Patrick Rea is a prolific, award-winning independent filmmaker recognized for his innovative storytelling and creative directing style in horror and suspense. His feature film, "Nailbiter", won Best Director and/or Best Feature Film awards in several film festivals in 2012, "Nailbiter" was released on May 28, 2013 through Lionsgate Home Entertainment on DVD/VOD, Redbox and Digital Downloads. It has since aired on FearNet, the Chiller Network and The Horror Channel in the UK. Rea's stylized short films have screened in over a hundred film festivals around the world. In the summer of 2008, Rea's short film "Woman's Intuition" won a Heartland Emmy Award. In 2009, Rea was co-director on the "Jake Johanssen, I Love You" comedy special, which aired on Showtime throughout 2010. Rea won his second Heartland Emmy Award with the short "Get Off My Porch". He has also been nominated for two Mid-America Emmy Awards.

Patrick Janssen is a sound designer and mixer with experience in all corners of the entertainment industry. He has worked on everything from award winning feature films to Cirque du Soleil, from TV cartoons to museums and theme parks. His film and TV credits include Steven Universe (2013), Discarded (2013) and The Powerpuff Girls (2016). He now works as Lead Audio Designer for Netflix. Patrick grew up here in Emporia, Kansas and now resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his family.

Marlo Angell has a degree in Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California. She is the founding director of the Free State Festival, co-founder of the female filmmaking collective, Women of Lawrence Film (WOLF), and the Curator of Film and Media at the Lawrence Arts Center. Marlo is a member of the Film Festival Alliance, the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and a community tourism ambassador for Explore Lawrence. Her short films have been screened in festivals across the country and she has short plays produced in the Kansas City area. Marlo has worked as a story analyst, freelance journalist, documentarian, film/writing instructor, and television producer and her recent work centers around film as public art.

A’Kena LongBenton teaches instructional design and technology graduate level courses at Emporia State University. As a Harvard-trained college educator, A’Kena specializes in video productions of classic/ cultural literature and other disciplines. She has also co-produced two full length feature films—one that earned a national and international film award.

Alex Backus is an accomplished Assistant Director with over 10 years of experience working in the film industry. Alex has a passion for storytelling and a love for film that started during his time at The University of Kansas (KU), where he pursued a degree in film while actively participating in KU Film Works. Since his time at KU, Alex's film career has taken him across the country, working on a diverse range of film projects, from small indie productions to major features.

Alex’s humble beginnings from the midwest, when he was newly out of college, led him to sneak onto the set of Spike Jonze's "HER" in 2012, claiming to be an intern and turning it into a PA job. Alex has since grown into a vital member of various film ventures as an Assistant Director. Notably, he contributed to the A24 productions of Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade'' and Kogonada’s "After Yang.” Additional projects he AD’ed include “Superior,” "Late Bloomers,'' and "Bad Things," all of which have graced prestigious film festivals such as Sundance, SxSW, and Tribeca.

Beyond his work on film sets, Alex has been involved in facilitating and participating in planning film festivals, co-organizing the Wild West Film Festival in Lawrence, Kansas from 2008 to 2016 with Derek Sellens. Alex’s experience working in the film industry has reinforced the significance of sharing constructive guidance. He understands the value of nurturing emerging new talent and fostering a creative and safe environment for all workers involved.

Amy Sage Webb-Baza is Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Emporia State University, where she was named Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor and directs the Donald Reichardt Center for Publishing and Literary Arts. She is managing editor for Bluestem Press and Flint Hills Review, and has served as reviewer for the Kansas Arts Commission and Ohio Arts Council. She specializes in short-form storytelling and publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and is author of Save Your Own Life (Woodley Press, 2012).

Jessi Bukette is a Kansas City Actor and Producer best known for her roles in Charlotte, Renovations of the Heart, and more. She currently works as a producer for Real Media and has produced over 600 projects including short films, features, commercials, music videos and is a former Kansas City 48 Hour Film Project City Producer. When not lounging with her cat she co-hosts the paranormal/true crime podcast Supposedly. She has a soft spot for ancient civilizations and sea monkeys. You can follow here on Facebook Jessi B, or Instagram @JessiBurkette

Christian Papierniak is best known as the writer/director/producer of the award winning indie feature, "Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town" as well as the Director of NBA2K's "My Career" story mode.

"Izzy" world premiered "in-competition" at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. It was the Jury winner of the 2017 Tacoma Film Festival for Best Narrative Feature and Best Actor (Mackenzie Davis). Mackenzie Davis was also Jury awarded "Best Breakout Performance" at the 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival. Other Nominations: 2017 American Film Festival, Best Narrative Feature (Christian Papierniak); 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival, Best Supporting Actress (Carrie Coon), Best Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment); 2017 Miami Film Festival, Best Original Screenplay (Christian Papierniak); 2017 Lone Star Film Festival, Closing Night Film; 2018 Guild of Music Supervisors Award, Best Music Supervision for a Film Budgeted Under 5 Million Dollars. "Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town" was released in theaters across the US on June 22, 2018

We're thrilled to welcome back our former festival director, Jamie Darcy, as a judge for the 2023 season. Jamie studied film at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland, before shifting focus to design and marketing.

He shies away from any form of publicity whatsoever and doesn't have a star sign.

With a background in both Film Production and Business, Tony Ontiveros has worked on several film/television productions in the Lawrence/Kansas City Area. Having years of production experience under his belt, Tony has served as Cinematographer, Gaffer, Grip, Camera Assistant and Unit Production Manager on several films that have been shown at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. Notable films include: The Only Good Indian, Nailbiter, Black Friday, The Donald Gordon Story, Mahi, and Sublime and Beautiful. Some of his work in television include: History Channel's Full Metal Corset, WGN's Home Team and Discovery Channel's Big Ideas for a Small Planet.