Very happy to share that this group of documentary experts will be judging this year’s selection of documentary shorts. We are honoured to have their participation!
Shane Smith
Shane Smith is Director of Programming at Hot Docs, North America’s largest festival and market for documentary film.
Smith previously worked at the Toronto International Film Festival as director of Special Projects, and director of Public Programs. Prior to TIFF he was Executive Producer, In-Flight Entertainment at Spafax, director of programming at Channel Zero Inc, director of the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, short film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, and programmer for the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival.
Smith has participated on juries and panels at festivals and events around the world.
Shasha Nakhai
Shasha is a filmmaker from Toronto with Compy Films. Her film with partner Rich Williamson, Frame 394, was shortlisted for an Oscar and named one of TIFF’s Top 10 after a stellar festival run. She recently released her first feature documentary, Take Light, which enters the tangled web of Nigeria’s energy crisis, and is about to release two new short doc projects. She is currently taking Catherine Hernandez’s award-winning novel, Scarborough, from page to screen, with several projects in development.
Robin Smith
Robin is the CEO and co-owner of Blue Ice Docs, who acquires, funds and develops a wide variety of non-fiction projects from around the world.
Over the last 18 years, Robin has worked in management roles at a variety of film companies including the National Film Board of Canada, Alliance, Blackwatch Releasing, TIFF, Lions Gate Films, Seville Pictures and Capri Releasing. In 2007, he founded Canada’s premier boutique distribution company KinoSmith Inc. and has overseen the successful launch of more than 200 films within the Canadian marketplace. Notable successes under Smith’s guidance include such hits as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Russian Ark, Away From Her, Up The Yangtze, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams and Blackfish.