2008 Judges at the Miami Shortfilmfestival November 17-23

M. Evelina Galang is the author of two books of fiction, HER WILD AMERICAN SELF, a collection of short stories and the novel, ONE TRIBE. Galang is the recipient of numerous awards, among them, the 2004 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Awards Advancing Human Rights, the 2004 AWP Prize in the Novel and the 2007 Global Filipino Award in Literature for ONE TRIBE.

Sanjeev Chatterjee is a documentary filmmaker and Professor at UM School of Communication. Sanjeev's work has been seen on National television in India, National Geographic, PBS, and the History Channel to name a few. His awards include the King Award (Best of Festival) from the Broadcast Education Association's Media Arts Festival, Film South Asia, Vermont International Film Festival and Silver State Documentary Film Festival.

Sean Malone is an award winning cinematographer, director and writer currently enrolled in the graduate film program at the University of Miami. Sean was recently honored with the Florida Choice Award at the 2008 Independents' Film Festival in Tampa, Florida. He is currently in pre-production for his next film "Rose and Micah," a period western set in the beautiful landscapes of the Arizona desert.

Christian Gay is a PhD student in Film Studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. His research interests include queer cinema, video art, and the films of Woody Allen.

Enrique Benavides is an independent film director and producer. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business from Universidad de Lima (Lima, Peru) and a MFA from University of Miami. With extensive experience working with multinational projects, his work includes several film and TV projects filmed in South Florida as well as TV series and documentaries in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Crissa-Jean Chappell holds an MFA in screenwriting and an interdisciplinary PhD in film theory, philosophy, and literature. She teaches creative writing and cinema studies at Miami International University of Art and Design. For eight years, she wrote a weekly film column for the Miami Sun Post. Her reviews of art and culture have appeared in magazines such as Film Comment, Tate (London), New Times, Urb, Script, and others.

Mustan Dawood graduated from the University of Maryland in 2000 with a BA in Physiology and Neurobiology. In 2004, he refocused to pursue his passion, filmmaking, and began taking courses at Montgomery College while interning at various production companies in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas. Currently he is in his second year as a graduate student at the University of Miami pursuing the Motion Pictures Production MFA degree.

Dr. Devin Marsh is the Director of Sound and Recording at The Robert Morgan Educational Center and faculty member at The University of Miami. For the past 20 years he has directed his own band, Nori Nori and run his recording studio, The Chill Lodge. He is also active in the commercial music world, composing and producing music for television, film and dance.

Andrea Reimann received a Ph.D. and Master of Arts in German Studies, with a focus on film, literature and culture from the University of Illinois. She also holds a Master of Arts in English and German (literature and linguistics) from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Her teaching experience includes German film, culture, and language. Dr. Reimann has also worked as a programmer and publicist of Open-Air-Film Festivals, and as a film editor.

Kirsten Strom, received her M.F.A. from UM in 2007; her thesis film, Blackbird, went on to screen at numerous national festivals, including Hollyshorts, Reel Women's International Film Festival, the  Miami Short Film Festival, and the Sedona International Film Festival.  She is currently an editor on the documentary "Recording: The History of Recorded Music", executive produced by Quincy Jones and Phil Ramone.

Steven Krams has been involved in the theatre equipment business for over thirty years.  He founded International Cinema Equipment in 1975 and is the chief operating officer of the company.

Julian Valdes is a Miami based Locations Manager, and owner of Area Six Films production company.  His experience spans twenty years in the entertainment industry encompassing everything from print campaign coordinator to feature film producer.

Patrick DeBokay has over 30 years of experience in both the film industry and the marketing & advertising agency worlds. Patrick draws on his expertise in the fields of entertainment as well as consumer marketing, branding and media placement. He distributed and marketed over 500 films, brands and properties, implemented local and worldwide campaigns with a global advertising budget in excess of 1 Billion $ and counting.

Lisa Gottlieb, filmmaker, screenwriter and educator, is an Associate Professor in the Motion Picture program at the University of Miami. Gottlieb has directed three award winning feature films: "Just One of the Guys," "Cadillac Ranch," and Across the Moon, as well as a number of television sitcom episodes including "Dream On" and "Boy Meets World."

Jaie Laplante, is associate director of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the 2008 Miami Short Film Festival programming director.  Laplante has had involvement in the film industry for over a decade as a film programmer, film critic and filmmaker.

Ali Habashi is the Director of the Arnold Center for Confluent Media Studies at the University of Miami where he teaches courses in digital post-production. The last few years Habashi has been working as the Co-Director and Editor of "One Water" , a global film about our changing relationship to potable water.

Robert Parente is the Director of the Mayor's Office of Film & Cultural Affairs for the City of Miami. He was the founder and President of Parente Productions, a communications production company, which provided clients a range of photo and video services. Prior to starting his own company, Parente was a producer, and Director of Marketing at Multivision Productions; for 7 years he worked for the Miami Seaquarium and Wometco Enterprises as a marine mammal trainer, educator/lecturer, and marketing specialist.

Michael Laramee is a Ph.D. candidate in Communication-Film Studies at the University of Miami, where he currently teaches in the Motion Pictures Department.  He has also published articles dealing with postcolonial studies, African cinema, and French filmmaker Jean Rouch while working on a dissertation about Nigerian film and video.

Brooke A. Minto is Assistant Director for Major Gifts at Miami Art Museum where she is responsible for cultivating corporate, foundation, and individual donations and gifts to the museum and its collections. From 2005 to 2007 she was manager of education and public programs at Miami Art Central (MAC), where she developed interpretive programs for adult audiences including numerous film, lecture, and literary series.

Orlando Rojasentered the Cuban Institute of Film in 1972 where he became an assistant director, a documentary filmmaker, a screenwriter, and a director of fiction films. His movies have been selected and awarded by some of the most important Film Festivals. Rojas received the Guggenheim scholarship and settled in Miami early 2003. His first film in the United States is a documentary titled "Bailarina Sola Busca Bompania," and is in the final phase of post-production.

Piedad Palacios

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