Awards and Jury

AWARDS

Academy Award Qualifying Awards
Best of the Festival Award
Best Animated Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under

Special Jury Awards
Best International Short
Best U.S. Short
Best Comedy Short
Best LGBT+ Short
Best Midnight Short
MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award
Vimeo Staff Pick Award
Local Jury Award
Young Cineastes Award

Student Awards
Best Student Animated Short
Best Student Documentary Short
Best Student International Short
Best Student U.S. Short

MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award Jury

Bijan Tehrani a film director, film critic and writer, works as Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders and CineEqual. Bijan has won several awards in international film festivals and book fairs for his short films and children’s books. He has been a film critic and historian writing over 4000 articles in the past five decades. Bijan has been a jury member in many international film festivals around the world and he has also organized several film festival and events. Bridging The Borders Award founded by Bijan fourteen years ago is now offered in ten film festivals, in the US, Germany, UK and Australia.

2021 marks the 15th anniversary of the Cinema Without Borders. For the tenth anniversary of Cinema Without Borders, Bijan had received Ambassador of International Cinema Award from South east European Film Festival, Friend of the Festival Award from Polish Film Festival, LA and Gateway to International Cinema Award from Hungarian Film festival. Bijan Tehrani is recently working on a screenplay for a feature films that he plans to direct himself.

Hossein Jafarian is one of the leading cinematographers of Iranian cinema and an Academy Awards member that his work has been featured in prestigious film publications such as American Cinematographer. Hossein has shot over 50 feature length films over the course of the past four decades, films that have won much critical praise in international film festivals from Cannes to Berlin to the Academy Awards. His credits include collaborations with some of the masters of Iranian cinema, including Through the Olive Trees with Abbas Kiarostami, Crimson Gold with Jafar Panahi, Under The Skin of the City with Rakhshan Bani Etemad and most recently three films with Asghar Farhadi; Fireworks Wednesday, About Elly and the Oscar-winning The Salesman.

Hossein Jafarian is also an author of several books on filmmaking and cinematography.

Keely Badgers is Executive Director of MOZAIK, a new millennial-led philanthropic organization committed to exploring and modeling new practices in philanthropy with disruptive, creative, and catalytic potential. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Keely leads the foundation’s strategic grantmaking, programs and community engagements, working with a range of nonprofit organizations in the local, national, and international advocacy space.

As a millennial expert and advocate on international human rights and development issues, Keely pioneers’ durable solutions for underrepresented voices, communities and causes by working to democratize philanthropy through participatory grantmaking praxis.

Susan Morgan Cooper is a Director/Producer/ Writer, and her credits include: To the Moon and Back, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2016 (A cinematic act of love and courage’ … Broadway World) – Hopper [In his own words] Documentary, Producer/Writer 2013 (“I was moved to tears” Mike Medavoy) – Mulberry Child, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2012 (‘A powerful and touching film’… 31/2 stars. Roger Ebert) – An Unlikely Weapon [The Eddie Adams Story]..Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2008 ( ‘A terrific documentary’ The Hollywood Reporter) – Making Of Shadows in The Sun, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2005 – Heroes And Sheroes. Television Series, Director/Producer/Writer 2000 – Mirjana: One Girl’s Journey, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 1997 – Stringers, Narrative Short Director/Producer/Writer 1990 – Hadley’s Rebellion, Narrative Feature Associate Producer 1989

Vladek Juszkiewicz was born in Glogow, Poland. He graduated from the Szczecin Technical University with a degree in Engineering. While attending the University he became a member of The Szczecin Technical University Choir, serving as a President and manager of the group. His travels with the choir to 18 counties including   United States where he visited the White House. When he moved to Warsaw, he became the manager of the Polish international star singer Maryla Rodowicz. After immigrating to the United States, he worked on 11 films with the late Paul Leder. In 1999 he founded the Polish Film Festival Los Angeles and served as a director till 2019. Now is serving as the Festival’s Programmer. Served on the juries of the Los Angeles Hungarian Film Festival, the Los Angeles South East European Film Festival, New York Polish Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Awarded by Polish Government with the Cavalier & Officer Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and Gloria Artis for promoting Polish culture abroad.

Local Jury Award

2022 ShortFest