2023 Jacksonville Film Festival Jury

 

Christina Wren

Christina Wren received her B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. As an actor, she most notably played Carrie Farris in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman and currently voices lead characters in several Netflix animated films and series.

Wren has produced Emmy award winning content for PBS as well as content for HGTV, Travel Channel and Discovery. She has written and produced several award winning indie features, web series and shorts, including Hicksters, Saudade?, Half Sisters and America (A Love Song). She produced and starred in the feature film, Moon and Sun, which premiered at the Angelika Film Center, and Rehabilitation of the Hill (which premiered at the Jacksonville Film Festival), starring Harry Lennix.

After a handful of years in New York and LA, she now lives in Atlanta with her husband/creative partner, Demetrius Wren, and their two incredible little boys.

 

Cody Gallo

Cody Gallo is a DGA Assistant Director with 12 years of industry experience. During that time, he has worked with a range of autuer directors from David Lynch to Gunnar Vikene. His AD credits include Twin Peaks: The Return, A Star is Born, American Horror Story, and The War Sailor. Born and raised in Decatur, GA; he attended Florida State University on an ROTC scholarship where he received a B.F.A in Motion Picture, Television and the Recording Arts. He was accepted into the Directors Guild of America - Trainee Program (LA) in 2013, and he completed the program in 2016. He now lives and works in Bergen, Norway with his family.

Cody is a member of the Directors Guild of America and Veterans in Media and Entertainment.

 

cat wilkins

Cat Wilkins is a screenwriter based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Dallas, TX, she took an interest in storytelling very early on. She graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri and began working as a television producer at WJXT in Jacksonville, FL. Ultimately, working in the newsroom was the push she needed to finally pursue her dream career as a screenwriter. In 2020, she graduated from the MFA Screenwriting Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her feature comedy, TWO-FACED, won first place at the 2020 UCLA Screenwriters Showcase and was #4 on the Black List for 2020. The project is currently set up at BRON Studios with Taraji P. Henson set to star and direct. Cat will also pen the UNTITLED LONDON HUGHES COMEDY for Screen Gems with London Hughes set to star and Tim Story on board to direct.

 
Demetrius Wren

Demetrius Wren

Demetrius Wren is an Atlanta based filmmaker that works internationally. He has directed 4 feature films (including the Jacksonville Film Festival award winning film “Rehabilitation of the Hill”) as well as dozens of short films and commercials for brands like Google, Twitch, Amazon, VISA and TikTok.

 
 
 

Austin Lee Smoak

NYC based Cinematographer, Austin Lee Smoak, has shot everything from independent features and television to music videos and commercials. Her recent work includes projects for Showtime, Netflix, Vice, PBS and MTV. She has been nominated several times for her work as a Cinematographer on the television series L.A. Macabre. Austin has also written and produced a variety of projects and taught Cinematography and Filmmaking workshops all over the world.