Our Judging Panel

Our judging panel brings together respected filmmakers, industry leaders and advocates. Discover the experts selecting the most inspiring films in the Focus on Ability Film Festival.

Australia

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Cinzia Coassin
Casting Director

Cinzia Coassin started her career as a theatre/film and television actor. Challenging herself to develop ideas has led her to expand in all areas of the entertainment Industry. Nurturing cultural identity in family relationships on a universal scale has always been extremely present in her project choice previously leading her to work in association with The Multi-Cultural Arts Festival, Carnivale. Producing a short film festival - Ten to One, providing a platform for writers/producers/directors from culturally diverse backgrounds to showcase their stories/films. During the two seasons of Ten to One Cinzia requested that the filmmakers donate a prop from their film to then be auctioned off - donating the proceeds to The Childrens Starlight Foundation. Cinzia later found herself being nurtured in the Industry; by landing herself the role of Faith Martins Casting Assistant this allowed her to explore the film and television industry from another perspective, assisting on The Strip and Blood Brothers for the 9 Network, Spartacus, Blood and Sand; Spartacus, Gods of the Arena; Spartacus, Vegeance; Legend of the Seeker; K9 (children series), and the feature films 33 POSTCARDS; THE KING IS DEAD; SATELLITE BOY; EVIL DEAD (the re-make); CABIN IN THE WOODS ; four ABC USA pilot season. FOX, CBS, NBC. As a seasoned Casting Associate and industry professional Cinzia went on to guest star and thrive at Christine King Casting, where she was involved in the casting process for THE KINGS DAUGHTER; THE DRESSMAKER; KILL ME THREE TIMES; Camp (NBC, USA); the 2014 CBS pilot season; The Code; and Hiding (ABC Australia). Also involved with the Australian search for the hit HBO series Game of Thrones; Hercules; The Shannara Chronicles; The Badlands; and THE BFG. Cinzias U.S searches thus far also include Disneys A WRINKLE IN TIME and UGLY a true story based on Super Model Stacey Mckenzies life story. In 2019 Cinzia was nominated for a Casting Guild Award for Best Casting in a Feature Film for her work on UNSOUND, an Australian Feature Film supporting disability and diversity. UNSOUND also received an AACTA nomination for Best Indie Feature Film in 2020. As Casting Director on the Action Sci-Fi Feature OCCUPATION - Rainfall, Cinzia also took on the challenge of co-ordinating all the Background Artist/ Extras. In addition Cinzia cast , Suka, a choose your own adventure action series shooting in Sydney and Weapons of Choice a TV series shooting in QLD, Australia. Cinzia has a very busy slate across 2023/24 with many more feature film and tv projects that are in preliminary stages of production. Also recently becoming involved with attaching finance to film and tv projects has contributed to Cinzia developing ideas with teams of creatives. Cinzia is also a proud mother, daughter and sister.

Photo of Isaac Elliott
Isaac Elliott
Casting Director

Im an AACTA and 3 x Australian Directors Guild (ADG) nominee Australian film and television director. My work draws heavily on my experiences growing up in Alice Springs and living with a disability to explore unique characters through a compassionate but darkly comic lens. I began making films in 2007 after a motorcycle accident led to me becoming a paraplegic. One of my early projects was filming the National Motocross Championship, and after realising I was out of my depth, I moved to Melbourne in to study film making. My graduating film, A Static Wind, won Best Tertiary Short Fiction at the 2016 ATOM awards and earned me a finalist position in the 2017 Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship. I produced and starred in the feature documentary Finke:There and Back with Brindle Films, which was distributed by Madman Entertainment. The following year, I directed Burlesque Blokes, a 22-minute documentary exploring the life of an Australian male stripper, with over 3 million views online. I also directed The Legend of Burnout Barry, a TV special for ABC and ACTF, which earned me a nomination for Best Direction in a Childrens Program at the 2020 ADG Awards. In 2021, I made my series direction debut, directing two episodes of the ABC Kids/Netflix series MaveriX, where I also served as a co-creator with Rachel Clements and Sam Meikle. The show was nominated for Best Kids Television Show at the 2022 AACTA Awards and I received two further ADG nominations. Recently, I directed the short film Dont Come In Yet! featuring Oli Pizzey-Stratford, Ella Newton, Toby Truslove, and Warwick Capper. The film is currently on the festival circuit, having screened at; CinefestOZ, Flickerfest, St Kilda, Dances with Films and Calgary International Film Festival. I was listed as one of Inside Films RISING STARS director for 2022. In the same year, I directed the documentary We Are Sexual Beings for SBS/NITV, which explores what its like to be young, disabled, and sexual in modern Australia. Additionally, I served as series director for the 15-episode web series Wildlifers for ABC ME. I currently have several projects having received development finding, including SHAFTED, a dark comedy about a FIFO worker injured in a mining accident, and HARD AS PUCK, a feature documentary following Australias first national Para Ice Hockey team as they attend the world championshipsthink Cool Runnings meets Murderball.

International

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Russell Boast
Casting Director

RUSSELL BOAST, CSA Russell was born and raised in South Africa. His career in the movie business began when he was hired to work with producer Lloyd Phillips and director Martin Campbell on Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen in 2002. He moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and swiftly found himself in demand by the Hollywood Theatre, Film and Television industries. Russell is the former President of the Casting Society of America (CSA) and spearheaded the organizations Inclusion and Diversity and Training and Education Committees. His commitment to Inclusion and Diversity has led to dozens of roundtable and teaching events and he and his team were awarded the Media Access Award (MMA) in 2018, for their significant contribution in raising the visibility and awareness of disability issues in the broadcast, sound recording, and entertainment industries. Russell has been casting and working with actors in Hollywood for over two decades, working for all the major studios and networks. His most recent casting credits include; Nash Bridges (TV Movie), Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Jeff Perry, Squealer (Feature Film), Tyrese Gibson, Wes Chatham, Theo Rossi, Kate Moennig, Hindsight: The Day Before (Podcast Series), John Goodman, Santiago Cabrera, Ian Anthony Dale, Merrin Dungey, Skelly (Feature Film), Brian Cox, Torrey DeVitto and Blue Light with the incomparable Andy Fickman directing. He also is a professor and the head of casting and the director of the screen acting program at Chapman University (Dodge College of Film and Media Arts), teaching his craft to the next generation of casting professionals and overseeing the casting of all projects, while advising filmmakers and actors as they ready themselves to enter the professional entertainment industry.

Photo of Sonia Rockwell
Sonia Rockwell
Casting Director

Co-founder and President of Healing Humanity Productions Sonia Rockwell is a Mexican-American Actress, Filmmaker and Humanitarian. Performing since the age of 7, she was discovered by a local theatre company after high school and extensively performed in numerous theatrical productions including Grease at the National Theater of Washington, DC; Footloose at Fords Theatre; and Evita at the Paramount Theatre. After arriving in Los Angeles, shes had roles on popular TV shows, including American Crime, 90210, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Scandal, Pam & Tommy and Being Mary Jane. Her film roles including Wild Child, Walk of Fame (Scott Eastwood) and Spread (Ashton Kutcher). After spending time in Africa helping local communities become self sufficient in education, agriculture and water, Sonia recently launched Healing Humanity Productions alongside her co-founder, CEO and managing director at General Catalyst, Hemant Taneja. HHP focuses on storytelling that inspires change, leverages purpose and belonging, and compels new ideas that connect and unite people to create real impact and generate business in our society. Sonias first passion project as part of the launch of Healing Humanity Productions is 2-part documentary Understanding Autism in conjunction with Stone Village Films and director Scott Steindorff that explores the latest research in autism and how empathy and emotion can help autistic people live happier and more functional lives. Sonia and HHP hope to continue to bridge the worlds of media and storytelling with policy, technology and company-building to build systemic change in important areas that drive inclusive prosperity in equality, healthcare, education and AI.

Screen Writing

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Mike Ellis
Casting Director

In television, Michael is proud to have worked as a writer/consulting producer on the Netflix smash-hit show, INSATIABLE for two seasons. His first smash hit, was THE WEDDING PLANNER starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey, which was number one at the box office two weeks running. Most recently, Michael and his writing partner, Sybil Villette sold their female-driven, sports-themed, feature dramedy, SEEING FAITH, to Hallmark in 2023. They are currently in the last stages of development with the producers. Just prior, the duo created the half-hour comedy, RAISING THE BAR, on which Denis Leary and his Amoeba Films, through his deal with Fox, are on board as Producer. Bill Cunningham (Showrunner of Scrubs, The Goldbergs) is Showrunner, as well as David Hayter (writer of Warrior Nun, X-Men 1 and 2, The Watchmen) as EP. Mike began his career, with his former writing partner, Pam Falk, after Mike went to AFI graduate school and got his M.F.A in screenwriting. Mike and Pam sold their first script, LET THEM EAT CAKE to Disney. After that, they sold projects to Fine Line Films, Savoy Pictures and Destination Pictures. They then sold TV pilots to ABC and the CW, worked on a Disney animated feature about singing cows, HOME ON THE RANGE. Mike and Pam went on to sell movie pitches to DreamWorks, Working Title, Revolution Studios, Warner Brothers, Sky Dance Pictures and Universal. Theyve written movies for Lindsay Doran, Anne Fletcher, Jason Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Vin Diesel, Salma Hayek, Meg Ryan, Dwight Yokam, Ellen Page, America Ferrera, and sold a salsa dancing movie with Sandra Bullock attached to produce and star. Other credits include consulting producers on the ABC show JAKE IN PROGRESS, adapting the YA novel the A-LIST for Alloy Entertainment and Universal Pictures, and produced an independent movie from their script based on the acclaimed Aimee Bender novel, AN INVISIBLE SIGN OF MY OWN, starring Jessica Alba, Chris Messina and J.K. Simmons. They wrote a sequel to the hit movie, VALENTINES DAY, called, SUPER SUNDAY, about people finding love and happiness at the Super Bowl for Warner Brothers. Next, they sold two TV pilots in the same season, AMERICAN MARRIAGE, a drama with Ellen Pompeo to ABC and a comedy, MARSHA GOES TO JAIL, with Adam Shankman to FOX. Not long after, Pam and Mike parted ways in 2021 and after that, Michael started writing with Sybil.

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Sarah E Fahey
Casting Director

Sarah E. Faheys notable work includes her significant contributions to Vh1s Hit The Floor (featuring Teyana Taylor, Logan Browning, Taylour Paige, and Kimberly Elise) from 2012 to 2019. Her role spanned across various aspects of the show, including producing over forty episodes, writing five episodes, and guest-starring in two episodes. She also demonstrated her creative prowess by writing, creating, and directing the Emmy-qualifying, supplementary series Dancers Diaries, which aired on Vh1 and Vh1 digital. Prior to her tenure on the staff of Hit The Floor, Sarah showcased her versatility by creating digital content for esteemed companies such as Universal, Disney, ABC, and Viacom. Her writing skills are also evident in her work for ABC primetime hits No Ordinary Family, Brothers & Sisters, Eli Stone, and Dirty, Sexy, Money. In the summer of 2009, Sarah returned to her hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, to work on the Academy Award-nominated film The Fighter. Sarah holds an M.F.A. from Emerson College, a B.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts and attended the Southampton Writers Conference in New York as a workshop apprentice to Playwright Joe Pintaro, Poet Laureate Billy Collins, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Frank McCourt. Her screenwriting has placed her on the short list for several coveted competitions such as Sundance Episodic Lab, Warner Brothers Writers Workshop and the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship. Outside of writing and producing, Sarah has also worked on the agency and development side of the industry. She worked as a TV Lit Assistant at CAA and then supported Jon Harmon Feldman at his ABC banner Oh that Gus, during which time he sold three pilots. Sarah also worked as Manager of Development for Craig Ferguson and Tracey Pakostas Green Mountain West. Projects penned by Fahey have been developed with Westbrook, MarVista, FX, Kerner Entertainment, Wildline Entertainment, Warner Horizon, Echo Lake and ABC Studios. Sarah E. Fahey is a Writers Guild of America, Television Academy and Women in Film member. She also utlizes her talents to advocate for the OneLegacy Foundation, The Sandy Hook Promise, Everytown, and PEN America.

Photo of Sybil Vilette
Sybil Vilette
Casting Director

Most recently, Sybil and her writing partner, Michael Ellis sold their female-driven, sportsthemed, feature dramedy, SEEING FAITH, to Hallmark in 2024 . They are currently in the last stages of development. Just prior, the duo created the half-hour comedy, RAISING THE BAR, on which Denis Leary and his Amoeba Films, through his deal with Fox, are on board as Producer. Bill Cunningham (Showrunner of Scrubs, The Goldbergs) is Showrunner, as well as David Hayter (writer X-Men 1 and 2, The Watchmen) as EP. Sybil began her career producing and starring in much sought-after Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festival hit independent films. As an actress, she went on to star opposite Helen Mirren in the life story of Ayn Rand for Showtime and many other films and television series, including the lead female role, opposite Ving Rhames, in the reboot of Kojak, for USA Network. Sybil was then granted a coveted Producing Fellowship at Film Independents Producers lab and concurrently began writing her first short, PIECE A CAKE, which premiered through Women in Film and The American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. Sybils debut feature as co-writerproducer soon followed with AUDREY, which premiered in theaters, presented by Helen Mirren and PopSugar. Sybil then began writing and developing ANNIE TAKES OFF, a digital comedy series for Influencer superstar IJustine. Next, ANNIE TAKES OFF was optioned by Trium/INE. Soon after, Sybil and Michael developed a half-hour comedy for Jay Scherick and David Ronn. Concurrently, Sybil was hired by Oscar and Tony Award Winner, John Patrick Shanley, as script assistant, after he discovered her comedy writing on Twitter. Following that up, Sybil began working for Showrunner/Executive Producer, Janine Sherman Barrois, (CLAWS, ER, CRIMINAL MINDS) doing story notes for her on her series created with John Wells. Subsequently, Sybil was hired by Janine and Eliot Laurence, show creator of CLAWS, on TNT, as the in-room Writers Assistant on the show. Barbra Streisand then hired Sybil as her film assistant for her upcoming historical biopic. More recently, Sybil was Showrunners assistant to Pamela Adlon on her series, BETTER THINGS, on FX, which debuted its last season this year. Sybil is currently developing, PREP, a half-hour dramedy, about her life as the only scholarship student in the worlds most prestigious Prep/Boarding School.