THE BETROTHAL CEREMONY - Regent Neo, Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Regent Neo is a director, writer, and producer based in Singapore. Some of his recent works include short films, TV series - scripted and unscripted, commercials, and branded content for notable clients.

Over the years, he honed his craft to conceptualize, write, and direct branded films and high-budget commercials. In 2020, Neo was commissioned by IMDA to direct the comedy web series “Human vs Virus” during the Covid Pandemic lockdown. The same year, his directorial debut for a TV series, “Ah Boy To Dad”, was nominated for Best Short-form Variety Programme at Star Awards 2021. In 2021, he directed another web-to-TV series “Wedding Pig”, adapted from a successful theater play. The series garnered over 100K views on YouTube alone in less than 2 weeks.

Over the years, Neo has written and directed branded short films for clients, giving him the experience and learning opportunities he needs. This makes his latest short film "The Betrothal Ceremony" his first non-branded live-action short film that qualifies for film festivals worldwide. He has yet to win his first short film award.

The Memorial Day Massacre: Workers Die, Film Buried, Producer

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

Lyn is also the Producer of director writer Greg Mitchell’s THE FIRST ATTACK ADS: Hollywood vs Upton Sinclair (also in our 2023 festival).

Lyn is an Executive Producer, Director, Producer, Writer and an Academy-Award nominated filmmaker, specializing in historical and social issue documentaries, with 16 feature documentaries broadcast nationally on PBS and major cable.

Her award winning, national primetime television credits include: The New Los Angeles, California and the American Dream, Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire, The Roman Empire in the First Century, The Great War, The Great Depression, People in Motion, Danger: Kids at Work, With Babies and Banners, and A Taste of Freedom.

Lyn Goldfarb’s work embraces new forms of media, from interactive media to public video art and installations. She has exhibited in a variety of venues, including: the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Autry Museum of the American West, the California Museum of Women, History and the Arts, and the American Association of Museums Annual Convention.

Goldfarb’s documentaries use evocative storytelling, penetrating archival footage, and visually compelling cinematography to put a human face on historical events, and to reveal the enduring spirit in stories that still have an impact on our world today.

ROOKIE CARD, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

Anthony is a filmmaker based in Northern New Jersey. Anthony created his own production company, Storm Giant Productions, in 2018 and also launched his own film-centric podcast, Video Vagabond, in 2021. Anthony's last film, "Ashes", won an Audience Award at the International Horror Hotel in 2018 and was selected to 8 festivals. His goal is to write/direct a feature-film within the next 5 years, after his 13-year old daughter (who also worked on "Rookie Card") asked him, "Dad, when are you making a BIG movie?" He promised her he would make one before she graduated High School, and that he wanted her to be part of the journey. The countdown starts now! There is not a moment to lose!

PATRIMONY, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Stefan Tomić (August 7, 1998 / Banja Luka) is a fourth-year student of Film and TV Directing at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka. So far, he has made seven short films and one short documentary. He is the creative author of all his works, in terms of screenwriting, developing ideas, directing and editing. He won the first prize for the best screenplay in cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Culture of the Republic of Srpska, and the Kinoteka of Republic of Srpska for the film "The House Has Horns". His documentary "The Roots", won the Special Jury Award in the Student category at the Sarajevo Film Festival , and was screened at festivals in Europe and Asia.

KITE, Director/Writer/Producer

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Olivier Hero Dressen is a highly acclaimed film director with an impressive portfolio of work spanning fashion, commercials, music videos, and films. He is known for his unique approach to character development and storytelling and has collaborated with celebrities and major brands1. He is also a senior creative director, director, photographer, and illustrator working in the advertising, fashion, music, and film industry.

You can find more information about him on his official website www.herodirector.tv.

No Place for Old Men, Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

I was born in Hong Kong in 1990 and graduated from the Academy of Film at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2011, majoring in directing and screenwriting. Since graduation, I have been working as an assistant director in the Hong Kong film industry up to the present day.

A huge movie enthusiast, most of his childhood memories were spent in movie theaters, watching his favorite films together. He has vividly memories of him taking young Anson to see movies like Alien and Mars Attacks as a mere child.

Anson said, “Though each time after watching a movie with him, I would have nightmares, it was still one of the happiest times of my life. Influenced by my father, I loved to play with toys as actors, props, and scenery, imagining myself making different movies. However, I never thought about becoming a director until a fortuitous opportunity allowed me to understand the different perspectives of appreciating movies. I realized that every movie is a textbook that teaches me different life lessons and has become my passion. Starting with creation, ending with creation, became my life purpose.”

MY NEW CELLO, Director/Producer/Actor/Writer

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Nick Canellakis is a cellist, director, writer, and actor. He has created and starred in several short films, music videos, and comedy sketches. His latest short, Thin Walls, was nominated for awards at many prominent film festivals, including winning Best US Short at the Soho International Film Festival. He has studied acting with the venerated acting coach Allen Savage, improvisation at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and New England Conservatory. An internationally renowned cellist, he has performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and many other of the most eminent concert halls in the world.

TIME IS NOT, Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - FRIDAY 7:00PM

Marian Gabriel Weber is the creator of MGW Productions GmbH, a film production company newly established in 2019 operating from Zurich, Switzerland.

We believe that exceptional artistic quality and commercial, high-concept entertainment don't have to be mutually exclusive. On the contrary: Our aim is to develop and produce high quality, story driven entertainment for theater, TV and VOD that deeply resonates with domestic and international audiences alike.

TIME IS NOT, is a love story set in different times that deals with the timelessness of love and the relativity of time.

HEDGEHOG, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Born in the former Soviet Union, D. Mitry launched his dream of filmmaking in 2015. Since 2016, several of his short films have won numerous awards at international film festivals. His short “Shade of Music” was acquired by PBS in 2016. In February 2020, D. Mitry completed his first feature film dedicated to his late daughter Alyssa, “My True Fairytale.” He wrote, directed, and produced the film that was acquired for world-wide distribution by Gravitas Ventures. It received Theatrical and On-Demand release in April 2021. The World Premiere of “My True Fairytale” was held at the Cinequest in March 2021.

DISCHARGE, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

After graduating from University of Detroit Mercy, moved to New York and attended The Actors Center. Ryan started acting at age 12 and appeared at the Attic Theatre in Detroit. Some of his roles in TV & Movies include: Sunflower ,Couples Therapy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Above the Shadows , Awkwardly, After Party, Love Beats Rhymes, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Her Composition, Bridge and Tunnel, B-Side, Damsels in Distress, and Fighting Fish.

Directing and cinematography are recent projects, including Discharge and over 10 films and videos directed and produced.

THE BRIDGE, Director/Producer

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Liesa Cole; (Producer, Director, Cinematographer) has been a sought after editorial fashion photographer for 3 decades. As such, she brings an arsenal of creative lighting and compositional mastery to her relatively new swerve into filmmaking.

Her visionary photography has garnered numerous accolades, including the esteemed “International Photographer of the Year” from London’s Photography Master’s Cup, The Grand Prize at the International Photography Master’s Conference (Italy) and the International Grand Prize from PDN (Photo District News).

Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States and Europe. No matter which medium or subject matter she chooses to express herself, (neon, still photography or film), the underlying message remains the same: We are all deeply and profoundly connected one to another, along with all other living things.

Based in Birmingham, AL, Liesa resides above her downtown studio with her husband and welcomes a diverse community of international travelers, refugees and and rescue animals.

WHO IS GOD?, Director/Writer

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:300pm

This is for the cinephiles. I ask you to believe in this project. It's a different project. Created with a lot of love. You could be pioneers in a new age of making movies where the hand of man and machine come together to create the most beautiful works of art. Let's elevate cinema. Trust in this project, and I assure you, you won't regret it. With all the love in the world for cinema.

SOMEONE WHO IS PUNCTUAL, Director/Writer

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Haibo is an emerging director and screenwriter currently living in Beijing, China. His latest internationally award-winning short film Someone Who is Punctual mainly focuses on mental abuse to reveal broader social issues behind. Haibo owns different educational backgrounds including a MSE degree on computer animation, a Ph.D. degree on theater and cinema studies and an advanced study program on film directing in Beijing Film Academy, he is also a visiting scholar at the School of Cinematic Arts in the University of Southern California. Wang Haibo is currently working on a feature film script and developing his own fiction novels and short stories which are supposed to be published in the near future.

THE FIRST ATTACK ADS: Hollywood vs Upton Sinclair, Director/Writer

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including "The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair's Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics," winner of the Goldsmith Book Prize and selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five greatest books every written by an election race. His previous film, the award-winning feature "Atomic Cover-up," drew wide acclaim and festival screenings in 2021. He also co-produced another festival favorite, "Following the Ninth," in 2014. Among his other books are the bestselling "The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall" (2016); "The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood--and America--Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (2020), as well as the earlier "Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady" and "Hiroshima in America." He has written about the 1934 campaign in several articles for The New York Times, as well as for the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, American Film, The Nation, and numerous other magazines.

ONE BEGAT TWO, Director/Photographer

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

One begat two is an immersive digital film. The title comes from a concept in Taonism: "One begat two, two begat three, and three begat all things". The film shows a brief ritual through dance in a staged format: a humanoid clay (prototype) is born and enlightened in a lotus pond. After iterating and learning, the prototype generates its simulacra. After a mirroring dance, they finally reached harmony. This film alludes to the pre-training process of the large language model in artificial intelligence. The special ratio was designed to fit the thesis show exhibition space. During the screening, the image was surrounded on three side walls in a small dark room, giving the audience an immersive experience.

SOMEWHERE TO STAY, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Amirhossein Hatami is a multifaceted artist born on July 18, 1993 in Iran. With a diverse background, he holds a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Tehran (graduated in 2019) and a diploma in Filmmaking from the Hilaj Film School (graduated in 2020). In January 2023, Amirhossein directed his first short film and has since been involved as an editor and assistant in various projects. In addition to his filmmaking endeavors, he is an accomplished pianist with a performance history spanning over 30 piano recitals since 2010. Amirhossein Hatami's extensive experience in both film and music fuels his passion for creating and sharing artistic works with the filmmaking community and art enthusiasts worldwide.

WEAKNESS, Director/Producer/Writer

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Antonio Orbe is a director and writer who has worked on several award-winning films. He has won awards for Best Web Series and Best Short Film at the Mokkho International Film Festival, and his work has been selected for several other film festivals as well.

Monthly Future Of Film Awards. WINNER. Best comedy. Kej Makedonija, rown Point International Film Festival. WINNER. Best comedy. Chicago, Mokkho International Film Festival. WINNER. Best comedy. Pondicherry . India ---Indie Movies Spark International Film Festival. WINNER. Best Short Film. Utrecht, The Netherlands ---New York Cinematography AWARDS (NYCA). Finalist. Best Short Film. Shortfundly Annual Film Festival (SFAFF), Nominee. Best Short Film. Chennai. India, New York Monthly Film Festival. Selected. Best Short Film NY, Bridge Fest, Selected. Best Short Film, Vancouver. Canada, 100 Films Retreat. Selected. Best Short Film. California.

LIV, Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Kasper is an experienced filmmaker who has been producing TV series, commercials and music videos for over 20 years. Kasper worked as Director of Photography on the Danish/English horror feature film PRAYER (2023) and he has produced numerous videos for the Danish pop phenomenon's Lukas Graham and Aqua and is one of the masterminds behind the action sketch series The Stunt Comedy Show. Kasper had the idea for LIV as a shower thought one early morning and quickly passed the concept on to script writer Caroline Storm. Kasper has directed, filmed, edited and color graded the pilot for LIV.

Past credits as Director - The Stunt Comedy Show, Thumb Runner, Call Casting and 50 + Danish Music videos & commercials and past Credits as Producer - Call Casting, Thumb Runner, The Stunt Comedy Show, Official Killers

SPACE RYDER, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

Jeff is a writer, director, and producer from the Bay Area. Before moving back to the Bay during the pandemic, Jeff spent over two decades in Los Angeles, where he had to hide his allegiance to the San Francisco Giants and love for sourdough bread bowls.

In L.A. Jeff cut his teeth as an improv and sketch comedian, performing at iO, Second City, and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Jeff became a founding member of L.A.’s longest running sketch show, The Midnight Show, where he specialized in absurdist and physical comedy. He’s still very proud of the giant cardboard props he used to make (and somehow transport across L.A. during rush hour traffic) -- before destroying them as part of his bit. Jeff’s time with the Midnight Show led him to go on a nationwide comedy tour with Drew Carey, who bought Jeff his first iPad.

As a comedic actor, Jeff has appeared on shows like KEY AND PEELE, PARKS AND RECREATION, and SILICON VALLEY; and starred in national commercials for brands like CALL OF DUTY and ADULT SWIM. He was also a host on SyFy Channel and Fox Sports. As a writer-producer, Jeff was the head writer of Comedy Central Digital, and co-produced a secret comedy club nestled within the offices of the DreamWorks campus -- which led him to teach character development and writing workshops to internal teams at DreamWorks.

As a creator, Jeff has sold eight original series to networks like Fox Animation, TruTV, TBS, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. His favorite was an animated series called KENJI THE GHOST WARRIOR, which was based on his childhood summers in the Japanese countryside.

THE DEMISE OF CONEY ISLAND, Director/Writer/Producer

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

Brooklyn born and borough raised, Vagabond graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & the Arts and dropped out of The School of Visual Arts. He began his career in film early on, working on independent black films such as Spikes Lees "Do The Right Thing", where he quickly learned all aspects of filmmaking and forged his own artistic and ideological aesthetic.

The first film that Vagabond produced was the documentary "RICANSTRUCTING VIEQUES”, that told the story of the US military’s occupational abuse of Vieques, Puerto Rico as a training site, through the use of interviews and live musical performance footage of Nuyorican punk rock band Ricanstruction. It opened to an emotional sold out screening at the first annual NY International Latino Film Festival and opened the Lost Film Festival 4.0 in Philadelphia. The film has gone on to screen across Europe, Australia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and throughout the US.

vagabond would continue to work with Ricanstruction and help found what would become the Ricanstruction Netwerk, a politically radical artist collective in the vein of the Situationist International. vagabond would go on to create murals, posters, pamphlets, and videos and organize political marches, rallies, vigils, art shows, screenings and protests with the Ricanstruction Netwerk.

His first feature film, “MACHETERO” which he wrote, produced and directed stars Isaach de Bankolé (The Keeper, Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Manderlay) who plays a French journalist who comes to New York to interview a Puerto Rican "terrorist" in prison about his decision to use violence as a means to free his people. Screened in neighborhood/barrio community centers and squats while still in mid-production, the controversial film engendered political discussion and debate within (and outside of) the Puerto Rican Diaspora and has been called one of the most important and insightful underground political films ever made. In June of 2008 “MACHETERO” was a finalist for Best Film at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and in October of 2008 took home the prize for Best First Film at the International Film Festival South Africa. In 2009 “MACHETERO” is on a world tour participating in eight festivals in seven different countries on four different continents. The film has won six awards around the world.

Recently vagabond has been producing and directing a series of short films that have been screening at film festivals. His short film NO WAY HOME, CONEY ISLAND DREAMING and SACRED AND PROFANE FACELESS JACKS have all taken home multiple awards at festivals around the world. He's also just finished a feature length documentary, ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE FIRE ESCAPE on original Nuyorican poet Jesus Papoleto Melendez. He's also currently in production on HARLEM'S LAST POET a feature length documentary on Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets.

DOS BROS FORCE, Director/Writer/Producer

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - SATURDAY 7:30

A Writer, Director, Producer, and Visual Effects (VFX) Supervisor, Kalyan Sura is a virtuoso storyteller from South India who built his reputation by making key contributions to independent productions and multi-million-dollar Hollywood blockbusters.

Kalyan pursued Computer Science Engineering at India’s premier technology institute where, ironically, he discovered his love for visual storytelling. Having taught himself animation, Kalyan achieved the rare distinction of being the first and only student-instructor in his university by teaching a course on ‘Fundamentals of 3D Animation.’

Kalyan joined DreamWorks Animation India as their youngest Technical Director (TD) where he contributed to critically and commercially acclaimed films like How To Train Your Dragon 2. In May 2018, Kalyan completed his Master's in Film Production from the University of Southern California, having written 15 short films, 2 feature screenplays, directed five films, and supervised VFX for over a dozen productions. Kalyan’s outstanding VFX work on blockbusters like Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Men In Black: International, and FreeGuy earned him a membership in the prestigious Visual Effects Society.

Kalyan’s science fiction (sci-fi) short film ‘THE LIE GAME’ with an all-South Asian cast was distributed by DUST, the largest youtube channel for sci-fi shorts. His sci-fi feature script ‘MEMORY LANES’ placed in the top 0.1% of a Netflix-supported contest and recently, Kalyan won a Netlfix-backed production grant for his short immigrant drama ‘DOS BROS FORCE’.

Currently, Kalyan is focused on writing and directing live-action and animation content that combines cutting-edge techniques with personal stories, to entertain and inspire audiences around the globe.

THE BOOK OF DAN, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

Don Scimé produced, wrote & starred in the multi-award-winning feature film, THE DAVID DANCE (on Amazon Prime). 28 Wins, 8 Wins for Best Picture and 50 plus film festivals, the theatrical release was held over at Cinepolis Chelsea, NYC, Toronto, Los Angeles & San Fran.. The screenplay is part of the permanent core collection of the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Margaret Herrick Library).

WORLD PREMIERE: Cinequest Film Festival LGBTQ Premiere: Miami LGBTQ Film Festival WINNER: Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature Film - Tallgrass Film Festival, WINNER: Festival Favorite - Cinema Diverse, Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, WINNER: Best Feature Film, LIIFE, WINNER: Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature Film - Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, WINNER: Best Picture - New Hope Film Festival, WINNER: Best Director - New Hope Film Festival, WINNER: LGBT Spirit Award - New Hope Film Festival WINNER: Best Screenplay - NOVA Fest ,WINNER: Best LGBT Film - NOVA Fest, WINNER: Best Actor (Runner Up) - NOVA Fest,WINNER: Distinctive Achievement, Best Actor, Wild Rose Film Fest, WINNER: Distinctive Achievement, Best Screenplay, Wild Rose Film Fest, Other film & television credits include BLUE BLOODS (CBS), THE WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS (HBO) and SMALL TIME, directed by Niav Conty (Winner, BEST FEATURE FILM, Cinequest). BA, Theatre, SUNY, Geneseo. A graduate of The Academy Repertory Company & The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he received the Charles Jelingher Award for Acting & The American Theatre Wing Scholarship. Member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA. Don taught acting, improvisation, film and theatre arts at SUNY College at Geneseo, Sundog Theatre, Manhattan Youth, The Leadership Program, The Calhoun School in New York City and Studio Arena Theatre.

EXCHANGE, Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Barzan Rostami was born in May 1992. He grew up in western Iran in the mountainous region of Kurdistan. Whenhe was a teenager he started to engage in the arts, studied computer engineering and later became familiar with animation, and began to make short films and promotional videos, and later he began to study theater.

“I hope for a better future, when everything is not considered as exchangeable goods. The world when kindness and humane feelings are still appreciated,” said Barzan.

CULTURE TALK ON THE RADIO, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Born in Hamburg, Germany 1979, attended Art College HIBK and University of Hamburg. In 2015 he adopted the artist’s name, Errkaa. Since then, he’s had serveral solo and group art exhibitions. He is the founder of the art gallery, BUNKERHILL GALERIE, in the center of Hamburg. THe gallery exhibits comtemporary art, which he organizes and curates.

Creator of the short movie DADA on Vacation, he has won 11 awards at several international film festivals. Currently, his short movie, Culture Talk on the Radio is complete and competing in festivals as well. His drama entitled, “Der Anstieg Order Warum Camus Sisyphos es auch diesmal nicht schafft”, has made it to the best 8 audio dramas at German Hoerbunchpreis 2023 (German Audio book Awards). His artwork was displayed in a public collection in Germany in 2022.

THE TITLE GOES AT THE END, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

Edoardo was born in 1995 in a small village near Venice, where he started to play with sounds and images since his childhood. Based in northern Italy, Edoardo is currently working as a freelancer director mainly in fashion commercials. His talent allows him to bring his vision to fasion, msic, narratives, corporate promotions, reporting, directing, cinematography and editing.

MY BABY, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #3 - Saturday 4:00pm

A renowned music composer, John came full circle to his first love, which was the cinema. He has composed and recorded a symphonic orchestra for an original soundtrack and has recently toured with pretty famous bands. He shot his first home movies at age 5 with his father’s Video8 camera.

John’s love for music and cinema merged and he started to direct music videos for his original songs and short films and web series for which he composed the soundtrack. “The works of Michel Gondry, Tim Burton, Edgar Wright, Alejandro Amenábar & J.S. Bayona gave me the love of movies full of visual tricks, poetry and magic,” said John.

LA BOLITA, Director

10/14/23 - SESSION #4 - Saturday 7:30pm

With over 25 years of arts and culture industry experience, Arian maintains a varied and inspired career in the areas of arts management, directing & producing. He is Co-founder and Artistic Producing Director of the nonprofit HExTC, Inc. a live performance and media production company. He is an award-winning director with scores of indie theater and media credits to his name and is currently in development as the Series Creator of the episodic concept West of the City.

“I am foremost passionate about telling compelling stories that speak to the variety of experiences that make up the American landscape,” said Arian.

THE MOISTURE (RUTUBET), Director

10/13/23 - SESSION #1 - Friday 7:00pm

Turan Haste is a Turkish filmmaker, producer, and director. He was born in Istanbul in 1989 1. He is known for his work on the short film Rutubet (2022), which won the Best Short Film award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in the United States 2 and has qualified for Academy consideration.

Here are some of his notable works:

Rutubet (2022): A 20-minute short film directed by Turan Haste and written by M. Furkan Dasbilek 3.

Hasat Zamani (2016): A short film directed by Turan Haste 1.

Zengin Kiz Fakir Oglan (2012): A TV series where Turan Haste worked as a camera and electrical department member.