Judges 2011
RJ Mitte plays Walt Jr. on AMC’s hit series Breaking Bad, now off to a supercharged season two. He also plays the lead role inHouse of Last Things, a fantasy/Thriller now in post-production. We at Burbank International Film festival are thrilled to have him aboard as one of our finalist judges in Sci-Fi and Horror.
Max stars as the lead in IFC’s dark comedy series Bullet in the Face. Max’s other credits include the HBO original series, Arliss, CBS’s The District and most recently the Showtime series Shameless. Max was nominated as Best Actor for the film The Lucky 7.
Natasha’s roles include Yvetta in True Blood, and Natash in the film The Women as well as roles in Entourage, Nip/Tuck, NPD Blue, and CSI. While you won’t see as much of her as you did in her Playboy spread, she will be at the BIFF read carpet, and she’s is a finalist judge of Horror/Sci-Fi.
Local Burbank resident, veteran of TVs Lost and a familiar face to fans of the hit series Matlock, Roebuck played legal assistant Clifford Lewis for three seasons, and has logged roles in such telefilms as Caught in the Crossfire, Runaway Father, the small screen remake of The Dirty Dozen and The Killing Mind on Lifetime. He also shared a small piece of television history with a role in the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation which resurrected Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock and introduced the new TV series.
Gary Graham is one of only three actors (besides the regulars) to appear in all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise. In Alien Nation: Dark Horizon and Alien Nation: The Enemy Within he starred as Det. Matthew Sikes. He’s played more than 30 TV roles, and has also been in more than 30 movies. Some of his films include All the Right Moves, The Last Warrior, Robot Jox, Hollywood Knights and Hardcore.
John Billingsley, Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise, graduated from Bennington College where he studied theatre. He moved to Los Angeles and was cast in NYPD Blue and guest-starred on The Practice, Profiler, The X-Files. In l999, Stephen Spielberg cast him in The Others. John’s guest starring work includes The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Star Gate, and Angel. His most recent credits include NCIS, Ghost Whisperer, CSI: NY, 24, and Alan Ball’s True Blood as Coroner Mike.
Bonita is familiar to Trek fans as Rooney from Star Trek: Enterprise and can currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Veronica Mars, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film Christmas with the Kranks.
Larissa played Emily in Saw 3D: The Final Chapter and Saw VI, and played a reporter in Resident Evil. Her many TV credits include CSI: Miami, and In Justice. Larissa is a proud addition to our Sci-Fi and Horror judging panel.
Two-time Oscar nominee for animated shorts, and the acknowledged “King of Indie Animation”. Bill is also a former cartoonist for the New York Times, National Lampoon, Playboy and Screw. He has the distinction of being the only person to hand-draw an entire animated feature film (in fact NINE so far!). In addition to being an honoree, Bill is the presenter for this year’s inaugural “Plympton Award for Indie Animation” which will go to an entrant of the Burbank International Film Festival, annually.
Award-winning producer/writer of The Simpsons since 1989 on over 450 episodes, has been showrunner for thirteen seasons. Al won eight Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Currently he serves as executive producer and showrunner, was writer and producer on The Simpsons Movie, co-created The Critic and Teen Angel, and won three CableACE Awards as producer of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.
Three time Emmy Award winning director, Mark Kirkland, has directed more episodes than anyone of TVs longest running animated program, The Simpsons. Mark studied Experimental Animation at CalArts prior to his career in the animation at Hanna-Barberra, before directing for FOX. He has been awarded two Environmental Media Awards for his work on The Simpsons.
Ms. Wyatt is most recognized for her recurring role on The Office playing Kevin’s sweet girlfriend, Lynn. Her films include four with Richard Kelly THE BOX, SOUTHLAND TALES, DONNIE DARKO and VISCERAL MATTER, as well as THE CRAZIES, LEGALLY BLONDE, AMERICAN DREAMZ and MR. WOODCOCK. Her television guest star /recurring work includes Southland, My Name is Earl, Ugly Betty, CSI, Greek, The Suite Life on Deck and Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s That’s My Bush!
Harland Williams’s roles include the films Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, RocketMan, Employee of the Month, The Whole Nine Yards, and more. Harland won ‘Best Improviser’ on NBC’s Thank God You’re Here, and his latest ventures include voicing ‘Monster’ on Nickelodeon’s animated Robot and Monster. Harland can be heard every week on his insanely popular podcast, The Harland Highway.
Larry Hankin is known for his roles in TV shows Friends (as “Mr. Heckles”) and Seinfeld, as well as for his major role in the movie Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood. Also, he played a significant role in the movie Billy Madison along with Adam Sandler. He had cameo appearances in three John Hughes films, Home Alone, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and She’s Having A Baby, as well as minor roles in The Sure Thing and Running Scared. In 1980, he shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film (Live Action) for Solly’s Diner.
Corbin Bleu is best known for his role as Chad Danforth in all three High School Musical productions where he has won acclaim as an actor/singer/dancer. As a singer-songwriter, Corbin has produced two hit albums, Another Side and Speed of Light. He is also currently a film producer on the thriller Scary or Die and has feature roles in the dramatic films Renee and Sugar, currently in post production.
YouTube’s LisaNova (Lisa Donovan) burst onto the New Media scene in 2006 and now boasts over half a million subscribers and nearly 200 million channels views at YouTube.com/LisaNova. She parlayed her comedic success into a gig on the network show Mad TV and continues her pioneering work via Maker Studios established by YouTube independent content creators.
Animation historian, former industry executive and cartoon producer. Jerry’s fifteen books include The Animated Movie Guide, Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide and The 50 Greatest Cartoons. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney, and is currently a consulting producer to Warner Bros., Universal and Disney for their classic animation DVD compilations. BIFF congratulates Jerry on his recent installation as Vice President of ASIFA, Hollywood, the organization that hosts The Annie Awards.
An animation director of over 30 episodes of hit shows including The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Mission Hill and Family Guy. For Family Guy he was nominated for a prime-time Emmy alongside the show’s creator Seth McFarland. Dominic is creator of Lovesick Fool, his own pilot TV series and film fest award winner.
Joe Wilson is an award-winning filmmaker, and creator, writer, director of the Indie TV series Vampire Mob now in its second season. Wilson’s short The Swear Police won its category at the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and his short Tickle Me Harder was described by Gawker as “a celebrity sex tape worth our time.” Wilson also made international news by auctioning a “Jar of Celebrity Air” on eBay, which became an international news event and the subject of his one-man show…
Jacqui has acted in several sitcoms including Quintuplets, Stacked and How I Met Your Mother. She also appeared in numerous independent films, and appeared opposite Kate Hudson in the film My Best Friend’s Girl. Jacqui also produces and acts in her own line of iPhone apps under the brand name HotNFunny. Besides acting, writing, and stand-up comedy, Jacqui also enjoys bedazzling, interpretive dance, and Kundalini yoga.
Sirena Irwin’s television credits include roles on The Drew Carey Show, So Notorious, Significant Others and Ellen, and she hosted the History Channel’s Toolbox. She can also be heard regularly on Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Squarepants. She has written and directed multiple short films including Whacked, which was broadcast internationally and included on the Vanguard DVD shorts compilation Look In My Shorts.
Kat Kramer is a singer, performer and actress seen in Little Fokkers, Going Shopping, What Just Happened and Hollywood Dreams. Kat is also a writer whose published reviews and interviews in Entertainment Today have featured Billy Crystal, Al Pacino, Ronnie Wood and Shirley MacLaine.
A sixteen-year veteran of Nickelodeon, FOX and Disney, where he was a protégé of Glen Keane on Treasure Planet. Raul is an instructor at Gnomon School of Visual Effects, an active freelancer, and host of the Man vs. Art podcast which interviews industry professionals and provides information, inspiration, and entertainment for artists.
Grasiela Rodriguez is a graphic artist, animator, comic book creator at Not Your Friend Comics, and a board member for the Nuvien Foundation that raises scholarship funds for students of the arts. Grasiela holds degrees in Animation and Digital Media and E-commerce Development, and coordinates and participates in several regional animation exhibitions annually.
Is a prolific indie animator of well over 40 shorts and an alumni of Spike and Mike’s Sick ‘N’ Twisted Film Festival with Mama, I’m a Thug. Jim does art, voices and music for all of his films as well as freelance work for film and television, and promotes regional animated film festivals in Los Angeles.
Writer/director/producer of the animated spoof of Dirty Harry film Magnum Farce, the multiple-award-winning short based on the feature-film script now in production at Bella Fe Films. Ken is executive producer of the documentary Adventures In Plymptoons, whose subject is twice Oscar-nominated indie animator Bill Plympton.
Bledsoe was a child model and acted in commercials in the late 1980s – early 1990s. He’s acted and sung on Glee, CSI, House M.D., The Simpsons, and the Nickelodeon TV series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. At 16 he helped formed the band Natural with Patrick King, Michael Johnson, and later Michael ‘J’ Horn. Credits include soundrack writing for Red Riding Hood and Spirited Away.
Rosine Avedissian, formerly in Music Management, has immersed herself in all facets of the Entertainment Industry for more than decade, with extensive focus on Music and Television. Rosine is currently Director of Talent Development at All Star Planet, an online platform where kids learn and share how to make a difference by pairing their talent with their favorite charity. Through Music & theArts, Rosine aspires to make it a better planet for our kids, through our kids.
Bill Bennett is President of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a non-profit that gives financial assistance to career musicians suffering due to disability or illness. He has spent most of his adult life in the music business, from his start as a teenager working in a record store, to running live music venues, promoting concerts and managing artists. His passion for music and the people who make it are what it’s all about for him.
Rick garnered a coveted role in Twilight as Jacob Black’s great great grandfather, Ephram Black, leader of the original Werewolf Tribe. He has been a principle in Music Videos by Celine Dion, En Vogue, Saddat X, Nickel Creek, Bob Sinclair, and his latest music video withAgnes Carlson has gotten over 3.5 Million hits.
Delia has worked 25 years in music, starging as Alternative Rock Radio DJ and Music Director, then music columnist for Atlanta’s weekly “Creative Loafing.” She managed PUurple Dragon Recording Studios and continued in LA for Original Productions “Deadliest Catch” then worked as licensing consultant InfoSpace. As a board member at-large for Alliance for Women in Media (AWM), she has mentored college grads and organized industry mixers. Delia is currently in-house at Disney Music Group and is constantly on the lookout for musical experiences in Los Angeles.
Denise Cruz-Castino is a veteran copy writer for Los Angeles’s biggest ad firms, who turned a foray in screenwriting into a career. Denise sold the short script The Fountain to Disney, then created the dramedy Five Weddings now in development for Uniglobe Entertainment, as well as a docudrama in development with Dempsey Productions. Her current comedy Knock Out is at Disney Feature Animation.
Andy Glickman is a veteran screenwriter, having worked in both television and film as a sitcom staff writer and feature writer. His credits include Mad About You, Grounded for Life and Herman’s Head. He has also script-doctored several short and full-length films.
Silvia Kratzer is a professor of Film, Television, and Digital Media at Chapman University and frequently teaches at UCLA and Pepperdine University. She has served as a jury member and as a film programmer of numerous national and international film festivals. Recently, she has expanded her German-US film co-production and distribution network as a German Film Liaison in Los Angeles.
Pennie Orcutt, star of independent film, commercials and soap operas started producing plays, showcases and small film to showcase the work of her and her friends. Pennie now has many productions under her belt, including Face Down In the Family Pool, which won several festival awards and was four-walled at Edwards Cinema. Death By Engagement is now running on Showtime and her follow-up Little Fish, Strange Pond, starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin and Zach Galifanakis, will be released by Lions Gate Entertainment this year.