JUDGING TEAM
Jarek Marszewski
Jarek Marszewski is a multi-award winning director and screenwriter who has gained recognition throughout the world for his innovative approach to filmmaking and unique visual style. He studied directing at FAMU, Czech Republic’s prestigious Film and TV Academy in Prague, before graduating from the Kieslowski Film School at the Silesian University, Poland. Jarek went on to receive his PHD in Film & Theatre from the Silesian University in 2023.
His films have won over 50 awards at festivals worldwide, including Best Foreign Film at Beverly Hills Film Festival, Best Picture at: Lost Angeles Film Awards, New York Film Awards, Festigious Film Festival (Los Angeles), London Eye Film Festival (UK), Fabrique du Cinema Awards (Rome, Italy), Directors Cut IFF (Vancouver, Canada), La Paz International Film Festival (Bolivia), Troia International Film Festival (Setubal, Portugal) and Maracay International Film Festival (Venezuela) to name but a few. His latest feature Bikini Blue is distributed in Europe, USA, Canada, Latin America and China.
In addition to his work in film Jarek has also directed several high-profile international dramas such as The Conspirators (Poland, 2018/2019 - Birmingham IFF - Best TV Pilot, Santa Monica IFF - TV Series Honarable Mention) and The Murder Commission (Poland, 2016) as well as acclaimed operas such as Aida (Italy/Qatar for Al Arabia TV, 2002), Madame Butterfly (Italy/South Africa for SABC TV, 2000) and The Magic Flute (Opera Podlaska, Poland, 2014).
BIKINI BLUE - a feature film trailer
2018 - 2019 - CONSPIRATORS (aka MŁODY PIŁSUDSKI) - a tv series trailer
2015 - THE MURDER COMMISSION (aka KOMISJA MORDERSTW) - a tv series trailer
2014 - THE MAGIC FLUTE (aka DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE) - a stage opera trailer
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1207206/
Mor Cohen
Mor Cohen is a multiple-award-winning Israeli actress and filmmaker. She began her career as a child, taking roles in Israeli television and regional theatre. After graduating from The Academy of Performing Arts in Tel Aviv, Mor relocated to work in Hollywood and later New York, committing herself fully to acting and producing. She is a festival director and lead curator at the New York Film Awards which has been running since 2017.
On screen, Mor can be seen in Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness, Altrac Productions’ The Leshiy, and Kate Espada’s most recent film This Is Our Home. Her producorial credits include the Off-Broadway production Scoop, the German-American co-production Klaviermann, and multiple award-winning short films such as The New Galileos and Over the Wall, both starring her as well.
IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7160187/
Website
Benjamin Schnau
Benjamin Schnau is an internationally acclaimed actor and author of the book 'The Reality of Hollywood'. He speaks native American English, German and French and is a professionally trained boxer and experienced in stage and weapon combat. He is widely known for his role 'Minion' in the Academy-Award Winning movie ‘Mank’ alongside Academy-Award Winner Gary Oldman, directed by David Fincher, released on Netflix, 'The Current War' opposite the protagonist George Westinghouse portrayed by actor Michael Shannon and for his lead role 'Jupp Klein' 'Megastructures' produced by National Geographic available on Netflix. In addition to acting in movies and television roles, Benjamin has been acclaimed for his “live” acting expertise, as manifested by his serving as the on-air “host” for prestigious Hollywood events like the red-carpet events at the American Heart Association.
He won the award for 'Best Actor' for his role of Leon in the movie 'Against All Odds' at the Oniros Film Awards and New York International Film Awards and also 'Best Supporting Actor of the Year' at the Top Shorts Film Festival for his role of Gunther Wolfgang in the movie 'The Little Picture".
Due to his bilingual ability, he is an established voice-over actor as well who has given his voice for movies like “American Animals” and “Nothing to Lose” which have been released in 2018.
Benjamin's book 'The Reality of Hollywood' was released worldwide in 2021 to educate and guide upcoming actors to establish themselves in the film industry in Hollywood long-term.
Feature Film “Silent Night in Algona” shows him besides Hollywood Actor Taylor Nichols known for his roles in “Metropolitan” and “Jurassic Park III “which was released theatrically at the beginning of 2023.
His latest feature film Righteous Thieves playing the critical role 'Mauren' was recently released by Lionsgate in movie theatres throughout the U.S. and will be released on Apple+ Amazon Prime in Fall 2023.
In 2024, Benjamin worked on hit shows like the Netflix show "The Diplomat" starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell and as Brian in the upcoming blockbuster "A Working Man" starring Jason Statham which is going to be released in March, 2025.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4250622/
https://www.instagram.com/benjaminschnau/
Book 'The Reality of Hollywood': https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Hollywood-Success-Through-Actors-ebook/dp/B09WQD71YF/
Casey Ruggieri
Casey Ruggieri is an NY based actor, writer, and filmmaker. Straight out of Film School in NY, Casey landed in LA and has written and worked in various formats, including commercial, tv, film, theater, improv and sketch. Casey's short film “Drag” debuted in October 2021 at HorrorHaus Film Fest in Los Angeles and was Nominated for Best Actress and Best Original Score, as well as made a splash in a new horror fest Horrors 4U. Casey's production company, Fernleaf Films, is currently in development on her next film, a genre horror piece in the vein of It Follows, which will shoot in Upstate NY.
Some of her onscreen credits include Oscar nominated “Gone Girl” (directed by David Fincher), Golden Globe winner “House of Lies”, “Tales of Halloween”, “Kroll Show”, “S.W.A.T.”, and “Party of Five”, as well as dozens of national commercials that allowed her to work with directors like Rian Johnson and Gus Van Sant.
Casey is very active and passionate about her work with young students in the non-profit sector. She is currently a head mentor with Young Storytellers, an LA based nonprofit that works with elementary students, teaching them the fundamentals of storytelling and screenwriting.
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3113166/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/caseyruggieri/