Karim Azimi

In the field of cinema since 1987. Featured products include/Cinema/Father/Butterflies die in the snow/Falling/my house is a cloud/999999999/Survivor/

Azimi was selected in more than 500 national and international festivals and won more than 50 awards. Canada World Festival Royal Badge / Philadelphia USA World Festival Gold Statue / Ghent Belgium Gold Medal / Baku World Festival Golden Fairy / Italy asolo international Festival Special Badge / Columbus USA World Festival Statue / Poland international Festival Bronze Medal / special statue roozvelt america international Festival / 

Azimi has also participated as a jury in many national and international festivals, jury for baku international film festival/jury for tehran international short film festival/jury for start azerbayjan short film festiv. Karim won multiple awards in the 2023 festival.  

Jesse R. Tendler

Jesse R. Tendler is an artist, creator, curator, and educator. As a filmmaker, Jesse directs and produces a diverse range of projects, including short & feature length narrative fiction films, episodic projects, music videos, commercials, documentaries, and educational content. Past films (Frankie, Deadbeat, Leaving Circadia, Family On Board, 16mins) have won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Audience Choice awards at a multitude of film festivals, including being selected for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for the 2016 Oscars. Jesse is also an award-winning and critically acclaimed professional actor and former child star with 3+ decades of experience in film & TV. In addition to acting, directing, writing, and producing, Jesse is the Director of Episodic Programming for the Lighthouse Int’l Film Festival, a screener of episodic pilots for SXSW (since 2018), a juror and consultant for the Ceres Food Film Festival, a panelist and judge for the Roosevelt Island Film Festival, and Programming Director for the Climate Film Festival. He is also a freelance script doctor, a professional photographer and videographer, and an avid ping pong player. A graduate of UPenn’s Management & Technology Program, Jesse earned dual B.S.E. degrees in Entrepreneurial Management & Marketing (Wharton) and in Materials Science & Engineering (with a research focus on renewable clean energy technology). He is the NYC Chairperson of Penntertainment, Co-Chair of the Wharton Media & Entertainment Group, and Vice President of PennNYC. He is extremely passionate about filmmaking, clean energy tech, artistic expression, education, the environment, social justice, and human rights. * IMDb.me/Jesse-R-Tendler * LinkedIn.com/in/JesseTendler *

Matthew Corozine

Owner / founder of MCS Theatre, a premier acting studio training actors to "get outta your head” using the Meisner Technique based in New York City since 2000. With an expanding roster of professional artists currently working in theater, television, and film, Matthew and MCS have also been the starting board for many to begin new careers in the arts – such as directors, writers, producers, casting directors, and more – and has been the home to many original works from our students and alumni. When Matthew created MCS he had a vision for a collaborative, expansive, and supportive artistic community for artists to build their craft with honor and integrity, and now in D.C. and Miami, MCS continues to build that community to stretch beyond New York City, and to always be your artistic home away from home. RIFF is proud to have him as a new judge this year.

Jake King

Jake King has been fascinated with film since high school, and had chosen to major in filmmaking and graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2021 with a Bachelors in Arts. After graduating college, Jake had kept himself active and productive in many areas of the entertainment industry, including interning at Outpost Digital, working as an editor for CUNY Kingsborough, and collaborating on independent projects. Jake also keeps acting in the film festival circuit, having served both as tech director and judge for the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival and the Roosevelt Island Film Festival, respectively. His work can be seen on his website www.jakekingmedia.com