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presented by
International Judging Panel
A.J. Catoline, ACE
Picture Editor
A.J. is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and USC's Master of Professional Writing Program. He serves as a Board Member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE) and is a frequent contributor to Cinemontage Magazine about members of the Guild and their work in the post-production industry. He is a picture editor working in Los Angeles, recently on "Ted Lasso'' for Apple TV+, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy in 2021. He has also been nominated for the American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards. His other television credits include "Brockmire" for IFC, "Speechless" for ABC, and "Black Jesus" for Adult Swim. He is a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and, when not in the cutting room, loves to be out in nature fishing and downhill skiing. He also serves as a volunteer with his local West Hollywood chapter of the Human Rights Campaign.
Michaelangelo Masangkay
President & Founder of Siné Institute
Michaelangelo is currently the Director of Production at Toronto Film School, General Manager of Raven Banner Entertainment, and President/Founder of Siné Institute. He began his career in 2006, navigating the economic crisis and digital distribution revolution, eventually becoming VP of Sales and Marketing at Cinemavault. In 2011, he co-founded Toronto Men’s Fashion Week, producing large-scale fashion events with significant media impact. Since 2013, as General Manager at Raven Banner, he has repped over 200 films and produced several, including collaborating with Slash from Guns N' Roses. He has also provided production services to AMC, TUBI, and others. He has worked with the Film Development Council of the Philippines since 2016, empowering Filipino filmmakers. His first produced film, TOPAKK, has premiered globally and has been selected for numerous prestigious festivals.
Sergio Di Zio
Actor & Producer
Sergio Di Zio has been acting in film, television and theatre for over thirty years. Winner of several awards, including the Gemini and the Dora Mavor Moore and recieving multiple nominations across every medium, Sergio has over 100 film credits and has performed on stages across the country. A series regular on Flashpoint, Rogue, and This is Wonderland, he has also guest starred and been featured in Transplant, The Queen's Gambit, Coroner, and Chucky: The Series. He has been directed by Oscar and Emmy Award winning directors Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, John Maddan, Scott Frank, and Christoph Waltz. His theatre credits include the world premieres of This is War, Scorched (English Translation), and Leo, and the Toronto premieres of Detroit, Between Riverside and Crazy, and The Motherfucker With the Hat.
J.J. Geiger
Picture Editor
J.J. Geiger is a Picture Editor who has worked on shows such the CW's "Gossip Girl," Roku's "Most Dangerous Game," and the Amazon Original Series "Reacher." His editing career overall has been quite diverse; from editing documentaries to local programming where his production team won a LA regional Emmy.
Ozzie Sutherland
Lead, Audio Workflows, Netflix Creative Technologies
Ozzie Sutherland is the “go-to” guy for Pro-Audio solutions. While being based in Los Angeles, his reputation in the industry is known worldwide. A creative, optimistic and talented visionary with superb technical expertise in audio engineering/mixing/sound editorial/studio design. His amicable persona is evident in his ability to work as a team player and relate to everyone from aspiring students to high profile studio management and creatives. Ozzie joined Netflix in 2018 and is currently Lead, Audio Workflows with the Creative Technologies team.
Andrew Jackson
Actor & Voice ArtistAndrew Jackson has worked extensively in television, film, classical theatre, commercial voice, and animation. Andrew recently recorded two voice roles on the live action/animated feature film I, Object and 16 episodes on the popular animated series My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale. Andrew appeared on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as the Klingon Captain D'Chok, played the real Santa/dad on Catch Me If You Clause and was granted supporting lead roles on Christmas in Maple Hills and Shifting Gears. Selected credits include Gangland: Undercover, Christmas in Paris, Peter’s Redemption, Rogue, The Listener, Breakout, Deadly Betrayal, Merlin’s Apprentice, Sea Wolf, Being Erica, Seed, Smallville, Charmed, Catch a Falling Star, The Highlander, Scared Silent, The Last Don II, Scooby Doo 2, Family of Cops II, All I Want, King, Breakout Kings, Lost Girl, Criminal Minds (The Pilot), The Collector, Kyle XY, Earth Final Conflict and Being Erica. . Some of you may know him as Vanaver Mainwairing from the fifth season of Wind at My Back, or you might recognize him from his two-year stint as Dr. Stephen Hamill on ABC's All My Children. Andrew was nominated for an ACTRA Award for his performance as Buford on the animation series Numb Chucks, he won the best actor award at the Cabbagetown Short Film Festival for the comedy My Father is an Actor and the best actor award at the Canadian Cinematography Awards for his performance in the award-winning short film, Obdurate.
Andrea Trentadue
TV Personality, CHIN
It was at a young age that Andrea discovered her love of writing that would become the precursor to her chosen career in Journalism. While studying at Humber College, Andrea volunteered as Producer and Reporter for segments of City Magazine and Plugged In!, a half hour program at Rogers Television. In 2000, Andrea joined CHIN Radio and Television, working many facets of the live show from Floor Director, Production Assistant, Segment Producer and finally, as co-host of the Johnny Lombardi show.
Christopher Lane
Award-Winning Writer, Producer,Director, Film Historian, Educator & Author
Christopher Lane is a film and television professional and an award-winning writer, producer, director, film historian, educator, and author. Over the past two decades, Christopher has produced, directed and written documentaries, films, shorts, features and plays, music videos, corporate and travel videos, commercials and major ad campaigns, as well as multiple television shows including the internationally acclaimed adventure series Canada in the Rough and Gamer Girlz. During this time he also served as Film Production Coordinator for the Toronto Film School for over 15 years, as well as curriculum developer for TFS and many other institutions. Recently Christopher has been active in production working in television as a H&S Supervisor for ViacomCBS/Paramount on such major productions as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Matlock, Walker: Independence, Players, Glamorous and Star Trek: Discovery. This exciting work has seen him working internationally including in Los Angeles, Panama, New Mexico, Vancouver, China as well as all over Ontario.
Frank Morrone
Emmy-Winning Sound Mixer
Frank Morrone is a two-time Emmy-winning Hollywood audio professional who has mixed sound for high profile television and movies including The Strain, LOST, Sleepy Hollow, The Kennedys, Copper, Boss, Ransom and Oscar winning When We Were Kings. He has worked with leading directors and producers including JJ Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Gus Van Sant, Ron Howard, and Tim Burton.
Ellen Dubin
Award-Winning, Multi-Nominated Actress & Voice Artist
Ellen Dubin has enjoyed a highly unique and diverse career as an actor. Her penchant for landing bizarre and fascinating roles has resulted in Ellen becoming a cult figure in the science fiction world beginning with Lexx. Ellen was nominated for a Gemini Award for her series lead in The Collector. Favourite recent roles: Bene Gesserit Ancestors (voice over) in the Oscar-winning Dune, opposite Naomi Watts in The Desperate Hour, Pixar's Oscar-nominated Turning Red, the English dub of the Oscar-nominated Le Pupille, and Blumhouse's blockbuster hit M3GAN. She was thrilled to be in the multi-award-winning mega cult classic Sundance Film Festival's Napoleon Dynamite and in the Emmy-nominated animated series as Captain Phasma in Lego Star Wars and Star Wars Resistance,the Netflix series Daniel Spellbound and the Emmy nominated Elinor Wonders Why. She won a BTVA for her role in Fallout 4. As a daughter of a veteran, having worked on Midway and the short WWII film Boundless was a dream come true. She is honoured to be a member of Women in Animation, SOVAS, AISFA, Women in Film and Television and a judge for the Annie Awards in Los Angeles, The Ultimate VO Survivor and Ms Wheelchair USA.
Maria Ricossa
Actress
Maria's professional life began in Chicago with The Second City. She then moved to Toronto where she joined The Stratford Festival Company. In Film & TV, Maria is known for her roles in The In-laws, playing the wife of Albert Brooks, Bojangles and The Space Between. She's had recurring roles in The Strain, Designated Survivor, Da Kink in my Hair & Missing. She is currently teaching screen acting at Humber College.
Mark Lanza
Sound Supervisor
Mark Lanza has been crafting sound for top movies and television for years. His first job in the industry was working for Oliver Stone. Some of his credits include Independence Day, True Lies, Natural Born Killers, JFK (for which he won a BAFTA), Homeland, Empire, and Electric Dreams. He has over 30 Golden Reel nominations to his name. Mark is currently working at Sony Pictures where he creates sound for TV’s top network and streaming shows. He is a past President of the Motion Picture Sound Editors.
Vanessa Sandre
Filmmaker
Vanessa Sandre is a Brazilian-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Film and a Master's degree in Literature focused on Women and Gender Studies. Vanessa has cultivated a diverse career as a screenwriter, director, producer and performer for the last 14 years. As a Latina immigrant and artist, she finds inspiration in crafting narratives that amplify underrepresented voices through a decolonial and intersectional feminist lens. ‘The Pleasure is All Mine’ (O Prazer é Todo Meu, 2023) is her latest fictional short film, which addresses the taboo subject of female sexuality in old age. Filmed in Brazil, it has received 24 awards and has been selected for over 40 film festivals worldwide, including ‘Best of the Showcase’ and ‘Audience Award’ at the 2024 WIFT + Toronto Showcase.
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