I’ve heard folk say that watching films is easy. And rating them, well, that’s the cinemagoers favourite pastime these days. So for this specially selected group of 10 individuals, being part of the 6th Femme Filmmakers Festival competition jury, ought to be a walk in the park.
Not so fast. The 20 short films curated after hours and hours of deliberation are to be challenging for those Roll of Honour prizes at the end of the event. And every single one of these female-directed films brings something vibrant, something thoughtful, something marvelous to the table.
Our fresh-faced jury have to embrace these short films, and convene to decide which have the smartest writing, or the most innovative directing, tricky editing, have that visual spark. The list goes on. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. And with 5 weeks until FemmeFilmFest 21 opens, I’d better introduce you right away.
Full coverage of the Femme Filmmakers Festival since 2016
Here are the 10 illustrious members of the 6th Femme Filmmakers Festival competition jury. Thanks to all who showed interest.
Giovana Chiconelli
At 3 years old Giovana used to sob every time the end credits rolled because that meant that the movie was over. She hasn’t changed much at 23. Filmmaker and critic, she worked as a production designer and assistant for short and feature films and frequently writes reviews for The Indiependent and JumpCut Online. When she is not giving her opinion on every single piece of media available, she can be found planning her next steps for her first short film, which will hopefully launch her career enough so that she can become friends with Céline Sciamma (her ultimate goal). She supports good kissing in movies.
Sarah Louise Dean
Sarah (AKA Contrarah) is a screenwriter, filmmaker (In a Hole), author (Doll’s House) and podcaster (Beyond Bechdel) with a deep passion for seeing women flourish on screen. She’s currently crewing for her next short film and finishing her latest feature screenplay, both about female-centric time travel.
Stefania Sarrubba
Stefania is a film and TV writer with a penchant for body horror and queer and female-fronted storylines. Her work has appeared on Little White Lies, The Mary Sue, Digital Spy and The Guardian, among others.
Phoenix A. Clouden
Phoenix is an entertainment writer, film blogger, and freelance film critic. He is the co-host and editor of The Film Code Podcast and a member of the International Film Society Critics Association. A screening team member for the Cleveland International Film Festival, and a die-hard advocate for subtitles even for English-speaking films.
Meagan Adele Lopez
Meagan is a Cuban-American omni-channel creative who writes novels and screenplays, performs, directs and produces plays and films. She has a diverse background from entrepreneur to leading the New York Times’ global digital advertising teams internationally to her current career as a filmmaker and novelist. Her directorial debut for her short, dark comedy film, Raging Cult, landed her six awards in film festivals, including Best First Time Director, Best Dark Comedy, Best Comedy and Best Female-Driven Film. She is currently in production for her feature film, Through the Eyes of Others and finalizing her YA novel The Flight of the Hailene (represented by Craig Literary).
Zita Short
Zita is a film critic for InSessionFilm, JumpCutOnline and keithlovesmovies. She also hosts a podcast about romantic films, entitled the 300 Passions Podcast. She has had a lifelong passion for woman’s pictures and films about the female experience.
Roberta Gulinello
Roberta is a Language and Communication Science graduate who dedicated a large part of her studies in Cinema, Television and Media. She’s been a passionate film lover since age 4 and everything related to the world of cinema. She wants to help women, disabled and minorities’ stories be seen and to rightfully have their space and shine in the industry, and to be pushed to the forefront of the public and society’s attention.
Darren Gaskell
Darren is a film reviewer and passionate supporter of independent film production. He writes primarily for Love Horror but covers movies of all genres on his Socially Distanced Cinema podcast and on The HD Movie Podcast with co-host Hayley Alice Roberts. He is the executive producer of Melanie Gourlay’s forthcoming debut feature Seepers: A Love Story.
Alena Schoonmaker
Alena is a filmmaker and the director of the Spokane International Film Festival, as well as a programmer for several Washington film festivals. She has crewed for female directors on short films, getting her start as an intern on Laggies. Alena was also a writer and associate editor for DirectedByWomen.com’s Crucial 21st Century Cinema initiative. She studied film at Seattle University and NYU.
Diego Andaluz
Diego is a filmmaker who has written, produced, and directed numerous award-winning features and short films (including Dante: A Replication) which have played in festivals throughout the world. He is the Chairman and President of the Award Journalists Association and the Global Film Critics Circle, the Vice Chairman of The DiscussingFilm Critics Association, and has been accepted into the Critics Choice Association and the Hollywood Critics Association. He currently works as the Senior Awards Editor at DiscussingFilm as well as the Editor-In-Chief and Host of The Global Film Show. A Rotten-Tomatoes certified film critic for AwardsWatch, The Film Stage, and Indiewire.