Filminute Jury

Miranda is the founder of Northwood Entertainment, an independent film and television production company whose credits include the wildly popular Anne with an E which is currently streaming in 191 countries on Netflix.

Miranda’s wide-ranging career in film began as an actress, most notably playing Josie Pye in the 1985 telemovie, Anne of Green Gables. She also appeared on stage in Canadian productions of Les Miserables and Aspects of Love.

Prior to producing, Miranda was the Director of Development for Robert Redford’s Wildwood Enterprises. With Northwood Entertainment, Miranda has produced a string of successful films including:  Thanks For Sharing starring Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow and the international pop star Pink; Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer (2012 Academy  Award for Best Supporting Actor); Adam, starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne; and PU-239 for HBO, starring Oscar Isaac and executive produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh. She has several television series and films in development including projects with HBO and Netflix.

In 2011, Miranda’s short film, Throat Song,  marked her directorial debut and won her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 1^st Canadian Screen Awards. Her feature debut, The Grizzlies, debuted at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The film also won her The Director’s Guild of Canada award for Best Direction in a Feature film.

Miranda’s experience in front of the camera, behind the camera and as a long-time producer, position her well to provide unique and expert insights and commentary on this year’s films.

Welcome, Miranda!

is a Romanian-Hungarian co-production that won numerous awards including the Special Jury Prize at Thessaloniki IFF, Best Film at Al Este IFF in Peru, and Special Mention of the Jury at Warsaw IFF. The film stars the international award-winning Romanian actor Bogdan Dumitrache as well as Alexandra Borbély, winner of the European Best Actor Award in 2017.

Prior to her feature film debut, Cecília studied law, and then film and tv directing, before completing her masters in film directing at Romania’s prestigious UNATC. During the latter period of her film studies she began making a series of remarkable short films, first in animation and then live action. Together her films have won more than 30 international prizes.

Two of our favourite short films of hers can be viewed here:
INFINITE MINUTES 
KAKKUK

For Cecília, making short films is a critical first step before feature filmmaking. For her, it allows Filmmakers to learn and experiment with the craft and to be involved in all aspects of the filmmaking process.

Romanian cinema has often been viewed as a “boys’ club” so to see a confident and strong new female voice like Cecília’s bodes well for the future of filmmaking in this story-rich nation.

Congratulations and welcome Cecília!

of their organization for the jury. This year, they have nominated the prolific film journalist, Marta Balaga. Marta, who is based in both Finland and Poland, is a regular contributor to Variety, Cineuropa and the Finnish film magazine Episodi.  She has collaborated with a variety of film festivals, and served on many juries including Venice, and the Transylvania International Film Festival.

Marta’s film journalism covers everything from interviews with the world’s leading directors and actors (Kelly Reichardt, John Woo), to must see new films, and the perspectives of leading voices from emerging global film hotspots like Georgia, Iraq and the indigenous Sámi peoples in the far north of Europe and Russia. Her knowledge of the history of cinema is impressive, yet it is often her passion, light touch and use of humour that make her pieces so appealing and enjoyable to read.

The film-loving, digital savvy Filminute audience will also find Marta’s Twitter feed both fun and inspiring and well worth following.

Welcome, Marta! We look forward to the insights you will bring to this year’s jury from your vast and dynamic experience covering independent film. 

Media and Creative Industries Education (Festivals and Events) at King’s College London.

Estrella’s research interests include cultural festivals in Africa, film festivals, Senegalese cinema, migration, gender and practice-research. Her award-winning 2011 documentary about migration, Témoignages de l’autre côté,  led to her developing a regional expertise in Senegal, including completing her PhD on cultural festivals in that country. Her essay ‘Displacement and The Quest For Identity in Alain Gomis’ Cinema’  and recently published  video essay in Transition, dive into the work of the French-Senegalese director whose ground-breaking 2017 film Felicité won the Jury Grand Prix at the 67^th Berlin International Film Festival.

Estrella is also an editor and journalist of Wiriko, an online magazine devoted to African arts and cultures, as well as an Editorial Board Member in the Journal of African Media Studies.  She was the director of the Cambridge African Film Festival in 2014 and 2015, and has been involved in further festivals in Senegal, Spain, South Africa and the UK.

Through her work, Estrella, “seeks to contribute to the de-Westernisation of Media and Cultural Studies.” Filminute has always pursued the democratization of film and thus we look forward to the unique insights that Estrella’s important work and experience will bring to this year’s Filminute jury. Welcome Estrella!

Moein’s film LEO, a beautifully shot, one-shot drama set in a refugee camp was celebrated by the 2021 jury for, its direction, for the wonderful performances of its child heroes, and for how it “celebrates the hopeful and the human in places meant to dehumanize.”

Born in Kashan, Iran and holding a degree in accounting, Moein began his filmmaking career in 2015. His short films have gone on to win over 20 awards in over 60 international festivals, including Best Film honours at both the Toronto New Wave Festival and the Entretodos Film Festival in Brazil.

Congratulations and welcome to the Filminute 2022 jury, Moein!

technology innovations and teams in over a dozen countries.

Sabaa is also the co-founder of Wealthie Works Daily, a media + fintech venture that will soon initiate the opening of investment accounts for kids and families. Last but not least, Sabaa is Chief Creative Officer of Cossette, Canada’s largest marketing and advertising agency.

the past decade, has built a worldwide community of indie filmmakers and creative producers with whom he is now working with to expand the initiative’s reach and support of both independent film and independent filmmakers.