GRAND FINALE PAST AND CURRENT JUDGES
STEPHEN NEMETH formed and heads up Rhino Films, the independent film company that originated as a division of iconoclastic record label Rhino Records. He has produced ten films and executive produced fourteen others. He is also working with Amnesty International through Artists for Amnesty on developing and producing human rights related motion picture and television projects. His Producer credits include the Academy-Award Nominated The Sessions, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (starring Johnny Depp and directed by Terry Gilliam), Why Do Fools Fall in Love (starring Halle Berry), Dogtown and Z Boys, What We Do Is Secret, You and I (starring Mischa Barton and directed by Roland Joffe), and Radio Free Albemuth (the last Philip K. Dick novel).
Nemeth was the recipient of 2009′s Vision Award for Documentary Producer and 2009′s Artivist Award for his advocacy and production of socially conscious films. He was named one of the “Top Ten Most Prolific Producers in Hollywood” by The Hollywood Reporter, and one of the “Ten Coolest People in Hollywood” by an online survey of 500 agents, managers, journalists, and lawyers. Prior to forming Rhino Films, Nemeth worked as an independent producer and as a motion picture agent at the William Morris Agency.
JASON KLIOT is a producer of over 50 feature narrative and documentary award-winning films by such acclaimed directors as Jim Jarmusch, Brian De Palma, Steven Soderbergh, Miguel Arteta, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Alex Gibney, Amir Naderi, and Todd Solondz. His films have been selected to and won several awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, The Cannes International Film Festival, and the Venice International Film festival, including two Sundance Grand Jury Prizes and Venice’s Silver Lion for Best Director, among others. His films have also been nominated for over 25 Independent Spirit awards. He has been nominated for an Academy Award.
SEBASTIAN CORDERO first movie, Ratas, Ratones, Rateros (1999), which portrays the life in a poverty-stricken Ecuador, led to his first appearance at the Venice Film Festival. It later appeared in film festivals such as Toronto, San Sebastián and Buenos Aires, and has been recognized with awards and honors at Huelva and La Habana film festivals.His second film, Crónicas, was recognized with the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award, and first appeared at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section in 2004, and was nominated to the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.
His latest film Europa Report was Cordero’s first full English language film. The film was shot over the course of 18 days in Brooklyn in 2011. Europa Report was officially launched with a screening at the Hayden Planetarium on August 1, 2013. The Huffington Post calls it “a little known masterpiece that is terrifyingly real” and considers it one of the top 10 films of 2013.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2BfobyYOmU
MICHAEL TUCKMAN is a veteran of the independent film industry for over fifteen years, Michael Tuckman began his career at The Cinema Guild, where he was hired to start the company’s theatrical distribution division. Tuckman went on to serve as Vice President of Theatrical Sales for THINKFilm, handling the planning and implementation of all theatrical release strategies, including the breakout successes of Oscar-winning and nominated films including SPELLBOUND, HALF NELSON, BORN INTO BROTHELS, TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE and MURDERBALL as well as the box office smashes THE ARISTOCRATS, BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD and THEN SHE FOUND ME. He now operates his own distribution services company, mTuckman media, with which he works directly with filmmakers under their own banners.
KIARA C. JONES is a Writer, Director, Producer, and the proprietor of Cultivated Films LLC. Her New York based 
production company is dedicated to producing films by under represented storytellers and providing a nurturing environment where filmmakers can explore their voices. The Directors Guild of America honored Kiara with the Grand Jury Award for her debut feature, Christmas Wedding Baby in 2015. She was nominated for and Independent Spirit Award in 2015 for producing the feature, She’s Lost Control. Kiara was the US Winner of Bombay Sapphire’s Imagination Series for her writing on Other Side of the Game, which premiered at TriBeCa in 2014.
KEVIN COMER is a producer and member of the PGA and DGA. He most recently produced the feature film “BREAKABLE YOU” starring Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub and Alfred Molina, currently in post. The second season of his TV Show “DOLL & EM” starring Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells recently premiered on HBO to rave reviews. He produced the film “EXPECTING” starring Michelle Monaghan and Radha Mitchell, which premiered at SXSW in Austin and was theatrically released by Tribeca Films. He co-produced “THE TIME BEING” starring Frank Langella, which screened at the Toronto Film Festival 2012 and was released by Tribeca Films. Kevin is also a FIND alumni and a producing fellow with his film, BEFORE YOU SAY GOODBYE. He is currently in development on a trilogy “EIDOLON,” which begins shooting in January 2016. Additionally he has produced a number of short films that have traveled theinternational film festival circuit. Kevin has produced Off-Broadway and is in development on the play “MERCY” written by Mandi Riggi. Kevin and his company were invited to the Cannes Marche Du Film Producers Network in its inaugural year 2004 and continue participation. His company, Psychonaut, continues toproduce high-end commercials, music videos and TV promos. www.psychonautfilms.com
ANAMARIA MARINCA trained at the University of Fine Arts, Music and Drama George Enescu, in the Romanian city of lasi where she also taught for four years. Her work in theatre has included productions in Romania, France and the UK – Youth Theatre (Piatra Neamt), Bulandra Theatre (Bucharest) Theatre Studio (Alfortville), Complicite, The Young Vic and Royal Court Theatre (London) – and Anamaria won the ‘Best Actress of the Year’ award at the Young Actor Gala in Mangalia in 2000. She first came to public attention in 2005 when she received a ‘Best Actress’ BAFTA for her performance in the British Channel 4 TV mini-series SEX TRAFFIC directed by David Yates. Anamaria was cast by Cristian Mungiu as one of the female leads -Otilia- in his Golden Palm-winning drama 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, which was her cinema acting debut. Her performance brought her a nomination as ‘Best European Actress’ in 2007 for the 20th European Film Awards in Berlin and the ‘Best Actress’ prize from the Stockholm International Film Festival jury.
Anamaria worked with Francis Ford Coppola on YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007),
and also appeared in the BBC1 TV mini-series THE LAST ENEMY directed by
Iain B MacDonald, Radu Muntean’s BOOGIE and Julie Delpy’s feature THE
COUNTESS. FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN was awarded for best director and best
script in Sundance 2009. STORM was in the competition at the Berlinale in
2009 and got Best Picture in Silver, Best Editor and Best Music at the
German Film Awards 2010. LOOK, STRANGER opened in Toronto International
Film Festival in September 2010, UN NUAGE DANS UN VERRE D’EAU at the Rotterdam
International Film Festival in 2012 and EUROPA REPORT made its U.S.
premiere as part of the 2013 LA Film Fest. FURY by David Ayer closed the London Film Festival this year.
FELIX THOMPSON is a young, award-winning filmmaker based in New York City. His previous short films have been in competition at festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, Seattle and the BFI’s London Film Festival. Felix received his BFA in Film and TV from NYU’s Tisch School of the arts and his MA in Screenwriting from the Royal Holloway University of London. Felix recently wrapped production on his first feature film King Jack which was part of the Sundance Creative Producing Labs. He is also a co-founder of New York based production company Buffalo Picture House. http://www.buffalopicturehouse.com
JUAN CACERES is an independent multi-media producer whose latest credit is ‘Elliot Loves’, an award winning feature film that was released through TLA and can be seen exclusively on HBO Latino as of July 2013. He served as an associate producer on ‘Emoticon’, a feature film that just made its festival debut and set for release in 2014. Juan’s greatest pride is being a founding member and Director of Programming for the HBO New York International Latino International Film Festival where he also produced trailers and promotional videos. He is also a programming associate for Tribeca All Access, an initiative of the Tribeca Film Festival that aids and supports underserved minorities in the film industry. He has recently started subjecting his filmmaker friends to his craziness in his blog ‘LatinoBuzz’ on IndieWIRE.com, the leading source for independent-minded filmmakers, the industry and moviegoers alike where he covers Latino indies in a weekly column.
MANDI RIGGI is currently in development as sole creator with the Showtime Network on her TV pilot, Mandi’s short film Spade starring Jorge Garcia (Lost, Hawaii 5-0) premiered at the Katra Film Series and graced the screens at Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner. Her last film, Parallel Passage, was nominated Best Short at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema by a jury presided by Roman Polanski. It was honored with an Award for Best Original Dramatic Short at Worldfest Houston and went on to travel the international film festival circuit screening at the Hamptons, São Paulo, Cinequest, San Diego, and Huesca Festivals, amongst others. It premiered on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) where Mandi was a featured director on the IFC Media Lab series. Her animated script, “Shoe In” was a finalist at the Fantastic Planet festival in Australia and her screenplay, “Before You Say Goodbye,” was selected into the 2010 FIND Producers Lab. Her feature script “Five Stories Underground” was a finalist at the 2014 Sundance Producers Fellowship. In addition to filmmaking, Mandi is also a playwright and directs for the stage. Her produced plays include “Chicken Soup”, “A Baby’s Arm Holding An Apple”, “Heaven and Hell”, “Piaf”, “White Hot Fusion”, “The Tale End,” “Patienceʼ” and soon to be “Mercy,” which has also been adapted for the screen. Her play “Piaf,” a one-woman musical based on the life of Edith Piaf continues to tour the globe with productions in the US, Italy, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Turkey and Luxemburg. Mandi is a member of the very selective Playwright Directors Unit at the Actors Studio. In the summer of 2013, Mandi was selected as a playwright into LAByrinth Theatre’s highly competitive program, the Ensemble Intensive mentored by famed playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis. Mandi is represented in the US by 3 Arts Entertainment and CAA.
SOLEIDY MENDEZ is an award-winning actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. She hails from the Dominican Republic, but now resides in New York City. Her most recent achievement was winning the USA 2018 Nespresso Talents, which featured her work at the Tribeca and Cannes Film Festivals.
She is a graduate of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts (its alumni have received 110 Oscar, 317 Emmy and 94 Tony nominations) and studied at the New York Film Academy to develop and hone her screenwriting and filmmaking skills.
As a filmmaker, she has written, directed and produced three films, The Things We Don’t Say (2018), Joe Nose Best (2017) and Cheesecake and Tango (2012).”
STEVE DOLLAR is a Florida-based journalist and erstwhile New Yorker who has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Indiewire, Filmmaker and many other publications and websites. He is artistic director of the Tallahassee Film Festival.