The 2025 New York Festivals® Television & Film Awards announced this year’s Grand Jury  panel of award-winning TV & Film Industry executives.

NYF’s TV & Film Awards distinguished jury features industry giants from six continents. Globally recognized documentary filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, journalists, and executive producers bring their deep industry knowledge and creative insight to ensure each entry is judged with the utmost care and attention.

“We are thrilled to welcome these globally recognized innovators to the 2025 edition of the Grand Jury,” said Rose Anderson, EVP & Executive Director New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. “They all volunteer their time for the NYF selection process.  Their collective wealth of hands-on knowledge, their commitment to excellence, their passion, and their creativity across all genres underscores today’s fair and just peer review process.” 

New York Festivals TV & Film Grand Jury is recruited from leading networks, production companies, and creative studios worldwide, all dedicated to excellence in storytelling across news, entertainment, sports, and corporate image content. Top-tier companies include The Walt Disney Company, ESPN, Telemundo, National Football League, TV Globo, GMA Network, Paramount Creative EMEAA, Movistar+, NHK, Al Jazeera Media Network, TiCom Net, Radio-Canada, Phoenix Satellite Television, Brunswick Group, and ZDF.

The 2025 TV & Film Awards Grand Jury includes:

• Soo Yung Ahn, Executive Producer, Entertainment TV, MBC – South Korea
• Béatrice Alquier, Promotion et Direction Artistique des Antennes Direction Promotion opérationnelle, France Télévisions – France

• Benjamin Best, Journalist/Filmmaker/Author, Benjamin Best Productions – Germany
• Eduardo Calvet, Editor, TV Globo – Brazil
• Arlene Carnay, Vice President, Public Affairs, GMA Network – Philippines
• Kevin Chan, Senior Creative Producer, Mediacorp Pte Ltd – Singapore
• Debbie Cuell, CEO and Executive Producer, Sparkle Films – Australia
• Clara Dominguez, Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Voice of America – USA
• Fionn Groeger, Producer, Aramco – Saudi Arabia
• Valeria Fiñana, Founder, DayDream Entertainment – USA
• Melanie Haft, Managing Director & Head of Production, nautilusfilms GmbH – Germany
• Haibo Huang, Deputy Head of Phoenix Chinese Channel: Director of the Chief Editors Office, Head of Phoenix Movie Channel, Phoenix Satellite Television – Hong Kong
• Brian M. Lockhart, Senior Vice President, ESPN+ Original Content and ESPN Films ESPN –USA
• Michael Maack, Marketing Producer, ZDF – Germany
• Jodain Massad, Director, Development & Innovation, NFL Films, National Football League – USA
• Sergio Mendoza, VP, Scripted Development, Telemundo Television Studios – USA
• Elodie Moncelet, Creative Producer, Paramount Creative EMEAA – France
• Tomoko Morita, Principal Program Director, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) – Japan
• Sonal R. Patal, Partner Group Head of Creative, Brunswick Group Advisory Ltd. – United Kingdom
• Judith Pyke, Executive Producer/President, Curious Features Inc. – Canada
• German Sela, Head of Brand, Movistar+ – Spain
• Nick Smith, Executive Vice President, Formats and Licensing, All3Media – United Kingdom
• Jessica Soho, Broadcast Journalist, GMA Network – Philippines
• Jay Soo, CEO/Founder, Moving Bits – Singapore
• Vanda Tan, General Manger, Wawa Pictures Pte Ltd. – Singapore
• Giles Trendel, Media Strategist & Executive Coach, Independent – United Kingdom
• Francis B. Toral, Head of Integrated News Division, ABS-CBN Corporation – Philippines
• Patrícia Vasconcellos, Journalist/TV Correspondent, SBT - Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão – Brazil
• Cathy Yang, Host, Thought Leaders with Cathy Yang, Cignal TV, MediaQuest Holdings – Philippines
• Zhao Yang, Producer, China Global Television Network – China
• Toshie Yoshida, President, TI ComNet – Japan

View the 2025 TV & Film Awards Grand Jury HERE.

Grand Jury members view all entries during online judging panels to determine a score based on industry specific criteria. Juries determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Trophy Winners. Top-scoring entries are honored with the prestigious Grand Trophy. Special Industry Awards honor Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and Program Promotion Team of the Year.

The WaterBear Award is bestowed to the highest scoring documentary across Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife. This coveted award is a partnership between the free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet WaterBear Network and New York Festivals. The winner will be announced during the 2025 Storytellers Gala in April.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards celebrates groundbreaking storytelling and honors the rich diversity of content created by today's visionary storytellers for global audiences across all viewing platforms. Since 1957, the competition has celebrated excellence and innovation across all genres, keeping pace with industry-wide developments and global trends.

All Entries in the 2025 competition will be judged by the TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries are showcased on the TV & Film Awards winners gallery. View the 2024 TV & Film Awards winner’s showcase.

The deadline to enter the 2025 Television & Film Awards competition is December 31, 2024.

To view entry details and competition rules and regulations and 2025 categories visit HERE. 

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Contact: Gayle.Mandel@NewYorkFestivals.com