2025 JURORS
Meet the members of the Slamdance Film Festival’s 2025 jury! Key figures from the world of independent film charged with selecting the competition winners of the Sparky awards. We thank them for undertaking this challenging task and look forward to their decisions
UNSTOPPABLE JURY
Cynthia Garcia Williams
Unstoppable Jury
Cynthia Garcia Williams, a California native of Cuban and Mexican descent, discovered her passion for acting, storytelling, and directing early on. Her award-winning works, including Dukkha and Bilongo, celebrate heritage and resilience. A LALIFF/Netflix Fellow, Cynthia’s debut feature, Were Not Married?, streams February 2025, continuing her mission to empower through film.
Ashley Eakin
Unstoppable Jury
Ashley Eakin is a disabled WGA/DGA writer/director. She has directed projects for Disney+, Apple TV+ and Netflix. Her AFI Directing Workshop for Women short film Single, won the 2020 SXSW Special Jury Recognition Award and is being developed into a TV show with FX. Prior to working on her own content, Ashley was the assistant to Jon M. Chu, and worked on his critically acclaimed film, Crazy Rich Asians. Having over 14 years of experience in the TV and Film industry, Ashley is passionate about diversifying the narrative of how disabled people are portrayed in media. She is also a founding member and Alt Co-Chair of the DGA’s newly-established and historic Disability Committee. Ashley is represented by Artists First and UTA.
Kelli McNeil-Yellen
Unstoppable Jury
Kelli McNeil-Yellen is the writer/producer of DARUMA, a 2024 Slamdance Unstoppable select. She was awarded a The Authenticity Award at the first-ever Indie Awards hosted in December 2024 at the DGA. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Drama, the UCLA Extension Screenwriting Program and The Groundlings’ lauded writing program. Her first feature script, The Baltimore School of Charm, won first place at the UCLA Extension Feature Film Screenwriting Contest and was a top 15% finisher in the Academy’s Nicholl Awards. Her one-hour dramedy MOMMY PORN was named to the Bitch List. McNeil-Yellen is also a published children’s book author: her first book Sleepy Toes was released in the spring of 2017 from Scholastic and has sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide and has been printed in multiple languages. She is repped by Dannie Festa of World Builder Entertainment and is the founder of KLA Media Group, a boutique PR and marketing agency for independent films. She has spoken on panels at numerous events about indie film including Gotham Week, MGM Amazon, ComicCon LA, SIE Society and more.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES & SHORTS JURY
Jillian Corsie
Documentary Features & Shorts Jury
Jillian Corsie is a filmmaker and editor specializing in character-driven narratives with social impact. Her latest feature documentary, Desert Angel, which won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Austin Film Festival, explores the human toll of migration at the US-Mexico border. Her debut film, Trichster, sheds light on trichotillomania, while Second Assault addresses the trauma of reporting sexual violence, both serving as educational tools. Her horror short TOOTH premiered at Slamdance and screened at over 40 festivals, including Sitges. A programmer for Salute Your Shorts and Slamdance, Corsie is now developing her first narrative feature, The Lambing, blending horror with heartfelt storytelling.
Olivia Kuan
Documentary Features & Shorts Jury
Olivia Kuan began her career in her early years at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has excelled as a cinematographer ever since. To date, she has shot over 30 narrative features and 5 documentary features. Her work can be seen at oliviakuan.com. Olivia’s recent years have been filled with new adventures. She spent a year working on the front lines managing a Covid testing and vaccination site in an underserved area. She directed her first scripted film that sold to Lifetime in 2022. In 2023, her documentary, The Herricanes, won the audience award at SXSW and went on to show at many prestigious festivals including Slamdance in 2024. She is currently developing new projects including a scripted film about the first woman sportscaster to break the locker room barrier and a documentary about a family fighting for their children’s future in the Marshall Islands.
Julio Palacio
Documentary Features & Shorts Jury
Julio Palacio is an award-winning director renowned for his ability to evoke deep emotions through compelling storytelling. Proud of his Colombian roots, he infuses every project with vibrant energy and cultural diversity. Julio’s work has earned accolades at prestigious festivals such as Tribeca, Cleveland, Slamdance, and Atlanta, among many others. Most recently, his film, Makayla’s Voice, was nominated for a Critics Choice Award and shortlisted for an Academy Award. A true advocate of indie cinema with a commercial sensibility, Julio excels in crafting narratives that engage audiences while maintaining artistic integrity. Julio is dedicated to creating films that combine the raw authenticity of indie cinema with the broad appeal of commercial structures.
NARRATIVE, ANIMATED & EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS JURY
Aaron David Harris
Narrative, Animated & Experimental Shorts Jury
Aaron David Harris makes animated films, audio dramas, and interactive projects. His projects have been selected for several Oscar-qualifying film festivals including HollyShorts, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, and the Nashville Film Festival. In 2023, Aaron was the winner of the George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award. When Aaron isn’t writing or producing, he travels the country hosting popular panel discussions on superheroes, animation, fighting games, tokusatsu, and anime.
Hugo De Sousa
Narrative, Animated & Experimental Shorts Jury
Hugo De Sousa is an actor and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He studied under the guidance of Carol Rosenfeld in one of the most prestigious acting studios in the country, HB Studio, home to the late legendary teacher, Uta Hagen. He has since been working exclusively in the independent world, landing breakout leading roles in films such as We Used to Know Each Other (2019), Mister Limbo (2021) and Everything in The End (2021). As a filmmaker, Hugo’s most recent work include The Event (Slamdance, Palm Springs Shortest, Fantastic Fest 2022), which debuted online as a Vimeo Staff Pick and was named a “Top 12 Film of 2023” on NoBudge; Good Condition (Fantasia, Aspen Shortest, Oak Cliff, Cucalorus 2023); and the absurdist short Je Ne Suis Pas Une Star De Cinéma (Slamdance 24’).
Wendy McColm
Narrative, Animated & Experimental Shorts Jury
Wendy McColm is a Director/ Actress and Slamdance Spirit Award Winner. She is a visionary filmmaker who has been compared to Lynch, Wes Anderson and Solondz. Her films “Fuzzy Head” and “Birds without Feathers” were both featured at the Slamdance Film Festival. McColm is honored to be part of the Slamdance Jury for 2025, and looks forward to talking about all things films with everyone at the festival.
EPISODE, BREAKOUTS AND NARRATIVE FEATURES JURY
Ravit Markus
Episode, Breakouts & Narrative Features Jury
Ravit Markus is the Winner of the Slamdance Unstoppable Audience award for the 2023 feature documentary, “American Pot Story: Oaksterdam” – winner of dozens of awards from numerous international film festivals, Markus world premiered her new documentary, “Nina is an Athlete”, at Slamdance 2024. It recently screened at Lincoln Center in NYC. She’s pumped to be back in the fold with the SlamFam for the 3rd year in a row, this time as jury. For more on her work: www.NewLoveFilms.com FB/IG: @RavitMarkus
David Henry Gerson
Episode, Breakouts & Narrative Features Jury
David Henry Gerson’s debut feature documentary THE STORY WON’T DIE, about Syrian artists in exile, produced by Academy Award-Winner Odessa Rae (NAVALNY), premiered at Hot Docs, AFI Docs, and won Best Director at Doc LA. His first short film, ULTRA VIOLET FOR SIXTEEN MINUTES, a portrait of Salvador Dali’s mistress and Andy Warhol’s muse, Ultra Violet, premiered at Slamdance and was acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NY. He produced and acted in Matthew Lessner’s short film CHAPEL PERILOUS, which won the Audience Award at Sundance and was a Vimeo Staff Pick, and his feature film AUTOMATIC AT SEA, which also premiered at Slamdance. David is a graduate of the American Film Institute where he was the recipient of the AFI Richard P. Rodgers Award for Creative Excellence. His thesis film ALL THESE VOICES won the Student Academy Award®.
Omar S. Kamara
Episode, Breakouts & Narrative Features Jury
Writer/Director Omar S. Kamara is a first-generation Sierra Leonean American, Virginia native, and graduate of AFI. His debut feature film, AFRICAN GIANTS, which he independently wrote, directed, and produced, won the Audience Award at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival and was subsequently picked up for worldwide distribution by Juno Films. The film was released theatrically and is currently available on Amazon Prime. In addition to winning the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award at AFI, Kamara was selected as an inaugural Resident in Dan Lin’s Rideback Rise BIPOC Content Accelerator as well as a filmmaker for the Rising Voices Program, a collaboration between Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed, to write and direct a short that premiered at Tribeca. His previous short film, MASS AVE, won the Grand Prize at the DGA Student Film Awards, was named a Finalist in HBO’s Short Film Competition at ABFF, and was nominated for the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. The film was licensed by HBO and is currently streaming on HBO Max. Kamara’s films touch on his first-generation experiences and strive to highlight and honor the African Diaspora.