IMFF 2024 Jury

The 9th Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 17 - 21, 2024 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema.

Each year, we assemble a prestigious group of filmmakers, industry experts, veteran film festival programmers and other film aficionados. These esteemed jurors dedicate their expertise to selecting the films deserving of recognition in various categories.

The winners from each category are revealed during the Closing Night Party. These announcements are then accompanied by special citations presented by the jury.

Narrative Feature Jury

Neeraja Rao

Neeraja Rao is a distinguished filmmaker, producer, and podcaster with over 20 years of extensive industry experience. Having collaborated with leading Indian television and media entities such as Sony, Star, Channel V, Doordarshan, Zee, and CNBC, she has garnered recognition as the director of critically acclaimed TV shows and award-winning short films.

During her five-year run on renowned travel docu-series “Surabhi," she captivated audiences with compelling narratives in over 300 stories and segments. Around her, it's always lights, camera, passport — her fervent dedication to filmmaking transcends geographical boundaries. Having served as the Director of Communications for the College Women's Association of Japan, she fostered a diverse community for Asian Film Study & Appreciation Groups in Singapore, building collaborations with well-known directors and actors across the Southeast Asian region.

Being active in Singapore's theater, film, and filmmaking community, she continues to make significant contributions in her current role as Creative Director at Arclight Productions. She has spearheaded the direction of multiple award-winning films, including "Love Yours Truly," "Lifafe (The Envelope)," "Papa Mio," and "Unmasked." Her outstanding contributions have garnered acclaim at prestigious film festivals worldwide, including BIFF London, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, and New York ISFF. Having relocated to Austin a year ago, she is now focused on establishing a presence for her films in her new world!

Tania Romero

Tania Romero is a Nicaraguan filmmaker, teacher, and scholar with a degree in Psychology with a Film Studies minor and a Master's in Media Studies. She has worked on several film projects and her credits include editing for the feature documentary YA BASTA (2007) which screened at South by Southwest Film Festival, script supervising for the Cannes Film Festival selected shorts SARATHI (2010), &CLAY (2012) and assistant directing for A PERFECT COCKTAIL (2013). She was also producer/director/editor for the short documentary HELMETS FROM HEATH(2013) which won Judge's Choice at the Faces of Austin competition. The film also won 3rd place at My Hero International Film Festival.

Her film QUINCEANERA (2015) won a San Francisco Film Award of Merit, was an official selection at the Official Latino Short Film Festival, and was screened at the Mexic Arte Museum. Her two micro films DROP IT and#HUGME were official selections for the Austin Comedy Short Film Festival, Film Fest 52, South Texas Corpus Christi Festival, and the Albuquerque Film Festival. Her short SILLA DE RUEDAS (2015) was an official selection at the Icaro International Film Festival in Guatemala and the Central American International Film Festival.

Kamal Khan

Kamal Khan is a Pakistani film producer, director, and editor who found his passion for film while studying at the University of Southern California. He decided to pursue film full-time, and has since produced and directed award-winning music videos and commercials. His debut feature film "Laal Kabootar" was met with critical acclaim and was selected as Pakistan's official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards. Kamal is also known for his work with Coke Studio, including directing the most-watched Coke Studio music video of all time, "Pasoori."

Christian Raymond

Christian Raymond’s adventures in media run the gamut, from writing screenplays in Hollywood for the likes of Walt Disney Pictures to producing character-driven educational films and co-creating films across the globe in partnership with under-resourced communities in Transylvania.

As a director at Austin Studios for eight years, he developed the Austin Film Society’s multifaceted community program de novo, to include building the youth media initiative, MCM (Minds Create Media) Studios, a creative mentorship filmmaking program serving over two thousand students at fifteen Title 1 schools. Raymond has also taught in high school and colleges, including in RTF at UT-Austin. As editor-in-chief of the film journal Persistence of Vision for years, he’s wrote extensively on such topics as using alternative digital storytelling approaches for community impact, work coinciding with integrated creative development, such as with animated exploratory storytelling model, the Transmedia Tesseract.

After joining ACC in 2011, Raymond worked in a leadership role to not only evolve and build new dynamic RTF programs for students, but also to support and help drive the creation of a new vision-oriented educational creative digital media center, work years later now coming to fruition. During a 2019 sabbatical, Raymond combined a deeper dive into immersive digital storytelling technologies to write/produce the interactive VR film/app, Meditation Trek, with research and design of a new interdisciplinary innovation labs program model for the digital media center. The “ACC Creative Co-Labs” is now being collaboratively developed further with division partners as part of the Master Plan and is already connecting students. Raymond’s creative/community initiatives have received support or been honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, CEC Artslink, the South by Southwest Interactive Festival and others. Taking inspiration from the motto “Giving is Living,” Raymond is on a daily basis grateful to learn, teach and work with students, faculty/staff, and the community.

Documentary Jury

Syed Akbar Hyder

Professor Syed Akbar Hyder is the Director of South Asia Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches classes in comparative literature, aesthetics, and religious studies. His scholarly writings have been published by Oxford University Press, Yale, and Brill. Among the prestigious awards he has received is the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (2023) bestowed by the University of Texas at Austin on one professor every year.

Mike Blizzard

Mike Blizzard is President and co-founder of Blizco Productions and the producer of the award-winning NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and has been licensed by Showtime, Netflix, and ESPN. Mike is a former board member of the Austin Film Society and served two terms as Board President.

Shorts Jury

Vanessa Uhlig

Vanessa has an MFA in Film and Media production from the University of Texas at Austin and also teaches at UT, where her class, Filmmaking to Decolonize, was named one of the top reasons to attend UT’s film program by The Hollywood Reporter.

Prior to working in film, Vanessa worked in international development in Guatemala, New York, and Thailand, for organizations focused on preserving culture and providing economic opportunities for women. In 2019 she was part of a U.S. State Department delegation to Pakistan, where she presented her film work. An advocate for inclusive classrooms and industry practices, she spoke at SXSW in 2022 on diversifying the pipeline into the film industry.

Her directing work in narrative and documentary has screened at Austin Film Festival, SXSW, and other festivals worldwide, and she has produced for PBS, PBS Digital, and the Discovery Channel. She is the Supervising Producer on a slate of films and shows currently in development with the Austin-based production company Go-Valley.

Alex Salahi

Cinematographer Alex Salahi favors a documentary style that achieves cinematic results. He prioritizes capturing the moment while skillfully adjusting crew and gear accordingly.

Salahi’s cinematic images showcase contrast while his nuanced approach to lighting emphasizes realism in the story. These elements reveal themselves only when necessary to achieve the desired images for the film.
His camera movements discreetly enhance the narrative without revealing the presence of the camera.
Born in Iran, his career began in Austin in 2003. His dynamic body of work includes art house films such as Magic Lantern (2018), selected for the Venice International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival, directed by Iranian master Director Amir Naderi and produced by Ramin Bahrani. Notable selections also include On Our Way (Sophie Lane Curtis, 2021), chosen for the POFF - Tallinn (Estonia). His body of work spans various genres, from films like While We Sleep (2021) and Crescent City (2024).
His expertise and hybrid body of work continue with sports promos and documentaries for NFL, ESPN, HBO and Disney, including memorable Super Bowl campaigns like "Rihanna" and "Usher."
Beyond the silver screen, Alex's talents extend to commercials for tech giants like Google and Qualcomm, featuring esteemed talents like Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.

In his collaborations, he has worked with talented filmmakers like Catherine Hardwicke, serving as a cameraman(operator) for Prisoner's Daughter(2022), and collaborating on four projects with Andrej Sekula as a camera operator and DP.
Beyond his work, Alex enjoys ethnic food, traveling , football, and of course photography.

Lila Mali

Lila Mali is an emergent animator and filmmaker. She is currently a junior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Arts and Entertainment Technologies. She has a passion for animation in storytelling and is an officer for UT’s animation club. She also works as a graphic designer for her school. Her first animation short, Bloom, won best animation film at the 2016 Youth Austin Film Festival. Her 2020 animation short, Pilot, was selected for the All American High School Film Festival. Her 2021 short, Hot Chocolate, was a finalist at the Texas State UIL. Lila is interested in developing concepts, directing, writing, using animation for the entertainment industry. When it comes to her work, she is always looking for new challenges to improve her skills and loves to experiment with different styles and try new mediums.

Gabriel Ornelas

Gabriel Ornelas is Executive Director of Cine Las Américas, a multicultural organization based in Austin, Texas, USA. Celebrating 26 years, Cine Las Américas, offers theatrical screenings of films made by and/or Latinos or indigenous peoples of the Americas. Films from Spain and Portugal are also included, enhancing a truly Pan-American cinematic experience. The organization schedules film screenings throughout the year and produces the annual Cine Las Américas International Film Festival (May 15-19, 2024, Austin, TX).

Gabriel's experience focuses on managing cultural arts programs and events, venue coordination, and supporting the performing arts. His work has included managing a statewide film program with the Texas Film Commission, producing municipal events, and managing events with academic institutions. He resides in Austin, TX and grew up in the border city of El Paso, TX, USA.

Debut Jury

Jake Martinez

Jake Martinez moved to Austin ten years ago from Fort Worth, Texas. He has been fascinated with movies since childhood, and in high school won awards for filmmaking. Since being in Austin, Jake has aided many organizations around the city including Indie Meme, Cine Las Americas, and the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Jake has worked in the Development and Studio departments at the Austin Film Society, and is currently a personal art assistant to local director Richard Linklater. Jake is in the final stages of completing his first feature-length film.

Sweta Rajesh

Sweta's passion and interest in independent cinema and its relevant social causes brought her to Indie Meme as a volunteer in 2016. She served as a programmer on the committee for 2 years and then became the Programming Director in 2020 when the festival had to go virtual during the pandemic. After a 5 year stint with Indie Meme, she became an entrepreneur and currently has a clothing boutique in Dallas. Sweta is very happy to be back as a Jury member this year.