Shortlisted films are subject to both a public vote and a review by our international jury – luminaries from the fields of film, arts, story & communications.
The Filminute jury is responsible for the selection of BEST FILMINUTE and the awarding of five Jury Commendations. Jurors are asked to evaluate the one-minute films with the same discipline and criteria by which they might evaluate a full-length feature film, animation or documentary. We expect the best one-minute films to “resonate” beyond one minute.
2022 Jury
Miranda de Pencier
(Film Producer & Director)
Filminute is thrilled to have award-winning Canadian film producer and director Miranda de Pencier on this year’s jury.
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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 1st 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!
Cecília Felméri
(Film Director)
Filminute welcomes Romanian film director, writer, and film professor, Cecília Felméri to our 2022 jury. Cecília ’s haunting and atmospheric 2020 debut feature film, Spiral,
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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!
Marta Balaga
(Film Critic)
Filminute is once again honoured to partner with FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) who each year nominate a member
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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.
Dr. Estrella Sendra
(Film & Festival Scholar)
Filminute is delighted to welcome Dr. Estrella Sendra to this year’s jury. Estrella is a scholar, filmmaker, journalist and festival organiser, currently working as Lecturer in Culture,
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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 67th 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 Rooholamini
( Filmmaker, Best Filminute 2021)
As is the tradition, we are very pleased to welcome to the jury last year’s Best Filminute winner! This year it is the Iranian director, Moein Rooholamini.
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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!
Sabaa Quao
(Filminute Co Founder)
Sabaa Quao is the co-founder of Filminute and a standing member of the jury since the festival’s inception in 2006. He is a career entrepreneur and has worked with marketing and
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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.
John Ketchum
(Filminute Co Founder. Head of Jury)
John Ketchum is the co-founder of Filminute and has been the Head of Jury since the festival’s inception. He has over 20 years of international film and marketing industry experience and, over
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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.
2021 Jury
2019 Jury
2018 Jury
2017 JURY
Priscilla Anany
Baronessa Monti
Dana Duma
J.Joly & Brian Wideen
Steve Clay
Rohin Raveendran
Sabaa Quao
John Ketchum
2016 JURY
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Motke Dapp
John Vaillant
Barbara Hollender
Nayla Elamin
Guillaume Renusson
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2015 JURY
Cathy Schulman
Klaus Eder
Kevin Roberts
Anton Groves
Ignacio F. Rodo
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2014 JURY
Jennifer Baichwal
Isabelle Danel
Kristen Schaal
Wain Choi
Khris Burton
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2013 JURY
Richard Linklater
Tor Myhren
Carmen Gray
Téa Obreht
Jeremy Azevedo
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2012 JURY
Radu Jude
Prasoon Joshi
György Kárpáti
Arjun Basu
Lenora Hume
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2011 JURY
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Carlo Pizzati
Alin Tasciyan
Eva Van Den Bulcke
Jon Snoddy
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2010 JURY
Neill Blomkamp
Mark Tutssel
Jan Lumholdt
Ronald Bergan
Tanuja Chandra
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2009 JURY
Hillman Curtis
Kamila Shamsie
Tham Khai Meng
Pamela Biénzobas
Stefan Sagmeister
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2008 JURY
Paul Haggis
Taketo Oguchi
Francisco Goldman
David Kennedy
Andrea Dittgen
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2007 JURY
Michael Ondaatje
Samira Makhmalbaf
Kevin Roberts
Klaus Eder
Kenichi Kondo
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
2006 JURY
John Ketchum
Sabaa Quao
Ekow Eshun
Craig Davis
Raul Galvez
Santa Maddalena Foundation (2 votes)