2020 Members of the Jury

SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2024
#SOHO15 #SIFFNYC

JAMES TUMMINIA

Actor / Director / Producer / Writer

SUSANNAH D'ARCY

Producer l Distributor

#SOHO13 MEMBERS OF THE JURY - BIOS

MARCI PHILLIPS is the head of the New York office covering the entire East Coast talent pool for ABC Television Network and Disney+. For over twenty years she has cast for ABC and ABC Studio pilots, new series regulars, alternative series, recurring roles and numerous guest star roles. She previously worked as a Casting Assistant for Steven Bochco Productions and MGM Studios, and cast the independent film “Let It Snow”, which was featured at the Sundance Film Festival. She has also co-produced two off-off Broadway plays and is the author of the book “The Present Actor - A Practical and Spiritual Guideline to Help You Enjoy the Ride”.

CAS SIGERS BEEDLES is a professional writer, director and producer with over 15 years of film and TV experience. Through Kensington Press Publication, she has also authored six fiction novels. Most recently Cas wrote and directed the all-female heist film, Scheme Queens which premiered winter of 2022 on BETher. Cas has written and sold over twenty screenplays for various television networks, studios, and production houses. She has written and produced many of the highest- debut television movies for various networks. Some of her television films include Where’s the Love, Girlfriends Getaway 1 & 2, and Welcome to the Family. Other titles include, NAACP Image Award nominated, Sugar Mommas, Between Sisters and A Cross to Bear. Her most popular film is the biopic drama, When Love Kills, the Falicia Blakely Story. The TVOne film stars Lance Gross, Tami Roman and Lil Mama and tells the story of a young woman convicted of double murder and the youngest person in Georgia ever sentenced to the death penalty. This film was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, outstanding writing and outstanding TV feature. Under the production umbrella of Nina Holiday Entertainment (NHE), Cas, alongside business partner and actress, Terri J. Vaughn, created For Richer or Poorer, the first scripted television series for UPtv and wrote and produced Merry Wishmas, and eight other films currently available on Amazon, BET+ and Tubi. Through Nina Holiday Entertainment, her production company formed in 2008, Cas has had three films released through Viacom. Angrily Ever After, Hip Hop Holiday and T’was the Chaos before Christmas, which is the highest rated Christmas film in BET history and nominated for a 2020 NAACP Image Award, for outstanding writing. In March of 2020, Cas’ had her writer/director debut, with the release of her feature film Open, a drama about a couple in an open marriage, starring Keith Robinson, Matt Cedeno and Essence Atkins. In 2020, Cas most directed Mediator, a psychological thriller about a missing children’s’ counselor being haunted by one of her cases. In 2021, Cas penned, Sugar Plum Twist, which aired on Hallmark during holiday 2021. In 2022, Cas had two projects for Hallmark’s new Mahogany initiative. Unthinkably Good Things launched the label and The Holiday Stocking was Mahogany’s first Christmas film. Most recently, Cas directed A Mother’s Intuition, a suspense drama starring Denise Boutte. It will air on TVOne, summer 2023.

ERNABEL DEMILLO is a veteran and Emmy-award winning New York City broadcaster and journalism educator. For 10 years, she worked as a reporter and anchor on the Emmy-award winning FOX morning news show, “Good Day New York.” Before coming to New York, she was a reporter for the Orange County News channel and the CBS-affiliate in Sacramento. She currently hosts and reports for CUNY-TV’s 7-time Emmy-nominated program “Asian American Life” http://www.cuny.tv/show/asianamericanlife, a magazine-style show focusing on the tri-state’s Asian American community. She is an award-winning journalist, cited by the Governor of New York for her service and contributions to the Asian American Community and was honored with a Folio Award for Best Environmental Reporting. She also made Buzzfeed’s list of 34 Epic Filipinos in the United States. Along, with her work as a journalist, Ernabel managed to find success in a second career. She is a tenured Journalism professor at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, N.J. and is faculty chair of the Department of Communication and Media Culture. Ernabel is active in the Asian American community. She has served on the boards of several organizations including: Vice President of Broadcast for AAJA, board member for Apex for Youth, an AAPI mentoring organization and board member for the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). She currently serves on the board of Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK), a non-profit helping build schools and empowering communities in developing countries. Ernabel grew up in San Francisco and now calls herself a Jersey girl. She lives on the Jersey Shore with her husband, John Muller, an anchor for PIX11News and their 17-year-old daughter, and rescue dog, Stella. Follower her on Twitter @ErnabelD

IVAN WILLIAMS After many years as a senior leader with ARCO and BP, Ivan transitioned to the entertainment industry by helping to create Altar Identity Studios in 2012. There he executive produced multiple film projects, in- cluding the comedy fantasy favorite Knights of Badassdom that starred Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zahn, Summer Glau, and Peter Dinklage, and the romantic comedy Big Stone Gap that headlined Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, and Patrick Wilson. In addition to films, Ivan also put Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez on stage when he executive produced the Broadway musical First Date. Since then, Ivan has executive produced a hit comedy Web series called Be Here Nowish Season 2, co-produced a SXSW selected thriller M.F.A., which starred Francesca Eastwood and Clifton Collins, Jr., helped finance the acclaimed documentary This Changes Everything, that Geena Davis executive produced, and executive produced a docu- mentary called Creating Woodstock, which provided never before seen interviews with some of the key people who made the legendary 1969 music festival happen. Current film projects include the ski thriller Black Diamond, a New York City dramedy titled Ramona at Midlife, a history based tragedy Kent State and two feature documentaries and a doc-series that are in develOpment. Ivan holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Oregon State University and is a Dean’s Scholar M.B.A. graduate from the University of Califor- nia, Irvine. He is a veteran Navy Reserve intelligence officer that is also active in helping to launch media technology startups, while he actively participates in the Producers Guild of America, sits on the boards of several leading entertainment, art and educational organizations, lectures as an adjunct professor and serves as a trustee at the University of California, Irvine, and co-directs two not-for-profit art and design technology collectives that he co-founded.

DARYN SIMONS is a Producer, Talent Manager, Digital Strategist, Entrepreneur and past President of the Talent Managers Association. Daryn won The Heller Award for Talent Manager of the Year in 2015 and has produced the past three Heller Awards with Sharon Stone, Joan Rivers, Betty White and William Shatner. Prior to working in Management, she worked in development and production at Paramount Studios, Sony and Fox. Daryn recently produced Nelson Bixby Takes On The Whole Wide World for Disney, Locating Silver Lake with Finn Wittrock & Josh Peck and The Debt Collector, with Tony Todd, Louis Mandylor & Scott Adkins for Sony/Netflix. Daryn has also had the opportunity to cast features and a digital project and is prepping for the upcoming FnD Podcast. CEG is currently developing a major slate of film, television and digital projects. TMA MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2015

JAMES TUMMINIA is a producer/actor/director/writer. He received a 2019 EMMY nomination and won two Telly Awards for producing LOVE, GILDA (Magnolia Pictures/CNN Films) that opened the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. James Co-founded Italus Films, an Italy/US joint venture based in Milan and Los Angeles, producing content for all media. As a producer, he has championed filmmakers whose voices span a diverse spectrum. Select film credits: ALL SHE WROTE (US/Bulgaria), THREE DAYS IN AUGUST, SOMEBODY’S MOTHER (South African Gabrielle Tollman’s directorial debut) and STRIKE ONE (starring Danny Trejo). He is currently producing FREE!, directed by Virtic Emil Brown, STOLEN DREAMS, directed by Angelo Reyes, and VODÚN, directed by Alessio Liguori with Buffalo 8, and executive producing the feature documentary, VIVA VERDI!, directed by Yvonne Russo. As GPA Entertainment head of production, he developed and produced for TV and film. James often works in non-fiction, producing content for TV and digital streaming. He specializes in attaching A-list talent to projects: (Film) LOVE, GILDA (Bill Hader, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph) and many TV programs such as 2020’s “Back to Broadway,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gilda Radner’s Greatest Moments” and “TV’s Greatest Sidekicks.” James has collaborated on/contributed to productions for A24, ABC Studios, CBS, CW, Disney Channel, Disney+, Facebook Live, Fine Living, MAX, Lifetime, Litton Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Unrealistic Ideas (Mark Wahlberg’s company), Disney TV Animation, and YouTube Originals. His award-winning short, MY CHRISTMAS WISH, played at worldwide festivals, earning directing and producing awards. As an actor, James can be seen in the upcoming Peacock series “Those About to Die,” starring Anthony Hopkins; other screen credits: STRIKE ONE, “Criminal Minds,” “Melissa & Joey” and “The Shield.” He is a longtime member of the Producers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA and the TV Academy. Born in New York City, James graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Political Science. James has dual (US/Italy) citizenship.

SUSANNAH D'ARCY began her career as a script supervisor and moved quickly to being David Fincher’s 1st AD. Finding her place in production, distribution, and sales of all kind’s projects. A dynamic Producer & Line Producer for feature films, television, live events, and musicals. Susannah has produced live events for AFCI, Boeing, Equestrian Longines Master’s as well as $30M private events conferences and galas. She has opened up an international division, serving projects in France, Egypt, Belgium, and Italy. She is currently in pre-production & development on various film projects Newly appointed President for BritCan Media. Britcan Media recently partnered with full-service production studio in Prague for international Films and TV sales arm and has built out a production arm in both Vancouver and Australia. She has just finished the development phase and final script on a Musical, featuring a Motown 70’s iconic band which is expected to launch next year, with Tony winning team members. During covid she worked with Dick Wolf Production for FBI International and prior to Covid she was in Egypt working luxury live event. She has worked with Martha Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Sir Richard Attenborough, Alex Proyas, NBC, ABC, CBS, Universal Studios. Ms. D’Arcy is a member the Producers Guild of America where she served as Chairman of Live Events. And become a Mentored through the PGA program highlighting up and coming film creators. She is also Los Angeles Board Member of French In-Motion, member of Producers without Borders and an Ambassador to the Red Cross of America. , www.britcanmedia.com

JEFFREY JETURIAN has directed feature films that foreshadowed a vibrant Philippine independent cinema.He made relevant social themes and issues appeal to wider audiences beyond the arthouse aficionados. The Manunuri ngPelikulang Pilipino ( critics' group ) included three of his films - Pila Balde (1999), Tuhog (2001) and Kubrador (2006) - on its list of 20 important Filipino movies produced in the past two decades. Kubrador, widely perceived as Jeturian's most accomplished film, was exhibited in more than a hundred international festivalsincluding a US premiere at the New York Museum of Modern Art, winning over 40 national and international awards. Pila Balde also received numerous awards and citations abroad. Locally, Tuhog and Kubrador were URIAN best picture winners while Minsan Pa(2004) was named best picture by the Golden Screen Awards. Bisperas (2011) and Ekstra (2013) received best film and special jury awards respectively from the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival*English titles of the filmsPila Balde - Fetch A Pail of WaterTuhog - Larger Than LifeKubrador - The Bet CollectorMinsan Pa - One Moment MoreBisperas - Eve of ChristmasEkstra - The Bit Player

ELEONORE DAILLY is an award winning producer and director who splits her time between Paris and the US. As a producer, she started her career as a creative executive in Hollywood before diving into independent producing with talents such as Alfred Molina, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Jacqui Weaver. With her producing partner Edouard de Lachomette, she founded Autopilot, a production company with a focus on female directors and underrepresented storytellers, both in France and in the US. As a director, Eleonore has focused on the non-fiction space, tackling true stories of empowerment and change, with her first film, Chicas, centered on sex workers in Argentina and her second feature length collaboration, DIRT featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, a powerful look at how to battle climate change,, which premiered at Sundance. Eleonore also co- chaired the Alliance of Women Directors for 4 years and is now part of its advisory board.