BLAZING SUN
INDEPENDENT FILM SHORTS FESTIVAL
Festival Award Judges
JOE BARRERA
Joe Barrera—named by the Hollywood Reporter’s Who’s Who in Composing, Film & Television Music Special Issue —is a highly accomplished music composer—film, television and concert hall. He has composed music for more than 40 television productions, some of them award-winning shows, as well as for documentaries, commercials (radio & television), industrial videos, and PSA’s. Joe has been honored with two Emmy Nominations. Billboard Magazine awarded him a Certificate of Achievement Award in music. He is also a seven-time ASCAP Award winner for his music on television productions.
MICHELLE MACAU
Michelle Macau – is a professional actor, theatre director, producer, and educator. She earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Rutgers University / Livingston College. Michelle has directed a number of stage productions in and around New York City, starred in films and was a featured star in a national television show. She is a guest lecturer at Lehigh University and teaches improvisational theatre. (Festival Consultant)
VIRA MONTES
Vira Montes, an accomplished actress, served as a member of the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Motion Picture Nominating Committee. Her work is in film, television and commercials in both the English and Spanish markets. She has appeared in national campaigns including for Ford, Lexus, Toyota, AT&T, Tide, Disney and Hallmark. Ms. Montes’ television credits include: guest starring roles in T. J Hooker; Dragnet the 90’s; It’s A Miracle; Americas Most Wanted; and On the Pro-Line. She was also Dick Clark’s “Blooper Girl” and is part of the cast of the up-and-coming sitcom, What’s up in L.A. Feature film credits include: American ME, directed by Edward James Olmos; Aizea City of the Wind, directed by Ione Hernandez, and That Summer In LA, with Telisa Soto and directed by Simon Clark.
JACQUELIN McCALL-FLYNN
Jacqueline McCall-Flynn – is a board member of the Screen Actors Guild and serves on the national committee for performers with disabilities. Jacqueline, headquartered in Dallas, is an independent associate producer and an actor and has been featured in a number of films and appeared in television shows. Jacqueline completed a classical review series in Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and was a Resident Acting Member of the Santa Rosa Theatre, California, for two seasons.
ANDREW ROSEN
Andrew Rosen, aka Andy, has worked for more than 30 years in the film industry as a visual and special effects artist, including in Cats, released in 2019. He has worked in parts of the world in 17 other feature films, including Face/Off, Mortal Kombat, Titanic and Day After Tomorrow. He earned an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Shortly after graduation, he secured a position at Sony. His work also took him to the American Film Institute (AFI), where played an important role in developing High Definition production techniques. In later years, he worked with scientists at the Jet Propusion Lab (JPL), which was perfect training for developing in-game VFX for Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Andy continues working in creating visual and special effects, and is dedicated to finding new and innovative ways of creating stories for the screen.