2021 Jury
Producer and Film marketing and distribution consultant, born in Panama. Began his career in production companies as production assistant and location manager for TV shows, advertising and movies. He worked as Location Manager for the feature film
Ruta de la Luna (Juan Sebastián Jácome, 2012).
After finishing his studies in Marketing, Distribution and Sales of Film Projects at ESCAC (Barcelona), he moved to the film distribution field, working as Sales Analyst and Trade Marketing Coordinator for Twentieth Century Fox Films, Central America; working for 4 years in the distribution of more than 60 films for the region.
In 2016, he obtained his Master of International Business for Film from the London Film School and the University of Exeter in the UK.
Currently, he leads the development of the feature films Adiós Bárbara directed by Mariel García Spooner and Animal Lluvioso directed by Costa Rican director Laura Astorga Carrera. In addition, he has served as Marketing Consultant and Booker for independent films such as Sin Pepitas en la Lengua (Hnos. García de Paredes, 2018) and Pedro e Inés (Antonio Ferreira, 2018), as well as producing the podcast
“Taquillando” ( https://www.cesar-garrido.com/taquillando-podcast) focused on Film Marketing, Distribution and Sales in Central America.
George Snow
George Snow was trained as a graphic designer and filmmaker at Hornsey College of Art, London. After being thrown out for hitting the Head of Department he returned 10 years later as a teacher. He was among the first photographers to cover the widespread unrest in Northern Ireland after the introduction of Internment Without Trial. His work was widely published in the Left Wing press. He designed all of the early Star Wars books and magazines but abandoned that trade after discovering video and software programming in the mid 80’s.
His most successful videos were ‘I’ve Been Thinkin’ About you’ for London Beat and ‘The Assignation’ for Channel 4 in London. He is a keen sportsman and runs the highly successful Bike Palestine cycle tour. www.bikepalestine.com . He presently lives as a recluse in his castle in Tuscany.
Robin Malinga
Matthew Celestial
Matthew Celestial is the Executive Director of Statement Strategies Ltd., a communications and public strategy firm, specializing in technology, entertainment, and innovative lifestyle brands. Having led multiple campaigns for businesses in technology, entertainment and lifestyle across the globe, Matthew steers senior leadership teams and clients to find the right message for their organizations. He leads national and international brand partnerships, oversees new business development activities, and supports clients with change management.
He has handled PR campaigns for Pixar Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Corus Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and others. Matthew currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International. He previously served on the Board of Directors of CIUT89.5 FM, a community radio station owned by the University of Toronto, and the Durham Environmental Advisory Committee at the Regional Municipality of Durham. He graduated from the University of Toronto. During his time there, he worked as an Ambassador for the Office of the President and served on the student union.
From securing a story for a client to winning new business, Matthew will help aspiring PR professionals navigate the industry by providing them with insights into the art of pitching, learning how to navigate PR rejection, and finding out how to tap into your creativity to find the big (and little) wins in a world that keeps moving on.
Robert Waldren
Denis Hubert & Julie Breton – iFeelvirtuel
Rosana Roth
A seasoned writer and development executive for film and television Rosana has developed and produced content across multiple platforms for both the US and Canadian markets.
Past positions include: VP of Development for LA based Reel World Management; Head of Development for Videogame and Cross-Platform Content Creation Company, Reflector Entertainment; Creative Consultant for Cirque du Soleil Media; Director of Development for TVA International; and Brand Manager, NHL mobile for Airborne Entertainment.
In 2018 Rosana was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best cross-platform fiction for her work on Thornwood Heights, an interactive digital series and mobile app, for Lifetime Networks and Hallmark Channel. Rosana is a member of the Canadian Media Producers’ Association; voting member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television; two-time Jury member for the Montreal Black Film Festival and Co-President of the Montreal chapter of the VRARA.
Rosana serves as the Canadian Account Executive for Nashville based Cleanbox Technologies and is CEO and Founder of Code Red Entertainment, a content creation company dedicated to creating immersive experiences for new entertainment platforms.