2023 Jury

Andrea Krauss’s professional background in television, film and video with a concentration on independent film spans over more than two decades. Producing credits include: Dalila Ali Rajah’s short film “Secret & Toys” with Quentin Lee directing, “Grown This Way” and “Cock N’ Bull2” directed by Nathan Adloff and “Cinema Conversations with Stephen P. Jarchow”, a docu series for Here Television. Andrea resides in Hawai’i on the island of O’ahu where she was involved with casting for Hawai’i Five-O and Magnum PI reboot. She is currently the Programming Director for the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival which takes place in late October.

Morgan Doctor is a Juno and Dora nominated performer and composer. Morgan’s original scores can be found on award winning films such as COMING CLEAN (2021) and Oscar shortlisted and Emmy nominated film, LAST FLIGHT HOME (2022). Her most recent work, THE NEW AMERICANS, premiered at 2023 SXSW film festival.

Brandon Harris is the president and co-founder of I’d Watch That, author of MAKING RENT IN BED-STUY (2017), director of REDLEGS (2012) and a recovering studio executive.

Verton R. Banks is best known as the diligent medical intern Vernon on the HBO comedy Getting On starring Laurie
Metcalf, Niecy Nash, and Alex Borstein. Verton can be seen in
the upcoming Ryan Murphy show, Monster: The Jeffrey
Dahmer Story on Netflix and Showtime’s Your Honor. Recent
appearances include FOX’s 9-1-1, Hulu’s Dollface, FX’s Snowfall, Comisery on Amazon, and Eastsiders on Netflix.
Twitter: @vertonbanks

Originally from Mexico City, Carlos Aguilar was chosen as one of 6 young film critics to partake in the first Roger Ebert Fellowship organized by RogerEbert.com, the Sundance Institute and Indiewire in 2014. Aguilar’s work has appeared in prestigious publications such as Los Angeles Times, Variety, The New York Times, The Wrap, Indiewire, Vulture, RogerEbert.com, MovieMaker Magazine, Remezcla, Filmmaker Magazine, among others. He is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA).

Darrien Michele Gipson is the Executive Director of SAGindie, an educational organization for independent filmmakers. Darrien is a graduate of UCLA, where she received her BA in English Literature; and USC, where she earned an MFA from the Peter Stark Producers Program. She was the Vice President of Development for DEF Pictures before joining SAGindie in 2002 as Festival Coordinator. Through SAGindie, she traveled extensively to film festivals, film schools, and conferences, hosting workshops and teaching filmmakers how to hire professional actors using SAG-AFTRA’s low budget contracts. Since becoming SAGindie’s Executive Director in 2006, Darrien has expanded the organization to reach more festivals and help even more creators on all platforms to bring their projects to fruition. She continues to travel around the world speaking on panels, mentoring writers and filmmakers, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the entertainment industry.

Dawn Porter is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on ESPN, Netflix, HBO, PBS, and Discovery.

Cameron McAllister is a writer, producer, film critic and the former Associate Director for the Atlanta Film Society. In 2011, he founded both Reel Georgia and the Georgia Film Critics Association, one of the largest and most highly-regarded film critics groups in the Southeastern United States. He worked for the Atlanta Film Society for nearly a decade, helping to propel the 46-year-old Academy Award-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival to its place as one of the nation’s premiere independent film showcases. He formerly served as Executive Director for the Rome International Film Festival and is the current President of the Atlanta chapter of the Rachel Morgan Fan Club. Cameron’s written work has been featured in Paste, Oz Magazine and Southern Distinction.

Matt Layne is a poet and young adult librarian at O’Neal Library in Mountain Brook, AL. He recently served as a member of the 2022 Michael L Printz Award Committee for Excellence in Young Adult Literature which chose Angeline Boulley’s Fire Keeper’s Daughter as the award recipient, and he is the President-elect of the Alabama Library Association. His forthcoming poetry collection, Miracle Strip, will be published in September, 2022 by Brick Road.

Brandon Harris is the president and co-founder of I’d Watch That, author of MAKING RENT IN BED-STUY (2017), director of REDLEGS (2012) and a recovering studio executive.

Aaron Hillis was praised by Brooklyn Magazine as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture” alongside Lena Dunham and Spike Lee. As Cinedigm’s Director of Programming, he’ll be helping to relaunch the indie discovery platform Fandor this fall. Aaron’s writing has appeared in The Village Voice, VICE, Variety, Vanity Fair, and other outlets that don’t begin with V. His co-directorial feature debut, FISH KILL FLEA, screened at Sidewalk 2007.

Lauren Wolkstein is an American film director, writer, and editor. She is known for directing the 2017 drama-thriller The Strange Ones with Christopher Radcliff and serving on the directorial team for the third season of Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar, which she followed with a Producing Director role in the fifth season. A 2017-2018 Women at Sundance fellow, Wolkstein has been named a “New Face of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine. Her films have screened at several festivals, including Cannes, Outfest, Sundance, and SXSW

Andrea Krauss’s professional background in television, film and video with a concentration on independent film spans over more than two decades. Producing credits include: Dalila Ali Rajah’s short film “Secret & Toys” with Quentin Lee directing, “Grown This Way” and “Cock N’ Bull2” directed by Nathan Adloff and “Cinema Conversations with Stephen P. Jarchow”, a docu series for Here Television. Andrea resides in Hawai’i on the island of O’ahu where she was involved with casting for Hawai’i Five-O and Magnum PI reboot. She is currently the Programming Director for the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival which takes place in late October.

Verton R. Banks is best known as the diligent medical intern Vernon on the HBO comedy Getting On starring Laurie
Metcalf, Niecy Nash, and Alex Borstein. Verton can be seen in
the upcoming Ryan Murphy show, Monster: The Jeffrey
Dahmer Story on Netflix and Showtime’s Your Honor. Recent
appearances include FOX’s 9-1-1, Hulu’s Dollface, FX’s Snowfall, Comisery on Amazon, and Eastsiders on Netflix.
Twitter: @vertonbanks

Becca Greene is a film and TV Writer who has developed and sold various projects with several studios and acclaimed producers including NBC Universal, 20th Century FOX, Disney, Reese Witherspoon, and the De Laurentiis family. Becca’s most current screenplay, DARBY HARPER WANTS YOU TO KNOW, was filmed earlier this year and is due to premiere on Hulu this December.

Christine Elise McCarthy, professionally known as Christine Elise, is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Emily Valentine in Beverly Hills, 90210 and BH90210 and Kyle in the Child’s Play franchise, first appearing in Child’s Play 2 (1990) and reprising the role in Cult of Chucky (2017) and the Syfy series Chucky (2021-2022).

Farah White is an Actress, Producer, Director and Writer but does whatever needs to be done depending on the day! Her love for the entire filmmaking process is obvious by the wide spectrum of genres in her resume which spans over 25 years. She has produced over 30 feature films, shorts and TV pilots in addition to acting in over 50 films, MISS CONGENIALITY being one of her first. She has been on the creative side as well as produced commercials for FED-EX, AMERICAN AIRLINES, FRITO LAY, WALGREENS, GATORADE and REVLON. She UPM’d Solange’s Video Album “When I get Home” as well as producing live recordings of WEEZER and THE PIXIES for Live Nation Events. Earlier this year, she directed the feature film, LANDLORD FROM HELL for the LIFETIME Movie Network. You can see her next in the upcoming release CONDITION OF RETURN, starring AnnaLynne McCord, Dean Cain and Natasha Henstridge.

Skizz Cyzyk has held positions, and served on juries, at several festivals over the past three decades. He has been an annual juror for Sidewalk since year one (1999), except 2013, when the film he co-directed, HIT & STAY, won Best Documentary Feature, and 2018, when his film, ICEPICK TO THE MOON, won the Audience Award for Best Alabama Film. He plays music with Half Japanese, The Jennifers, Go Pills, The Stents, and Mink Stole & Her Wonderful Band.