JURY – FIRST TIME DIRECTORS
 Rebecca Reynolds, President, is a partner in the Michigan-based film company, 8180 films. 8180 Films’ third indie feature,”The Girl on the Train,” is now in post-production in Los Angeles, staring Henry Ian Cusick. Other films produced by 8180 films include “The Coexist Comedy Tour” and “Christina”. Reynolds co-wrote/produced two HBO Comedy Specials with actor/comedian Robert Wuhl. The first special, Assume the Position With Mr. Wuhl, earned her and Wuhl a nomination for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy and Variety. She also worked as a writer/producer for the hit HBO comedy series Arli$$. Screenwriting credits include the psychological thrillers Backfire and Overexposed, both co-written with Brand. |
 Tracy Kurtz has been a volunteer for the TCFF since the first year, and a member of the jury since its first selection. An avid filmgoer, Tracy has served as a broadcast movie reviewer for WTCM, WJR and others, and worked as a location manager for commercials, television, and film. She owns Swope-Kurtz Marketing, specializing in public, media, and community relations. |
 Rich Brauer is president of Brauer Productions, Inc., an independent film and video production company he founded in 1977 after graduating with a B.A. in Motion Picture Production and Undersea Photographic Technology from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Brauer received the award “Michigan Filmmaker of the Year” at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival. Brauer has directed 9 feature films and hundreds of corporate and commercial projects. Brauer wrote and Directed his latest 2012 feature film project titled “Dogman” starring Larry Joe Campbell and Mariann Mayberry. He has three adult children and 3 grandkids and lives on an old fruit farm on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, Michigan. |
 Julia Bacha is a media strategist and award-winning filmmaker. She was nominated for the Writer’s Guild of America Award for her first film, “Control Room” (2004). Since 2004, Julia has been the Media Director at the nonprofit Just Vision. Her other credits include “Encounter Point” (2006), “Budrus” (2009), and the short “My Neighbourhood” (2012). For her influential work in shaping media in the US and beyond, Julia is the co-recipient of the 2009 King Hussein Leadership Prize, 2010 Search for Common Ground Award, 2011 Ridenhour Prize and the 2012 O Globo “Faz Diferença” Award. Her TED talk “Pay Attention to Nonviolence” was selected as one of the best talks of 2011 by the Huffington Post. |
JURY – SHORTS
 Terri Sarris, President, is an award-winning media artist and educator who has taught documentary, experimental, and narrative film, “screendance,” and studio television production at the University of Michigan for over two decades. “buzzards steal your picnic,” Sarris’ documentary profile of Frank Pahl, was awarded “Best Michigan Film” at the Detroit International Documentary Festival in 2007 and at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2008. Sarris is currently finishing “The Radiant Sun,” a documentary portrait of Ruth Adler Schnee. Sarris helped to found the “EFEX Project” (Encouraging the Filmmaking Experience), with which she produced the independent feature film Bilal’s Stand (written and directed by Sharrief). |
 Frank Pahl has taught kinetic art, scoring for film, sound art, and sound design at University of Michigan and College for Creative Studies. He’s also received over 80 music commissions for theater, dance, and film … everything from a Chinese fruit juice commercial to Matthew Barney’s recent film (Khu). Frank’s music has appeared on over 80 releases. Currently he leads the jazz combo Scavenger Quartet and the toy pop group Little Bang Theory, for whom he is writing original music for three feature-length Yasujiro Ozu films to be performed this Fall with Benshi accompaniment. In September, Frank Pahl will visit China to take part in the Shanghai Biennale. In 2012 Frank was awarded a Kresge Fellowship for his work as a sound artist. |
 Aaron Olson is the AV Department Head at the Traverse Area District Library. Aaron studied cinema and film production at San Francisco State University, he has also worked in the Michigan film industry and has long been a producer and supporter of the local Traverse City Public Access Television station UpNorthMedia.org. In 2002 Aaron started Cinema Curiosa a film series dedicated to experimental, archival and uncompromising documentary titles that challenge and enrich, this series displayed the areas growing interest in independent and fringe cinema. Aaron is currently working on capturing historical information on his Grandfather’s Film Exhibition empire and raising his 2 1/2 year old daughter Roen. |
 Michael Mittelstaedt is the founding director of the Motion Picture Arts Division at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Prior to Interlochen, Mittelstaedt worked on productions in Lima, Peru, the Czech Republic before finally settling in Chicago. There, he began direction and producing television and documentaries. His producing credits include, the “America in the 20th Century” series of documentaries, HGTV’s “New Spaces,” and lead producer of the multimedia/live performance fundraiser with “For Global Progress,” in conjunction with UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and AIDS research. He has a degree in Spanish language/literature and Psychology from Michigan State University and received his Master of Fine Arts from Ohio University in Film Production. |
JURY – WORLD
 Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features. Currently Deutchman is Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, a New York-based digital exhibition company. He is also a Professor of Professional Practice in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he is the Chair of the Film Program. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a major in film. |
 Stashu Kybartas is an award-winning video artist who has received multiple grants andprizes for his cutting-edge productions that explore such wide-ranging themes as working-class immigration to the US, social upheaval in Eastern Europe and homophobia, both at home and abroad. In 1993-94 he was awarded a J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship to lecture in American Studies and Documentary Production at the University of Vilnius. |
 Paola Mendoza, was named one of Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film. She made her narrative directorial debut with “Entre Nos”, which went on to win over ten international awards at film festivals from around the world. The script of Entre Nos was an official selection at Tribeca All Access and the IFP’s Independent Film Week where it won the Grand Jury Prize for the Panasonic Digital Filmmakers Award. She was most recently commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Tribeca Film Institute to direct the short documentary “La Toma”. She also directed the feature length documentary “Autumn’s Eyes”. Soon after Autumn’s Eyes, Ms. Mendoza went on to helm a short documentary, “Still Standing”. Ms. Mendoza was a nominee for the 2008 & 2010 NALIP Estel Awards. |
 Ian Padron was born in Havana in 1976. In 1996 he began collaborating with ICAIC and the following year made “El Making de Amor Vertical,” his first professional job. His short fiction “Motos,” written and directed in 2000, was the 1st graduate thesis in 35 mm produced by a student of the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba, from who’s School of Film, Radio and TV Padron graduated with honors. His most recognized and controversial film is “Out of League,” his first feature documentary, which tackles the subject of baseball in Cuba. “Eso” recently released documentary rides on “Juan Formell and Los Van Van” and most important project of 2010, complete assembly of what will be his debut fiction film “Pleiesteichon.” |
JURY – U.S.
 Russ Collins is the long serving Executive Director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. In cooperation with the Sundance Institute, Russ created and serves as the director of the Art House Convergence and is the founder of the Cinetopia. Russ is a Professional Theatre Program Fellow of the University of Michigan, an Arts Administration Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts and was knighted by Republic of Italy and awarded the title of “Calvaliere nell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” for his promotion of Italian film culture in the United States. Russ teaches film studies at Eastern Michigan University and is the host of the weekly radio program. He received both a Bachelors and Master’s Degree (in arts administration) from the University of Michigan. |
 Phil Hallman is the Film Studies Librarian at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he works with the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures and is the Head of the Donald Hall Collection. He teaches various library research classes for the department and curates the Projectorhead film series sponsored by SAC. He served as a juror for the 2011 TCFF in the American documentary category. He presented a panel at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX entitled “Dig Deep: Libraries, Archives and Filmmaking.” He has presented conferences papers at the 2011 and 2012 Society of Cinema and Media Studies Conferences. He is a member of the SCMS Media Archives committee. This spring, he received a research grant to pursue a project entitled “Mapping the Motor Cities’ Cinemas.” |
 Corinne LaPook started her career working for legendary graphic designer Lou Dorfsman at CBS and was part of the original team of MTV during the revolutionary birth of the network. She then became the Director of The American Film Institute’s New York office. She most recently was a Producer of “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” a documentary directed by Constance Marks, winner of a Special Jury Prize at Sundance, 6 Audience Awards at festivals, the Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Documentary, a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary, and 2011 TCFF Audience Award winner and Special Jury Prize for the Most Life Affirming Documentary. |
 Michael Webber began his career as an award winning visual effects animator and commercial director. In the years to follow, his career would migrate to motion pictures, where he would serve as producer on five theatrical films for 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. Michael was the director of the critically acclaimed documentary “The Elephant in the Living Room.” The film won five Best Documentary Awards and became the #1 Independent Film in the nation for three weeks straight. He is currently working on two new documentary projects, several scripted features and a television series. Michael is vice president and co-owner of MainSail Productions, as well as President of the motion picture company NightFly Entertainment. |
MODERATORS
 Debra Polich, Jury and Moderator Co-Coordinator, has served as president/CEO of Artrain, Inc., an independent nonprofit arts organization and winner of the 2006 National Medal for Museum Serivce, for 19 years. In 2012 Deb added the responsibility of leading The Arts Alliance. Deb earned her degree in Arts Administration from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and has more than 25 years of experience in the field. Prior to her tenure at Artrain, Deb served as managing director of Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater. She serves on the boards of ArtServe Michigan and the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. She serves on EMU’s on its College of Arts & Science Resource Development and Masters of Public Administration advisory board and is an occasional Arts Management guest lecturer. |
 Larry Brand began his career as production assistant to the legendary Orson Wells. He went on to write, direct, and co-star in “The Drifter,” “Masque of the Red Death,” and “Overexposed.” His films have included the award-winning independents “Paranoia” and “Christina,” and studio productions “Halloween: Resurrection” and “Hard Luck.” In 2008 he formed 8180 Films with partners Rebecca Reynolds and James Carpenter. Their first feature, “Christina,” went on to win major awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Film, Best Director (Brand), and Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Brand). 8180 Films currently has two films in post-production: the comedy-doc “The Coexist Comedy Tour” and “The Girl on the Train.” 8180′s “A Perfect Man” is due out later this year. |
 Amanda Bynum has worked at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor for the past seven years, now serving as Director of Programming and Education. Under Amanda’s leadership as Festival Director, the Michigan Theater embarked upon its first international film festival, the Cinetopia International Film Festival. Prior to her work at the Michigan, Amanda was a theater instructor and residence hall counselor at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Herself an accomplished singer and performer, Amanda serves as executive director of the Miss Washtenaw’s Outstanding Teen pageant. Amanda holds a degree in speech with an emphasis in theater from Arkansas Tech University. |
 Deborah Cutler graduated from Emerson College in Boston, majoring in photography and writing and then studied Theatre Arts at the University of London, England. As a freelance photographer Deborah’s work has been published in textbooks and national publications. Deborah was one of the founders of Boston Light & Sound, a supplier of cinema systems and technical supervision for premieres and film festivals internationally. She was their Business Manager for ten years. Deborah has been the Technical Personnel Coordinator for the Telluride Film Festival since 1995. She has served on the Board of Directors for Variety, the Children’s Charity, New England Chapter since 1983. |
 Growing up in Suttons Bay, Ian Hollander was fortunate to live in the one town (in an era before the State Theatre) with a cinema that showed movies outside of the mainstream—foreign and indie fare was the norm. When he was old enough, Ian got a job there popping popcorn and running the projector. Ian was in the first class of Traverse City Film Festival interns in 2007 and has been with the festival every summer since, helping with everything from short film programming to writing copy for the film guide to print traffic. For the last four years, Ian has also worked as part of the programming team for the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, as well as working for other film festivals. |
 Terry Lawson has taught Screenwriting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor since 1999; He was a film critic for thirty years, lastly at the Detroit Free Press. His journalism has appeared in many publications, including Esquire, Premiere, American Film and Indie Wire. He was nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize and was a runner-up in the 90s. He has served on many film festival panels, including Toronto, Montreal, Chicago and Sarasota. |
 Founder and President Michael Moore, winner of an Oscar (“Bowling for Columbine”), an Emmy (“TV Nation”), a Palme d’Or at Cannes (“Fahrenheit 9/11″), and the British Book of the Year award (“Stupid White Men”), was the first 18-year-old elected to public office in Michigan. He operated the art-house film series East Village Cinema in his native Flint, Michigan, for eight years. Moore serves as the board president. |
 Jesse Pasternack is a 16-year old with a passion for movies. After announcing at the age of 10 that he was going to become a director (following a brief obsession with fire trucks) he has been immersing himself in the art of film. At age 10, he reviewed films for The Rachael Ray Show and appeared on her show as a restaurant critic. He has been taking film classes ever since, and is one of the leaders of his high school filmmaking club. He will begin his junior year of high school in the fall. Jesse is a member of his school’s Academic Challenge team, enjoys fencing and plays the drums in the school band. Jesse would like his generation to know more about classic movies and is currently writing a book of movie reviews. |
 Thom Powers is a Director, Producer, and Documentary Programmer for Toronto International Film Festival. Originally from Detroit, Thom is the founder and artistic director of the “Stranger Than Fiction” documentary series at the IFC Center. He has also written about documentary filmmaking for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Filmmaker Magazine, and Real Screen Magazine. Thom is Co-Chair of the Cinema Eye Honors and has served as a juror for Sundance, SXSW, CPH:DOX, and DocAviv festivals. He currently lives in New York City, where he taught classes on documentary development at NYU’s School of Continuing Professional Studies and the School of Visual Arts. |
 Robert Rayher‘s primary creative focus since 1993 has been screenwriting. From the end of the ’70′s through the early ’90′s, he produced and presented experimental films and videos. Robert has had stints in the motion picture industry and with independent film productions. His films and tapes have been screened widely in North America, and occasionally in Europe and Asia. A number of his titles are available from the Canadian Filmmakers’ Distribution Center. Grants for filmmaking include NEA Regional Fellowships (’88 & ’92) and support from The National Film Board of Canada (’83-’85). |
 Julia Reichert has been called a godmother of the American independent film movement and is a three time Oscar nominee. Her film “Growing Up Female” was the first feature documentary of the modern Women’s Movement. It was chosen for inclusion on the National Film Registry. Her films “Union Maids,” “Seeing Red,” and her Short “The Last Truck” were all nominated for Academy Awards. Her film “A Lion in the House” (with Steven Bognar) was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and won the Primetime Emmy for “Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking”. Julia is co-founder of New Day Films and is author of “Doing It Yourself.” She is also Professor of Motion Pictures at Wright State University in Ohio and a grandma. |
 Matthew Solomon (PhD, UCLA) is Associate Professor in the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan, where he teaches courses in film history and film theory. He is the author of “Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century” (University of Illinois Press, 2010) and the editor of Fantastic Voyages of the Cinematic Imagination: Georges Méliès’s Trip to the Moon (SUNY Press, 2011). He is at work on a new book about Méliès and the modern world. |
 Co-founder John Robert Williams is also a lifelong resident of Traverse City. A full-time commercial photographer for over 26 years, his studio is in the center of downtown Traverse City. He has served Traverse City since he was appointed to the City Planning Commission at age 17. A long-time member of Rotary Charities, he has been instrumental in founding the Dennos Museum, TART Trails, radio station WNMC, and Cross-Town Properties’ affordable housing. Williams serves as board treasurer. |
 Sheila Murphy is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan. She writes on new media technologies (including video games!) and her book How Television Invented New Media was published in 2011 by Rutgers University Press. She grew up on the shores of Lake Erie and loves visiting Traverse City and the TCFF every year. |
 Brenda Benthien is a programmer and the Guest Relations Director of the Cleveland International Film Festival. She also serves as a consultant to the Cinetopia International Film Festival in Ann Arbor and is Program Director of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival. Brenda was involved with starting up AFI Fest in Los Angeles, and has lived and worked in Munich and Tokyo. When she isn’t busy with festivals, Brenda is a German translator of screenplays and film-related texts. Brenda is currently working with a Swiss publisher on a translation of Rudolf Kurtz’s iconic Expressionism and Film, and with director Volker Schlöndorff to co-translate his memoirs, which will be published as an e-book. |
 Jim Olson has been practicing law and writing about environmental, water, and public trust law for over thirty-five years. He is a principal in the Olson, Bzdok & Howard, P.C. law firm, Traverse City, Michigan. He recently co-founded and chairs the Flow for Water Coalition (www.flowforwater.org). He is author of two fictional works and is featured in two recent international water films, “FLOW: For Love of Water” and “Blue Gold.” Olson received a B.A. (Business) from Michigan State University, J.D. from Detroit College of Law (Michigan State University College of Law), and LL.M. in natural resources and environmental law (University of Michigan Law School). He was named Michigan Lawyer of the Year in 1998 and received the State Bar’s Champion of Justice award in 2010 |
 Rod Birleson is an educator and documentary filmmaker. He earned a degree in secondary education at Eastern Michigan University in 1970 and taught 27 years in Michigan public schools before retiring from teaching in 1997. He began his filmmaking career by being one of the two key field producers for the groundbreaking film, “Roger & Me. Rod went on to work as a producer on ”SICKO” and “Capitalism: A Love Story”. He has been active on the film festival from the start, acting as a moderator, panel member and volunteer for the Traverse City Film Festival. He is TCFF’s newest board member. |
 Mark “Drago” Dragovich‘s interest in production began in 2002 in Detroit, MI. While assisting on 2 local music videos he realized that producing and directing was something he was really good at. Drago is a local filmmaker that has worked his way from set PA to First Assistant Director. The more he learned the more he enjoyed the intricacy and problem solving piece of making movies. Drago enjoys directing as well as writing scripts. He has worked on movies locally in Traverse City as well as Grand Rapids and New Orleans. Drago’s next project is first AD on a movie in the fall in Alpena, MI.
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Rebecca Reynolds, President, is a partner in the Michigan-based film company, 8180 films. 8180 Films’ third indie feature,”The Girl on the Train,” is now in post-production in Los Angeles, staring Henry Ian Cusick. Other films produced by 8180 films include “The Coexist Comedy Tour” and “Christina”. Reynolds co-wrote/produced two HBO Comedy Specials with actor/comedian Robert Wuhl. The first special, Assume the Position With Mr. Wuhl, earned her and Wuhl a nomination for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy and Variety. She also worked as a writer/producer for the hit HBO comedy series Arli$$. Screenwriting credits include the psychological thrillers Backfire and Overexposed, both co-written with Brand.
Tracy Kurtz has been a volunteer for the TCFF since the first year, and a member of the jury since its first selection. An avid filmgoer, Tracy has served as a broadcast movie reviewer for WTCM, WJR and others, and worked as a location manager for commercials, television, and film. She owns Swope-Kurtz Marketing, specializing in public, media, and community relations.
Rich Brauer is president of Brauer Productions, Inc., an independent film and video production company he founded in 1977 after graduating with a B.A. in Motion Picture Production and Undersea Photographic Technology from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Brauer received the award “Michigan Filmmaker of the Year” at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival. Brauer has directed 9 feature films and hundreds of corporate and commercial projects. Brauer wrote and Directed his latest 2012 feature film project titled “Dogman” starring Larry Joe Campbell and Mariann Mayberry. He has three adult children and 3 grandkids and lives on an old fruit farm on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, Michigan.
Julia Bacha is a media strategist and award-winning filmmaker. She was nominated for the Writer’s Guild of America Award for her first film, “Control Room” (2004). Since 2004, Julia has been the Media Director at the nonprofit Just Vision. Her other credits include “Encounter Point” (2006), “Budrus” (2009), and the short “My Neighbourhood” (2012). For her influential work in shaping media in the US and beyond, Julia is the co-recipient of the 2009 King Hussein Leadership Prize, 2010 Search for Common Ground Award, 2011 Ridenhour Prize and the 2012 O Globo “Faz Diferença” Award. Her TED talk “Pay Attention to Nonviolence” was selected as one of the best talks of 2011 by the Huffington Post.
Terri Sarris, President, is an award-winning media artist and educator who has taught documentary, experimental, and narrative film, “screendance,” and studio television production at the University of Michigan for over two decades. “buzzards steal your picnic,” Sarris’ documentary profile of Frank Pahl, was awarded “Best Michigan Film” at the Detroit International Documentary Festival in 2007 and at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2008. Sarris is currently finishing “The Radiant Sun,” a documentary portrait of Ruth Adler Schnee. Sarris helped to found the “EFEX Project” (Encouraging the Filmmaking Experience), with which she produced the independent feature film Bilal’s Stand (written and directed by Sharrief).
Frank Pahl has taught kinetic art, scoring for film, sound art, and sound design at University of Michigan and College for Creative Studies. He’s also received over 80 music commissions for theater, dance, and film … everything from a Chinese fruit juice commercial to Matthew Barney’s recent film (Khu). Frank’s music has appeared on over 80 releases. Currently he leads the jazz combo Scavenger Quartet and the toy pop group Little Bang Theory, for whom he is writing original music for three feature-length Yasujiro Ozu films to be performed this Fall with Benshi accompaniment. In September, Frank Pahl will visit China to take part in the Shanghai Biennale. In 2012 Frank was awarded a Kresge Fellowship for his work as a sound artist.
Aaron Olson is the AV Department Head at the Traverse Area District Library. Aaron studied cinema and film production at San Francisco State University, he has also worked in the Michigan film industry and has long been a producer and supporter of the local Traverse City Public Access Television station UpNorthMedia.org. In 2002 Aaron started Cinema Curiosa a film series dedicated to experimental, archival and uncompromising documentary titles that challenge and enrich, this series displayed the areas growing interest in independent and fringe cinema. Aaron is currently working on capturing historical information on his Grandfather’s Film Exhibition empire and raising his 2 1/2 year old daughter Roen.
Michael Mittelstaedt is the founding director of the Motion Picture Arts Division at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Prior to Interlochen, Mittelstaedt worked on productions in Lima, Peru, the Czech Republic before finally settling in Chicago. There, he began direction and producing television and documentaries. His producing credits include, the “America in the 20th Century” series of documentaries, HGTV’s “New Spaces,” and lead producer of the multimedia/live performance fundraiser with “For Global Progress,” in conjunction with UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and AIDS research. He has a degree in Spanish language/literature and Psychology from Michigan State University and received his Master of Fine Arts from Ohio University in Film Production.
Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features. Currently Deutchman is Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, a New York-based digital exhibition company. He is also a Professor of Professional Practice in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he is the Chair of the Film Program. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a major in film.
Stashu Kybartas is an award-winning video artist who has received multiple grants andprizes for his cutting-edge productions that explore such wide-ranging themes as working-class immigration to the US, social upheaval in Eastern Europe and homophobia, both at home and abroad. In 1993-94 he was awarded a J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship to lecture in American Studies and Documentary Production at the University of Vilnius.
Paola Mendoza, was named one of Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film. She made her narrative directorial debut with “Entre Nos”, which went on to win over ten international awards at film festivals from around the world. The script of Entre Nos was an official selection at Tribeca All Access and the IFP’s Independent Film Week where it won the Grand Jury Prize for the Panasonic Digital Filmmakers Award. She was most recently commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Tribeca Film Institute to direct the short documentary “La Toma”. She also directed the feature length documentary “Autumn’s Eyes”. Soon after Autumn’s Eyes, Ms. Mendoza went on to helm a short documentary, “Still Standing”. Ms. Mendoza was a nominee for the 2008 & 2010 NALIP Estel Awards.
Ian Padron was born in Havana in 1976. In 1996 he began collaborating with ICAIC and the following year made “El Making de Amor Vertical,” his first professional job. His short fiction “Motos,” written and directed in 2000, was the 1st graduate thesis in 35 mm produced by a student of the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba, from who’s School of Film, Radio and TV Padron graduated with honors. His most recognized and controversial film is “Out of League,” his first feature documentary, which tackles the subject of baseball in Cuba. “Eso” recently released documentary rides on “Juan Formell and Los Van Van” and most important project of 2010, complete assembly of what will be his debut fiction film “Pleiesteichon.”
Russ Collins is the long serving Executive Director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. In cooperation with the Sundance Institute, Russ created and serves as the director of the Art House Convergence and is the founder of the Cinetopia. Russ is a Professional Theatre Program Fellow of the University of Michigan, an Arts Administration Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts and was knighted by Republic of Italy and awarded the title of “Calvaliere nell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” for his promotion of Italian film culture in the United States. Russ teaches film studies at Eastern Michigan University and is the host of the weekly radio program. He received both a Bachelors and Master’s Degree (in arts administration) from the University of Michigan.
Phil Hallman is the Film Studies Librarian at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he works with the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures and is the Head of the Donald Hall Collection. He teaches various library research classes for the department and curates the Projectorhead film series sponsored by SAC. He served as a juror for the 2011 TCFF in the American documentary category. He presented a panel at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX entitled “Dig Deep: Libraries, Archives and Filmmaking.” He has presented conferences papers at the 2011 and 2012 Society of Cinema and Media Studies Conferences. He is a member of the SCMS Media Archives committee. This spring, he received a research grant to pursue a project entitled “Mapping the Motor Cities’ Cinemas.”
Corinne LaPook started her career working for legendary graphic designer Lou Dorfsman at CBS and was part of the original team of MTV during the revolutionary birth of the network. She then became the Director of The American Film Institute’s New York office. She most recently was a Producer of “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” a documentary directed by Constance Marks, winner of a Special Jury Prize at Sundance, 6 Audience Awards at festivals, the Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Documentary, a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary, and 2011 TCFF Audience Award winner and Special Jury Prize for the Most Life Affirming Documentary.
Michael Webber began his career as an award winning visual effects animator and commercial director. In the years to follow, his career would migrate to motion pictures, where he would serve as producer on five theatrical films for 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. Michael was the director of the critically acclaimed documentary “The Elephant in the Living Room.” The film won five Best Documentary Awards and became the #1 Independent Film in the nation for three weeks straight. He is currently working on two new documentary projects, several scripted features and a television series. Michael is vice president and co-owner of MainSail Productions, as well as President of the motion picture company NightFly Entertainment.
Debra Polich, Jury and Moderator Co-Coordinator, has served as president/CEO of Artrain, Inc., an independent nonprofit arts organization and winner of the 2006 National Medal for Museum Serivce, for 19 years. In 2012 Deb added the responsibility of leading The Arts Alliance. Deb earned her degree in Arts Administration from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and has more than 25 years of experience in the field. Prior to her tenure at Artrain, Deb served as managing director of Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater. She serves on the boards of ArtServe Michigan and the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. She serves on EMU’s on its College of Arts & Science Resource Development and Masters of Public Administration advisory board and is an occasional Arts Management guest lecturer.
Larry Brand began his career as production assistant to the legendary Orson Wells. He went on to write, direct, and co-star in “The Drifter,” “Masque of the Red Death,” and “Overexposed.” His films have included the award-winning independents “Paranoia” and “Christina,” and studio productions “Halloween: Resurrection” and “Hard Luck.” In 2008 he formed 8180 Films with partners Rebecca Reynolds and James Carpenter. Their first feature, “Christina,” went on to win major awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Film, Best Director (Brand), and Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Brand). 8180 Films currently has two films in post-production: the comedy-doc “The Coexist Comedy Tour” and “The Girl on the Train.” 8180′s “A Perfect Man” is due out later this year.
Amanda Bynum has worked at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor for the past seven years, now serving as Director of Programming and Education. Under Amanda’s leadership as Festival Director, the Michigan Theater embarked upon its first international film festival, the Cinetopia International Film Festival. Prior to her work at the Michigan, Amanda was a theater instructor and residence hall counselor at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Herself an accomplished singer and performer, Amanda serves as executive director of the Miss Washtenaw’s Outstanding Teen pageant. Amanda holds a degree in speech with an emphasis in theater from Arkansas Tech University.
Deborah Cutler graduated from Emerson College in Boston, majoring in photography and writing and then studied Theatre Arts at the University of London, England. As a freelance photographer Deborah’s work has been published in textbooks and national publications. Deborah was one of the founders of Boston Light & Sound, a supplier of cinema systems and technical supervision for premieres and film festivals internationally. She was their Business Manager for ten years. Deborah has been the Technical Personnel Coordinator for the Telluride Film Festival since 1995. She has served on the Board of Directors for Variety, the Children’s Charity, New England Chapter since 1983.
Growing up in Suttons Bay, Ian Hollander was fortunate to live in the one town (in an era before the State Theatre) with a cinema that showed movies outside of the mainstream—foreign and indie fare was the norm. When he was old enough, Ian got a job there popping popcorn and running the projector. Ian was in the first class of Traverse City Film Festival interns in 2007 and has been with the festival every summer since, helping with everything from short film programming to writing copy for the film guide to print traffic. For the last four years, Ian has also worked as part of the programming team for the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, as well as working for other film festivals.
Terry Lawson has taught Screenwriting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor since 1999; He was a film critic for thirty years, lastly at the Detroit Free Press. His journalism has appeared in many publications, including Esquire, Premiere, American Film and Indie Wire. He was nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize and was a runner-up in the 90s. He has served on many film festival panels, including Toronto, Montreal, Chicago and Sarasota.
Founder and President Michael Moore, winner of an Oscar (“Bowling for Columbine”), an Emmy (“TV Nation”), a Palme d’Or at Cannes (“Fahrenheit 9/11″), and the British Book of the Year award (“Stupid White Men”), was the first 18-year-old elected to public office in Michigan. He operated the art-house film series East Village Cinema in his native Flint, Michigan, for eight years. Moore serves as the board president.
Jesse Pasternack is a 16-year old with a passion for movies. After announcing at the age of 10 that he was going to become a director (following a brief obsession with fire trucks) he has been immersing himself in the art of film. At age 10, he reviewed films for The Rachael Ray Show and appeared on her show as a restaurant critic. He has been taking film classes ever since, and is one of the leaders of his high school filmmaking club. He will begin his junior year of high school in the fall. Jesse is a member of his school’s Academic Challenge team, enjoys fencing and plays the drums in the school band. Jesse would like his generation to know more about classic movies and is currently writing a book of movie reviews.
Thom Powers is a Director, Producer, and Documentary Programmer for Toronto International Film Festival. Originally from Detroit, Thom is the founder and artistic director of the “Stranger Than Fiction” documentary series at the IFC Center. He has also written about documentary filmmaking for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Filmmaker Magazine, and Real Screen Magazine. Thom is Co-Chair of the Cinema Eye Honors and has served as a juror for Sundance, SXSW, CPH:DOX, and DocAviv festivals. He currently lives in New York City, where he taught classes on documentary development at NYU’s School of Continuing Professional Studies and the School of Visual Arts.
Robert Rayher‘s primary creative focus since 1993 has been screenwriting. From the end of the ’70′s through the early ’90′s, he produced and presented experimental films and videos. Robert has had stints in the motion picture industry and with independent film productions. His films and tapes have been screened widely in North America, and occasionally in Europe and Asia. A number of his titles are available from the Canadian Filmmakers’ Distribution Center. Grants for filmmaking include NEA Regional Fellowships (’88 & ’92) and support from The National Film Board of Canada (’83-’85).
Julia Reichert has been called a godmother of the American independent film movement and is a three time Oscar nominee. Her film “Growing Up Female” was the first feature documentary of the modern Women’s Movement. It was chosen for inclusion on the National Film Registry. Her films “Union Maids,” “Seeing Red,” and her Short “The Last Truck” were all nominated for Academy Awards. Her film “A Lion in the House” (with Steven Bognar) was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and won the Primetime Emmy for “Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking”. Julia is co-founder of New Day Films and is author of “Doing It Yourself.” She is also Professor of Motion Pictures at Wright State University in Ohio and a grandma.
Matthew Solomon (PhD, UCLA) is Associate Professor in the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan, where he teaches courses in film history and film theory. He is the author of “Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century” (University of Illinois Press, 2010) and the editor of Fantastic Voyages of the Cinematic Imagination: Georges Méliès’s Trip to the Moon (SUNY Press, 2011). He is at work on a new book about Méliès and the modern world.
Co-founder John Robert Williams is also a lifelong resident of Traverse City. A full-time commercial photographer for over 26 years, his studio is in the center of downtown Traverse City. He has served Traverse City since he was appointed to the City Planning Commission at age 17. A long-time member of Rotary Charities, he has been instrumental in founding the Dennos Museum, TART Trails, radio station WNMC, and Cross-Town Properties’ affordable housing. Williams serves as board treasurer.
Sheila Murphy is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan. She writes on new media technologies (including video games!) and her book How Television Invented New Media was published in 2011 by Rutgers University Press. She grew up on the shores of Lake Erie and loves visiting Traverse City and the TCFF every year.
Brenda Benthien is a programmer and the Guest Relations Director of the Cleveland International Film Festival. She also serves as a consultant to the Cinetopia International Film Festival in Ann Arbor and is Program Director of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival. Brenda was involved with starting up AFI Fest in Los Angeles, and has lived and worked in Munich and Tokyo. When she isn’t busy with festivals, Brenda is a German translator of screenplays and film-related texts. Brenda is currently working with a Swiss publisher on a translation of Rudolf Kurtz’s iconic Expressionism and Film, and with director Volker Schlöndorff to co-translate his memoirs, which will be published as an e-book.
Jim Olson has been practicing law and writing about environmental, water, and public trust law for over thirty-five years. He is a principal in the Olson, Bzdok & Howard, P.C. law firm, Traverse City, Michigan. He recently co-founded and chairs the Flow for Water Coalition (www.flowforwater.org). He is author of two fictional works and is featured in two recent international water films, “FLOW: For Love of Water” and “Blue Gold.” Olson received a B.A. (Business) from Michigan State University, J.D. from Detroit College of Law (Michigan State University College of Law), and LL.M. in natural resources and environmental law (University of Michigan Law School). He was named Michigan Lawyer of the Year in 1998 and received the State Bar’s Champion of Justice award in 2010
Rod Birleson is an educator and documentary filmmaker. He earned a degree in secondary education at Eastern Michigan University in 1970 and taught 27 years in Michigan public schools before retiring from teaching in 1997. He began his filmmaking career by being one of the two key field producers for the groundbreaking film, “Roger & Me. Rod went on to work as a producer on ”SICKO” and “Capitalism: A Love Story”. He has been active on the film festival from the start, acting as a moderator, panel member and volunteer for the Traverse City Film Festival. He is TCFF’s newest board member.
Mark “Drago” Dragovich‘s interest in production began in 2002 in Detroit, MI. While assisting on 2 local music videos he realized that producing and directing was something he was really good at. Drago is a local filmmaker that has worked his way from set PA to First Assistant Director. The more he learned the more he enjoyed the intricacy and problem solving piece of making movies. Drago enjoys directing as well as writing scripts. He has worked on movies locally in Traverse City as well as Grand Rapids and New Orleans. Drago’s next project is first AD on a movie in the fall in Alpena, MI.
