The ASVOFF 12 Jury unveiled ….Deadline for submissions is August 1st

 

Roger Avary Photo by Mireille Ampilhac via Newscom]

Roger Avary, President – “A guy who loves movies”. That was film critic Roger Ebert’s instinctive characterization of Roger Avary upon watching his directorial debut Killing Zoe in 1994. What’s more is there is a reverence and an integrity to Avary’s work ethic which shines through in his consideration for the work of authors he chooses to adapt. After spending eighteen months trying to transcribe Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels to the screen, he walked away from the project when it became clear the producers’ vision would borrow from Gaiman’s work but not pay tribute to its specific esthetic sense.

Some may be baffled by the diversity of said adaptations – from Bret Easton Ellis’ The Rules of Attraction to Japanese horror games Silent Hill – but there is consistency in Avary’s dedication to using his knowledge of the cinematic form and understanding of the source material to find innovative ways to connect the former to the latter. He inaugurated Apple’s Final Cut Pro software to edit The Rules of Attraction, efficiently achieving tricky effects such as split screens, once again proving his resourcefulness in interpreting non-cinematic art forms in the language of film.

Mr. Avary always swings for the fences and so it is no wonder that he has drawn both universal acclaim (his Oscar-winning collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction) and ire (his latest effort, Lucky Day). No matter what emotion he arouses in his audience, indifference is never it. His is a strange, free, ungraspable career which keeps one guessing what he might do next. And whether the film in question turns out to be an audacious reinvention of a 7th century Anglo-Saxon poem (Beowulf), or an adaptation of a surrealist play by Jean Cocteau (La Voix Humaine), it often turns out to be a film you never thought you needed but can never forget.

In alphabetical order:

Lillian Birnbaum– raised in Vienna  and lives currently in Paris. From 1982 on Lillian worked as a photographer for magazines in Europe and the USA and exhibited her photography on a regular basis. From 1998 on Lillian got more and more involved with the film industry, developed and produced  several award winning  film projects for legendary producer Arthur Cohn.  In 2010 Lillian Birnbaum founded the film production company peartree-entertainment gmbh, based in Vienna, with a desk in Paris , which develops and produces content for Film and Television.

Cori Coppola – Writer and Producer – Cori Coppola is originally from Hollywood, California and part of a large, artistic and multi-talented family where creativity is both nurtured and encouraged. Now based just outside of Paris, Cori has lived in France for the past 19 years and has two children. Cori worked, both stateside and in France, as a visual effects coordinator and producer on feature films and commercials for high-profile, international clients. Cori is currently promoting her film, an authorized documentary about Pierre Cardin called “House of Cardin” as well as developing other high-profile documentary and fiction projects.

Maria de Medeiros – is an Actress, Director, Singer and Writer born in Lisbon. She spent her childhood in Vienna and had her first acting role at the age of 15 in the film Silvestre by João César Monteiro. She studied and acted in theatre and won the Gérard Philippe award in 1990. In 1994 she was in Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, in 1990 in Philip Kaufman’s Henry and June playing Anais Nin across from Uma Thurman. The 4th film that she directed April Captains which was in the official selection at Cannes in Un Certain Regard. In 2003  she directed a documentary Je t’aime… moi non plus (2003)  on the relationship between directors and film critics. She launched her first album A Little More Blue in 2007, she has launched a total of three albums. Medeiros is the first Portuguese woman to be designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace. Maria de Medeiros was awarded the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in “Two Brothers, my sister” by Teresa Villaverde.

Rick Porras -Rick began his career working for Robert Zemeckis on films ranging from DEATH BECOMES HER to FORREST GUMP AND CONTACT. A lifelong fan of The Beatles, he worked on two music videos released during the Anthology series. Rick later became a Co-Producer and Second Unit Director on the LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY after working with Peter Jackson on THE FRIGHTENERS. In all, he has worked on productions that have garnered a total of twenty-four Oscars including two Best Picture Oscars.

Rick has helped develop independent filmmakers interested in socially conscious films and has worked as a story and drama consultant for Sony Interactive Europe, developing VR games as well as directing VR performance capture.  Rick has lectured at USC Graduate School of Cinematic Arts, Stanford University, King’s College London and UC Santa Cruz.

Violeta Sanchez – Born and raised in Paris to Spanish parents, acting was her first love. Along with acting for film and TV,  she  is a performer, model and muse. She made an appearance at the premiere of her first play, Succes wearing a Le Smoking tuxedo ordered from a tailor in the 8eme in Paris, both Saint Laurent and Helmut Newton were at the premiere and were enraptured by her. She continues to have the same effect on generations of creators from Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino. Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and was the muse for Helmut Newton, the illustrator Tony Viramontes, choreographer Guy De Cointet and Olivier Saillard. She has collaborated with the curator, Olivier Saillard on numerous occasions,  the theatrical production, Models Never Talk was one of them.

Joanne Sawicki – is an award winning journalist, film maker, producer and executive producer with senior roles in News Corp, PBL Media, BSkyB, and BBC. She began her career as a fashion journalist for the Daily Mirror, Sydney Australia. She moved to London to produce Arts World, before joining the BBC. As Head News Features and Programme Development for Sky Television she was responsible for creating and commissioning thousands of hours of original content including the Book Show, Fashion TV and pilots for what is now the Sky Arts Channel. Joanne founded Channel Health- Europe’s first health website and television channel watched by 8million viewers a month. She sits on the board of French nutraceutical company Isocell that markets an anti-ageing nutritional supplement called Glisodin. Joanne is a strategic advisor to ethical fashion brands including Varana and Taylor & Thomas (vegan luxury shoes) and platform Aequem. She is an advisor to the Aegean Film Festival, Athens Fashion Film Festival and the Barnes Film Festival.

Cuba Tornado Scott – is an artist, an equestrian, model, director, Only by name (2020) and currently is working on directing her first feature film.  Cuba is a descendent of Hollywood royalty; her parents are music video director Jake Scott and producer Rhea Scott her grandfather is Ridley Scott and her great uncle was the late Tony Scott. She was named for Mikhail Kalatozov’s documentary Soy Cuba.

Marine Serre – a French fashion designer, the youngest to win the LVMH Prize in 2017.  She is known for her crescent moon motif – signature print infused sportswear and hybrid fashion. Her technologically-forward designs incorporate anti-pollution masks, regenerated garments and accessories. Prior to her interest in fashion her ambition was tennis. Serre attended La Cambre where she graduated with the highest honours in 2016 and After a string of affirming internships and jobs at Alexander McQueen, Maison Martin Margiela, Dior, and Balenciaga, Marine’s graduation collection, A Radical Call for Love was picked up by A Broken Arm in Paris, sold globally across Dover Street Market, SSENSE, H.Lorenzo, and other progressive retailers. The rest is history.

Deadline for submissions is August 1st, there will be no extension.

To submit go to www.asvoff.com and click submissions just follow instructions, see you there.

Diane

 

 

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Diane Pernet

A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN FASHION and a pioneer of blogging, Diane is a respected journalist, critic, curator and talent-hunter based in Paris. During her prolific career, she designed her own successful brand in New York, costume designer, photographer, and filmmaker.

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