Jurors
ANDREA PASSAFIUME is a veteran film programmer, consultant and writer based in the Washington DC Metro area. She is currently an Assistant Programmer of documentary features with the Tribeca Film Festival, Lead Programmer for the Seattle Deaf Film Festival, and Documentary Features Screener for the Sundance Film Festival. Previous Programming positions include Head Programmer of AFI DOCS, Programming Consultant for the Washington DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC), and member of the Screening Committees for DOC NYC and Camden International Film Festival. Andrea has regularly served as a judge for the Gracie Awards, a juror and moderator for a variety of film festivals, and a member of the nominating committees for the Cinema Eye Honors and IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards. In 2022, she was appointed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to serve as a consultant for the Academy Foundation’s In Frame project, which seeks to build an open access database of filmmakers and films across broad areas of focus related to disability, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, and social and cultural identities. Andrea received her B.F.A. and M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and she recently earned a Certificate in ASL (American Sign Language) from Montgomery College.
ANGELA INEZ is a SAG/AFTRA actress (appeared in The Wire, The Good Wife, Law & Order, and Law & Order SVU), a Writers Guild Fellowship Alumni where she developed a TV pilot; currently filming in the DC/MD area. Angela is currently working on a number of other writing projects. She has a podcast called: The “I Am…” Project, which is a serial drama that can be found on Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere podcasts are available – with two more podcasts in the development!
ANJULI SINGH is a film historian and curator who has worked in museums and cultural institutions across the country creating exhibitions exploring the history and art of cinema. She has taught film history and film studies courses at Northern Virginia Community College, Montgomery College, and George Mason University, and regularly gives public lectures on film history for the Loudoun County Public Library system. Anjuli holds an MA in Cinema Studies from New York University, as well as an MA in Museum Studies and a BA in Film and Media Studies, both from The Johns Hopkins University.
ANTHONY GREEN is a native Washingtonian DMV based writer, filmmaker and multi-festival founder whose work can be found worldwide and through his latest venture filmvillage.org. He also writes film and music reviews for Spectrum Culture at https://spectrumculture.com/author/anthony-greene. Many years after receiving the DC Filmmaker of the Month Award, Anthony continues to produce and distribute independent/micro-budget films including the upcoming horror anthology (Frights and Fears vol 1) and his fourth feature film, The Hurtz Brothers. He kindly asks that you follow him on IG @ filmvillage_SM8.
BONEZA VALDEZ HANCHOCK (she/her) is an actor and playwright. She has had the privilege of working with an array of theatres throughout the DC metro area including and most recently: the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Endangered Species Theatre Project, Prologue Theatre, St. Mark’s Players, Two Strikes Theatre Collective, Nu Sass Productions, Prince George’s Arts and Recreation, Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Parks. She has also lent her voice to several podcasts and radio plays including Pomegranate Room, Between Acts, and I Am Project and is currently working on several local independent film projects including Zion, a supernatural television pilot and the fantasy short film, Seasons Cycles.
CYNTHIA FUCHS is the interim Director of Film at George Mason University and Associate
Professor. She is a longtime film and television critic, editor of Spike Lee: Interviews (University
of Mississippi Press 2002), and co-editor of Iraq War Cultures (Peter Lang 2011). She is the
creator and curator of the Visiting Filmmakers Series at Mason.
JENNIFER KNIGHT is a Chinese American theater actor, director, and emerging writer. Her poems and monologues have been performed at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and other venues. Her essay Life Code was a Lyric Essay Award Finalist at the Eastern Iowa Review. Her short play, Farewell, Jupiter was produced at Keegan Theater’s 2019 Women on Fire Festival (Washington, DC). Jia Ren, a short screenplay, won accolades at Top Shorts, Creative World Awards Screenwriting Competition, and The Big Apple Film Festival in 2021. She is proud to have worked with Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, Mosaic Theater, Spooky Action, Constellation Theater, Adventure Theater, and Rorschach Theatre, among others. She is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.
PATRICK MICHAEL STRANGE AKA Kuya P wears many hats! Kuya P is an Actor, Filmmaker, Comics Creator, Podcaster, Showrunner and more! Kuya P is the founder of the charity cosplay organization, CosLove, which promotes self-expression and creativity through supporting communities via family events and regular visits to schools and hospitals nationwide. Kuya is the Creator & Host of ShoPowSho that supports and highlights the contributions of FilipinX! Kuya is the Executive Producer behind Nerds Rule the World (NRW), a Pop Culture Entertainment News Outlet that has interviewed everyone from Denzel Washington to William Shatner to Snoop Dogg! Kuya is one of the proud nerds showing how #RepresentationMatters over at The Nerds of Color and Kuya can also be heard on the radio every week in the Washington DC area on 103.5 WTOP-FM Radio giving his entertainment picks and recommendations! Follow Kuya P online at @TheLegendKuyaP on Bluesky, X (Twitter), Instagram and TikTok!
REBEKAH FRIMPONG is currently a doctoral candidate for the Doctor of Public Health program at Capella University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Pre-Med) with a Life Science Concentration from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Rebekah was able to do research during her undergraduate studies in biopsychology, behavioral psychology, otolaryngology, and addiction studies. Rebekah served as Editor in Chief of The Vine Student Magazine at VCU, starting as a music critic writer and then leading the MTV Campus Invasion Tour at VCU. Rebekah started a student organization at VCU as well called For the Love of Art (FLA) which she was awarded a leadership grant from VCU. After graduating from VCU, Rebekah completed the Television Producer and Production certification program and linear video editing certificate from the Fairfax Public Access channel. Rebekah most recently received her Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree and a graduate certificate in Epidemiology from Capella University with capstone integrative project for her MPH program focused on mental health in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Suicide Prevention. She recently has written and published her first children’s book called “Solomon’s Train The Journey Home” inspired by her own son.
SAM PLAKUN, with over a decade of experience in the documentary film space, focuses her work on public programming, film festivals, marketing and outreach. Currently contracted as New Day Films’s Marketing Specialist, Sam advances the cooperative’s individual and collective marketing and sales, coordinates mechanics for virtual and in-person events and conferences, and assists in developing new strategic products. Prior to working with New Day, Sam served as the Program Manager at The DC Environmental Film Festival for seven years, aiding in all aspects of the programming process and serving as the main point of contact for the Festival’s filmmakers, partners and special guests. Sam began her career in New York City as an Associate Producer for social-issue documentaries, working on such films as Young Lakota, Care, and Bill Nye: Science Guy. Born and raised in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Sam earned a degree in Media Arts for Social Justice from Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Consortium in Southern California. Now a proud D.C. resident, Sam shares her love of film with her husband and two cats.
SOO-JIN LEE is a playwright, screenwriter, poet, and musician. Her 16 plays have been presented or produced at We Happy Few, Rorschach Theatre, Mildred’s Umbrella, Discovery Theater, George Mason University, University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has written 2 short screenplays that have been filmmed Born in South Korea and raised in Virginia, Ms. Lee earned her M.F.A. in playwriting and screenwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. She works in AI conversation design.
STAN KANG is a professional actor, director and teacher, from Arlington, VA. Most recently, Stan worked on as a Priest on the second season of the TV show Dr Death, and he directed Amstel and Tel Aviv at Catholic University for their BFA program. He directed Fairy Tales in the Sun for Adventure Theater and readings of Death, Sex, and Soju at We Happy Few and Affinity Lunch Minutes at the Garden. During the COVID quarantine, he has also directed pieces in Rorschach Theater’s Klecksography 2020 and in the DMV QFest 2.0. He co-directed his first film, Double Tap. Other Film and TV credits include: FBI’s Most Wanted, Brave the Dark, Tapawingo, House of Cards, The Confidential Informant, Sally Patcholok, Jamesy Boy, Fallen, 12 Monkeys, Murderous Intent, and Homicide: Life in the Streets.. As stage actor, his favorite theatre role was David Henry Hwang in Yellowface at Theater J. He has worked with many local DC theatres, such as Washington Shakespeare Company, Studio Theater, Horizons Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, Scena Theater, and the Kennedy Center. He has taught directing at HB Woodlawn in Arlington, Va, where he still serves as a Directing Mentor. He worked as a director with Asian Stories in America (ASIA), where he directed Big
Hunk of Burning Love and The Theory of Everything. He is a founding member and executive director of the Educational Theatre Company (ETC). The mission of ETC is to unlock the potential of children and adults through immersion in theatre arts. He is also a board member of Hope for Grieving Families. He is an advisory board member of Washington Stage Guild and Diversity Works.
STAN “SUBSTANTIAL” ROBINSON and RACHELLE ETIENNE-ROBINSON are the co-CEOs of Substantial Art & Music (SAM), a multimedia organization focused on providing consulting services to the visual and performing arts community. The husband and wife duo founded SAM in 2017. Together they serve emerging and established independent artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations. SAM provides professional advice and guidance through consultations, workshops, and webinars to help their clients achieve organic growth and sustainable careers. SAM has facilitated workshops at Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Washington, the Hawaii State Art Museum, Pratt Institute, Arts Fairfax, Otakon, and more. In addition, Stan and Rachelle co-host and produce a podcast, ARTdustry, where art meets industry. SAM produced special events that were featured in several media outlets like WTOP, Washington Informer, and Fox 5 DC. In 2020, SAM was named Carib Biz Network Top 50 Influential Caribbean American Entrepreneurs & Freelancers.
VASILIOS PAPAIOANNU is a filmmaker, photographer and mixed media artist currently based in Washington, DC. In his work, he explores the fleeting dreamscapes of reality using noise, movement and disturbance. He hybridizes different modes of filmmaking, unifying variegated media, primarily 16mm film, digital video and archival footage. His works have been shown in various venues around the world, such as Crossroads at SFMOMA, Anthology Film Archives, Athens International Film + Video Festival, Cork International Film Festival, Festifreak, Analogica, Cámara Lúcida, Engauge Film Festival, EXiS, L’ Alternativa, Antimatter [media art], Montreal Underground Film Festival, Revelation Perth Film Festival and Sharjah Film Platform. Papaioannu holds an MA in Communication, Text Semiotics and Cinema from the University of Siena in Italy and an MFA in Film and Cinematography from Syracuse University in New York. Papaioannu is currently an Assistant Professor at the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, Department of Media, Journalism, and Film at Howard University.
