The 2024 Charlotte Film Festival jury includes a selection of respected filmmakers, critics, and cultural voices, each bringing a unique perspective to their deliberation process. This year’s jury will present awards for narrative shorts and features, documentary shorts and features, student shorts, and animated shorts. As the Charlotte Film Festival continues to grow, it remains a vital platform for emerging filmmakers, helping them introduce their work to the broader film community and beyond.

 

ANIMATED SHORTS

 

Leah Dubuc

Leah Dubuc is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated with high distinction from California College of the Arts in 2014 with a BFA in Film/Animation. In 2016, Leah directed and animated Christopher Walken’s COFFEE SHOP, an improvised short film that was featured on Short of the Week, selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and screened worldwide. Her 2020 short, MEUDON, premiered at the Palm Springs ShortFest. Leah’s most recent short, SPROUT, premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Her live action short screenplays, “In the Belly” and “Now Boarding”, placed as Second Rounders at the Austin Film Festival screenwriting competition in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Leah is the co-creator of PLUTONIANS, a quarter hour animated comedy pilot produced by Brave Media and Yeti Farm Creative for Syfy and NBC Universal. She also works as a voiceover artist, represented by DPN Talent. Leah lives and works in Los Angeles, California. 

Dominique Ebron

As a 3D artist, Dominique Ebron immerses herself in the digital realms of Zbrush and Autodesk Maya, sculpting and modeling to bring her visions to life. Her work is deeply rooted in the authentic representation of the African Diaspora, drawing inspiration from the rich and diverse cultures that often go unrepresented in mainstream media. By referencing specific cultural materials, Dominique strives to tell untold stories and highlight other cultures not typically shown on screen. In addition to her personal artistic practice, she is passionate about education and community engagement. Dominique teaches animation educational programs and assists students in stop motion workshops as a teaching artist with ASIFA – South. Through these roles, she aims to inspire the next generation of animators and artists, fostering a love for storytelling and creativity. Dominique’s art is a celebration of heritage and identity, a visual narrative that seeks to honor and elevate the voices of those who have been historically marginalized. Each piece is a testament to the beauty and resilience of the cultures she represents, and a call to broaden the scope of stories we share and celebrate.

Gabriel Gabriel Garble

Gabriel Gabriel Garble is an animator and filmmaker whose work explores the connection between animated imagery and material ecology. His films, LUNAR LOVE & EVER and WELL WISHES MY LOVE, YOUR LOVE, have been featured at festivals like Sundance, Annecy, and Ann Arbor. WELL WISHES MY LOVE, YOUR LOVE was also screened at last year’s Charlotte Film Festival. Beyond the realm of independent filmmaking, Gabriel has collaborated with clients including Adult Swim, The New York Times, and BBC.

Casandra Brewton-Johnson

Casandra Brewton-Johnson is a Project Manager/Producer/Media Coordinator who has worked with local Atlanta studios such as School of Humans, Slothique and Primal Screen. She has a BFA in Animation from Savannah College of Art & Design, an MBA specializing in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Southern University and A&M College-Baton Rouge. In addition to her role as Programming Director and Business Associate for ASIFA-South, Casandra also serves as head of the organization’s Education Department which designs and offers workshops throughout the Greater Atlanta area. What does Casandra enjoy most? Supporting the community and its positive/energetic creatives.

Marisa (Ginger) Tontaveetong

Marisa (Ginger) Tontaveetong is an Oscar-longlisted multidisciplinary Creative Animation Director/ Producer. She is an art/animation director at BWAStudios, CCO at Slothique LLC, and Manager of Post Production at Trioscope Studios. Recent notable works include THE TAKEOVER (feature film) starring Quavo and Billy Zane, award-winning short NIGHT OF THE COOTERS by George R.R. Martin and Vincent D’Onofrio, and SIX DEGREES WITH MIKE ROWE series (Discovery). Other studios and clients Ginger has worked with include international and local production studios, ad agencies, and Fortune 500 companies on work from feature films, series, commercials, motion graphics, and shorts released on platforms such as Discovery+, Netflix, etc. She has an MFA in Animation from Savannah College of Art & Design and a B.Tech in Computer Graphics/ Multimedia from Bangkok University. Ginger works in many capacities for ACM SIGGRAPH as the Early Career Development Chair, strategic advisor to the board of directors in the Nurturing committee, and served as a past SIGGRAPH ASIA 2017 Computer Animation Festival Producer. She also regularly juries, sits on panels, and screens animation for various festivals, including the Atlanta Film Festival, SIGGRAPH/ ASIA, Annecy Film Festival, etc.

 

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

 

Erik Button

Erik Button is a 3-time regional Emmy Award-winning video editor working in Charlotte, North Carolina for the last 10 years with a speciality in the short documentary format. When he’s not clearing out the media cache on his computer, you can find him playing in his touring rock band, Dollar Signs, or hosting the Find Your Muse Open Mic at the Evening Muse. Erik is an alum of UNC Charlotte and can jump pretty high. 

Joshua Duane Clark

With more than a decade of professional media experience, Joshua Clark has been a storyteller all his life. His first love, photography, emerged at age ten when his uncle gave him one of his old film cameras. Joshua walked around the neighborhood taking pictures of anything he found interesting. After the photos were developed, he laid them on the bedroom floor and instantly knew his walk wasn’t just about taking photos, it was about creating a narrative. Film and television are exercises in bringing images, like those old neighborhood photos, to life. Joshua’s most recent projects include MANI EN ISE (WATER IS ALIVE), a short doc he co-produced and directed about Indigenous activist Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck and her fight to secure Rights of Nature for the Haw River. It was an official selection of the Charlotte Film Festival, Duluth Superior Film Festival, Topanga Film Festival, and was a finalist at the Ethos Film Awards. GARDEN MINISTRY, which he produced, is a joyful portrait of Reverend Dallas Conyers and her journey to becoming a climate organizer. It screened at the Sidewalk Film Festival and was a finalist at the Charlotte Black Film Festival. CREATING TECH FUTURES, a 3-part digital series Joshua produced, explores the unknown realities of algorithmic bias and premiered in mid-November 2023. Telling stories isn’t simply his occupation, it’s his calling and it’s directly tied to service and how he contributes to humanity. Joshua’s focus is on building community and connection rooted in equity and justice with and among marginalized people. 

Madison Hill

Madison Hill is a filmmaker and educator based out of Durham, North Carolina creating work about Appalachia and the American South. Her work has screened at festivals such as St. Louis International Film Festival, Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, Thin Line Fest, and Artist Forum’s Festival of the Moving Image. In 2024, Madison’s documentary short, FALLOUT, debuted on PBS after having its world premiere at Charlotte Film Festival.

Ida Joglar

Ida Joglar is an award-winning filmmaker, editor, and video artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 2009, she relocated to New York City, New York, where she completed her MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts and where she continues to live and work across genres. Ida’s films have been exhibited at festivals around the world including Fantasia Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival, Tallgrass Film Festival, and Bentonville Film Festival, where her first feature, KILI BIG (2021), won Best Documentary Feature. She was also honored with Athena Film Festival’s Breakthrough Director Award for her work on KILI BIG.

 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

 

Claire Ave’Lallemant

Claire Ave’Lallemant (she/her) is a queer documentary editor who chose to forgo the traditional college path. She received hands-on education as assistant editor on Cecilia Aldarondo’s debut film MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART (Tribeca and P.O.V.), and has gone on to edit features such as FLIPSIDE (Toronto) and DROWNING IN SILENCE (SBIFF), as well as series including Disney+’s CHOIR and Netflix’s THE PHARMACIST. In 2018, Claire was nominated and selected to participate in the inaugural year of Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship’s Diversity In The Edit Room mentorship program. She currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina where she edits in the company of her four cats. 

Schon Duncan

Schon Duncan (ᎤᎶᎩᎳ) is a 2024 Forge Project Fellow, Oklahoma writer-director, and citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Their directorial debut, ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (WE WILL SPEAK), won ‘Best Oklahoma Feature’ at the Academy Award® Qualifying deadCenter Film Festival and was featured at the 2023 Charlotte Film Festival. Schon champions grassroots voices from underrepresented communities and centers their culture in their work. They are honored to contribute to the Charlotte Film Festival’s jury, celebrating new voices in independent cinema.

Tim Grant

Tim Grant is a director and producer from southern Appalachia. His filmmaking explores tensions of the American South, often through portraiture. As director, Tim’s short documentary THE ARIA OF BABYFACE CAULIFLOWER BROWN premiered internationally at Hot Docs Film Festival and streams on The New York Times’ Op-Docs series. His award-winning feature documentary, MISSISSIPPI RIVER STYX was Executive Produced by Danny McBride, David Gordon Green and Jody Hill. Tim’s latest film as producer, THE BITTER PILL, premiered at the 2024 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. 

Michael McDermit

Michael McDermit makes documentary films, books and other projects under an independent creative imprint he co-founded, Blurry Pictures. He co-directed the feature documentary, ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (WE WILL SPEAK), which played at the Charlotte Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival, the Smithsonian Institute, and the American Museum of Natural History, among other places. In addition to filmmaking, Michael is an English Professor in South Los Angeles. His next documentary is about a tight knit community of clowns who have immigrated from Latin American countries and resettled in South Los Angeles to share joy and the art of clowning.

Andy McMillan

Andy McMillan is an award-winning writer, director, and photographer. His feature documentary as co-director, MISSISSIPPI RIVER STYX, won the Bravery Award at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, the Ron Tibbet Soul of Southern Filmmaking Award at Indie Memphis, and Oxford Film Festival’s Ron Shapiro Storytelling Award. Andy has worked with GQ, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Time and many others. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with an adorable but stubborn bull terrier named Rabbit.

 

NARRATIVE SHORTS

 

Vivian Kerr 

Vivian Kerr is an LA-based actor, writer, director, and producer with her company Rue Dangeau. SCRAP, her feature film debut, co-starring Anthony Rapp, Lana Parrilla, Beth Dover, and Khleo Thomas, world premiered in competition and was nominated for the Grand Prize at the Deauville-American Film Festival and is currently on the festival circuit with 40+ official selections and 20+ awards. Vivian’s second feature, SÉANCE, a Victorian-era psychological thriller, was selected for Wscripted’s Cannes Screenplay List and is currently in post production.

Natalie Metzger

Natalie Metzger is a Spirit Award nominated producer who has produced 17 feature films and over 30 shorts. Most notable feature credits include SXSW Grand Jury Award winner THUNDER ROAD, WGA Award nominee IT AIN’T OVER (Sony Pictures Classics), Ubisoft’s horror comedy WEREWOLVES WITHIN (IFC), Sundance darling GREENER GRASS (IFC), Jim Cummings’ THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (MGM/Orion), erotic thriller THE BETA TEST (IFC), and the upcoming coming-of-age drama UNDER THE LIGHTS (starring Pearce Joza, Lake Bell, Tanzyn Crawford, Mark Duplass, Nick Offerman) and Tina Romero’s horror comedy QUEENS OF THE DEAD (starring Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Margaret Cho, Riki Lindhome, Brigette Lundy-Paine). Most notable short credits include POOF (Cannes), THE ROBBERY (Sundance), DRESS A COW (SXSW), and Alden Ehrenreich’s SHADOW BROTHER SUNDAY (Tribeca). She is also an award-winning writer/director whose credits include ALONE IN THE GAME (AFI Docs, Outfest), SLEEP STUDY (Best Horror – Indy Shorts), IMMORTAL (Best Narrative Short – Eastern Oregon Film Festival), and SPECIAL BLOOD (Dolores Huerta Award for Best Director). Natalie holds an MFA from CalArts and is a Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University, where she received the Sudler Award in the Arts and the Pioneer Award.

A.J. Riggins

A.J. Riggins is an award-winning filmmaker and producer from North Carolina. He is passionate about exploring the intricate family dynamics of the American South. A.J.’s short films have been showcased at various film festivals, including the Charlotte Film Festival. His documentary, BEAUTIFUL COFFEE, won the 2022 PRWeek Corporate – Branded Film of the Year.  A.J.’s collection of projects, THE WORLD OF TOINE, explores southern family dynamics and provides the foundation for his feature film screenplay, “Look at Toine” which is in development. He is a 2024 screenwriter fellow of the Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp and Incubator. A.J. holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking. 

Jeremy Thao

Jeremy Thao is a Hmong American screenwriter and director from Winder, Georgia. He is the founder of Bee Water Audio/Video, a production company dedicated to amplifying stories from underrepresented peoples. Jeremy’s latest short film, WOKMAN, is currently on the film festival circuit.

 

NARRATIVE FEATURES

 

Jenna Kanell

As an action actor, Jenna Kanell has performed while riding motorcycles, stunt driving cars, airborne in harnesses, underwater, hanging from a helicopter, with weapons, and in countless fight scenes. Recent credits include BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, the Nicolas Cage Dracula film RENFIELD, and Marvel’s WANDAVISION. Horror fans will also know her as the starring role in the original cult classic, TERRIFIER. Jenna delivered a TEDx Talk on the experience of stepping behind the camera alongside her neurodivergent brother. She has since written, assistant directed, and produced features, directed and edited fundraising videos, and written and directed numerous award-winning short films with worldwide festival runs. Jenna is proudest of teaching her cat to high five. 

Win Marks

Win Marks is a Georgia-based director whose first feature premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival. In his free time, he enjoys reading short books, drinking hot coffee, and spending time with his wife and cat.

Laurie Weltz

Writer/Director Laurie Weltz is in development on her third film, THE NIGHT SWIMMER. Her debut feature, WRESTLING WITH ALLIGATORS, premiered at Sundance, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Laurie has written several optioned screenplays and was named “One of 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2022” by the International Screenwriting Association. Her work has appeared on HBO, The Sundance Channel, A&E, and UK’s Channel 4. Laurie is the festival programming director for Film Fatales and was an organizer of the Women’s Media Summit.  

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE FILMS

 

Gabe Braden

Gabriel Braden is a filmmaker and producer who’s directed 8 award-winning short films over his short time as a creative. He currently resides in New York City, New York and works at an ad agency, bringing storytelling to the marketing world. 

Kim Marcelino

Kim Marcelino is a Chinese- and Filipino-American comedy writer, director, and one of MovieMaker magazine’s 25 screenwriters to watch in 2023. Her short film, BAD ASIAN, a comedy about internalized racism, premiered at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles  and won an honorable mention in directing at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. Kim’s screenwriting has been recognized by The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, ScreenCraft Fellowship, PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, Austin Film Festival, Independent Film Trust, and Moonshot Pilot Accelerator.  She trained in improv and sketch comedy at UCB and the PIT and has spent countless nights playing make-believe in basements across New York City.

Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is a playwright, screenwriter, and graduate of UCLA’s professional screenwriting program. His first short film as writer/director, WHISTLER’S MOTHER (a dark fable based on the iconic painting), was produced and funded by the SC Indie Grants Program and enjoyed an active festival run. Robbie’s latest short film, COMMON AS RED HAIR was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. The produced film has won international acclaim with screenings and awards at the Big SYN International Festival in London, the Social Justice Film Festival in Seattle, the Durham Region International Film Festival in Ontario, the ILGA Europe Conference in Slovenia, the US Embassy in New Zealand, the Festival of the Moving Image in NYC, and the Colombia Embassy in Washington, DC. His latest feature screenplay, JUST IN TIME, is currently in development with European-based DEAL Productions.

Edward Worthy

Edward Worthy is an award-winning screenwriter and director, born in Jackson, Mississippi. He studied film as an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi. Edward then attended graduate film school at Florida State University. Now living in Los Angeles, he works as a freelance Editor. Edward is a 2019 Stowe Story Lab fellow for his feature script, “Crescent”, and was the 2024 Guest Short Film Director for the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. His short film, REAR, won Best Mississippi Short Film at the Oxford, Mississippi Film Festival, Audience Award for the Social Justice category at the Charlotte Film Festival, Outstanding Director of a narrative short at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, and Best Short Film Screenplay at the Wyoming Film Festival. REAR also screened at the Academy Award® Qualifying LA Shorts and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festivals in 2023. Edward values writing about unique aspects of the black experience, particularly stories based in the south. 

 

STUDENT SHORTS

 

Noam Argov

Noam Argov is a filmmaker, Nat Geo Explorer, and MFA Film Futures Scholar at NYU’s Tisch Graduate Film Program. Across writing, directing and producing, her shorts have screened at festivals like Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs, SXSW, and Locarno. Most recently, Noam produced a film that was executive produced by Spike Lee and nominated for a Student BAFTA. In screenwriting, her feature screenplay “Princess” was selected as the top script for NYU’s Table-Read Initiative, where it was read in its entirety for actors and industry. Prior to directing narrative, Noam got her start directing and producing documentaries all over the world with the National Geographic Explorers Program, and worked as an adventure sports documentarian with brands like The North Face, Merrell, and Yeti. She grew up outside of Disney World in Florida, and is passionate about elevating other immigrant voices and women in film.

Ceren Arslan

Ceren Arslan is a Turkish-American writer and director based in New York City, New York. Growing up in Turkey, she was interested in ancient history, classic literature, and philosophy. M. Ceren lived for a time in Izmir, ancient Smyrna, and was influenced by the cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and the origins of the tragedy. During her teenage years, she studied art history and painting. M. Ceren later studied screenwriting and worked under Hungarian filmmaker, Béla Tarr. Her work primarily focuses on themes of alienation, loneliness, existential questions, and the search for meaning in a seemingly absurd world. In 2022, M. Ceren graduated from the Master’s program in Film Production at the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. She is currently working on different stories of foreignness in familiar places.

Aidan Cronin

Aidan Cronin is a Brooklyn-based director/DP. His work explores the human condition through an experimental narrative lens. Aidan’s written and directed work examines the cyclical banality that accompanies our continued existence. His cinematography experiments with repurposing antiquated film cameras, camcorders, and lenses to achieve impressionistic and nostalgic imagery. Aidan’s work has screened at such festivals as  Atlanta Film Festival, Athens International Film + Video Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, and Palm Springs ShortFest. He has won such recognitions as Best in Show at Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Best Experimental at AIFVF, the Audience Choice Award at Brooklyn Film Festival, and Best Drama at Yale Student Film Festival. Aidan is the Co-founder of the Ithaca Experimental Film Festival and is currently one of its Festival Directors and Programmers. 

Anna Dvorak

Anna Dvorak is a trilingual filmmaker from Sydney, Australia who has worked in film & tv both locally and internationally. She is a member of the Australian Directors Guild and Screen Producers Australia. Anna’s career has included not only film production but also podcast production, events, publicity and marketing. She has worked on various productions since 2016, ranging in genre and form. She has worked on the film sets of famous filmmakers such as Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, and David Leitch. Anna’s previous work has screened at many international film festivals. Some of these festivals which have recognised her work include the Academy Award® Qualifying film festival Flickers‘ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Byron Bay International Film Festival, and Canberra Short Film Festival. In 2024, Anna’s short film, THE CHOICE TO LOVE is streaming on SBS on Demand in Australia. She continues to work on numerous other productions both in Australia and Europe.

Ivan Rome

Ivan Rome is a writer/director pursuing an MFA in film at Columbia University. He is the recipient of Columbia’s inaugural Bobby Kashif Cox Memorial Scholarship, an inaugural Diverso’s Black Writers in Focus Fellow, a Columbia Alumni Association Scholar, an MTV Joel Schumacher & Sophia Cranshaw Scholar for the 2023 Gotham EDU Film & Media Career Development Program, and an MTV Entertainment Ambassador. Additionally, Ivan has interned at Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, is a former Narrative Programming Fellow at The Gotham Film & Media Institute, was selected for the SEEN Black Filmmakers Program sponsored by Meta and The Blackhouse Foundation, and most recently participated in New York Stage and Film’s Filmmakers’ Workshop. His film, TIKTOK CHALLENGED, won the Student Short Film Audience Award for the 2023 Charlotte Film Festival and is currently available on American Airlines flights.