STXIFF INDUSTRY JUDGES
Sandra Avila
An Edinburg native and 20-year veteran in the entertainment industry, Sandra currently serves as a Partner & Literary Manager at Inclusion -- a company focused on diverse storytellers. Some of her clients include: David Blue Garcia ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), Marcella Ochoa ("Madres"), Julio Quintana ("Blue Miracle") and Shane McKenzie ("Bingo Hell")
Darla Cash
Darla Cash was in show business for 33 years, mainly in theater, but also in film and television.
Her friend George Sidney was president of the Director's Guild for 16 years. When asked about Hollywood movies, he said, "We used to make art, now its just business."
She has worked with camera man, Sam Drummy, cinematographer, Isidore Mankofsky, composer/orchestrators, Jonathan Sacks and Germaine Franco, writer/director Binnur Karaevli and actors, Alfred Molina, Whoopi Goldberg, Dyan Cannon, Robert Hays, and Peter O'Toole, among many others.
Having watched thousands of hours of film and television, she tossed her tv in 2004 and has not had one in her home since.
Her collaborator, Anne Bogart once said, "Theater treats you like an intelligent person, film treats you like a child and television like an idiot." She's happy to be a child to witness the fresh voices arising inside the South Texas International Film Festival.
Mauro Flores Jr.
Mauro Flores, Jr. is a McAllen native currently living in Los Angeles where he works as a story producer for unscripted shows such as Tough as Nails, LegoMasters, and The Amazing Race. He has also worked as a writers assistant on Starz’s VIDA and Netflix’s Atypical. And his short films “The Trainee”, “Night of the Hipsters”, “Alma” and “Searching for Waldo” can be found on YouTube. As a playwright his plays have been seen in LA, New York and Korea. Also an illustrator and painter, Mauro‘s work has been used on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother and Fox’s Dads, and he has recently broken into the art gallery scene in Los Angeles. You can see his work at maurofloresjr.com or his Instagram @mauro_floresjr_art.
Samantha Rae Lopez
Former indie film producer and San Antonio native, Samantha Rae Lopez is one of three co-founders of the Tejanas in Film Collective and volunteers annually as a reviewer for various grant programs and film festivals across Texas including Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. A seasoned podcaster, her hosting skills can be heard on multiple podcasts across the internet such as Texas Film in Focus, The WIFT Austin Podcast, and TIF Voices. She holds a BS in Film Production from Full Sail University and is currently based in Austin.
Joshua Kennedy
Joshua Kennedy is the writer-producer-director of more than twenty low-budget feature films including COWGIRLS VS. PTERODACTYLS, SATURNALIA: CAVE-GIRL FROM OUTER SPACE, THE INNSMOUTH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, and HOUSE OF THE GORGON.
Since graduating from Pace University in New York City, Kennedy has been the recipient of the Rondo Hatton Award for Best Independent Film with HOUSE OF THE GORGON, the prestigious Monster Bash Conference "Lifetime Achievement Award," and his films have premiered in numerous cities including Los Angeles, California, Seattle, Washington, Miami, Florida, Sydney, Australia and London, England.
He is currently at work on his 16mm epic MANTOPUS and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s RICHARD III set in outer space.
JEFF MARQUIS
Jeff Marquis, a native of McAllen, TX, is a semi-retired drama teacher, actor, singer, and voice artist. He is a veteran of over 75 stage productions, both collegiate, and professional. An avid cinephile, he also helms a popular web series called Punchy Players. At UT-RGV he helped create the university’s first summer children’s theatre program. He is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Orlando Moguel
Orlando Moguel began his studies in 1997 at El Centro de Teatro y Danza (the Center for Theater and Dance), where he received a scholarship to complete his studies. Later on, he honed his skills with great directors of Mexican cinema such as Arturo Ripstein, Felipe Cazals, Ignacio Ortiz Cruz, and Jorge Zepeda; as well as the late Acting Professor Raúl Zermeño.
Orlando’s artistic career began in April of 2000 and he focused mainly on film and television series. Some of the most important film projects are: the movie 600 Miles alongside the international actor Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs), directed by Gabriel Ripstein and produced by Michel Franco (New Order, Después de Lucía). The world premiere of the movie occurred in 2015 during the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, where the movie won the award for Best Debut. In addition, the film was preselected to represent Mexico at the Oscars for Best Foreign Film.
We see Orlando in the series “Falco” as the character Diego Fenton. The series was directed by Ernesto Contreras (Párpados azules, Sueño en otro idioma) and Julían de Tavira. The series won the International Emmy in 2019 for Best Non-English Language Series. Orlando is also protagonist of the film ColOZio.
He’s in the short film B-167-980-098 as “El Tuercas,” under the direction of Mariana and Santiago Arriaga and written by the prestigious screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, The Burning Plain and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada).
He also participated in the successful Netflix series Crime Diaries: the Candidate (Historia de un crimen: Colosio) where he plays the character Octavio. The directors Natalia Beristain (No quiero dormir sola, Los adioses) and Hiromi Kamata (Niño Santo, Diablo guardián) were in charge of the series. He has worked with accomplished film directors such as Carlos Carrera (El Crimen del Padre Amaro) in the movie De la infancia. He has also worked with the director Claudia Sainte-Luce in the films El camino de Sol and La caja vacía, where he shared scenes and credits with Jimmy Jean Louis (Joy, Tears of the Sun, Heroes).
We can also see Orlando in Before I Forget (Asesino del Olvido) from HBO Max where he plays a transgender character along with Damián Alcázar. The series was directed by Ernesto Contreras (Párpados azules) and Jorge Michel Grau (Somos lo que hay). He also participated in the Star + series Pancho Villa. Centauro del Norte, where he played one of the central characters: Francisco I. Madero. The series was directed by Rafa Lara (La milagrosa, Cinco de Mayo).
We can expect to see him soon in the Apple TV series Laz Azules by Fernando Rovzar (Sr. Ávila, Monarca).
Carlos Moreno Jr.
Carlos Moreno Jr. is a prolific and seasoned actor and filmmaker with credits in over 70 Hollywood and independent movies and television shows. His credits extend from television shows such as “911,” “ER,” “Dexter,” “Major Crimes,” “Difficult People” and “Huge In France” to feature films like “Transformers,” “Delta Farce,” “Frank and Lola,” and “Happy Feet.” He played four voices in the Oscar- winning animated film “Coco.”
Carlos is a filmmaker and has written, produced and directed several short films and series. His latest film, “Numb", has won The Audience Award, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Song at festivals in 2022 and 2023. His directorial debut film “Habanero” won him the Rayo Del Sol Award from CineSol Film Festival in his native state of Texas, while “Sweet Blight” earned him the Audience Award from the California Women’s Film Festival. His recent short “Panacea,” a minimalist futuristic drama about the difficult choices in life, played festivals in Hollywood and Los Angeles as well as the Latino Filmmakers Network’s showcase during the Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play.
Carlos is currently developing the comedy web-series “Pepito’s America”, based on the infamous Latin Pepito jokes. He created short vignettes of Pepito's America which is currently being considered for an Emmy in the Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series. He is also being considered for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series as Pepito.
All the while, he continues to develop his first feature, “No, Guey Jose,” a dark-comedy about a border agent and an immigrant.
Desire, Believe, and Expect it!
Contributing to the betterment of humanity,
Carlos Moreno Jr.
Pepito's America - YouTube Channel
IMDB
www.carlosmorenojr.com
BRUH PICTURES
310-779-6638
Ferenc MoldovanyI
Ferenc Moldovanyi is an independent internationally acclaimed filmmaker with over thirty years of professional experience as a film director-producer, cinematographer, photographer, writer, and film educator, widely covered by the international press. Holder of an MFA in Film Directing, and a doctoral degree (DLA) in Film and Video at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest (Hungary). A member of the European Film Academy and several prestigious professional organizations. Achieving recognition worldwide, featured in 160 festivals in 50 countries. Winner of over 40 film awards, producing, and broadcasting in coproduction with reputable channels, such as Sundance Channel (the USA nationwide), Canal+ (France), RTBF (Belgium), RTP(Portugal), etc. His films are supported and sponsored by prominent organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and several European Film Funds such as EURIMAGES, Media Plus Program, etc. Advocate for human (particularly children) rights recognized by UNICEF and European Council. Invited to the jury of several prestigious international film festivals in Mexico, France, Germany, Netherland, Switzerland, Portugal, Israel, Romania, etc., and has given several master classes around the world. He is currently teaching film at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and working on his new film projects.
Gabriel Ornelas
Gabriel Ornelas works as Production and Community Relations Specialist with the Texas Film Commission. He helps administer the Texas Film Friendly Program. The statewide program connects media industry professionals with skilled community liaisons across the state to provide local expertise and production support.
Prior to his work with the Commission, Gabriel served as Executive Director with Cine Las Americas, an Austin based cultural arts organization that offers theatrical screenings made by and/or about Latinos and Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Gabriel worked in higher education managing events, venues and supporting the performing arts. He resides in Austin, TX and grew up in the border city of El Paso, TX.
Sean Roberts
Sean Roberts, Producer/ Production Supervisor, has worked in the television commercial production industry in NYC for the past 24 years supervising commercials for directors such as Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, Danny Clinch as well as Super Bowl ads for Monster Headphones and Budweiser. He grew up in Edinburg, TX and graduated from the University of Texas Pan American. His professional journey began at Summit Productions in McAllen, TX where he co-created, produced and directed the nationally syndicated television show "Puro Tejano”. While at Summit Productions he directed music videos for Pete Astudillo, La Sombra, Mazz and Selena’s “No Me Queda Mas” which was recognized as the Music Video of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Going back to his roots, Sean is honored to be involved with the South Texas International Film Festival and excited to see this years selection of talented filmmakers and storytellers.
Valente Rodriguez
Valente Rodriguez was born in south Texas in 1964. He is the youngest of eight in a family of migrant farmworkers. He put himself through college by doing children’s theatre in south Texas. After graduating college in 1987 he went to Los Angeles to become an actor.
His first professional acting Job was a feature film called SALSA THE MOTION PICTURE in January of 1988. Since then Valente has appeared in numerous Film/TV and Theatre productions – Film: Blood in… Blood out…, Mi Familia, Roosters, Erin Brockovich, Deep Blue Sea, Volcano, The Ugly Truth, It’s Complicated, McFarland USA. TV: Golden Girls, Mad About You, X-files, ER – he was a regular on the George Lopez show playing the part of Ernie. He was also a regular on Happily Divorced with Fran Drescher – playing the part of Cesar.
Along with being an actor Valente has written several theatre pieces that have been seen in LA. He was a member of the Latino Lab in Los Angeles and has performed both their DAY OF THE DEAD show as well as the Christmas pageant “La VIRGEN”. He has performed at numerous stages in LA and through out The United States. He produced three films in the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), directing one of them, in 2010. He also went back to school, completing his Masters in Theatre in 2015.
Valente has been a friend of the South Texas International Film Festival since its inception, serving as a mentor and guide.
Adrian Vina
Adrian Viña was born and raised in Edinburg, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Viña wanted to be a storyteller from a very young age. He was involved with drama and media tech in high school, while fostering a deep appreciation for film and television and daydreaming about working in Hollywood one day. He eventually studied film at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While in school he co-wrote and directed a short film that later played at CineSol Film Festival. After graduating from SMU, Viña moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. He worked numerous positions in the industry. His writing career finally started while working at a literary management company, when he optioned his script SUCKERS to Alcon Entertainment. That same script was later picked up by Nickelodeon and made into their hit Halloween movie, LIAR, LIAR VAMPIRE in 2015. He then worked on numerous television and film projects, including BLURT! For Nickelodeon and COP AND A HALF: NEW RECRUIT starring Lou Diamond Phillips. Adrian also participated in the prestigious Disney Television Writing Program in 2020-2021 and has a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting degree from California State University, Northridge.