Virtual Hugs to our Judges.

Lynn M. Holley, Founding Director and Producer of the IFAFF watches every film entered, and chooses those for Official Selection. In cases of ties or differences between judge selections, Lynn helps to finalize winners. She also gives out her own award: Director's Choice, after all films have been chosen for an award. She often chooses her favorites among other films not making winning rank. Lynn is also the Founding Director and Producer of the 3MinuteFilmFestival(.com), which is now in its 9th Season. She was an early film reviewer for a daily newspaper, and has written and/or produced a few documentary shorts. At one time she was a judge for the International Santa Barbara Film Festival, establishing an award for social justice.  Lynn has also been the managing director of international, classical music festivals, which also involved films. She works as an independent curator, visual arts exhibition judge, guest curator, and lecturer. With a AA in Humanities, a BS in Communications and an MA in Museum Studies, creating this film festival of the arts suits her passion for films, and her work as an Executive Consultant to the Arts.

 Beth Soll, PhD, Choreographer, dancer, and teacher. With her company, which was formed in 1977, she has performed in many U.S. cities and internationally. She has received numerous grants and awards from the NEA and from state, civic, and private sources. She has directed the dance programs at Boston University and MIT, and has since taught at many universities, including UC Santa Barbara, The New School, Hofstra University, and Manhattanville College. Currently, Beth is creating a new dance film. Website: www.bethsollandcompany.org

Daniel Kepl is a seasoned conductor, and currently a film festival judge of Original Score for this season and previous IFAFF seasons. He is also a media reviewer of classical music, theater and dance events. When he was only sixteen, he  

founded the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony,  and then

attended the California Institute of the Arts, as its first conducting major, studying with conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith there, after two years studying with Los Angeles Chamber Symphony conductor Henri Temianka. 

Daniel attended Trinity College of Music, London, to study with conductors Bernard Keeffe, as well as Irwin Hoffman in Brussels.He then spent a month in Brazil with the Sao Paulo Philharmonic as a conducting fellow in 1972.

For twelve years  he was in Seattle conducting for Seattle Festival Ballet, Seattle Wind Ensemble and Seattle Debut Orchestra. In 1979 brought the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival - all 22 musicians - to Seattle during the summers, beginning in 1979.

He has been writing reviews of classical music, theater, and dance events ever since his youth, for newspapers, media outlets in California, Seattle, and, London. Daniel's  performingartsreview.net website is a video interview and CD review service with 22,000 subscribers in six countries. 

Samantha Frankenbush is a 25 year old dancer and fitness instructor from Boca Raton, Florida. She moved to Los Angeles to study Dance Theatre at AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in 2016. She graduated in 2020 with her BFA in Dance Theatre. Since then, Samantha has been training at different prestigious studios in LA, teaching dance and yoga. 

Richard Carter is a professional photographer originally from Maryland, now living in California for over 40 years. He has worked for newspapers, film producers nationally and internationally, as well as Film Festivals and high-profile award events for many decades. Always an accomplished film photographer, he studied digital photography in Santa Barbara at City College. For over 30 years he has covered Red Carpet events, opening film receptions, post-award receptions, and interviewed  scores of A-list filmmakers, actors and world class musicians. He has interviewed many film stars, and worked with directors on and offset, from Oscar winners to Independent filmmakers. As a photographer in his own right he has won numerous top awards for his plethora of photographs, especially celebrity and film-based.  He has been a film judge for festivals for five years, including the IFAFF, and the 3Minute Film Festival. 

Connie Koirbel-Mickey , is an experienced writer, journalist and filmmaker, now living in India. She was the editor of the newspaper for Fort Bragg, CA, and as a free lance journalist, and archivist for an international fine artists. Her work as work awards and recognition nationally. Currently she is writing, photographing life in India, and  and researching its centuries of stories and places.

Larry S. Greenfield is a retired attorney who has practiced as a complex commercial and entertainment litigator in both New York and Los Angeles for more than 37 years. He is a member of the American Film Institute, a  graduate of Cornell University, and of the New York University School of Law (JD). Larry clerked for the Hon. Lawrence Bilder in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey before he began his practice in 1976.

Larry is the author of the anchor chapter of the multi-authored and critically-acclaimed legal treatise entitled "Entertainment Litigation," first published by Oxford University Press in 2011.

Larry has represented clients in many aspects of the entertainment industry, including Motion Picture Studios (MGM/United Artists; Paramount Pictures; Lionsgate Films; New Line Cinema; DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group; and Miramax Pictures, among others); Television Networks and Producers (including ABC Television, Telepictures; American Idol; MTV, and VH-1, among others); Actors (including Sidney Poitier; Johnny Depp; Courtenay Cox; and Laura Dern, among others); Writers (including Truman Capote; J.D. Salinger; and Diane English, among others); Talent Agencies, (including The William Morris Agency; Endeavor; UTA; and ICM); Record Companies (Motown Records; Polygram Records); Recording Artists (including Bob Dylan; Rod Stewart; Ozzy Osborne; and Jewel, among others); Directors (David Fincher, among others), and many other individuals and companies in nearly all aspects of the entertainment industry.

Now retired from active practice, Larry consults with clients on a selective basis. 

Robert F. Adams  is a graduate of UCLA's School of Theatre and Film. He is currently the film columnist for VOICE Magazine in Santa Barbara, covering films, operas and international film festivals. He is currently serving or has recently served on numerous film programming selection committees for AspenFilm, Napa Valley and the Santa Barbara International Film Festivals. Also a practicing visual artist, his work has been shown at the Contemporary Arts Forum in Santa Barbara, the Aspen Art Museum and the Architectural Foundation Gallery. Robert can be reached at his website at www.earthknower.com.

Maria Doctor is a documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, and content creator with training in film, music, dance, acting and poetry. Her recent documentary producing projects include THE REST OF US, which follows five undocumented students in the U.S., and COVID POV, a look at how life in the pandemic impacts the perspectives and mental health of a variety of Americans. Maria is actively rewriting her first feature screenplay on a grieving mother who goes on an epic quest to save and heal her life, as well as developing a business to use narrative visual storytelling to uplift and connect audiences to positively impactful brands. In her spare time, Maria practices love, piano and Spanish, goes on nature walks, reads children’s books to her daughter (often in character voices), and looks for ways to heal and be healed. You can find Maria @fieldsoplenty on Instagram and Twitter.

Michael "B" began his media career working for the Cornell University Education Television Center, and taking classes with Rod Serling at Ithaca College.  He then traveled over the world and made films for the Exxon Education Foundation, TBS, PBS and for the Hearst News Network.  His video work includes producing and directing a wide variety of projects--commercials, infomercials, and sales and training videos. His documentary work includes films on Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride, the Milongueros (Tango Dancers) of Buenos Aires, and is currently in production on several high school athletic documentaries.

Julia Marchese is a filmmaker, actor, writer, film programmer and podcaster. Julia's first film was Out of Print, a documentary about the importance of revival cinema and 35mm to culture. The 35mm print of the film is now housed at The Academy Film Archives. Her next project is directing a short film adaptation of Stephen King's short story "I Know What You Need". 

She is the co-host of Horror Movie Survival Guide, a weekly podcast that takes a deep dive into a different horror film each week, focusing on how to become the final girl, and JodoWOWsky, a podcast about filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. 

You can follow her on her social media platforms @juliacmarchese

Bonnie Rubenstein is a visual fine artist, and a gallery owner of Silo118.com, a once physical space gallery in Santa Barbara, CA, and now an online platform for a selection of interesting and diverse artists and photographers. Additionally, she is a curator of fine art collections, creating physical space exhibitions, and establishing booths in art festivals, or joining in international efforts to promote artists. She continues to work with and for artists, often putting her own 

creativity aside in support for others. Bonnie has a BFA from Washington University, St. Louis, and studied at the Sorbonne. She is an ardent cinephile, participating in numerous group reviews of  films on a weekly basis.