FEATURE-FILM JUDGING PANEL

YELENA POPOVIC

YIANNIS STRAVOLAIMOS

RADISAV JEVRIC

YELENA POPOVIC

Yelena Popovic is a Serbian/American actress, writer, director, and producer. She wrote and directed MAN OF GOD starring Mickey Rourke and the 2013 NYIIFVF Audience Award Winner, L.A. SUPERHEROES. Popovic produced MONDAY NIGHTS AT SEVEN starring Edward James Olmos through her company Simeon Entertainment and has several other active projects in development including DEAD SERIOUS, GRETA GARBO and MOSES THE BLACK. She studied at Playhouse West, an industry-recognized premier acting school and training ground for actors, writers, and directors, founded by Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum.

YIANNIS STRAVOLAIMOS
Born in Greece, Yiannis Stravolaimos is an accomplished filmmaker. He has directed many feature-lengths, his most recent the highly successful THE SHEPHERD. Besides directing, Yiannis is also a writer, composer and visual effects expert.

RADISAV JEVRIĆ

Radisav Jevrić graduated in dramaturgy at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade in 2005, class of Siniša Kovačević. He has extensive experience in theater, film directing and screenwriting.

Radisav is the founder and director of the professional Children’s Theater “Mala Krila” (“Little Wings”) in Nikšić, Montenegro. He is Editor-in-Chief of Ostrog TV Studio and was director of the Christ Easter Festival.

Besides numerous drama and theatrical achievements, Radisav’s film work includes “Stagnation” (a short feature-film), ‘“I did not find such a faith even in Israel” (Matt. 8:10)’ documentary (produced by Ostrog Monastery).

He has won many film awards, including at the Radonezh International Film Festival (Moscow, Russia), International Orthodox Film Festival (Obninsk, Russia), International Film Festival “Golden Knight” (Crimea) as well as Best Cinematography, Best Director & Best Film at Byzanfest 2021 for his short-feature, “A QUITE NOOK OF CHRIST’S”.

SHORT-FILM JUDGING PANEL

ANA MATSIS

MANOS TRIANTAFILLAKIS

TANJA BRZAKOVIC

ANA MATSIS
Ana is proud first-generation Greek-New Zealander. She grew up immersed in Byzantine music and the Orthodox faith as her father was a trained "psalti" (chanter) who served the local community in Wellington for nearly 50 years.

Since 2018, Ana has co-produced and edited several documentaries based on the Greek community in New Zealand. She has also been involved with creating a social media profile and related video content for a young cancer survivor, edited and project managed an innovative journal for young adults with cancer, and advised on the publication and launch of a children’s book.

Ana is an intellectual property lawyer who also spent 10 years working in communications specialising in branding, visual identity and marketing. As well as helping people solve problems, her greatest pleasure is storytelling and creating engaging content for audiences across written, visual and aural mediums.

MANOS TRIANTAFILLAKIS
Manos Triantafillakis is a director and actor. His latest film, JUST LIKE WATER, has won 70 first-place awards for Best Director, Best Producer, Best Writer, Best Cinematographer and more in international and domestic film festivals to date, as well as Byzanfest 2021. In 2020 he directed and filmed the theatrical play “Cecé” by Luigi Pirandello for the digital channel of the municipality of Heraklion in Crete.

He has acted in 30 theatrical performances, 10 films (short and feature), 4 TV-series and 15 commercials. He has made over 35 music productions - two of which have been released in international music collections. He has produced soundtracks for more than 10 theatrical shows. Also he has worked in radio for 20 years and as a DJ for 25 years. Manos is a member of the Hellenic Actors Union and member of the THEAMA Group (Professional disabled and non-disabled theater group).

TANJA BRZAKOVIC
Born in Serbia, Tanya received a master‘s degree in Directing from the University of Belgrade, as well as from the University of Hamburg, Germany.

She works across different film formats and genres: from documentaries, fiction to experimental and animation. Tanja works and lives between Berlin and Belgrade. Her films have been screened at festivals all over the world and garnered numerous awards at festivals: Saint-
Petersburg International Film Festival, Sedicicorto, Religion today, Belgrade Ethnological FF, Palermo Sport FF, Bergischer Filmprize, Sehsüchte, Shocking Short Award 13th Street, Deutscher Filmschulpreis in silver, Byzanfest 2021 and others. Tanja is a member of European Film Academy and EWA.

SCREENPLAY JUDGE

RYAN JARONCYK

Since 2019, Ryan has had an autobiographical short script purchased and produced, and two faith-based, TV series projects optioned by independent producers. He's a father of three and currently works as a health aide for the elderly.