Nine Artists, Journalists and Industry Executives Were Summoned for Jury Duty to Give Out $10,500 in Prizes Throughout the BendFilm Festival
BendFilm announced the nine members of the 2017 jury who will award $10,500 in cash, including $5,000 cash for “Best of Show.” In addition to awarding prizes, many jurors will also share their knowledge during panels and moderate post screening discussions with filmmakers. BendFilm is thrilled to welcome back several jury members for a second year or usher in familiar faces who have screened in the Festival to now stay involved in a new way.
The 14th Annual BendFilm Festival will take place October 12-15 and tickets are on sale now. In competition for this year’s cash prizes are 10 Narrative Features, 10 Documentary Features and 68 Shorts. For a full lineup of films visit: bendfilm.org.
Documentary and Narrative Competition: http://bit.ly/BFComp2017
Spotlight, Foreign, Late Night and Local Focus: http://bit.ly/BFSpotlight
Short films: http://bit.ly/BFShorts
Narrative Features Jury
Danielle DiGiacomo is VP of Acquisitions at The Orchard, overseeing the acquisition of independent films for distribution across cinemas and digital platforms worldwide. Some of her acquisitions include 2015 Oscar-nominee Cartel Land and Sundance 2017 Grand Jury winner Dina. She is responsible for the company’s pre-buys / financing of films, such as the upcoming documentary 11/8/16 and the comedy Under the Eiffel Tower, and oversees the acquisition of 5 to 6 non-theatrical films a month.
Don Lewis is the Editor of Hammer to Nail and was previously Managing Editor at Film Threat. His short documentary films Stringers and Drag King have played numerous film festivals, as has his documentary feature on the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, Worst in Show. Don lives in Northern California where he holds a Masters Degree in Cinema Studies from San Francisco State.
Erin Maddox earned her first feature film credit as a producer on Neptune (BendFilm 2016), and puts her passion for film to work as a programmer for a number of film festivals. By day Erin is an Independent Producer based in the mid-west. By night, she loves bowling & travel; after BendFilm, you’ll find her aboard the Empire Builder enjoying 50 glorious hours across the northern US.
Documentary Features Jury
Peter Gilbert is a director, producer and cinematographer best known as one of the filmmakers of the groundbreaking documentary Hoop Dreams. Other notable works include: Brother Number One, and At the Death House Door and Prefontaine. Recently, Peter has produced films by acclaimed indie filmmakers Joe Swanberg, Alex Ross Perry and Zach Clark while also being a Professor of Practice at Wake Forest’s Documentary Film Program. This is his second year on the BendFilm jury.
Ian McCluskey is a documentary filmmaker and four-time Bendfilm Festival alum, most recently with Voyagers without Trace (BendFilm 2016). Currently, Ian travels to remote areas of Oregon to gather stories for Oregon Public Broadcasting. Before that, he founded and ran NW Documentary, an arts non-profit in Portland that teaches others to craft their own stories. His work, which also includes the documentary feature Eloquent Nude (BendFilm 2007), has appeared in international film festivals, art centers, and museums.
Amy Nicholson is a filmmaker and commercial director. Her documentaries, including Muskrat Lovely, Zipper, and Pickle (BendFilm 2016), have garnered many awards. Amy has been lucky enough to be broadcast on PBS multiple times and somehow managed to wrangle several theatrical runs. She counts dog groomers, muskrat skinners, and grizzled carnies as some of her closest friends. Amy is currently working on a short film about garden statuary and a longer project featuring the denizens of a waterfront trailer park.
Short Film Jury
Selin Sevinc is a screenwriter and script consultant at her own magicofstory.com. A member of The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and a Berlinale Talents Screenwriters alumna since 2009, she participated in international film festivals (including Cannes and Berlin) as a film critic and served as a jury member at national film festivals and a nationwide screenwriting contest in Turkey. She holds two degrees in Film and TV Production, writes film articles and blogs about the craft of screenwriting.
Ted Speaker is a film producer, sometimes editor, sometimes composer. He spent his indie film salad days as an associate producer on Lynn Shelton’s Humpday and co-producer on Dusty Bias’ Prairie Love. Ted produced Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny and Dusty Bias’ The Great and the Small (BendFilm 2016). Last year, he produced Josh Crockett’s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks (BendFilm 2017). Most recently, Ted co-produced Daniel Scheinert’s (Swiss Army Man) newest feature from A24 Films, currently in post-production.
Paul Sturtz co-founded the Ragtag Film Society with David Wilson in 1998, and since 2000 has worked as the head programmer at Ragtag Cinema. With David Wilson, he co-founded the True/False Film Festival in 2004 and has served as its co-director since. His short documentary “Dear Valued Guests” premiered in 2013. Paul was selected along with David as one of 40 “visionaries that are changing the course of film” in the inaugural “Indiewire Influencers” list.
The Bend Film Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, Oregon Arts Commission, the Roundhouse Foundation, and the Oregon Cultural Trust
BendFilm:
BendFilm hosts an annual independent film festival as well as year-round film exhibitions and programs. The organization is designed to support and nourish filmmakers and enrich the cultural life of Central Oregon while also providing an economic benefit to the region. Celebrating its 14th year, BendFilm is proud to bring diverse voices and visions to the Bend community. The BendFilm Festival runs every October in downtown Bend, Oregon, at The Oxford, McMenamins – Old St. Francis, Regal Cinemas, Tin Pan Theater, The Volcanic Theater, The Old Stone Performing Arts Center and the historic Tower Theatre. Make plans now to attend October 12-15, 2017, for four days of inspiring independent cinema, panels and parties, in beautiful Bend, a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, foodies, beer lovers and stunning natural scenery. BendFilm is made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous sponsors. For more information, call (541) 388-3378 or visit www.bendfilm.org. Connect with BendFilm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
red many awards. Amy has been lucky enough to be broadcast on PBS multiple times and somehow managed to wrangle several theatrical runs. She counts dog groomers, muskrat skinners, and grizzled carnies as some of her closest friends. Amy is currently working on a short film about garden statuary and a longer project featuring the denizens of a waterfront trailer park.
Short Film Jury
Selin Sevinc is a screenwriter and script consultant at her own magicofstory.com. A member of The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and a Berlinale Talents Screenwriters alumna since 2009, she participated in international film festivals (including Cannes and Berlin) as a film critic and served as a jury member at national film festivals and a nationwide screenwriting contest in Turkey. She holds two degrees in Film and TV Production, writes film articles and blogs about the craft of screenwriting.
Ted Speaker is a film producer, sometimes editor, sometimes composer. He spent his indie film salad days as an associate producer on Lynn Shelton’s Humpday and co-producer on Dusty Bias’ Prairie Love. Ted produced Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny and Dusty Bias’ The Great and the Small (BendFilm 2016). Last year, he produced Josh Crockett’s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks (BendFilm 2017). Most recently, Ted co-produced Daniel Scheinert’s (Swiss Army Man) newest feature from A24 Films, currently in post-production.
Paul Sturtz co-founded the Ragtag Film Society with David Wilson in 1998, and since 2000 has worked as the head programmer at Ragtag Cinema. With David Wilson, he co-founded the True/False Film Festival in 2004 and has served as its co-director since. His short documentary “Dear Valued Guests” premiered in 2013. Paul was selected along with David as one of 40 “visionaries that are changing the course of film” in the inaugural “Indiewire Influencers” list.
The Bend Film Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, Oregon Arts Commission, the Roundhouse Foundation, and the Oregon Cultural Trust
BendFilm:
BendFilm hosts an annual independent film festival as well as year-round film exhibitions and programs. The organization is designed to support and nourish filmmakers and enrich the cultural life of Central Oregon while also providing an economic benefit to the region. Celebrating its 14th year, BendFilm is proud to bring diverse voices and visions to the Bend community. The BendFilm Festival runs every October in downtown Bend, Oregon, at The Oxford, McMenamins – Old St. Francis, Regal Cinemas, Tin Pan Theater, The Volcanic Theater, The Old Stone Performing Arts Center and the historic Tower Theatre. Make plans now to attend October 12-15, 2017, for four days of inspiring independent cinema, panels and parties, in beautiful Bend, a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, foodies, beer lovers and stunning natural scenery. BendFilm is made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous sponsors. For more information, call (541) 388-3378 or visit www.bendfilm.org. Connect with BendFilm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.