critically-acclaimed fifth installment of Fargo; and Alien, FX’s upcoming highly anticipated original television series. Alien, Fargo and his groundbreaking series Legion, are produced under Hawley’s Austin-based production banner, 26 Keys.
David O. Russell
David O. Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer. His most notable films include THE FIGHTER, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and AMERICAN HUSTLE, THREE KINGS, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, also JOY and AMSTERDAM. Jennifer Lawrence won the Academy Award for Best Actress for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actor and Actress for their performances in THE FIGHTER. Russell is one of the only directors to have actors nominated in all four categories in back to back movies. Russell has been nominated for five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and has won four Independent Spirit Awards. Among his accolades are winning Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress from the New York Film Critics Circle; Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay from the BAFTAs. He has been nominated for three WGA awards and two DGA awards. He is a native of New York City and environs.
Scott Shooman
Scott Shooman is the Head of AMC Networks’ Film Group, encompassing IFC Films, RLJE Films, and Shudder. Most recently, Shooman has overseen the successful theatrical launches for LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, THE TASTE OF THINGS, and BLACKBERRY. Shooman joined IFC Films in 2021 as Head of Acquisitions and Productions, helping to cultivate a robust slate of feature films. Prior to IFC Films, Shooman was SVP of Content & Partnerships at Endeavor Content, and EVP of Acquisitions & Co-Productions for CBS Films. Shooman graduated from USC’s School of Cinema Television and received his MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business.
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan is a filmmaker, writer and (occasional) actor. She created the Hulu original series The Bisexual as well as the films Appropriate Behavior and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. As an episodic director, she’s worked on Emmy award winning shows like Hacks and Ramy. Her first book, YOU’RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF, is being published by Random House in August.
Jurors for the 2024 U.S. International Narrative Feature Competition are:
Daniel Battsek
Daniel Battsek has been at the forefront of independent film for over 30 years. Starting his career in Australia, Daniel has performed a number of high profile roles at prestigious companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Daniel has held a string of influential leadership positions at Palace Pictures, Buena Vista International, Miramax, Cohen Media Group, National Geographic Films and most recently, Film4. Daniel was appointed Director of Film4 in 2016 and promoted to Chairman in 2022. During his eight year tenure, the studio entered a golden era that reshaped British cinema and achieved unparalleled commercial and critical success. He personally championed and greenlit a hugely diverse slate of movies from both established and first time filmmakers, titles that include Best Film Oscar nominees The Zone of Interest (d. Jonathan Glazer) and Poor Things (d. Yorgos Lanthimos); BAFTA-nominated All of Us Strangers (d. Andrew Haigh) and How to have Sex (d. Molly Manning Walker); Oscar/BAFTA-winning The Banshees of Inisherin (d. Martin McDonagh); The Favourite(d. Yorgos Lanthimos) and Oscar/BAFTA-nominated Living (d. Oliver Hermanus). Daniel started his career at Hoyts Distribution in Sydney, Australia and on returning to the UK he was appointed Managing Director of vibrant independent film company,Palace Pictures(Mona Lisa/The Crying Game). Prior to joining Film4, Battsek had already made his mark in the arenas of production, development and distribution, with key contributions to hit projects across three continents. Highlights include back-to-back Oscar-nominees Timbuktu and Mustang for Cohen Media, commercial hits such as Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots at Buena Vista, Oscar-nominees The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and Happy-Go-Lucky, and Oscar-winners The Queen, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood at Miramax. Daniel was appointed Chairman of Film London in 2018 and was reapproved by the board in 2023. The quality of the films he has championed throughout his career is testament to Daniel’s love of craft, his vision for the industry’s future, and his unwavering commitment to bringing captivating stories to the big screen.
Asghar Farhadi
Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. He made his directorial debut with DANCING IN THE DUST (2002). After About Elly’s success (2009), for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale, Farhadi gained international recognition and critical acclaim with A Separation (2011), receiving no less than seventy awards, including an Academy Award and a César for Best Foreign Film. He then left Iran for France to shoot THE PAST (2013), which won Bérénice Bejo the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. He then returned to Iran to direct THE SALESMAN (2016) which premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where the film won Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Shahab Hosseini). The film became Farhadi’s biggest success and earned him the second Academy Award of his career. His latest film, A HERO (2021) won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Fiona Shaw
Appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001 for her contribution to the film, theatrical, and televisual arts, Fiona Shaw is one of Britain’s most prized actresses. She has worked with several international directors, including Alfonso Cuarón (HARRY POTTER), Jim Sheridan (MY LEFT FOOT), Bob Raffelson (MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON), Brian DePalma (THE BLACK DAHLIA), and Terrence Malick (THE TREE OF LIFE). She is known in the US for her television performance as the villainess witch “Marnie Stonebrook” on HBO’s “True Blood.” On stage, she has excelled in a wide range of performances, including Olivier Award-winning performances in “Electra,” “As You Like It,” and “The Good Person of Sichuan and Machinal,” which also won her a London Evening Standard Theatre Award. Her outstanding role as the titular character of “Medea” earned her an Evening Standard Award and a nomination for a Tony Award®. Aside from her work on “Killing Eve,” she can also be seen in the films Lizzie, and Colette, as well as the TV series “Mrs. Wilson.” She has the Amazon series “Anansi Boys”, the feature film IF, directed by John Krasinski, coming out later this year and another feature film Hot Milk, directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz adapted from the Deborah Levy book of the same name.
Jurors for the 2024 Documentary Feature Competition are:
Joe Brewster & Michèle Stephenson
Balancing family life obligations with their artistic passions over the years, directors Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster have been determined to tell their stories unapologetically and center the lived experience of the Black diaspora drawing from the pillars that define Black Atlantic expression. With two decades of creative exploration under their belt, they founded Rada Studio and created a portfolio that spans a diverse array of mediums, from captivating fiction films to thought-provoking documentaries and boundary-pushing immersive installations. This journey has gifted them a Creative Capital Artist Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Their immersive film, THE CHANGING SAME, won Best Immersive Narrative at the Tribeca Festival. Most recently, their feature documentary, GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT, won The Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and was Oscar shortlisted along with their ESPN short, BLACK GIRLS PLAY: THE STORY OF HAND GAMES, which won Best Short Doc at the Tribeca Festival. The Brewster/Stephenson collaborative process continues to expand and is passing the torch to the next generation of independent-minded creatives. The Rada Studio team is extremely grateful for what this journey continues to teach and reveal through the stories it tells.
Sheila Nevins
Former Executive Producer for MTV Documentary Films, Sheila Nevins served as president of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming for more than 35 years, making her responsible for the development and production of more than 1500 programs. She has received 36 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 35 News and Documentary Emmys, and 44 George Foster Peabody Awards. A New York Times best-selling author of her book “You Don’t Look Your Age…and Other Fairy Tales”, Nevins has garnered an IDA Career Achievement Award and a New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award for Outstanding Vision & Achievement. Most recently, in 2024 she received an Academy Award directing nomination for her film, The ABCs of Book Banning.
Molly Thompson
Molly Thompson serves as head of documentaries for Apple TV+, where she oversees development and acquisitions for Apple Original documentaries, non-fiction series, specials and podcasts, as part of the Apple worldwide video team, led by Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht. Thompson and her team have developed an expanding offering of award-winning Apple TV+ documentary features including Emmy Award-winning “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” as well as “Girls State,” “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,” “The Velvet Underground,” and “Boys State,” which earned an Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary. Apple’s documentary series include “The Super Models,” “The Dynasty: New England Patriots,” “They Call Me Magic” and “The Line.” Apple has also premiered acclaimed original specials “Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,” “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” and “Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues.” Prior to joining Apple TV+ in April 2019, Thompson served as the founder and head of A&E IndieFilms, the feature documentary division of A+E Networks.
Jurors for the 2024 Best New Narrative Director Competition are:
Kat Coiro
Kat Coiro is a director, writer and producer. She is currently directing and executive producing the upcoming “Matlock” series starring Kathy Bates for CBS. Her 2024 series “The Spiderwick Chronicles” is currently the most streamed show on The Roku Channel. Her first studio feature, “Marry Me” starring Jennifer Lopez for Universal, opened in theaters at number one on Valentine’s Day 2022. She directed and Ep’d Marvel’s “She-Hulk” and the pilot of “Girls5eva”, which is currently in season three on Netflix. Kat also directed many episodes of television including “Dead To Me”, “Shameless”, “Modern Family” and “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” In 2013 she wrote, produced and directed “And While We Were Here”, which she shot for only 11 days while 8 months pregnant and which premiered in competition at Tribeca. She works toward a sustainable future with the Habits Of Waste #LightsCameraPlastic campaign that aims to eradicate waste from the screens.
Nikyatu Jusu
Nikyatu Jusu is an independent writer, director, and tenured Professor in Film & Video at George Mason University. Her short films have screened at festivals nationally and internationally, marking her Sundance short film debut and foray into representation (CAA & M88) with her provocative Black vampire film SUICIDE BY SUNLIGHT [2019]. NANNY [2022], Jusu’s feature film debut, made her the second black woman director and Nanny the first horror film to win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize (US Dramatic). A meteoric year for Nanny included wins such as: Sundance Film Festival’s Vanguard Award, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Breakout Filmmaker of the year and a myriad of additional awards culminating in the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Someone to Watch Award. Nanny is immortalized with a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release within the Criterion Collection. Jusu is currently in development on her follow up feature film. Monsters are her happy place.
Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben is an Emmy nominated actress across television, screen, and stage. She is widely recognized for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the groundbreaking medical drama “ER,” which she was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. Known for her ever-impressive body of work, Gloria can currently be seen on the new CBS series “Elsbeth” as well as the award-winning film My Dead Friend Zoe, which recently premiered at SXSW. Other notable performances also include “Mr. Robot,” “Cloak & Dagger,” and “City on a Hill.” On the big screen she is also known for her work in LINCOLN, TIMECOP, NICK OF TIME, ADMISSION, and REASONABLE DOUBT. In 2019, Reuben added author to her credits with the release of her memoir, My Brothers’ Keeper: Two Brothers. Loved. And Lost.
Jurors for the 2024 Best New Documentary Director Competition are:
W. Kamau Bell
W. Kamau Bell is a comedian, author, and filmmaker. His CNN docu-series “United Shades of America” won five Emmy awards, and he was awarded a Peabody for his docu-series “We Need To Talk About Cosby.” He won an Emmy and a Television Academy Honors Award for his documentary short “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed.” Kamau is on the board of Donors Choose and Live Free, and is the ACLU’s racial justice ambassador. In 2023 he and his wife Melissa Hudson Bell co-founded Who Knows Best, an Oakland-based production company.
Archie Gips
A multi-Emmy nominated and award winning filmmaker, Archie Gips is president and partner of Unrealistic Ideas, a nonfiction production company he founded alongside Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson. Archie has produced several critically acclaimed documentaries including MCMILLION$, MOVIEPASS, MOVIECRASH, THE GOLDEN BOY and THE MURDERS AT STARVED ROCK for HBO, RUN THIS CITY for The Roku Channel, the Paramount Pictures music docs JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER and KATY PERRY: PART OF ME and the HBO Max docuseries, “Wahl Street.” Archie attended Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications and received an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Nisha Pahuja:
Nisha Pahuja is an Oscar-nominated, Peabody and Emmy-nominated Documentary filmmaker. Her latest, TO KILL A TIGER, had its world premiere at TIFF (2022) where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Since then, it garnered 27 awards including the Best Documentary Feature, Palm Springs International Film Festival, three Canadian Screen awards as well as Oscar and Peabody nominations. The film grew out of a long career of addressing various human rights issues, notably violence against women in India. In 2015, she won the Amnesty International media award for Canadian journalism after making a short film about the Delhi bus gang rape for Global News. Pahuja’s other credits include the multi-award-winning THE WORLD BEFORE HER (2012 Best Documentary Feature, Jury Award Winner, Tribeca Film Festival; Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs; TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten; Best Documentary nominee, Canadian Screen Awards; the series DIAMOND ROAD (2008 Gemini Award for Best Documentary Series) and BOLLYWOOD BOUND (2002 Gemini Award nominee).
Jurors for the 2024 Nora Ephron Award are:
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an iconic figure on-screen, in the fashion space and as an activist. Blair’s film career began with her comedic roles in pop culture classics CRUEL INTENTIONS and LEGALLY BLONDE. Blair was on season 31 of “Dancing with the Stars” and won the award for The Competition Contestant of 2022 at the People’s Choice Awards. Also that year, she released her first memoir to critical acclaim, The New York Times Bestseller, “Mean Baby.” Blair can also be seen on screen as the subject of the award-winning documentary feature INTRODUCING, SELMA BLAIR. Film credits include Todd Solondz’s STORYTELLING, Roger Kumble’s THE SWEETEST THING, Robert Benton’s FEAST OF LOVE, and John Waters’ A DIRTY SHAME. Selma has reprised her role as “Liz Sherman” in Guillermo del TORO’S HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, after starring in the original Hellboy. On television, Blair played “Kris Jenner” in FX’s ”The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” for Ryan Murphy. On stage, Blair starred in Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries and was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Spoken Word Recording” for her reading of The Diary of Anne Frank. Selma is the Chief Creative Officer of Guide Beauty, a multi-award-winning cosmetics company. For her advocacy, Blair was honored with the Equity in Entertainment award by The Hollywood Reporter, the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award, and the Media Access Visionary Award. In 2024, Blair was celebrated as one of British Vogue’s 40 “Megastars,” a distinction that led to her inclusion in the iconic Steven Meisel cover shoot. Prior to this, in 2023, she was honored with Glamour’s esteemed Women of the Year award for her courageous commitment to challenging norms and shattering barriers. In 2017, Blair was recognized as one of Time Magazine’s People of The Year among their Silence Breakers, further solidifying her impact on social change.
Chan Phung
Chan Phung is currently SVP of Acquisitions and Production at Searchlight Pictures where she has acquired an award-winning and critically acclaimed slate of films for the studio. Highlights include the recent acquisition of Jesse Eisenberg’s A REAL PAIN from the Sundance Film Festival; 2022 Academy Award-winning documentary SUMMER OF SOUL by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson; Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s comedy THEATER CAMP; Mimi Cave’s horror film FRESH; GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE starring Emma Thompson, and this year’s Academy Award-winning documentary short THE LAST REPAIR SHOP. Chan also oversees Searchlight productions such as Andrew Ahn’s romance FIRE ISLAND and Quinn Shephard’s edgy satire NOT OKAY. Before her time at Searchlight, Chan led the Original Film Acquisitions team at Netflix and served as Vice President of Acquisitions for Sony Pictures. She began her career in the film industry as an assistant at a talent agency and subsequently held various executive roles at Universal Pictures and Focus Features.
Lucy Hale
Lucy Hale recently starred in Hulu’s #1 ranked movie WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU and the romantic comedy PUPPY LOVE which ranked #3 worldwide. Previously, she starred in the exceedingly popular film THE HATING GAME based on the best selling novel, and the AMC+ crime series, RAGDOLL. She is best known for roles in Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars, as well as the Blumhouse/Universal film Truth or Dare.
Jurors for the 2024 Viewpoints Competition are:
Sara Bernstein
Sara Bernstein is an award-winning producer and President of Imagine Documentaries, leading the development and production of premium documentary feature films and series. Recent credits include the upcoming “Jim Henson Idea Man” (Disney+), “Stormy” (Peacock), “Frida” (Amazon Studios), “Choir” (Disney+), “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” (Apple TV+), “The Super Models” (Apple TV+), “Judy Blume Forever” (Amazon Studios) and “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari” (Netflix). Prior to joining Imagine, Bernstein was SVP, HBO Documentary Films, where she oversaw award-winning nonfiction programming for the network. Bernstein has garnered 11 Emmy wins, 34 Emmy nominations and 11 Peabody Awards, and the documentary features she has supervised have garnered two Oscars and 13 Oscar nominations. In 2024, she was featured on Variety’s New York Women’s Impact List.
Ben Falcone
Ben Falcone is an acclaimed director, producer, screenwriter, and actor known for his work in film and television. As a co-founder of On the Day Productions, Falcone has produced and helmed numerous successful projects, including TAMMY, THE BOSS, LIFE OF THE PARTY, SUPERINTELLIGENCE AND THUNDERFORCE. Beyond his work behind the camera, Falcone starred as ‘Air Marshall Jon’ in BRIDESMAIDS, ‘Will’ in Nicole Holofcener’s ENOUGH SAID, and in the role of ‘Alan Schmidt’ in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? On the small screen, Falcone starred and wrote “God’s Favorite Idiot” for Netflix. Other film and TV credits include: BAD WORDS, IDENTITY THIEF, “Nobodies,” “Nine Perfect Strangers,” “New Girl’ and “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents.”
Effie T. Brown
Effie T. Brown is the CEO and majority owner of Gamechanger Films. Her resume includes producing Sundance Film Festival winners like REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, and ROCKET SCIENCE. She made her mark in television by appearing on and producing HBO’s “Project Greenlight,” and executive producing Lee Daniels’ “Star” on FOX and Disney Channel’s “Zombies.” Other noteworthy projects include Netflix’s PASSING, Amazon’s RUN SWEETHEART RUN and a24’s THE INSPECTION. Gamechanger’s upcoming 2024 lineup features the climate justice documentary SAVE YOURSELF!, SORCERORITY starring and co-produced by Taraji P. Henson & Gabrielle Union, and HAANT, a horror feature rooted in Gullah-Geechee mysticism. Brown’s commitment to representation is evident in her work and advocacy roles, including serving on the AMPAS Inclusion Advisory Committee and as an honorary trustee of the Academy Museum.
AnnaSophia Robb
Actress AnnaSophia Robb starred in two of Hulu’s most critically acclaimed limited series. Upcoming, Robb is set to start production starring in the upcoming NBC Drama, GROSSE POINTE GARDEN SOCIETY. Robb recently wrapped production on the Netflix feature film REBEL RIDGE, where she will star as the female lead opposite Aaron Pierre. In 2019, she co-starred opposite Patricia Arquette in THE ACT. In 2020, she portrayed the flashback version of Reese Witherspoon’s “Elena Richardson” character in the Emmy nominated series LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE. In 2021, Robb starred alongside Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater in the Peacock limited series DR. DEATH. Previous credits include: CARRIE DIARIES, SOUL SURFER, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, SLEEPWALKING, THE SPACE BETWEEN, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, JUMPER, BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, SPY SCHOOL and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA.
Brian Tee
Brian Tee is an accomplished actor known for his diverse roles in both film and television. Brian recently starred alongside Nicole Kidman in Prime Video’s “Expats,” which received critical acclaim. Formerly known for his role as Dr. Ethan Choi in NBC’s “Chicago Med,” Brian won a 2020 NAMIC Vision Award on behalf of his performance. His filmography includes roles in blockbusters such as THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, THE WOLVERINE, and JURASSIC WORLD, as well as multiple Korean-American films. Brian’s performances also span across mediums, having earned praise for his stage performance in “Snow Falling on Cedars” at the esteemed Hartford Stage.
Short Film Competition Categories
Jurors for the 2024 Narrative & Animated Shorts Competition are:
Aziz Isham
Aziz Isham is the Executive Director of Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), the only institution in the United States that deals comprehensively with the art, technology, enjoyment, and social impact of film, television, and digital media. A veteran non-profit arts executive, Emmy-winning filmmaker, writer, and curator, Isham previously served as Executive Director of Twenty Summers, whose annual festival in Provincetown, Massachusetts, presents and incubates original work that imagines a more sustainable and equitable future. Prior to that, Isham was the founding Executive Producer of the Brooklyn-based community-media network BRIC-TV, where he opened a state-of-the-art media incubation center. Isham has produced more than 40 documentaries, feature films, and TV series – with an emphasis on independent and community-focused productions. He has received six NY Emmy Awards for documentaries on climate change, education, and the arts. Isham grew up in New York City and graduated from Yale with a degree in Anthropology. He speaks frequently on community and media and teaches show-running and social justice filmmaking at the Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Sam Lake
Sam Lake is a respected writer and director in the video game industry. He’s been a key creative force in dreaming up Remedy’s acclaimed games, Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control. Lake’s passion is deep, layered storytelling and melding together different mediums to create unique experiences. Lake was the co-director and lead writer of Alan Wake 2 that won over 100 industry awards, including The Game Awards for Game Direction and Narrative. Lake is also a BAFTA nominee for Narrative and Performer in a Supporting Role, and a Nebula Awards finalist for Game Writing. In 2023 Lake was part of the Variety500 list of the most influential people shaping the global media industry.
Francesca Scorsese
Francesca Scorsese began her career in theaters with appearances in the films THE DEPARTED, THE AVIATOR, and HUGO. She took her talents to the small screen in Luca Guadagnino’s 2021 HBO series, “We Are Who We Are.” Her directing credits include; Netflix’s STORIES OF A GENERATION WITH POPE FRANCIS (2021), CRIMSON TIES (a 2022 Tribeca Festival entry) and FISH OUT OF WATER (debuting at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and a 2023 Tribeca Festival entry). Scorsese was the Creative Director of SQUARESPACE’s 2024 Super Bowl commercial and 2023 BLEU DE CHANEL commercial. She’s working on a book with A24 and will next be seen in CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT, which made its debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Margery Simkin
Originally from Metuchen, New Jersey, Ms. Simkin attended the University of California, Santa Cruz and graduated with a major that had nothing to do with film. She stumbled –with the assistance of a friend of a friend– into the job of production office grunt. Reading everything she photocopied, she gained invaluable insight into almost every aspect of film production. Slight exaggeration (i.e., lying) led to her first casting-related position trolling NYC schools for children who looked like famous actors for a film. This led to an assignment to find non-professionals for the original FAME. More traditional casting work soon followed. She went on to cast such films as BEVERLY HILLS COP, TOP GUN, BRAZIL, FIELD OF DREAMS, TWELVE MONKEYS, ERIN BROCKOVICH, MARLEY & ME, AVATAR and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Simkin has had the privilege of working with many great directors including Terry Gilliam, Frank Oz, Danny DeVito, David Frankel and James Cameron.
Lauren Ruotolo
Lauren Ruotolo is an author, content creator, keynote speaker, and disability advocate. She brings her experience and inspirational voice to major corporations globally, helping them understand why the disabled community must be included in their DE&I strategy and talent plans. Lauren won three James Burke Marketing awards for video storytelling during her tenure at Johnson & Johnson. Her most recent successes include a 20-episode live show entitled The Road to a Vaccine featuring Emmy Award-winning Lisa Ling. Lauren was V.P. of Marketing & Public Relations at Madonna’s YouTube company DanceOn overseeing strategic marketing, public relations, and social media. For almost a decade, she served as the Director of Entertainment Promotions at Hearst Magazines in New York City. She was responsible for developing strategic key partnerships with T.V. & cable networks, music labels, and movie studios. Additionally, Ruotolo produced a special on MTV called “Pretty Amazing” about Seventeen magazine’s search for a real girl cover star. In 2010, Ruotolo penned her first book titled : “Unstoppable in Stilettos—A girls guide to living tall in a small world.” She is Board President of The Fibrous Dysplasia McCune Albrights Alliance, and serves on advisory boards of Glamour Gals, Love Our Children USA, Stomp Our Bullying. Most recently she joined the TimesUp movement to showcase why disabled women need to be heard & seen in the workplace. Over the past few years, Lauren has received many awards; Rising Star of the Year for New York’s Women Agenda, Glammy Award Woman of the Year, Girls Inc (New York Chapter) Woman of the Year.
Jurors for the 2024 Short Documentary and Student Visionary Competition are:
Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall ‘s extensive acting career spans film, stage and television. A five-time Emmy Award nominee and SAG and Golden Globe Award winner, the British-born and Canadian-raised actress was recently seen in Fox drama “Filthy Rich”; the Liongate film ABOUT MY FATHER opposite Robert De Niro and in the Netflix series “Glamourous” which she also produced. She produced and starred on the Sky Arts series “Sensitive Skin” which was nominated for a 2015 International Emmy and, in 2017, Cattrall was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.
Susan Dominus
Susan Dominus has worked for The New York Times since 2007. In 2018, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on workplace sexual harassment issues. A lecturer at Yale University, she has studied as a fellow at the National Institutes of Health and Yale Law School. Her article, “The Covid Drug Wars That Pitted Doctor vs. Doctor,” was included in the 2021 edition of the Best American Science and Nature Writing. In 2024, she won a National Magazine Award for her New York Times Magazine article, “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause.”
Griffin Dunne
While beloved for his starring roles in iconic films like AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and Martin Scorsese’s AFTER HOURS, Golden Globe Award nominee GRIFFIN DUNNE continues to charm audiences and critics alike almost 30 years later. Griffin can currently be seen on the HBO Max series THE GIRLS ON THE BUS. Before that he was in the hit NBC series THIS IS US, opposite Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown, Other credits include the Oscar-winning DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, as well as a starring role in Joey Soloway’s provocative Amazon Studios dramedy I LOVE DICK opposite Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn. Griffin is also an accomplished filmmaker having directed such films as ADDICTED TO LOVE with Meg Ryan, PRACTICAL MAGIC with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary The Center Will Not Hold about his aunt Joan Didion. His family memoir THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB will be in bookstores June 11th.
Clara McGregor
Clara McGregor is a French / British actress, writer and producer. In 2020 Clara co-founded independent film and TV production company Deux Dames Entertainment with the mission of telling female-driven stories. Most recently, Clara produced and starred in the film BLEEDING LOVE opposite her father Ewan McGregor, produced by Deux Dames Entertainment and Killer Films. Upcoming projects include Xavier Palud’s thrilling adventure film NOON produced by Clara Sansarricq and Alexander Akoka (Sugar Mama Productions) – and Cyrus Duff’s dark satire THE PHILOSOPHY OF DRESS opposite Eric Roberts and Marcia DeBonis. Previously, Clara appeared in the 11th installment of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award Winning series, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: NYC; she starred in HBO’s feature film REEFA in 2021 – and the same year, co-produced and starred in THE BIRTHDAY CAKE opposite Val Kilmer, Lorraine Brocco and William Fickner and earned Critics Pick in the New York Times. Clara won Best Actress at the Cyrus International Film Festival for her performance in the short film MAESTRO. She resides in NYC.
Haider Rafique
Haider Rafique is the Global Chief Marketing Officer at OKX, a leading global crypto exchange and Web3 technology company. He oversees the company’s growth and brand strategy as OKX enters a new phase of growth and expansion around the world. Haider previously served at the US exchange Okcoin as Chief Marketing Officer. He rebranded the company in 2021 and it recorded a growth of retail user sign-ups by 20x year-on-year, onboarding more than a million customers to the platform. Haider is a seasoned growth and marketing leader at global crypto firms, previously serving as head of growth at blockchain.com and as a growth adviser to several Web3 firms and startups. He is one of the few in the industry with experience from traditional Madison Avenue ad firms and multinational tech giants like Microsoft.
Games Competition Category
Jurors for the 2024 Games Competition are:
Amy Hennig (Co-President, New Media Division, Skydance Media)
A 35-year veteran of the game industry, Amy Hennig joined Skydance Media in 2019 to explore new frontiers in interactive storytelling. She has served as Creative Director and Lead Writer on numerous titles, including the upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, as well as Sony’s acclaimed Uncharted series and Crystal Dynamics’ groundbreaking Soul Reaver / Legacy of Kain franchise. Amy has been called one of the most influential women in the game industry. Her work has earned countless industry awards, including a BAFTA for Story and two WGA Videogame Writing Awards. In 2016, Amy was presented with the BAFTA Special Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the video game industry, and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at 2019’s Game Developers Choice Awards.
Sean Vanaman
Sean Vanaman is a game developer and writer. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Sean co-founded Campo Santo and currently works at Valve. He has worked on games such as Half-Life: Alyx, Dota 2, Firewatch, The Walking Dead: Season One and Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures.
Abubakar Saliom
BAFTA nominated actor Abubakar Salim is an actor, producer and video game creator. He next steps into the role of Alyn of Hull in the highly anticipated second season of “House of the Dragon,” created by George R.R. Martin. The 8-episode second season set in the fictional world of Westeros will be released on June 16 on Max. In 2019, Salim formed Surgent Studios and secured a major deal with Electronic Arts and its EA Originals Label. As CEO and creative director, Salim set out to create content stemming from human truth. This April, he and his team, along with Electronic Arts, release their first game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau. The game follows a young shaman, Zau, who has made a deal with the god of death to bring his father back to life in exchange for three great spirits. Salim recently starred as ‘Father’ in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi drama series “Raised By Wolves” for HBO Max. The series, which centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet, had a loyal following for two seasons. He also appeared in Scott’s NAPOLEON, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Salim has produced many award-winning projects over the past several years through Surgent Studios, including WILD GOAT SURF and the short films ESSEX GIRLS, THINGS I NEVER TOLD MY FATHER and THE WHALE. Born to Kenyan parents in Hertfordshire, Salim began his career at NYT (National Youth Theatre of Great Britain) before furthering his craft as an actor at the prestigious drama school LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts), where he was awarded a Genesis Foundation scholarship to train. In 2018, Salim was nominated for a BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer for his role as the main protagonist Bayek on Ubisoft’s ”Assassin’s Creed Origins.”
On British television, he starred in the period drama “Jamestown” as well as a recurring role in the Sam Mendes produced BBC/Amazon series “Informer.” He also played a leading role in the mini-series “Fortitude” for Sky opposite Dennis Quaid. His other credits include “Black Mirror,” the Netflix/Canal Plus drama series “Spotless,” and Jonah in the BBC adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s “The Cuckoo’s Calling.” He is a jury member for BAFTA Games, Film and Television, and he is part of the Advisory Council for the Genesis Kickstarted Fund, designed to enable outstanding freelance artists to stay on their career paths and explore new possibilities in a world radically altered by COVID-19.
Audio Storytelling Competition Categories
Jurors for the 2024 Audio Storytelling Nonfiction Competition are:
Nishat Kurwa
Nishat Kurwa is SVP and executive producer of audio at Vox Media, the leader of modern media, with an unrivaled collection of pioneering brands and passionate voices that inform and entertain millions of people every day. In this role, she oversees programming strategy, new show development, and the Vox Media Studios’ podcast production team. Previously, Kurwa led the digital publishing team at American Public Media’s Marketplace. Prior to Marketplace, she spent more than a decade as Senior Producer and News Director at the Peabody Award-winning independent production company Youth Radio (NPR’s Youth Desk), and concurrently as an editor at KCBS Radio in San Francisco. Kurwa was recently named to The Hollywood Reporter’s 2022 and 2023 lists of podcast power players and Crain’s 2022 New York’s Notable Asian Leaders list.
Christopher Bannon
Chris Bannon is Head of Global Audio for Conde Nast, leading development and production of podcasts for The New Yorker, Vogue, Bon Appetit, and Wired, among other distinguished brands. Before joining Conde Nast, he was Chief Content Officer at Stitcher, and VP of Content Development and Production at WNYC. He is a graduate of Brown University and UNC Chapel Hill, and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Audrey Mardavich
Audrey Mardavich is the Executive Producer of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX, overseeing strategic planning and editorial. Created in 2014, Radiotopia is the first network of its kind: empowering independent audio creators with the artistic freedom to thrive on their own terms. Mardavich also serves as executive producer of Radiotopia Presents, a podcast feed debuting limited-run series. Programming from across Radiotopia has received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the Tribeca Festival, the National Magazine Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes.Radiotopia titles include Ear Hustle, Normal Gossip from Defector Media, Song Exploder from Hrishikesh Hirway, Articles of Interest from Avery Trufelman, and many more, including most recently The Recipe with Kenji and Deb from New York Times best-selling cookbook authors J. Kenji López-Alt and Deb Perelman.
Jurors for the 2024 Audio Storytelling Independent Nonfiction Competition are:
Juleyka Lantigua
Juleyka Lantigua is the Founder of LWC Studios, which received a Peabody Award nomination and the “The Director’s Prize” at Third Coast, known as “The Oscars of Audio.” A Fulbright Scholar and Tory Burch Fellow, Juleyka holds a Master’s in Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing.
Lauren Gonzalez
Lauren Gonzalez is the Senior Manager of the Content Development Team at NPR. She manages the pitching and piloting process, and supported the launch of recent NPR podcasts, including La Ultima Copa and Body Electric. Prior to NPR, Lauren worked at Luminary and The Moth.
Talia Augustidis
Talia Augustidis is an award-winning audio producer, artist and community organiser based in London. She won the Third Coast award for Best Documentary Short in 2023. She is the lead curator of In The Dark London and writes the All Hear newsletter in collaboration with Transom.org.
Jurors for the 2024 Audio Storytelling Fiction Competition are:
Alison Hindell
Alison Hindell is Commissioning Editor of Drama & Fiction for BBC Radio 4, where she is responsible for all the drama and fiction reading commissions, as well as having oversight of The Archers, the world’s longest-lived soap opera at 73 years old.She has worked in BBC radio/audio drama for the majority of her career and has directed over 270 radio plays. Productions include the 2003 commemorative production of Under Milk Wood; the ground-breaking 8 hour dramatization of Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman in 2011 and, in 2014, the first ever realisation of Dylan Thomas’s screenplay The Beach at Falesa. She has won many awards including a Gold Medal at the New York Radio Festival. As Head of Audio Drama for the BBC she was responsible for one of the biggest audio drama production departments in the world, overseeing over 400 hours of drama per year. She has an international profile, frequently judging competitions and speaking at conferences, and chaired the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) Radio Drama group from 2014 till 2022. After graduating from the University of Oxford, Alison worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has worked in animation and directed theatre in the UK and in Ukraine and, as a Russian speaker, was the first British director to direct in Russian in the former Soviet Union. She is a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
Yooree Losordo
Yooree Losordo (she/hers) is the Director of Network Operations at Radiotopia from PRX. She is responsible for the day-to-day workings of the storied podcast network, supporting independent podcasts as they work towards achieving success on their own terms. Yooree acts as the managing producer of Radiotopia Presents, an anthology podcast of limited series from the most exciting emerging voices in audio. Shows she’s recently helped launch: The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, Hang Up, Weight For It, and Radiotopia Presents series Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative; Bot Love; My Mother Made Me.
Gabriel Urbina
Gabriel Urbina is Costa Rican-American writer and director. He has been writing and directing audio fiction professionally since 2013 and is best known as the creator of the science fiction cult classic podcast Wolf 359. He is also the co-creator of the comedy thriller Time:Bombs, the apocalyptic anthology show Zero Hours, and the urban fantasy series Unseen. Gabriel’s writing has contributed to many of the shows that have come to define the modern independent audio drama movement, including The Bright Sessions, Wooden Overcoats, and The Amelia Project. He has won a multitude of awards for writing and directing, and frequently speaks and writes on that state of the podcasting industry
Jurors for the 2024 Audio Storytelling Independent Fiction Competition are:
Kate Navin
Kate Navin is Head of Creative Development for North America and has been with Audible for over seven years. She led the launch of Audible’s theater initiative and has developed and produced more than 114 Audible Theater titles, which have won numerous award recognitions, with luminaries including Billy Crudup, Colman Domingo, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Dae Kim, Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess. Navin has produced more than a dozen other Audible Originals globally, including The Big Lie with Jon Hamm, The Miranda Obsession with Rachel Brosnahan and The Prophecy with Kerry Washington. Prior to her role at Audible, Navin worked as a theatrical agent for more than 12 years.
Jordan Crafton
Jordan Crafton is an award winning filmmaker, as he wrote, produced, and directed “Brooklyn Santa” which won the Special Jury Award at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. After performing as the Director of Photography for 100+ episodes of network television, his directorial debut was in Fall 2023, with the new documentary series “Future Superstar” produced by VH1.
Tess Bartholomew
Tessa Bartholomew is a Filipino-American writer, director, actor, producer, audiophile, and horror film fanatic living in her hometown of Los Angeles. Her on-camera work can be seen in episodes of The Young & The Restless, Good Girls, and NCIS:LA. For several years, she has served as Audio Manager for The Gotham. Her writing and directing can be heard in the episode ‘Adobo’ from James Kim’s scripted anthology podcast, You Feeling This for IHeartRadio. She also co-created the podcast Something Strange Is Happening, an official selection of the 2021 Tribeca Festival, which is currently being developed for television with Peter Dinklage’s Estuary Films.
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