FESTIVAL
JURORS
Narrative features, documentary features, documentary shorts, and pro shorts are the professional competition films vying for the Black Butterfly Award at the LightReel Film Fest. The judges are journalists, filmmakers, producers, and executives with industry experience and a keen eye for the best in cinema.
Jamie Broadnax
Jamie Broadnax is an American film critic, podcaster, and writer, known for founding and being editor-in-chief and CEO of the Black Girl Nerds community. Broadnax started her career in film by working on several film shoots in various positions. She became a film critic and currently is a member of the Critics Choice Association. As a freelancer, Broadnax has written about films for numerous publications, including HuffPost, the New York Post, Variety, and Vulture.
In 2014, Broadnax was accredited by MSNBC's TheGrio 100. She has been described as "one of the biggest up-and-coming names in black-nerd pop culture" (by The Root's Jason Johnson) and as "one of the most important makers of 2016" (by Paste's Shannon M. Houston). Braodnax also co-hosted Misty Knight's Uninformed Afro podcast about black superheroines, and in April 2017, she co-launched the #NoConfederate hashtag campaign in response to HBO's plan to produce a series – Confederate – with the premise "What if the Confederacy never lost?"
Jen Chaney
Jen Chaney has been writing about movies, television, and popular culture since she got her first “journalism job” in 1983, as the film critic for her elementary school newsletter. (She gave A Christmas Story three stars. She stands by that review.)
She currently writes reviews, features, and essays about film, TV, books, and pop culture for numerous publications, including New York Magazine’s Vulture, The Washington Post, The Dissolve, Esquire, Yahoo! Movies, and Salon, among others. She is also currently working on a book about the movie Clueless, slated for publication in 2015 by Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
Prior to becoming a freelance writer in 2013, Jen spent 12 and a half years working at The Washington Post, where, among other things, she wrote the popular Celebritology blog originally founded by her friend and colleague, Liz Kelly. In 2011, she contributed several essays to A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss, and Football in Dillon, Texas (Smart Pop), allowing her to finally explore the deeper meaning of Tim Riggins in semi-literary form.
Lena Clark
Lena Clark is an actress, stuntwoman, and Ole Miss Theatre Alum. With nearly 20 years of experience in the film and television industry, Lena has appeared in more than 30 productions including Renfield, Bad Moms, Evil Eye, Queen Sugar, Dynasty, Hot Date, The Thing About Pam, and others. Most recently she played Goddess Janice in the new Peacock series Twisted Metal.
Samuel L. Leggett
Samuel Leggett Jr. is a film critic and the editor for JVS Media & Productions/Team JVS. Serving as a film critic, content creator, and editor since 2013. Samuel is also a full-time IT Specialist, a full-time Husband/Father, and a part-time Producer/Writer/Director for feature projects under JVS Media & Productions, LLC.
Samuel is a lover of cinema, entertainment media, and multifaceted art in all ranges. Samuel’s love of cinema started early with a viewing of the 1989 film, Batman; sparking his excitement for cinema, musical composition, artistic creation, and the superhero fandom Samuel enjoys spending time with his family, creating new forms of expressive art, and loves finding ways to encourage & uplift others.
Ryan Parker
Ryan Parker is a film publicity and marketing consultant with over ten years of experience in the industry, working with virtually every studio and streamer on over 200 film campaigns, many of which were for Oscar-nominated or winning films, including The Iron Claw, CODA, The Two Popes, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and 12 Years a Slave. He is an executive producer on Black Prom, Camp Manna, I’ll Push You, and On Wings of Eagles. He is a co-executive producer on the documentary Union, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change. Ryan is also the founder and Executive Director of the Mississippi Film Society, a non-profit that works to bring unique film screening and film-based educational programming to the state. He has written, presented, and lectured extensively on film, television, and visual culture.
Kevin Sampson
The fact that Kevin Sampson is not just a film critic, but a writer, producer, and director as well makes his understanding of cinema even better. Coming from a theoretical and hands-on approach, he understands both sides of the struggle of viewing and creating great works. He's a member of the Critics Choice Association, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and NC Film Critics Association.
Roger Ebert said, "movies are the most powerful empathy machine of the arts". I believe that wholeheartedly. I hope that through my work in the medium, I can help bring people together by promoting and exhibiting the stories and storytellers that can change the world. When I'm not doing that, I love hanging with my wife and two little ones!
TT Stern-Enzi
Having spent 20 years as a freelance writer and film critic in the Greater Cincinnati region (covering the film industry and film festivals with the alt-weekly Cincinnati CityBeat and television affiliate Fox19, while earning distinction as an accredited critic on Rotten Tomatoes and membership in the Critics Choice Association), tt stern-enzi began curating film programs at the Mini Microcinema and other regional venues, also serving on the advisory board for the University of Cincinnati Center for Film & Media Studies. These efforts have paved the way for TT to step into the role of lead programmer/curator for the rebranded Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival during its first two years before settling into the position of artistic director for the 2021 edition. He is also a board member of the Film Festival Alliance and Art House Convergence.
Tia A. Smith
Award-winning executive producer and consultant, Tia A. Smith is one of the most sought-after creatives in the industry today, continually developing culturally shifting projects that leave lasting imprints on audiences around the world. Known for spearheading and identifying commercially marketable projects, Smith is a rare creative whose work spans the spectrum of digital, independent, corporate, scripted & unscripted television, film, development & current production, and live events. Most recently, she received the Trail Blazer Award from the African American Women in Cinema (AAWIC), a Proclamation from the City of New York, and a "Day of Recognition" honoring her artistic contributions to the entertainment industry. Ms. Smith is a long-standing member of the Producers Guild of America, and was selected to represent the guild as a speaker at the United Nations "Commission on the Status of Women: The Role of the Producer" Summit. Considered one of the leading value agents in her field, she serves as a judge for the Emmy's, the International & National Film/Documentary categories for the New York Film Festivals, a panelist for AAWIC, NABFEME, and WICT mentor & consultant respectively.
Ned Yousef
Ned Yousef was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Ned is an actor and producer, known for Parish, We Have a Ghost, and Ms. Marvel. Ned is of Argentinian and Italian descent on his Father’s side and Syrian descent on his Mothers. His father is a journalist and his brother is a prosecutor. He lived in London while studying and certifying with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat as a Fight Director / Choreographer. Ned received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
He began Theater acting in 1986 and transitioned to Film/Television in late 2006. Ned moved to London in 2004 and performed for several venues including the Royal Opera Hall and Madam Tussuad's live-action show "Warrior". He also taught Stage Combat at the American School of London, Mountview Academy, and Arts Educational Schools London on behalf of B.A.D.C and YoungBlood.
His wife, Lena, is his college sweetheart.