BIFF JURORS
December 10 – 13 Harbour Island
December 14 -17 Nassau
New Visions Jury
Jill Bohling
A24 | New Visions Head Juror
Jill Bohling joined A24 in 2013 and has enjoyed helping the company grow from a small NY based distributor to the Academy Award-winning studio behind Moonlight, now producing original content and distributing internationally. A24 is also responsible for favorites including The Lobster, The Witch, Room, Amy, Ex Machina, and Spring Breakers, and TV shows such as Amazon’s Comrade Detective and NBC's The Carmichael Show. Jill has loved being a part of a team that finds and gives a platform to new and original voices.
Breyant Marshall
University Of Bahamas Film Critic | New Visions Juror
Breyant T. Marshall is aspiring filmmaker whose interests range from creating cultural documentaries to thought-provoking indie films. Her latest project is entitled “Adelaide: From the Enslaved to Freedom”, where she documented the history and culture of this famous slave site. Breyant is also working on a digital archive, where she videos Bahamian authors.
Jib Polheums
Producer | New Visions Juror
Jib Polhemus has worked in the entertainment business for over 20 years. Recently founded the literary management company, SourceManagement + Production where he represents writers and directors. He is also President of Simon West Productions where he produces Film and TV with director, Simon West (Con Air, Tomb Raider, Expendables 2). As President of Simon West Productions, he has developed and sold numerous high profile projects to Warner Brothers, Universal, FOX, Paramount, Sony and others including BLACK HAWK DOWN directed by Ridley Scott. Recently, he Produced GUN SHY starring Antonio Banderas and Olga Kurylenko and Executive Produced STRATTON starring Dominic Cooper and Connie Nielsen. Previously, he Executive Produced WILD CARD starring Jason Statham and Stanley Tucci for Lionsgate. In addition, he co-produced blockbuster EXPENDABLES 2, starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Executive Produced STOLEN starring Nicolas Cage. In 2011, he co-produced The MECHANIC, starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster, and also Associate Produced Paramount’s mega-blockbuster LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, starring Angelina Jolie. In television, he has developed and sold shows to most of the top networks including CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC and WB. He is currently developing shows for e1 and Lionsgate.
In his free time, Mr. Polhemus is on the advisory board of Bahamas International Film Festival, lectures for the Columbia College of Chicago (LA) and judges the screenplay contest for UCLA Master’s Writing Program. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Spirit Of Freedom Jury
Arianne Rocchi
Magnolia Pictures | Spirit Of Freedom Head Juror
Arianne Rocchi is the VP of Publicity at Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing. Joining Magnolia over ten years ago, Mrs. Rocchi has worked on films including Food Inc., Blackfish, the Oscar-winning Man on Wire, and this year’s Oscar nominated I Am Not Your Negro. Magnolia's busy schedule saw her work on over 29 films last year, ranging from Denmark’s nominated entry for Best Foreign Film, A War, to the disturbing documentary Tickled. She also worked with Amazon Studios on the release of The Handmaiden from director Park Chan-wook and with Werner Herzog on the release of Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Modern World. Prior to her time at Magnolia, Arianne was in the marketing department at Landmark Theaters.
Brenda Barry
First Miss Bahamas & Entrepreneur | Spirit Of Freedom Juror
Style, elegance and beauty personifies this bahamian model and ballerina. Brenda Barry is a first of many. Brenda Barry was crowned the first winner of Miss Bahamas in 1961, first bahamian Director of the Red Cross in Nassau, Bahamas and one of the first female bahamian owners and assistant manager of The Landings in Harbour Island, Bahamas, now owned and managed by her daughter Tracy Barry. The Landings is an incredibly beautiful boutique hideaway with an huge international reputation.
Ide Thompson
University Of Bahamas Film Critic | Spirit Of Freedom Juror
Ide Amari Thompson is a “true true” Bahamian-American writer and poet who hopes with his work to “wake the sleepers wide.” As a Junior at the University of the Bahamas studying History, English, and Linguistics, Ide is well suited to integrate and interrogate Bahamian and Caribbean social life and ways in which these cultures interact with and are influenced by other cultures. He believes that all forms of literature and especially film are avenues by which various groups can learn about not only their difference but more importantly their commonalities.
Short Film Jury
Sam Morrill
Vimeo Director of Curation | Short Film Head Juror
Sam Morrill joined Vimeo in 2009 where he currently serves as its Director of Curation, leading Vimeo’s five-person Curation Team. From customer support, to content acquisitions, to curating Vimeo’s lauded Staff Picks channel, Sam has experienced Vimeo’s growth and evolution from a variety of different angles. In 2016, Sam led the launch of Vimeo Staff Pick Premieres, a weekly program in which the most celebrated short films from the festival circuit premiere online exclusively on Vimeo. When he’s not watching videos, he’s probably traveling, watching baseball or searching for the last golf ball he hit into the woods. Sam resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York.
Billie Carroll
Professional Blogger | Short Film Juror
Billie Carroll is a professional blogger, social media influencer and entrepreneur living between the Bahamas and NYC. Raised in the Bahamas, Billie continued her education in the US where she studied advertising and psychology at SMU. Billie proceeded to move to NYC to work in the fashion industry.
As a content creator, Billie partnered with countless brands to build social media campaigns for her audience. With this experience, Billie is using her platform to curate & market her next project a boutique here in Nassau, Bahamas.
Elise Barnett
University Of Bahamas Film Critic | Short Film Juror
Elise Barnett, nineteen year old university student, is an English Language major and first generation college student. Upon enrollment at The University of The Bahamas, Elise received recognition as the recipient of the President’s Scholar Award for the 2015-2016 academic year, and in 2017, won the annual Templeton “Laws of Life” Essay competition. As an aspiring author and linguist, Elise actively engages in recreational reading and writing.
University Of Bahamas (UB) & BIFF Collaborate:
UB students given a once in a lifetime opportunity to become film critiques!
Through a proposed partnership with the University of The Bahamas (UB), by Breyant Marshall (Deputy Senate Speaker and Senator for the School of English Studies), Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) has been offering many opportunities to students. One such initiative is a competition that gave students the chance to wet their feet in the film industry: the “Written Word Series-Bahamas International Film Festival Movie Critique Competition.”
A private pre-screening, featuring one of BIFF’s 2017 Spirit of Freedom Documentaries was showcased exclusively for the UB participants of the competition. Following the film participants had the opportunity to conduct and question and answer session with the filmmaker. From this competition Ide Thompson, Breyant Marshall, and Elise Barnett were winners based on their critique. Their work will be published, and they will receive access to the entire film festival.
In addition, they were selected to become jurors for BIFF’s 2017 competitive film categories (along with international industry professionals).
“Giving back is what separates one organization from another” claims the founder and executive director of BIFF, Leslie Vanderpool, as she spoke to students at UB. She continued that: “Helping communities is a core component of our identity. And what better way to do that but to do that through a partnership with the University of The Bahamas”.
Overall, BIFF was more than excited to work with students at UB towards a greater appreciation of film in the nation.
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