YDA Announces Jury Members From North America, Latin America and Africa

The jury for the Young Director Award 2018 has been finalised with the announcement of the remaining members who will be judging this year’s young filmmakers.

With only a week to go before the entry deadline and less than two months to the event itself, the Young Director Award 2018 has announced the final names of the jury that will help decide the winning work in this year’s competition.

Janette de Villiers said, “Awards like YDA make it worthwhile for producers to put time and energy into developing these youngsters.”

Last month the YDA released those members of the jury hailing from Europe and Asia Pacific and now we have the remaining jurors who will be representing North America, South America and Africa, each joining the president of this year’s panel, PRETTYBIRD’s partner and EP, Ali Brown, to take on the daunting task of choosing the best work from a host of global entries.

Laura Thoel, Managing Director and Executive Producer, Sweetshop Los Angeles

Edie Weiss, Founder and CEO, Radke Film Group Toronto

Ferdinando Verderi, Founding Member / Creative Director, JOHANNES LEONARDO New York

Guilherme Passos, Senior Executive Producer, Stink Films São Paulo

Rafael Donato, Creative Vice President, DAVID São Paulo

Luli Kramer, Managing Director and Executive Producer,

Agosto Buenos Aires Africa

Janette de Villiers, Executive Producer and Founder, Groundglass Cape Town

Rozanne Rocha-Gray, Executive Producer, ROMANCE South Africa

Ali Ali, Film Director, Good People, Egypt

Guilherme Passos said, “The YDA gives us the opportunity to stumble upon everything that is fresh and most inspiring in our industry.”

In addition to the above members, the YDA has added Judy Hill, executive producer at Nexus London, to the European jury, and there will also be two members of the press joining the deliberations in Cannes; 1.4 editor Lyndy Stout and shots’ own deputy editor, Selena Schleh.

Of the upcoming event Groundglass’s Janette de Villiers said; “I have always loved YDA [and] sitting on the jury again this year means I get to spend a day in a room with a group of top filmmakers from around the world, hearing their views and discussing the work presented. I am hoping to see more non-traditional, branded content. Every year I see more and more “short branded films” being showcased at YDA and I love that brands are embracing the medium and commissioning projects that are far from the old advertising norm.

"I get to spend a day in a room with a group of top filmmakers from around the world, hearing their views and discussing the work presented.

"The YDA is one of the most important awards on our calendar. Nurturing young talent is imperative to the growth and sustainability of our industry, and in a time when the landscape is changing so drastically, and nobody is quite sure what it’s going to look like for production houses and directors in a few years, things like YDA are a reminder as to the relevance and importance of production companies and our role in creative process. Awards like YDA make it worthwhile for producers to put time and energy into developing these youngsters.”

“The YDA gives us the opportunity to stumble upon everything that is fresh and most inspiring in our industry,” added Stink Sao Paulo’s Passos. “Since the featured directors don’t work commercially yet, or have little experience, they are free of the bad habits and cliches that can be like booby traps for a high quality film. Everything you watch feels like it was directed without restraints. It’s true talent in raw form.”

If you would like to enter the YDA for 2018 then there’s still time to do so before the deadline of May 15th. Click here to get all the information you will need to have a chance of being lauded in front of 1,000 of the global production industry’s most notable members.

Review the entire Jury and their biographies here: