Monique and I were very humbled this past weekend to win such outstanding awards from the great people over at Grace Arts Project and the Attic Film Fest. http://www.graceartsproject.org/
When talking with the festival’s coordinator, Jamee Kennedy, after the festival, she mentioned in passing that she didn’t know who won until she opened the envelopes during the awards show. I kept meaning to ask her, if she wasn’t a judge, then who was? – but I kept forgetting.
I finally got around to asking her via email this morning, and after reading her answer, it makes us even prouder of our accomplishment. Here’s her response:
Clayton
TAFF has a policy of having an anonymous panel of 3-5 judges all of whom are working or have worked in the film/video/TV industry for five years or more or have RTF experience and/or degrees.
The TAFF organizing committee has set this panel up as anonymous so that the folks judging will not be contacted by filmmakers who may have a less than positive reason to discuss their films with them. The judges themselves do not know who is on the judging panel! We did this so they could not influence each other. In turn, the judges are then free to make honest and forthcoming assessments about the fims they watch.
They make their decisions and send their results to a “tabulator” who is sworn to secrecy to count votes and settle ties and such. The decisions go into a sealed envelope and are delivered to me about a week before the FEST. I do not know the results until the Awards night. (Although I can guess) That is all to protect me from any perceived conflict of interest etc.
I do watch all films as they come in and make an initial cut of films (to make sure they are appropriate for the FEST) that will be handed over to the judges. But I am not allowed to discuss any of the films with the judges until after the FEST is over.
Sorry. But I can’t give you their names. I can say we had 3 exceptional judges this year, who really worked hard and did an excceptional job. And I can say that all the judges were in attendance this year.
Blessings Jamee