JUDGES

> Best Local Film

Abiram Brizuela is a Venezuelan-born arts executive and a multidisciplinary artist whose work straddles theater, film, music, and themed entertainment. Before joining The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company as its Executive Director, Abiram served as Director of Artist Community at the Sundance Institute, overseeing a community of over 20,000 independent artists emerging from the world-famous Sundance Film Festival as well as the institute's ongoing programs, grants, and funds.

Since 2007, Abiram has worked as a Director and Composer on more than 30 international productions, including Wartime Stories to Sleep in Peace by Karin Valecillos, winner of the Municipal Theatre Award for Best Original Score in 2008, and an ambitious adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey To The Center Of The Earth, winner of three Municipal Theatre Awards for Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Children's Play in 2010.

Since relocating to the United States in 2010, Abiram has led multiple arts education programs, including Miami Music Project, MusicWorks, and The Harmony Project, has served as an advisor and keynote speaker for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and El Sistema USA and continues his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the arts through his work with Peter Golub at the Film Music Lab as well as Antigravity Academy with actor Kelly Marie Tran and Academy Award nominee, Carlos Lopez Estrada.

> Best Documentary

Ania Trzebiatowska is a feature film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to that she was the Sales & Acquisitions Executive for the doc sales agency, Autlook Filmsales, and Senior Director of Acquisitions for the NYC-based agency, Visit Films. Aside from her work at Sundance, Ania runs Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews, Scotland. She was also the artistic director of the Off Camera IFF (Krakow, Poland), which she programmed between 2008-2020. She trained in production and postproduction at the BBC and the British Museum, and holds a Master's degree in film studies as well as an M.A. in Digital Culture and Technology.

> Best of the Fest

Antonio Marziale was born in London, England and grew up in Switzerland. He Graduated with a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University and has starred in Alex Strangelove (Netflix), Altered Carbon (Netflix). His debut short film STARFUCKERS screened at Sundance, Berlinale and Telluride and was acquired by Searchlight, Mubi & Arte. It won the Best of Fest at Salute Your Shorts 2022.

> Best Local Film

An Academy Award winning short-documentary director and entrepreneur, Ben Proudfoot is the creative force behind Breakwater Studios. The studio's work has been recognized by the Academy Awards, The Emmys, The Peabody Awards, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, The James Beard Awards, the Sundance Film Festival, Telluride, and the Tribeca Film Festival among others. Proudfoot was named one of Forbes "30 Under 30" for his leadership and innovation in the brand-funded space.

He hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Proudfoot is an accomplished sleight-of-hand magician and has performed at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles.q

> Best Super Short Film

Clare Cooney is an LA-based filmmaker and a senior programmer at the prestigious short film channel Omeleto. She recently made her feature film debut with the darkly comedic thriller DEPARTING SENIORS, which played at the inaugural Cannes' Fantastic Pavilion 2023 and was described in Variety as "Scream' for the next generation." It will make its World Premiere at FrightFest London in August 2023.

Her award-winning short films RUNNER, PICK UP, and AFTER (A LOVE STORY) have played at major festivals across the country, including Academy-Qualifying festivals such as Cleveland International, LA Shorts International, Indy Shorts International, and Atlanta Film Festival, where Cooney received a "Filmmaker to Watch" nod. She was featured in NewCity magazine's Film 50 list in both 2019 & 2020 and has received press from Deadline, Variety, Roger Ebert, and TimeOut.

> Best Comedy Film

Céline Roustan is a dedicated curator and champion of short films, with over half a decade of experience. She has made significant contributions as a programmer and writer for the popular website Short of the Week, promoting directors and their films. In addition to her programming roles at SXSW and the Palm Springs Shortest, where she has curated films for five years, Céline has also programmed for the San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Dublin International Film Festivals. She has been on the screening committee for the Toronto International Film Festival for several years and, in addition to programming, Céline has served as a jury member and industry speaker at various international film festivals and markets, providing invaluable guidance to aspiring filmmakers on their path to success.

> Best Local Film

Emil Gallardo is an Oscar-qualifying Mexican-American writer/director from Los Angeles. He's an HBO Directing Fellow, a 2023 CDDP finalist, and won Panavision's Future Filmmaker award. His short, 1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME won the Audience Choice award at Salute Your Shorts before qualifying for the Oscars and being acquired by HBO. His current film, EXIT FEE, premieres at HollyShorts this August.

> Best Local Film

Gabe Van Amburgh is a Senior Film Programmer and Manager for the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas. Since 2011 he has directed all aspects of exhibition, including film print traffic, theatre build-outs, the transition to 100% digital DCP exhibition, plus a variety of valuable analytical and strategic contributions as part of the Film & TV Team. As a Senior Film Programmer at SXSW, Gabe has contributed to Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts, Midnight Shorts, and Music Video programs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

> Special Jury

Greg is the Artistic Director for Heartland Film and its Academy Award®-qualifying Indy Shorts and Heartland Film Festival events in Indianapolis and is also a Senior Associate Programmer with the Tribeca Festival shorts team. Greg regularly serves as a festival jury member, industry panelist, and grant reader including recent engagements with Stage 32, IDA, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

> Best Animation

Ina Pira is Lead Curator for Vimeo's iconic Staff Picks program, a showcase for the best short films on the internet.

> Best of the Fest

Kath Tolentino has been a Programmer for Salute Your Shorts since 2020. She is cofounder of BAY MADE Film Festival in the SF Bay Area, and Founder and EP at BorderWoman Pictures, a production company dedicated to bringing underrepresented stories to screen. She was a 2021 Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute Fellow and a 2019 AISF Women in Screen Fellow. Her award-winning films have screened at Palm Springs Shortfest, LAAPFF, Hamptons International, Short of the Week, and more.

> Best Genre Film

Meghan is a Lead Curator at Vimeo, where she watches hundreds of short films each year to make selections for the Vimeo Staff Picks channel. She shares her effusive love for filmmakers by serving on juries, participating in panels, and leading presentations at festivals, as well as hosting shorts screenings around the world.

> Best Drama Film

O'Shea" Myles is the current Film Festival and Industry Events Coordinator for the USC School of Cinematic Arts and owner of Eagle Peak Entertainment LLC, a development and media production company focused on diversifying the landscape of the entertainment industry.

O'Shea" has honed their skills and experience through companies such as RSA Films, CAA, Sundance, Netflix, and has functioned as a creative executive, content consultant, moderator, advisor and speaker. Always having found their voice through their creative work, O'Shea" graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Film and Television Production. They have since functioned as a writer, director, producer, and creative assistant on over 15 shorts, 5 features, multiple commercials, and several music videos. Their accolades also include working as the Associate Producer on the Oscar nominated student short Amelia's Closet and their undergrad thesis film All Out being chosen for official selection at the Texas Black Film Festival. O'Shea" is also an outspoken advocate for and member of the LGBTQ+ community and volunteers their time to supporting community organizations.

> Special Jury

Paul Sloop is entering his 21st year as the Lead Programmer of short films at the Oscar qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. In addition to that role, he is also the Director of Programming at Film Pittsburgh and the Cordillera International Film Festival in Reno/Tahoe, NV. Paul lives in Mentor, OH, a Cleveland suburb, with his wife of 22 years, Sarah. They have eight children; seven daughters and one son.

> Best of the Fest

Trent Jones is the Operations Coordinator and an Associate Short Film Programmer for the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas. Since 2013, he has been an integral part of the festival, starting as a dedicated Volunteer and working his way up to staff in 2018. In his current role as Operations Coordinator, Trent oversees the training and operations of film venues for the event. As an Associate Short Film Programmer at SXSW, Trent actively contributes to the Animated Shorts, Independent TV Pilots, and Music Video Programs.