THE FESTIVAL TEAM
Nora Armani Founder, Artistic Director, Curator
Nora Armani is an award-winning actor/filmmaker with extensive International stage and screen credits. She has curated, guest-curated, and organized film events, and film festivals internationally since her debut with the 1992 Tribute to Armenian Cinema at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She represented the Ministry of Culture of Armenia in the Film Division from 1991-1993 organizing numerous film events and retrospectives on Cinema worldwide. Under her Paris-based film production company Parev Productions/SquareMango Films, she has also organized film events with The Pompidou Center in Paris, ICA (Institute of ContemporaryArt) London, The British Library, Cine Lumière London, Edinburgh Film Festival, Kerala Film Festival India, Birmingham, Inverness, Cardiff, and The Silver Lake Film Festival as guest curator.
As a producer, Armani has many film and stage credits to her name. Her feature films and shorts have screened at Rotterdam and Cannes Film Festivals in the Official Selections, and have ended up as finalists in many other film festivals. Her latest short film, iMigrant Woman, won the Best Woman Director of Short award at the Toronto Independent Film Festival, CIFT.
Nora Armani holds an M.Sc. degree in Sociology from The London School of Economics (LSE), an MA in Theatre (Film) from Hunter College CUNY, and a BA in Sociology and English from AUC.
Nora Armani is a multi-award-winning actor, and filmmaker and was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Alexandria Film Festival of Mediterranean Countries, in Egypt. read more
Michael Claes Board Member, Outreach/ Promotion, Partner/Sponsor relations
Executive Producer/Producer. Two current projects in development, "Nara's War" - a romantic thriller taking place in Syria and "The Edge" - a television drama on the club scene in NYC in the 1990s.
Sandra Ouvrier Managing Director, Jury and Filmmaker Realtions
Sandra is a graduate with a Masters' Degree from the Manhattan Institute of Management - with a Focus on Arts Management
Graduate of London School of Economics.Visiting Fellow, Southampton Solent University, U.K. Professional actor, writer and musician. Member, Crime Writers Association,U.K. and Mystery Writers
of America.
Dirk Robertson Film Selection
Bérénice Simar Outreach and Marketing
Currently pursuing a Master’s in Corporate Communication and Public Relations in Paris, Bérénice is passionate about media, storytelling and brand strategy with a strong interest in event planning, public relations and digital communciation. Bilingual in French and English, she enjoys exploring new cultural perspectives and keeping up with emerging trends in communication.
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Lucie Tripon Script competition, Video/ Photo
Member of the SR family since its inception, writer, loves films, acting and theater.
Linda Selman Film Selection, Outreach/ Promotion, Q&As
Playwright, Director, Actor, Producer, Author and Museum Curator. Chair of the Theatre Committee at the National Arts Club Web Site: lindaselman.com
Donna Heffernan Film Selection, Filmmaker Q&A, Outreach/ Promotion, Panels and Workshops
Donna Heffernan is a seasoned Creative Director and multimedia specialist. She is currently working
on her first documentary and has survived her son's remote learning classes since March 2020. https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/kjWoRdqeTrZCPMRNA
Ching Juhl Q&A and Moderating - Videography
Musician/educator/filmmaker, has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center & Victoria Hall. She has performed with the Jade String Trio, Phoenix Symphony as well as touring with Rod Stewart & Perry Como.
Juhl taught music at St. Joseph's College and she directs the Music Studio Manhattan. As a filmmaker, she has produced more than 600 videos/films. Her film My Yang Gang Diary won the Best Documentary Feature at Rome International Film Festival 2021. www.juhlmedia.com
Manvel Saribekyan - Film Selection consultant
Founder Director at Man Pictures Productions. Multiple award-winning author and producer, Manvel has produced many award-winning documentaries such as Map of Salvation, and American God Samaritans. The films are currently touring in various film festivals winning multiple awards.
THEY HELPED US... WE THANK THEM!
YAO HE • EMMA BRIANÇON • NADINE ASMAR • KECHU HUANG • ANNA ANTONOVA • DALIA KASPARIAN-SEMERDJIAN • MARION AVRIL • ARAXI MARDIRIAN • VALENTINA BARTOZZI • ARAM SPENDJIAN • JOSEPHINE MADINIER • KYLE PERRY • HELENE THOMAS GALLIÈRE • SHIRLEY ZHENG • ALEXANDER VOROBYEV • GREG KARAKASHIAN
MIA ASOUAD • MARINE MARCENAC • CLARISSE SCHNEIDER • DELPHINE MILLOT • CONSTANCE DUBOIS
YUJI-FRANÇOIS DE BERARD • CONNIE AREVALO • MARTIN ARUSHANYAN • SEAN JUHL • PEY YING CHI • SARAH MEANS • SALMA MOHAMMED • LAURA LEMUS ZAPATA • MADDALENA CROSTI • TEMANA ANSQUER • .CONAN MAGEE • CHIARA SPAGNOLI GABARDI • AUDE LAMBERT • YIFU QIAO • TALEEN BABAYAN • SOPHIA BENZ
JENNIFER FLETCHER • MICHELLE PURDY • LUCY FINE • ELIAS GEB • NATALIE GOLOGORSKY • TOM HELBERG • PEDER SMITH • MARCIE DUPONT