OFFICIAL JURY AWARD SELECTIONS
Hoop Dreams
Samantha GurryPsychotropic Films
Official Selection 2016
A celestial journey in the spaceship of imagination meets evolution, Meena Kumari, and rhythm itself. (4:36)
First of the Free Girls
Alexandra Velasco & Alexander KahanYouth and Altered States
Official Selection 2016
A girl entering womanhood discovers a dissonance between what she really wants and what society expects of her. (4:00)
VAL-EN-TINA
Araeia RobinsonFemme Fatales
Official Selection 2016
When a high profile politician makes a controversial speech on immigration reform, walked undisturbed alongside her. (10:10)
The River
Ya-Ting Hsu & Geoffrey HughesSexual Reduxxx
Official Selection 2016
An experimental short, documenting the repetitively traumatic nature of pregnancy. (16:14)
Rougarou
Catherine TaylorFemme Fatales Honorable Mention
Official Selection 2016
In rural Louisiana, 11-year-old Sabine is livid when her widower father misses Ash Wednesday Mass, and pushes him to give up drinking for Lent. However, when he fails to keep his vow, he evokes the wrath of the Rougarou, a local mythical beast that punishes bad Catholics. To save her father, Sabine must go into the bayou to vanquish the monster.... (15:00)
Troll: A Southern Tale
Marinah JanelloSocial Deviance
Official Selection 2017
United States
An eccentric musician/filmmaker navigates self expression based on his experiences living and growing up in the South. (11:42)
Tomato
Caitlin CraggsPsychotropic Films
Official Selection 2017
United States
A juicy moving picture about words, history and a beloved, oft overlooked fruit. Tomatois the first in a series of bite-sized, visually punny films that reconsider some of the most humble and ubiquitous foods on our plate— the ways we define and consume them, and also how those foods might be defining us. (02:43)
Quetzal
Irene MarcoYouth and Altered States
Official Selection 2017
Veracruz
Quetzal is a coming of age film about a young boy who is sent into the jungle to catch the bird that represents the essence of his tribe and step into adulthood. Fearfully, he sets himself into a journey of self-discovery, understanding and forgiveness when he accidentally shoots a birdwatcher. (24:00)
Sacrifice
Elena Passani & Jade TouronFemme Fatales
Official Selection 2017
United Kingdom
Morgan Woods is a young nurse caught in a struggle between the world of medicine and magic. Her mother is dying but as a witch she refuses medical care, insisting that magic is the only thing that will cure her. When their attempts to heal her fail, her mother demands Morgan to perform a sacrifice to save her. (20:02)
Sherry
Eliane LimaSexual Reduxxx
Official Selection 2017
United States
Sherry is an experimental documentary film which witnesses the private life of Robert, a 75 years old gentleman from Orange County. Every day, Robert transforms himself into a living doll, Sherry. (24:00)
Brew Master
Kelly Jean KaramScreen Play: Brew Master
Official Selection 2017
Kelly Jean Karam is an emerging talent whose screenplays have won high acclaim from multiple industry sources including Best Script Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, 2017; Best Horror and Original Concept Depth Of Field Film Festival, 2017; Best Feature Script California Women's Film Festival, 2016; Winner Best Feature Chicago Horror Film Festival, 2016;
Naked in the Dog Park
Tiffany RhodesScreen Play: Naked in the Dog Park
Official Selection 2017
Tiffany Rhodes is a San Francisco Bay Area Native Her first comedy feature screenplay NAKED IN THE DOG PARK is an official selection in several festivals awaiting final judging. In 2016 she created a documentary, BELIEVERS which follows Rhodes as she explores exotic spiritualism. She co-directed and produced this film that is now in contract to be optioned for a tv series.
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OFFICIAL LEFUFF JURY ALUMNI
Ana Souza
Sundance/Non-Plussed UltraPsychotropic Films
Official Jury 2016
Born in Brazil, Ana Souza was raised in Amsterdam. She holds a BA from the University of Warwick and an MA from USC. Souza has produced a number of shorts and has contributed to numerous film-related publications, including Indiewire, We Eat Film, Front Row Reviews, and The Artifice. She is currently working at Sundance in the programming department.
Jeanne Jo
Slamdance ProgrammerYouth and Altered States
Official Jury 2016
Jeanne Jo is a visual artist and filmmaker who writes and directs narrative films, media art installations, and music videos. Her award-winning work has been shown in galleries and festivals all over the world. She was educated at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Southern California.
Heidi Honeycutt
Etheria Film Night ProgrammerFemme Fatales
Official Jury 2016
Oates Wu
Slamdance ProgrammerSexual Reduxxx
Official Jury 2016
Oates Yinchao Wu is a film director, writer, and editor. He graduated from California Institute of the Arts with an MFA in Film Directing. He is an autobiographical filmmaker, his films screened at Film Festivals around the world, including Seattle International Film Festival, Asian American International Film Festival, OutFest, Inside Out Film Festival, and more.
Cynthia Kashiwagi
Social DevianceSan Diego Asian Film Festival
Official Jury 2017
Cynthia Kashiwagi serves as the Development & Engagement Director at Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts), presenters of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and has worked with the organization for four years. A graduate of #UCSD, Cynthia holds a double major in Ethnic Studies and International Studies.
Gerry Maravilla
Psychotropic FilmsSeed&Spark
Official Jury 2017
Gerry Maravilla is an independent filmmaker and the Head of Crowdfunding at Seed&Spark, a subscription video streaming and crowdfunding platform with the highest crowdfunding success rate in the business (75%!). As an independent filmmaker, Gerry ran a successful campaign on Seed&Spark for his short film, “Cross”, the story of Filipino-American backyard boxer in the San Fernando Valley. It recently completed a cross country festival run.
Diana Agostini
San Diego Italian Film FestivalYouth and Altered States
Official Jury 2017
Diana Agostini is the Associate Executive Director at the San Diego Italian Film Festival, a local non profit arts organization with the mission to provide a different perspective (the Italian one!) on universally shared themes and feelings through movies. She combines her passion for cultural studies to the one for arts, trying to find creative ways to express messages.
Christine Schindel
Horrible Imaginings Film FestivalFemme Fatales
Official Jury 2017
Christine Schindel has worked in content marketing for the last 10 years as a copywriter, copyeditor, and digital marketer. She is currently the marketing director for a national mortgage broker and also for San Diego's Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. Christine has been a film enthusiast since childhood and likes to spend her free time reading books, watching movies, and eating sauerkraut with her cat, Mr. Norman Bates.
So Yun Um
So's Reel ThoughtsSexual Reduxxx
Official Jury 2017
So Yun Um is a Korean-American Film Critic and Filmmaker. She runs the film website & YouTube channel, So’s Reel Thoughts which highlights international, independent, and genre films. She writes a bi-weekly column called Badass Femmes for Crome Yellow & is the creator of the Girl Talk Series. She is affiliated with various LA Film Festivals and is part of the Women Film Critics Circle.
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