NARRATIVE JUDGES

ELLIOTT LEWITT - Producer

Elliott Lewitt is a film producer with extensive experience in the acquisition, development, production and distribution of both studio and independently financed films. He has worked with North American, European and Asian filmmakers on a wide range of distinguished feature film projects.

The films he has produced include AT CLOSE RANGE, starring Sean Penn and Christoper Walken; SHADOW OF CHINA, a Japanese-American co-production starring John Lone; THAT NIGHT, starring Juliet Lewis; THE WATCHER, starring James Spader, Keanu Reeves, and Marisa Tomei; and AROUND THE BEND, starring Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, and Josh Lucas.

Actively developing original screenplays with American, Brazilian, and Korean directors, the film next to go into production is an adaptation of the Bill Carter memoir FOOLS RUSH IN (Wenner Books/Rolling Stone Press, 2005), to be produced in association with Participant Productions. Stephen Gaghan (TRAFFIC, SYRIANNA) is to direct. Coming together is CONQUISTADOR screenplay by Nick Kazan, an historical drama on the life of the 16th century conquistador Hernan Cortes, to star Antonio Banderas.

DAVID FLYNN - Producer and Director's Agent

David is an established agent representing directors at UTA focusing on movies packaging in the independant market both domestically as well as internationally, covering all major festivals worldwide.

Flynn worked at ICM for the three most influential agents: Ed Limato, Dave Wirtschafter and finally Jim Wiatt, then CEO of ICM. Promoted to the Lit department David represented writers and directors. Later he ran the management division of Propaganda Films crossing commercials directors over into the film world. After Propaganda, David worked with Tom Lassally, a former Exec VP of Warner Bros brining his client list of directors, signed new directors and formed an alliance with a UK based book agency.
 January 2005 he started Chaos Management. A management/production company it represents directors and writer/directors from all over the world, sharing clients at CAA; WMA; ICM; UTA and Endeavor and clients working at Warners; Dreamworks; Fox; as well as NBC; CBS and Fox TV.

Flynn along with Bruce Davey (Icon) has just produced SERAPHIM FALLS (shot entirely in New Mexico) starring Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan and Anjelica Houston with David Von Ancken directing and two time Oscar winner John Toll shooting.

KATHY GORI & ALAN BERGER - Screenwriters

Kathy Gori and Alan Berger are screenwriters and have worked at most of the major Hollywood Studios. They are currently writing their original screenplay THE APOCALYPSE OF CARL for producer Andrew Lazar (CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, GET SMART).

In the past two years, Gori and Berger have written two original feature comedies, SPAULDING GETS NOTHING for Walt Disney Pictures and Andrew Gunn Productions, and HENCHMAN VS. SIDEKICK for Revolution Studios and Broken Road Productions, Todd Garner producer.

They wrote the 1981 feature film, DESPERATE MOVES, Ovidio Assonitis producer, and co-wrote the upcoming Warner Brothers movie CHAOS THEORY with Ryan Reynolds.

Kathy Gori was the Award winning co-host of UP FOR AIR, on KPFK radio 1996 - 2000, and her husband Alan Berger co-produced the show. Kathy received the prestigious Silver Reel given by the National Federation of Community Broadcasters for best morning show of 1997.

In addition, Kathy has enjoyed successful careers in radio, voice overs and commercials. She was an all night rock jock at KMPC, KIIS and TENQ and she was the voice of many Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons including Hong Kong Phooey and The New Tom and Jerry Show. She has won a national Cleo Award for her achievements in radio commercials.

REPRESENTATION:

ENDEAVOR TALENT AGENCY
Dawn Saltzman
310 248-2000

DOCUMENTARY JUDGE

DR. SAM SMILEY-Screenwriter, Author, Director

Dr. Smiley is a Distinguished Professor of theatre and communication and an outstanding professional in the fields of cinema and theatre. He directed university programs in dramatic writing for more than 35 years and is one of the nation’s best-known teachers of writing for theatre and film. He chaired departments and directed M.F.A. dramatic writing programs at the Universities of Arizona, Indiana, Evansville, and Missouri. He created and became the School of Fine Arts at the University of Evansville and acted as its Dean. For 27 years his book on playwriting was the leader in its field and gave him a national and international reputation in dramatic writing. He has won awards for teaching and was inducted into the American College of Theatre Fellows.
Many of his students went on to outstanding writing careers in theatre, film, and TV. Among them are Bruce Joel Rubin and Howard Ashman, both of whom won Academy Awards for film writing. He has lectured in six writers conferences and over fifty universities—including Yale, UCLA, and NYU.

During his working life, Dr. Smiley combined a professional career with one in the academic world . He has also appeared in over 200 theatre productions and in such major films as “Hoosiers” with Gene Hackman and “The Untouchables” with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. He has acted in over a hundred theatre productions, in about two dozen films, and numerous TV series appearances.

He has published four books and has had 20 of his plays produced. Yale University Press published Dr. Smiley’s newest book—Playwriting: The Structure of Action—deals with dramatic writing in September 2005. It is used by playwrights and screenwriters alike. Besides plays, films, and novels, Dr. Smiley has written countless television shows, magazine articles, and poems. His plays have been produced throughout the United States and Europe. Some of his works have been translated into Spanish, German, Polish, and Japanese.