President of Jury

James Gunn
Writer/Director

Profile
James Gunn has had a strange journey in cinema, starting his career making low-budget films in New York, becoming a mainstream Hollywood screenwriter with such films as {Dawn of the Dead} and {Scooby-Doo}, and then becoming a cult film director of critically-acclaimed fare like the horror movie {Slither} and the deconstructionist superhero fable {SUPER}. Most recently, Gunn has become one of the most sought-after directors in the world after writing and directing {Guardians of the Galaxy}, a critical and commercial success, currently the top grossing film of 2014 in the US. Gunn lives in Los Angeles with his dog and his cat. You can find him on Facebook at facebook.com/jgunn.

International Competition Jury

John H. Lee
Film Director

Profile
A member of the new generation of international East Asian directors, John H. Lee makes films that are imbued with top-notch cosmopolitan sensibilities. Born in Seoul, Lee moved to the U.S. at the age of 12. Upon graduating from New York University Film School, Lee made his feature debut with “The Cut Runs Deep,” a poetic independent film about Asian youth gangs in New York. In 2004, Lee directed his second feature, “A Moment to Remember.” After marking the highest grossing domestic film in the romance genre in Korea, the film was released in Japan and it has become the most successful Korean film ever in Japan, a record that still stands. His third feature, “Sayonara Itsuka,” was his first Japanese-language film with Japanese cast, based on the Japanese novel of the same title. For his forth opus, Lee took another surprise turn. “71/ Into the Fire,” is a war film based on a true story about 71 student soldiers fighting to protect a school during the outset of the “forgotten” Korean War in 1950. Lee is currently in production in Shanghai, filming a Chinese-language film titled “The Third Way of Love.”
 

Robert Luketic
Film Director

Profile
Robert Luketic made his feature film directorial debut in 2001 with the smash hit, {Legally Blonde}, which was nominated for two Golden Globes and starred Reese Witherspoon. Subsequently, Luketic has delivered an impressive string of “A-List” Hollywood features including the 2013 corporate thriller, {Paranoia} as well as the 2010 romantic thriller, {Killers}. Previously, Luketic helmed the highly successful 2009 comedy, {The Ugly Truth} and the 2008 action/adventure drama {21}, starring Kevin Spacey. Prior to that, Luketic directed the 2005 hit, {Monster-in-Law} and the 2004 romantic comedy {Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!}. Currently, Luketic is casting for his next film, {Expendabelles}, a high-octane, female driven, action/comedy spin-off of the successful {Expendables} franchise. Born in Sydney, Australia, Luketic studied at the prestigious Victorian College of Arts – School of Film and Television (VCA), where he wrote and directed the award-winning short film, {Titsiana Booberini}. An avid aviator, Luketic is certified to fly technologically advanced jet aircraft, continuing Hollywood’s love affair with aviation.
 

Eric Khoo
Film Director

Profile
Cultural Medallion recipient and award winning filmmaker Eric Khoo who helms Zhao Wei Films / Gorylah Pictures has been credited for reviving the Singaporean film industry and for putting Singapore onto the international film map since 1995. He was the first Singaporean to have his films invited to major film festivals such as Berlin, Venice and Cannes.
Khoo was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Letters, from the French Cultural Minister and his feature, {My Magic} was nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2008. Khoo was profiled in Phaidon Books, Take 100 the future of Film – 100 New directors. The Pompidou Centre in Paris held an Eric Khoo film retrospective and he served as President of the Jury at The Locarno international film Festival in 2010. In 2011, he released his first animated feature, {Tatsumi}, which was invited to the 64th Cannes Film Festival and made its North American premiere at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Khoo was invited to be President of the Jury at the Rotterdam International film festival and at The Hong Kong Asian Film awards in 2012. He is head of the Jury at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival 2013. His latest film “In The Room”, produced by Nansun Shi, is to be released.

Debbie Mcwilliams
Casting Director

Profile
Debbie Mcwilliams studied English and American Literature at Manchester University before arriving in London where she has lived for over 40 years. Debbie is currently casting the latest in the James Bond series, No. 24. It is her 13th Bond film to date. Debbie started out in the theatre in London in the early 70s but quickly realised that film was where she wanted to be. Having served a four year apprenticeship with Mary Selway, her first solo film was {Superman 2}. She has cast over 50 films, 20 TV series and still enjoys casting for the theatre. She has worked with amongst others, Ron Howard, John Landis, Richard Lester, Stephen Frears, Derek Jarman, Kenneth Branagh, Roger Donaldson and most recently with Sam Mendes on {Skyfall}. Some of the most memorable films are {The Bounty, Henry V}, {My Beatutiful Laundrette}, {Carravaggio, American Werewolf in London}.
In her quest for new and interesting talent, Debbie has travelled all over the world and is the Chairman of the International Casting Directors Network, a member of the Casting Directors Guild of UK and has recently been selected to join the Academy of Motion Pictures, one of the first UK casting directors to be honoured in this way.

Hiroshi Shinagawa
Film Director, Comedian

Profile
Born in Tokyo in 1972. He was a student of the inaugural class at Tokyo NSC (New Star Creation). In 1995 he formed a duo, Shinagawashoji, with his classmate Tomoharu Shoji. The duo became popular for their quick and classic comedy act and sketches with good storylines. In 2006, a novel about his experiences, “Drop”, was published, which was adapted to manga in the following year. In 2009, he directed a film {Drop}, and he was highly regarded for his skills although this was the first feature film he directed. His second full-length original novel, “Manzai Gang” was published in the same year, and in 2011, he directed its film adaptation. The result was an exhilarating adolescent movie, which became another blockbuster following his first film. In 2013, he wrote the screenplay and directed “One Third”, based on the novel by Hanta Kinoshita, which was released in April 2014. {Z Island} (working title), for which he wrote the screenplay and directed, in commemoration of Sho Aikawa’s 30th anniversary in the entertainment industry, was completed in June. It was filmed all on location on Sado Island, Niigata prefecture. Scheduled for theatrical release in 2015.