PTAFF'S 2026 JUDGES   

Eric Bear is an actor, writer and producer who created and starred in the award-winning performance capture series “Belonging” on Apple TV.  Bear played a recurring role in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel “1883” on Paramount+ and began as a child actor with a memorable line in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall.”  Born in New York City, Bear grew up performing in theater and dance, deeply influenced by Deborah Hay.  This early training in embodied movement established a foundation as a kinesthetic artist, tapping emotion and relational awareness to inform performances and ways of being in the world.

 

In addition to filmmaking, Bear is a tech entrepreneur known for creating award-winning interactive media; hailed as “one of the most thoughtful and provocative interface and interaction designers working in the field.”  Bear's patented innovations have been licensed by all major movie studios in the USA, and products based on other of his 100+ inventions are used every day by millions of people.

Ronnel Ricardo Parham is an award winning actor and director, showrunner, producer and writer. He is the CEO & Founder of the multi-award winning production company, 5R Productions. Ronnel has a proven track record of creating and producing as he’s one of a few indie creators in the world who took a web series and converted it to long form and gotten distribution with Peacock, Tubi and Prime Video.

 

Ronnel has created and produced projects that have won over 55 awards internationally and nationally. His work has earned him membership into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and SAG-AFTRA. Ronnel has spoken at a numbers of events all over the country and some of the biggest conventions in the world, most notably, Comic-Con International and Wonder Con. Ronnel’s mission is to continue to tell stories that represent the underrepresented. 

Jamie Burton-Oare is an award-winning writer, director, and actor whose debut feature Doing The L.A. Thing premiered at the American Black Film Festival, earning the HBO Best Feature Award at MVAAFF and a Best Director nomination at PAFF. Her short film The Bully won Best Short at the Boca Black Film Festival, and her documentary

Soulful Steps premiered at the 16th Annual MVAAFF.

 

A native of Flint, Michigan, Jamie holds an MFA in Screenwriting from Cal State Northridge and a BBA from Howard University.  Her recent Academy-qualifying short, Breathe, starring Stephen Hill (Magnum P.I.), reimagines the final day of Eric Garner’s life and has toured nationally from 2023–2025. Through her company Jomaja Films, Jamie continues to create bold, socially resonant stories that fuse art and

activism.

Marian Krull is honored and excited to serve as a juror for the 2026 Pembroke Taparelli Arts and Film Festival. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Marian is a graduate of Florida State University and has also completed programs in Theater and Cinema Production at Los Angeles City College (LACC). Her work in film and television includes projects for 5R Productions, NFL Network, Lifetime, HBO, CBS, and Warner Bros. Television.

 

Beyond entertainment, Marian is actively involved in ministries serving children and adults, reflecting her passion for encouraging, supporting, and connecting with others. She also enjoys hosting for Terrible Towel Territory, a Steelers Nation venue that combines her love of community and Pittsburgh Steelers football.

 

Marian is delighted to serve as a juror and looks forward to celebrating the creativity and unique voices of this year's filmmakers.

Marcus Ryder MBE is Chief Executive of the Film and TV Charity, supporting the wellbeing of people across the film, television and cinema industries while addressing inequality and discrimination across the sector.

 

An award-winning journalist, executive and thought leader, Marcus has worked in UK media for over three decades. He is Chair of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and co-founder of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, whose research has helped shape industry practice and public policy.

Marcus was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to the media industry and named Percy Qoboza Foreign Journalist of the Year in 2023. He has been recognised by Variety as one of the 500 most influential leaders shaping global media and holds honorary doctorates from Bournemouth University and Birmingham City University.

 

He has also co-authored three books with Sir Lenny Henry examining race, inequality and representation in British society and media.

Actor/Director/Producer/Teacher/Activist Who happens to be Jamaican has been in the entertainment industry for the past 50 years in various aspects of the business. Founder and Artistic Director of The Caribbean American Repertory Theatre, West, Jeff hails from the Broadway stages of New York, transitioning into Film and Television after relocating to California in 1986!! He curated “ Target Sundays” at the California African American Museum for 12 years, offering opportunities for upcoming local artists, many of whom are luminaries today!!

 

Jeff is currently in Pre-Production for the Docudrama, “Justice Delayed” a project chronicling a trial that took place in Jamaica with Marcus Garvey, whose attorney Lewis Ashenheim, defended Marcus and won the case, fostering a great friendship between both Jamaican men. Talks after that trial led to the independence of the island nation of Jamaica! The project will be filmed completely on location in Jamaica. He is the unforgettable dreadlocked face on Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” video, Jeff also currently teaches at-risk gang members in the California prison system!!

Shira Dina is an American actress, producer, and director dedicated to bringing compelling stories to life through independent film and theater. Driven by a passion for her craft, she thrives both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, creating impactful narratives that resonate with audiences.

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Her on-screen work includes leading and supporting roles, as well as producer credits,  in various independent feature films and shorts, with notable credits in projects such as Luckey Quarter, Best Friend, Shadow Over Jamul, and Reflection.  In the summer of 2026, Shira helped produce and organize Filmcon San Diego, the first ever film convention in San Diego.

 

Beyond her work as a performer, Shira is deeply committed to nurturing the creative community. She has worked as an elementary school teacher for almost 30 years, and she shares her knowledge and love for the craft with her drama club students, helping the next generation of talent find their voices. Additionally, she frequently engages with local film communities, serving as a master of ceremonies and host for festival screenings.

​Anita M. Cal is a versatile Emmy award-winning film and TV storyteller who’s had the opportunity to write, produce, and line produce with a diverse range of talent and brands in the entertainment industry from Showtime, Inc. to BET. Currently, she is a 2024 Emmy- winning Producer for PBS 10 Days in Watts, which was nominated for five Emmys. She is also the Co-Writer/Co-Producer of Undercard, a feature boxing film produced by Catalyst Studios starring Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic performance.  Anita has written and consulted for staffed comedy writers as well as penned scripts for TBS’s Tyler Perry's House of Payne; Meet The Browns; and Colours TV’s “The Chin Chinns.”

 

Additionally, Anita Co-Created, Produced, and Wrote the half-hour comedy Pilot Chico’z Kids, starring Chico Benymon (Half & Half) and Essence Atkins (Ambitions, FirstWives Club). In 2019, Anita’s cop TV Pilot drama, Beyond the Badge, starring Karimah Westbrook (All- American) was a SeriesFest and DTLA Finalist selection, as well as an Emerging Drama Writer Caz Mathews Grant Winner.

 

As a multi-faceted filmmaker with strong Producing skills, Anita has managed crews and talent for feature movies with budgets ranging from $250,000 to $10 million. She won Women in Film honors for her drama screenplay Fathers of God, which also garnered a Garry Marshall Award, prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist recognition and Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project quarterfinalist recognition.

Kaci M. Fannin is an activist and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans film, theatre, puppetry, animation, and performance. With over 25 years in acting, producing, and directing and more than three decades in social services, Kaci bridges creative practice with community healing.

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She holds a BS in Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin, an MFA in Social & Environmental Arts Practices, and an MA in Social Justice and Community Organizing. Her work integrates art, activism, and ministry to cultivate spaces of cultural memory, resilience, and liberation.

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Now based in Tucson, Kaci is developing The Kamili House, a community-rooted initiative advancing Black self-determination, sustainability, and collective healing.

Gabriella Diaz is a film director, producer, and writer from New Jersey, currently based in Los Angeles. As a queer woman of color, she focuses on stories that would help women like her come into their own, intertwining optimism and comedy with the harshness of the world. With more than 15 years behind the camera and on the page, her work features an exploration of identity, often with a surrealist or fantastical element, while being grounded in a familiar reality. Gabriella is devoted to promoting equity and inclusion in film, advocating for more opportunities for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks.

 

 

Gabriella is an alum of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is currently working for 3 Arts Entertainment (Hacks, The Office, Parks and Recreation). Her work has been featured at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the Paris in Love Film Festival, the Catalina Film Festival, and the Chattanooga Film Festival.

Charles Butler Jr. is a multifaceted actor, writer, and filmmaker whose passion for storytelling began at eight years old in his hometown of Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he performed in local theater productions of The Lion King and The Wizard of Oz.

 

Charles has transitioned from the stage to major television and film sets, with minor appearances on productions such as Stranger Things and Stargirl. Behind the camera, Charles is an innovative creator. He is currently developing a supernatural drama called Baycliff. Backed by degrees in Audio Production and Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University, Charles brings a comprehensive, Hands-on understanding of the entire filmmaking process.

Dawn Church is a Los Angeles-based independent producer, director, and actress who perfectly blends her Kentucky roots with a New York City hustle. A multi-hyphenate creator and proud Television Academy member, Dawn is the founder of Seen Inc Productions and a producer with Fallout Entertainment. Her notable credits include producing the feature film What Love Looks Like, the short film Butter Miracle Suite for Counting Crows, and the TV series Business People, which generated buzz as it made it on the official Emmy ballot.

 

Dawn brings a sharp, analytical eye to the jury panel, backed by a deep understanding of film curation and media. She has spent a decade attending the Sundance Film Festival as an accredited member of the media, conducting in-depth filmmaker interviews and reviewing festival films for various outlets, and previously served as a film festival judge for Flickfest. Her extensive background also includes hosting for RadXSports and Backstage at Fashion Network during New York Fashion Week, as well as the development of original narrative films. Having mastered both sides of the lens, Dawn is dedicated to championing collaborative, resourceful storytelling in the evolving entertainment landscape.

BEATA POZNIAK An award-winning director and actress known for portraying Marina Oswald in Oliver Stone’s eight-time Oscar-nominated film JFK, George Lucas’s The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Babylon 5, Melrose Place, Mad About You. She has dedicated her career to preserving forgotten stories, amplifying underrepresented voices, and building cultural bridges through literature, film, and the spoken word.

 

Beata is the creator, director, and star of the original short-form series "They’ll Love It", exploring Hollywood, immigration, aging, disability, and belonging through comedy and human connection. As an acclaimed audiobook narrator, she has received multiple Earphones Awards, Voice Arts Awards, with The Washington Post recognizing her work among its Best Audiobooks of the Year.

 

She initiated the first bill in the history of the U.S. Congress recognizing International Women’s Day in America, to promote civic engagement, gender equality, and the recognition of women’s achievements, and has been honored by the White House, U.S. Congress, and Poland’s Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture.

Portia A. Cosby is a screenwriter, producer, and novelist known for telling bold, emotionally grounded stories about women, relationships, and reinvention. Her work—sharp, relatable, and layered with wit—has earned recognition on Terry McMillan’s Writers Worth Reading list.

 

As the founder of DISTINCT Publishing, she has released multiple novels, including the acclaimed It’s Complicated, building a brand rooted in authentic, character-driven storytelling. She later expanded into film and television with Phyll-Good Entertainment, where she develops and produces original scripted content.

 

Her award-winning short film On Deaf Ears (2022) underscores her commitment to stories that matter, spotlighting real experiences within the special needs community and reflecting her signature approach to storytelling: more than a story, it’s an experience.

 

A valedictorian graduate of Full Sail University and an alum of Indiana University, Portia is based in metro Atlanta and is currently developing projects including The Disgruntled Wives Club and the half-hour dramedy 40-Sum’n

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Kumiko Downs is an accomplished actress whose work spans compelling indie features, acclaimed television drama, and intimate stage performances. Known for her subtle emotional depth and versatile screen presence, Downs brings a keen, artist-first lens to the jury panel.

 

​Throughout her career, she has collaborated with visionary directors and emerging storytellers alike, developing a deep appreciation for bold, character-driven narrative and non-traditional film structure. Having worked both in front of and behind the camera, she understands the intricate craft required to build authentic cinematic worlds on screen.

​Downs is honored to serve as a juror and looks forward to discovering distinct international voices, celebrating risk-taking directors, and supporting films that challenge, provoke, and resonate long after the credits roll.