MICHAEL GRAIS DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBER

From his association with Steven Spielberg, Grais co-wrote the mega-hit POLTERGEIST. This hugely successful film guaranteed a sequel, POLTERGEIST II, which Grais co-wrote and produced. It, too, was so successful it demanded yet another sequel immediately, but Grais felt it was time to move on. He then co-wrote and executive produced a limited series VISITORS FROM THE UNKNOWN for CBS and executive produced the film GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, starring Dennis Quaid, Alec Baldwin and Winona Ryder. He then co-wrote, produced, and financed the hugely successful MARKED FOR DEATH, for 20th Century Fox, starring Steven Seagal. Next, he produced another box office hit, Steven King’s SLEEPWALKERS for Columbia Pictures, and co-wrote COOL WORLD starring Brad Pitt, Kim Basinger, and Gabriel Byrne for Paramount Pictures. In 2000, he executive produced WHO KILLED ATLANTA’S CHILDREN, the highest rated movie of that year for Showtime. An accomplished showrunner in episodic television, Grais oversaw production on the syndicated series, THE IMMORTAL, a supernatural one-hour action skein. See is website for newer projects.

WENDY SHUEY JUDGE

Into broadcast/film industry after Film & Video B.A. degree with E! Channel's The Howard Stern Show in NYC.

Shortly after, moved to the pilot seat as Producer /Director of Live Music Channel, a NYC-based production company producing a television series on FOX & WB channels nation-wide, featuring bands such as: Jane's Addiction, Metallica, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and loads more.

Relocated to Los Angeles in 2002 primarily in the lead editorial seat for various networks and projects ranging from short films to television series to commercials to music videos. such as: One Way Out (Discovery Channel); E! Investigative series:
True Hollywood Story series; X-Fighters (ESPN); Boulevard of Broken Dreams (E!); 'Heroes' Post Show (G4), and more. Education: Virginia Tech University (B.A., Film & Video);
Hunter College, NYC (Concentration: 16mm Film; N.S.E. program).
Co-founder of vivus media, Los Angeles-based film and video production company.

BYRON KONEFSKY JUDGE AND PANEL DISCUSSION MEMBER

Byron Konefsky works as moving image artist, teacher, lecturer and film festival director. He teaches moving image production and critical studies in the Department of Cinematic Arts at the University of New Mexico.

Konefsky is artistic director of experiments in Cinema, an annual international film festival in Albuquerque that showcases cinematic experimentation from around the world.

JUDGE ALICE ZORTHIAN'S love of movies comes from her passion for the story.

She majored in Theatre at Humboldt State University where the hypnotic effects of the redwood forest
inspired her first forays into film. In Taos, her work as a teacher, real estate agent, and mother have created many of her ideas for scripts.

She has been in many local productions and is in the midst of writing her second one woman show.

JUDGE KATHLEEN BROYLES has worked with the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and Film Festival since 1989. Her work expanded into New Mexico with the creation of "Milagro at Los Luceros" a collaboration between the State of New Mexico and Redford Enterprises.
She is the Program Direction for Milagro at Los Luceros, and President of the board of"The Los Luceros Milagro Initiative" whose missions are to increase the presence of Native American,Hispanic and underepresented voice in the film industry.

JUDGE KATHY FITZGERALD,raised in Italy, schooled in England, I came to the US for college and ran a film society there with my future husband.

After a stint with PBS in Boston, I teamed up with my husband to form an independent film production company and started in with producing John Huston's 'Wise Blood," followed by his "Under the Volcano." Other films through the years have included "Mister Johnson" shot in Nigeria with Bruce Beresford, "The Pledge" directed by Sean Penn and "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones. Films in the pipe works include an adaptation of "Waiting for the Barbarians" from the novel by J.M. Coetzee.

I have worked on documentaries in Italy and Peru and juried at many a film festivals, including the Telluride and Taos Mountain Film fests and the Port Townsend festival.

KELLY CLEMENT JUDGE AND DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBER

After many years of working in theater, Kelly received an M.A. in film production from San Francisco State University. In 1990 he directed Clowning Around, for which he received an Academy Award for best student documentary.

He has since produced and directed numerous films, videos and multimedia projects. From 1995-2003 Kelly was the Director of Programming for the Taos Talking Picture Festival. He has also worked as a film programmer for the True/False Film Festival and Nantucket Film Festival.

Currently he is the documentary film programmer for the Starz Denver Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, and he teaches film/video courses at the University of New Mexico-Taos. M.A. in Film Production from San Francisco State University. Co-founder & Dir. of Programming for the late great Taos Talking Picture Festival.

JONATHAN SLATOR
DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBER

Jonathan Slator has spent his working life in the film business, variously employed as producer,
director, actor, stunt driver, assistant director, location manager
and film commissioner He is currently working on the Marvel Studios production of The Avengers.
He is also the founding Director of the Taos Mountain Film Festival.

ALLEGRA HOUSTON
DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBER

Allegra Huston has lived in Taos , NM since 1999, and is a vibrant part of our artistic community.

In 2003, she was president of the jury for the Taos Talking Pictures film festival Land Grant Award, and served on the jury the previous year. She has also been a board member of Zoukfest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing Celtic and Balkan music to audiences in New Mexico.

Allegra’s book Love Child: " A Memoir of Family Lost and Found " made the bestseller lists of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Denver Post.

She has put most of her energy lately in creating , writing and producing
her screenplay, "Good Luck Mr. Gorski"
a short film about about the benefits of moon travel for those on earth.

DAVID SCHWEITZER DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBER

David Schweitzer explores the world, absorbing the exquisiteness of the colors and contours
with adoring purpose, which he tries to share with others through images and music.
His creations blend film, digital imagery & sound.
At 16, David entered the film industry part-time in New York as a bicycle messenger serving
tv commercial production companies.
Years later, he moved behind the camera, working at CBS for the special documentary unit
and EYE On and PBS Networks as a documentary cameraperson.
He has worked on docs on the Dalai Lama's first vist to the USA to the first Space Shuttle launch.
Eventually David moved into feature films and programming followed by a transition to
digital media in 1993 whence he returned to school inorder to
learn computer animation and digital compositing. He is thoroughly proficient in GIG 3D,
PowerAnimator, Maya, Compositor, Eddy, After Effects, Discreet Logic Flint & Flame, Xaos n-Title,
Xaos Pandemoniun, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Photoshop...and anything photochemical.
In 1996, David became one of the first exploiters of combined hybrid film and digital turbulance
force transition effects.
He is now a partner in the company Grupo Equipo, LLC which owns MODERN CAMERA
which rents camera and post systems, 4K RED ONE, SONY, CANON & ARRI Film cameras.