JUDGES 2026
We are honored to have both new and returning judges for this year's festival.

Dylan Gary
Writer/Director Dylan Gary began his screenwriting career on the writing staff of HBO's critically-acclaimed series Tell Me You Love Me. Since then, he's had his original pilot Behind The Sun included in Sundance TV’s development slate, received a "blind pilot" deal from Sony Television, and has had his work optioned by numerous production companies, including Steve Buscemi & Wren Arthur’s company Olive Productions and Warp Films in the UK. His short films The Uniform, Shangri-La and Broken Toys have won numerous awards all over the world. Dylan is currently in pre-production on his debut feature, based on his award-winning short The Uniform.

Angelo Perez Lebbink
“Born and raised in Amsterdam, after writing reviews for an online magazine, Angelo turned to film making: production management, directing or writing, all aspects of the industry inspire him. Angelo worked on documentary, feature films, and short films. His short Flash/Crash (2022) played at festivals world wide, including Roosevelt Island Film Festival, and received many accolades and nominations. With a Masters degree in Film Studies, at the University of Amsterdam, bringing a variety of voices into storytelling is one of his motivations in contributing to the landscape”.

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

Karim Azimi
In the field of cinema since 1987. 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 / Best In Festival and multi award winner at the Roosevelt Island Film Festival 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 festival.

Oleksandr Zemlyanyy
Oleksandr Zemlyanyy is a cinematographer who has lensed eight feature films and is a member of the European Film Academy and the Society of Camera Operators (SOC). Hiswork spans drama, historical epics, and war films, and he is known for his strong visual storytelling and emotionally driven imagery. In 2024, Zemlyanyy shot his first American feature, Bonding, starring Jefferson White,Gloria Reuben, and Tate Donovan. His acclaimed war drama Mother of the Apostles has received over 70 international awards, earning global recognition for its powerful portrayalof the human impact of war. He is now continuing his career in the U.S., focusing on narrative features, music videos, andvisually ambitious independent projects.

