Ashley TY

Chao

Artemis Pictures

Ashley TY Chao is an award-winning producer with over a decade of experience across Hollywood studios, independent film, commercials, and vertical television in the US, UK, and Asia. After working at Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros., she produced In the Land of Saints and Sinners, starring Liam Neeson and presented at Venice; Four Letters of Love, starring Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter; and Sideral, which premiered at Cannes, was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and won more than 60 awards. She champions innovative storytelling across cultures and formats.

Jeff

Consiglio

VFRFilms

Jeff Consiglio is a Los Angeles-based director, producer, and editor specializing in character-driven nonfiction. His documentary editing has earned an Academy Award, another Oscar nomination, multiple Emmys, and honors from Sundance and SXSW. His music video work has received Grammy recognition, while his directing and producing have won national and international festival awards. He also creates film and digital art and teaches the craft of honest storytelling.

Arameh

Etemadi

Sheed Entertainment

Arameh Etemadi is an Iranian-American filmmaker and film critic with over two decades of experience across cinema and media. Since 2004, she has published more than 2,500 film reviews and served on juries at Palm Springs International, SEEfest, Lucas International Festival and Farhang Foundation Film Festival. She is also co-founder of the Sheed Film Festival in Dallas, presenting Iranian cinema to international audiences.

Ma Czarina

Garcia

CAAM

Czarina Garcia is Media Fund Manager at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Born and raised in the Philippines, she earned a Communication Arts degree from De La Salle University–Manila and worked on film and video projects there. Since joining CAAM in 2017, she has supported CAAMFest, worked on the Daytime Emmy-nominated PBS series Historian’s Take, and administered media fund initiatives under CPB guidelines. She also edits video for Bay Area nonprofits.

Angélica

Lares

Taller del Chucho

Angélica Lares is a producer and Head of Taller del Chucho, the animation studio founded by Guillermo del Toro, where she supervised second-unit production on Pinocchio. Her credits include the acclaimed shorts Humo, Dolores, Teatro Secreto, and Little Nightmares: Broken Promises. Founder of Tomasa Films, she develops animated features and international co-productions. She previously worked with the Guadalajara International Film Festival and also teaches, speaks, and serves on festival juries.

Zaki

Lisha

De Anza College

Zaki Lisha is professor emeritus and founder of De Anza College’s Film and Television Department, the largest of its kind in California’s community college system. He holds a master’s degree in film from San Francisco State University and has worked as a producer and director of documentary and corporate productions. A 2026 Cinequest short-film juror, he has been named an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Faculty Fellow and a Distinguished Educator at De Anza College.

Alexia

Melocchi

Little Studio Films

Alexia Melocchi is an award-winning producer, international distribution expert, author, and consultant with over 30 years in film and television. Co-founder of Little Studio Films, she has sold 50+ films to profitability, acquired 150+ titles, and earned 35+ producing credits. Fluent in six languages, she connects Hollywood with international independent filmmakers through producing, consulting, distribution, and mentorship. She is a Producers Guild of America member and hosts Chasing the Extraordinary.

Julio Alejandro

Mendoza Rey

FICG

Julio Rey is a Guadalajara-based director, photographer, and FICG Exhibition Coordinator. Founder of UNVORRRTEX, he creates fiction, documentaries, music videos, animation, and branded content.

Tisha

Morris

Legacy Arts Law PC

Tisha Morris, Esq., founded Legacy Arts Law PC to help creative entrepreneurs build and protect lasting careers. Her practice covers entertainment, publishing, business, intellectual property, and succession planning. A bestselling author of five books, including The Screen Playbook, she hosts The Entertainment Business Podcast and speaks at conferences and festivals. She serves on the Ojai Film Festival board and is licensed in California and Tennessee.

Lance

Paul

Ginger knight films

Lance Paul is an award-winning producer, actor, and founder of Ginger Knight Entertainment with over a decade in independent film and television. He produced and served as lead line producer on FLUXX, winner of the Malibu Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. His credits also include The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story and Kombucha Cure. A former Burbank International Film Festival judge, he brings expertise in storytelling, performance, and production.

Henry

Priest

Hollywood Park Film Festival

Henry Priest is a film festival leader with over 25 years of experience in Los Angeles and the international festival circuit. He has held foundational leadership roles with the Silverlake Film Festival and Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival and now works with the Hollywood Park Film Festival. Known for his studio relationships, market insight, and global network, he advises filmmakers and investors while connecting cinematic artistry with commercial opportunity.

Ova

Saopeng

TeAda Productions

Ova Saopeng is an actor, teaching artist, director and producer with Los Angeles based TeAda Productions. Born in Savannakhet, Laos, and raised in Hawaii he graduated from the University of Southern California. He is co-creator of Refugee Nation a nationally touring play about the Lao/tian-American experience. The critically acclaimed play received numerous awards including MAP Fund, National Performance Network’s Creation Fund, and California Council For the Humanities and a “GO!” review in the 2012 LA Weekly. Previous stage works with TeAda Productions include:Kalo Projects, Native Immigrant, TeAdaWorks, Delicious Reality, Refugee State, works that focus on highlighting the refugee and immigrant experience. Film credits include Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean:World’s End, Love is Good, Burmese Refugee, Seeds of Hope, Go to Sleep: A Lao Ghost Story and Naikhoo:Teacher, Charlie Can Talk. For more info go to www.teada.org or IG: og_ova

Jade

Seaberry

DiverseToons

Jade Seaberry in 2011 received her Masters of Arts in Integrated Marketing and Media, and has previously received her Bachelors in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT. Jade was born and raised in Queens, NY and is an only child. Previously Seaberry was a partner at the PR firm Cordelia Donovan Inc. until she opened DiverseToons in 2018.
Ms. Seaberry has produced multiple independent film projects; including the NY TImes Summer Festival play My Sister’s Keeper which received rave reviews. In 2018 at Blerd City Con after hearing the audience on the state of the Animation industry during the Q&A at the Black in Animation panel, knew the conversation needed to continue and DiverseToons was born. What started out as panels around the Tri-State area grew to San Diego Comic-Con International stages and corporate partnerships. Ultimately she’s always wanted to show kids of color they exist at all levels in the Animation Industry through DiverseToons panels. Now she wants to give them as many tools as possible to make them one step closer to that dream job or institution.

Tzvia

Shelef

SVJFF

Tzvia Shelef has served as Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival for 15 years. Her production career includes more than 600 television commercials for Saatchi & Saatchi Israel, work as an assistant director on Israeli and Hollywood films, and producing drama and comedy for Israel’s Channel 2. On Schindler’s List, she coordinated the Schindler survivors’ participation in the film’s final scene.

Soraya

Simi

Imagiro Films / Santa Barbara City College

Soraya Simi is an Oscar-considered Director, Producer, and Writer. Her work spans feature documentaries, commercial campaigns, and branded films for world-class talent and global audiences. Her debut feature ROW OF LIFE — Executive Produced by 2x WNBA Champion Sue Bird — FOLLOWS THE STORY OF PARALYMPIAN ANGELA MADSEN, AND IS currently #1 on Apple TV and Amazon. It has positioned her as a rising voice in human endurance storytelling. With over 15+ years of experience across unscripted television, docu-series, and advertising, Soraya specializes in cinematic, character-driven stories that sit at the intersection of athleticism, identity, and resilience.

Robyn

Spencer

San Diego International Film Festival

Robyn Spencer has been a cinephile since the age of 10, drawn to the power of great storytelling, the artistry behind the lens, and the unforgettable role music and film scores play in bringing a story to life. With a lifelong appreciation for the way film can entertain, challenge, connect, and inspire, she brings both an enthusiastic audience perspective and a deep respect for the creative process to the Grand Jury.

Jenna

Suru

Belle Époque Films

Now in its sixth year, Suru grew the Paris International Film Festival to a multi-day celebration of cinema, screening sixty films and welcoming talent from around the world including the United States and United Kingdom. She runs a production company about to celebrate its twelfth anniversary in France called Belle Epoque Films.