As part of the 27th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, now underway through March 13, Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center are proud to launch the inaugural Best Emerging Filmmaker Award. The objective of this new initiative is to bring attention to the unique cinematic point of view of emerging filmmakers and their interpretation of France’s new and diverse identities, and to encourage young people to attend the festival.
Six college students have been invited to participate in the jury, formally the Best Emerging Filmmaker Student Jury, and to choose their favorite first or second feature from this year’s Rendez-Vous line-up. Each jury member received a free All-Access Pass to view every screening in the festival. The jury-awarded film will be announced alongside the Rendez-Vous Audience Award at the end of the festival. Stay tuned and, in the meantime, meet the jurors below!
Fergus Campbell, 22, Film & Media Studies Undergraduate, Columbia University
Fergus Campbell is a fourth-year film major at Columbia University and a freelance filmmaker. Since 2019 he has been producing a web series called Sankyo Stream, which follows two college students’ quest to interview a famous director, and which features original music, poetry, writing and performance by Columbia students.
Yoko (Anyangzi) Chen, 21, Film Editing Undergraduate, School of Visual Arts
An international student from China, Yoko, is capable of thinking creatively and logically. She is majoring in editing, but has passion for producing and directing, and believes that the power of storytelling can change the world.
Oscar de la Torre Suárez, 30, Directing Master of Fine Arts Graduate, CUNY Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Oscar is a filmmaker from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He grew up in La Jolla, California where he developed his passion for filmmaking. Before pursuing his MFA in Directing at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, he completed his BSBA in Marketing at Suffolk University in Boston, MA and worked in Media in New York City. Since entering Feirstein he has directed several short films that have been selected in Film Festivals worldwide, including WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Sacramento Horror Film Festival, Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, amongst others.
Fionnán (FionaLeigh) Malone, 21, Romance Languages Undergraduate, CUNY Hunter College
Fionnán (he/him/his) is a 3rd year student at CUNY Hunter College double majoring in anthropology and French, with the latter focused on culture and civilization. He is interested in film, and plans to pursue the field of visual anthropology. Furthermore, he has studied French since middle school, and his passion for the language and culture has led him up to this point. Some of his favorite directors are Spike Lee, Jean Rouch, and he also has a soft spot for vintage films.
Savannah Miscik, 21, Film & Television Undergraduate, Fordham University
Originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Savannah is a junior at Fordham University studying film and television with minors in theatre and French. She has been taking French classes for six years and her favorite French film is Les Diaboliques, despite being a scaredy cat. Other than watching any kind of film, TV, or theatre, Savannah is an avid soccer fan in her spare time.
Kruno Trninić, 21, Film & Television Undergraduate, New York University Tisch School of the Arts
Since 2018, Kruno has supervised, authored and worked on various short films, web series, and multimedia projects. In 2021, he was a juror at NYU’s first “Voices of Francophone Cinema” Film Festival. His favorite French film is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Kruno was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 2000.
