Best in Fest

Katherine graduated as a medical biotechnologist (MD in Bioсhemistry and Molecular biology) and worked briefly in a Cancer Research Center. But due to serious circumstances, she moved to Hong Kong and spent the next 12 years as an interior designer and small-form architect, heading her own studio Cheshire Cat and founding a construction company Berling Co. Deciding to expand her activities, she entered a film school, after which she went with her student short film to the Cannes Film Festival. There she was noticed by producers from Los Angeles and was invited to the USA to develop the new projects.

Andria Wilson Mirza is the Director of ReFrame, the screen industry's gender equity coalition founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film. Since joining the organization, she has expanded their mid-career talent accelerator and launched the ReFrame ReSource, an industry-leading initiative to create connections across Hollywood’s diversity advocacy sector. Previously, Andria was Executive Director of Inside Out, Canada’s largest LGBTQ film festival. There, she established the world’s only LGBTQ Feature Film Financing Forum, launched two development funds, co-founded the North American Queer Festival Alliance (NAQFA), and spearheaded a 4-year partnership between Inside Out and Netflix.

Andria and her wife Fawzia Mirza co-founded and run Baby Daal Productions, and are currently in post-production on the feature THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS, a Pakistan-Canada co-production. Baby Daal’s feature slate also includes Sandra Itäinen's upcoming queer Muslim documentary COMING AROUND and Drew Denny’s GIFTED, which centers survivors of intimate partner violence with an all-survivor crew and creative team. Andria serves on the advisory board of Hire Survivors Hollywood, and is a consultant for EFM’s Toolbox program to support underrepresented directors in navigating their first international film market. Named ‘one of 15 Canadian women to watch’ by the CBC, Andria has been a featured speaker at festivals including TIFF, Sundance, SXSW, AFM, San Diego Comic Con, Berlin’s European Film Market, Oslo Fusion, and the Iris Prize Producer’s Forum.

Twitter: @reframeproject @andriawilson

Instagram: @reframe_project @andriawilsonmirza

Clay Epstein has over twenty years of experience as an Entertainment Executive. Since launching his own company in 2016, he is the President and Owner of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and distribution entity with a producer friendly initiative. In addition to bringing films to audiences around the globe, Clay executive produces many of the company’s titles. As an Executive Producer, Clay
is instrumental in working with filmmakers in the early stages of pre‐production to help build the financing, and creative elements to achieve these successes worldwide. To better help producers and directors who may be less experienced, Film Mode has an active consultancy division, offering producers expertise and guidance on financial models, marketing, and distribution strategies.

Film Mode represents over 50 independent feature films worldwide, with a client base that spans the globe. Recent successes include BREACH starring Bruce Willis, AS THEY MADE US starring Dustin Hoffman, and Candice Bergan, CRYPTO starring Kurt Russel, LITTLE PINK HOUSE starring Catherine Keener, and MONSTROUS starring Christina Ricci.

Prior to launching Film Mode, Clay was SVP Sales & Acquisitions at Arclight Films. He was instrumental in representing high profile films such as Paul Schrader ’s DOG EAT DOG starring Nicolas Cage, and the Spirig brother’s PREDESTINATION starring Ethan Hawke. Earlier in his career, Clay represented prestigious titles such as TSOTSI (2006, Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language,) and THE
LAST STATION (2010, Academy Award Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress.) Clay earned a BA in Fine Arts, from California State University, Northridge majoring in Film Production and minoring in Italian Language.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, he holds the elected position of Chairman of Independent Film and Television Alliance. Clay is an instructor at UCLA Extension, and a frequent lecturer at film festivals worldwide., a member of PGA, FIND, BAFTA LA, and the Australian Academy
Cinema Television Arts.

Mary Jane’s films have screened at the Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals and have received numerous awards and nominations, including several appearances on the National Board of Review ‘best of’ list, a BAFTA best screenplay win for The Station Agent and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Richard Jenkins in The Visitor.  Mary Jane received the Independent Spirit Award for Producing in 2004 and was selected as one of Variety’s Producers to Watch in 2003.  She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and serves on the Branch Executive Committee for the Producers Branch.

Mary Jane has served as an adjunct at Columbia University and New York University and regular acts as an advisor at the Sundance Creative Producing and Catalyst Labs.  In 2016 she served as the Allesee Chair at Wayne State University. From 2013-2018 Mary Jane was the Senior Advisor to Gamechanger, a financing entity focused exclusively on films directed by women. Gamechanger’s inaugural slate of films included The Tale, The Invitation, Busters Mal Heart, Love Song, Land Ho, Addicted to Fresno and The Strange Ones. She is a graduate of The University of Michigan.

Mary Jane Skalski is currently the President of Production for Echo Lake Entertainment, a production, management and financing company where, in addition to overseeing the company’s slate, she is also producing a number of projects in film and tv and has a small number of clients.

Antti Kaarlela is a Finnish screenwriter, producer and a production company CEO. Antti has studied and lived in many different places around the world, including Rome, Italy and New York City, US. Antti set a production company called Whatevergroup in 2011 together with his namesake Antti Kairakari and a fellow entrepreneur Aleksi Puranen and since then Whatevergroup has produced for example the 2022 Oulu International Children and Youth Film Festival winning feature film Roi and the MIPdrama official selection Evilside that will open in Finland on Elisa Viihde Viaplay in October 2023. Antti lives Northern Finnish town of Oulu a mere 100 miles below the Arctic Circle. Antti is a strong believer in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and these basic values have been the main building blocks of the Whatevergroup mission; to make the world a better place through entertainment.

Currently Whatevergroup is in production with a mini series for the Finnish pubcaster YLE. The dramedy mini series entitled Critical point tells the story of a Somali-Finnish young woman who wants to become the best ski jumper in the whole World. The series is planed to open on YLE channels in February 2024.

It's all about virtual production in this episode with one of the industry experts, President of Roninfilms Virtual Production Joan Webb.

Roninfilm Virtual Production pioneered in Unreal Engine as early adopters with 2 Epic Games/Unreal Engine MegaGrants, becoming evangelists, leading speaking engagements at NAB, AFM, CineGear, VES, Wacom, ASUS, Poppy Jasper Film Festival, and over 35 articles world-wide in American Cinematographer, Variety, Sci-Fi, NAB Show Daily, and other trades written on our accomplishments, discoveries and endeavors as the preeminent leaders in Virtual Production.

As experts, in a field of limited experienced contenders/participants, our unmatched, deep experience, discoveries and knowledge in this new frontier provided Roninfilm Virtual Production the ability to recognize and identify the requirements necessary to create standards and offered guidance to Rapid Industry Solutions (RIS), SMPTE's new Virtual Production Standards advisory & working group focusing on On Set Virtual Production, by interjecting the necessity/inclusion of ASC for an accurate integration and representation for Virtual Production to create standards for this new workflow.

Roninfilm Virtual Production's talent fulfilled Director, Writer, Creative Director, Virtual Production Supervisor, Virtual Production Producer, CG Supervisor, and Unreal Asset Creation for the first 
Super Bowl spots to air using this new workflow, as well our team has completed: Feature, Commercials, Shorts, Corp, Experimental in Virtual Production and 7 BTS how-to mini docs on Virtual Production.

Alex Schmider is an Emmy, Peabody, and Critics Choice Award recognized film producer and the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, the nation’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization. His producing credits include CHANGING THE GAME (Hulu), DISCLOSURE (Netflix), FRAMING AGNES (Kino Lorber), STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY (Netflix) and upcoming CHASING CHASING AMY. He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and board member for The 19th News. He remains a Forbes 30 under 30 list maker for media, but is gleefully no longer under 30.

More about his work: https://www.alexschmider.com/credits 

David Stump brings over 25 years of experience as a Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Visual Effects Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and Effects Cameraman. He has extensive experience in high definition film and video photography, content creation, CGI and visual effects production. He has won an Emmy Award and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Acheivement. He is a full member of the American Society of Cinematographers, where he currently serves as Chair of the Camera Subcommittee of the ASC Technical Committee. He was also the founder of camera and equipment company Motion Control Rental Services.

He has photographed and supervised VFX work for every major studio and many independent production studios on feature film projects including James Bond 22 – A Quantum of Solace, Into the Blue, The Game of Their Lives, Garfield, X-Men 2, Sizzling Kung Fu Mice, Panic Room, The Bourne Identity, The One, Men of Honor, Pluto Nash, Hollow Man, X-Men, Navy Diver, Deep Blue Sea, Stuart Little, Soldier, Blade, U.S. Marshals, The Sphere, Contact, Batman & Robin, Mars Attacks!, Star Trek First Contact, Executive Decision, Mortal Kombat, Batman Forever, A Walk in the Clouds, Stargate, Clear and Present Danger, Exit to Eden, The Shadow, The Quick and the Dead, Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street Part VII, Time Cop, Tall Tale, Double Dragon, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Ghost in the Machine, Dark Encounter, Free Willy, Toys, Batman Returns, Night Train, The Skateboard Kid, Doppelganger, Alien 3, Army of Darkness, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Flight of the Intruder, Ghost Dad, Solar Crisis, Gremlins II, Karate Kid III, Rambo III, Beetlejuice, My Stepmother is an Alien, Adventures In Babysitting, Stand By Me, Runaway Train, Black Moon Rising, Ice Pirates, Jaws 3-D, The Man Who Wasn't There, Top Secret, The Last Dragon, and many others.

Television projects completed include Storm of the Century, The Shining, Science Fiction Channel, The Tower, Space Rangers, Darkman, Beverly Hills 90210, Grand, Miracle Landing, Quantum Leap, Something Is Out There, The Christmas Star, Poor Little Rich Girl, Murder By The Book, Oceans of Fire, The Day After, Greatest American Hero, Condor, Hollywood Fever, Adventure Kids, Sidekicks, Completely Off The Wall, Crackers and others. His first and second unit Director of Photography credits include; Spring Break ’83, Killer Pad, The Bronx Is Burning, The Trident, What Love Is, Southland Tales, Red Riding Hood, Daddy’s Boys and The Black Gate. He has also completed numerous broadcast, commercials and industrial projects for leading companies, major brand names and various leading advertising agencies. He is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Visual Effects Society (VES), the Society of Operating Cameramen (SOC), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).

Kevin is the founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, a research and data analytics company that prioritizes maximizing market potential while evaluating risk for clients in the media and entertainment sectors. SE/ASI works with entertainment clients to uncover the critical ‘WHY’ behind the choices people make in deciding what, where, when, and how they choose to watch content.

Throughout his career, Kevin has produced twelve television movies. He is also the author of Audience-ology a book that chronicles how everyday moviegoers influence and help shape the making of America's cinematic masterpieces through the secretive process of audience testing of Hollywood movies. It offers an enlightening and universal perspective on how the power of audience feedback affects the final cuts of films and helps to make the playability the best it can be.