Torrie Allen - Jury President MOMO2025
President & CEO at Arts Midwest
Torrie Allen is an American arts leader and former opera singer with over 30 years of experience in arts leadership, fundraising, marketing, grantmaking, and performance. He currently serves as the president and CEO of Arts Midwest and chair of National Arts Strategies. Previously, he led philanthropic efforts at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2016–2019), served as chief officer of development and marketing at Alaska Public Media (2012–2016), and was executive and artistic director of Anchorage Opera (2006–2012). Earlier, he directed the National Patrons Council at Americans for the Arts.
Before transitioning to arts administration, Allen performed internationally for a decade, with credits at Opéra National de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera (guild), and others. He has produced over 20 operas and musical theater works, including workshops for new operas in New York City.
A sought-after speaker and lecturer, he has presented at leading universities and conferences. Allen holds degrees from UCLA (political science) and the Boston Conservatory (vocal performance and opera).
Meet the Esteemed Jury of MOMO Film Festival 2025
Jean-Marie Villeneuve - Jury
Filmmaker & Educator – France
Jean-Marie Villeneuve is a French filmmaker and the director of the feature film TOUT EST FAUX (2014). His short films, including THE CREAM, AXN, AUTUMN, and WHERE IS CHARLIE?, have screened at international festivals. In 2023, he completed LA REPRODUCTION with Franc Bruneau. He also teaches cinema near Paris.
Taner Tokgöz – Jury
Taner Tokgöz is a Turkish cinematographer known for his visual precision and poetic camera work. A graduate of Dokuz Eylül University, he has worked on films like Cycle, Fish, Dream, and Posta Kutusu. His expertise spans ARRI, RED, and Sony Venice systems, with a focus on lighting and color grading.
Julie Ducrocq – Jury
Julie Ducrocq is a French filmmaker and musician with a unique voice in visual storytelling. She is the director of L'érotomane and a trilogy of shorts inspired by La Fontaine's fables: Death and the Musician, The Bohemian, and The Young People. Her work blends poetic visuals with narrative depth and has been featured at major festivals around the world.
Antje Lindner – Jury
Visual Artist & Filmmaker – Germany
Antje Lindner is a German visual artist and filmmaker whose poetic and philosophical works explore the human condition within nature. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, her unique perspective bridges sculpture, film, and emotional storytelling. Her films have screened at festivals such as NNFestival (Israel), WomenTime (Canary Islands), and Happy Valley (USA), while her visual art has been exhibited in leading galleries across Europe. Antje lives and works between Leipzig and Augsburg.
Padrick Ritch – Jury
Independent Filmmaker & Professor – USA
Padrick Ritch is an independent filmmaker working across documentary, fiction, and experimental forms. His films have screened at festivals worldwide, including in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and Toronto. A member of the AGX Film Collective, his work has also appeared in public exhibitions across the U.S. He currently teaches in the Film, Television, and Media Department at the University of Michigan.
Farid Ismail – Jury
Director, Screenwriter & Producer – France
Farid Ismail is a French filmmaker with a Master’s degree in Cinema from Nouvelle Sorbonne. He has directed over ten short films, crafting a style that blends humor, drama, and personal insight. His latest and most personal film, Between the Words, inspired by his own experience with stuttering, has received over 70 awards and international recognition. Farid brings a bold, human-centered perspective to independent cinema.