With over 1000 films submitted, we need fresh eyes to screen and rate every film. Our submission committee comprises about 15 volunteers from all walks of life. They work hard all year round to help us choose the best of the best for the big screen. A big shout out THANK YOU to all of them!
Tanya Turner / Alex Slate
Tanya hails from Denver, CO, while Alex has always called Las Vegas, NV his home. Both of them share the same passion for cinema and even the same favorite movie, 1999’s The Matrix. Alex has been a computer programmer since Reaganomics and enjoys making his own short drone aerial photography videos on YouTube. Tanya worked in sales for a telecom company for nearly 20 years and now considers the kitchen her domain and can create masterful dishes that could make Chef Ramsay stop cursing. Together they own an impressive collection of over 1,800 movies and Alex is unbeaten in any movie related trivia game ever created. When they are not catching the latest Friday night premiere, they’ll be spending their time and money Kickstarting movies and art projects.
Steve Kurtz
Steve is the Director of the the new One Nation Film Festival. He was part of the Indie Spirit Film Festival for 4 years as Film Festival Programmer and Festival Director of the 7th season of that festival in 2014. After working in various positions in corporate America for 30 years he has returned to his passion for film, music and creating a platform for telling the stories about Indigenous cultures, histories and their contemporary issues through the art and craft of filmmaking.
Justice Whitaker
BFA, New York University Tisch School of the Arts
Teaching Certification, Long Island University
Justice was born on the sunny shores of California and has always had a passion for storytelling and the arts. Justice is a world traveler and had ventured to five of the seven continents by the time he was 20, and never without his camera. With a passion for 35mm film, Justice found a medium to share his stories and ideas through the camera lens leading him to a career in filmmaking and photo-based visual arts. In 2006 he produced his first independent film in New Mexico, and has since been regularly working between New Mexico and New York. He has been a media educator in New York City since 2007 and finds strength in sharing his skill sets with young artists.
Harry Musselwhite
Harry is Executive Director Emeritus of The Rome International Film Festival, and under his direction, MovieMaker Magazine named the festival “one of the finest in the southeastern United States”. He has adjudicated for The Knoxville Film Festival, Macon Film Festival, and served as an adjudicator and presenter for The Santa Fe Film Festival. He is an award winning filmmaker and screenwriter. His screenplay “Martha Berry” was a finalist at The Charleston International Film Festival and The Hollywood Screenplay Competition, and his action screenplay “The White House” was an official selection for the 2015 Oaxaca Film Festival. He has enjoyed an international career as a musician, presenting performances throughout the UK and Europe as well as a 2015 performance at Carnegie Hall.
Robinson James Payne
Today you can find me in Walsenburg Colorado, where I recently bought an old building and renovating it into a studio and living space. Something crazy and creative is about to happen in Southern Colorado and a winter of writing. My first Gallery was in Tulsa, OK in 1997… “Mother Tongue” I wasn’t an artist at the time, rather a jock, an ex- football coach who wanted a new life. Mother Tongue gave me that life and a rich experience, but only lasted 2 years. I decided to move to Los Angeles and explore a creative life. My first studio in L.A. was in my brothers garage. There I found my color sensibilities, explored paint and textures on uncommon objects and recycled materials. Without a formal art education, I was free to explore art my way, in any format. I spent 10 years moving around the U.S. finding work as a designer, teacher, carpenter or bartender, each time creating a studio space. My studios get more refined, finding more finish in every rendition. In 2007, I went back to football working 4 years with the Atlanta Falcons. That experience gave me boost to follow my dream to Taos, NM and open a studio in 2014. Taos was great and I’m glad to be close but ultimately I wanted to buy something affordable and live a simpler life. I am happy to be in Colorado.
Cathleen Lambridis
Cathleen has been chasing great short films all her life ! From Chicago to New York, San Francisco, Athens, Greece, Paris, France – she finally settled in TAOS where she LOVES her job wrangling volunteers for TSFF !
….And last but not least, our other valued ( and maybe shy) Submission Committee Members…
Sonya Hinton / Dave Costanza
Judith Witten
Annie Brown / Dave Martin
Clinton Joseph Murphy
Ylonda Viola
Patsy and Gary Wright
