Emeritus Professor and retired Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters at the University of Hawai’i, Tom Brislin’s broad career in media production, management, and education began on Guam.

He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D in Mass Communication and Film at The Ohio State University. His specialty areas include Indigenous and International Film, Media Ethics, and International and Intercultural Journalism and Mass Communication.

He was twice a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and has led teaching and research projects at major universities in Japan, China, Paris, and Berlin. Brislin has been a juror for the Hawaii and Shanghai International Film Festivals.

He is included among the distinguished alumni of the University of Guam, and was awarded a lifetime membership in the University Film and Video Association.

Dr. Brislin returns to the GIFF jury for his twelfth consecutive year.

Gabrielle Kelly teaches screenwriting for the American Film Institute and a former Associate Arts Professor for New York University, Tisch Asia School of the Arts.

Gabrielle’s expertise also is rooted in the Board of Directors for the British Academy of Film and Television and Women in Film and Co-Founder of the International Alliance of Women Cinematographers.

She is a Fulbright Scholar Senior Specialist/Media & Communications, screenwriter & producer of features and indie films, with extensive international industry experience including projects with Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Marvel Comics, HBO, CBS Film & Television, Cannes Film Festival and USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Gabrielle returns to the GIFF jury for her twelfth consecutive year.

Mareva LEU (PhD) is the general delegate of the FIFO Association (AFIFO) and festival director of FIFO in Tahiti since 2016. She is also the president of Littéramā’hi group of indigenous writers and editor-in-chief of their literary journal since 2021.

After her studies at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France) and at the Université de la Polynésie française in Tahiti, Mareva led a scientific career until 2015. She carried on research in pharmacology of which the quality and originality has been acknowledged multiple times at international congresses (Nouméa, Tokyo, Paris and Geneva).

In 2009, she was the first French Polynesian recipient of the Talents de l’Outre-mer prize, awarded by the French Conseil Économique Social et Environnemental in Paris.

In 2016, she succeeded Marie KOPS as festival director of FIFO in Tahiti.

As the current FIFO Association general delegate, she wishes to continue her predecessors’ work by promoting Oceania, its challenges and its considerations as the heart of FIFO.

She endeavors to promote native filmmakers from her country and encourages them to authentic storytelling. Since 2018, Mareva also participated in the Good Pitch Pasifika development with a first edition of the Good Pitch Local Tahiti planned in the coming years.

FIFO 2023 will be the 7th edition of the festival run by Mareva.

Randy Finch is a producer and educator who splits his time between Asia and the US.

In his award-winning producing career, Mr. Finch has worked behind the scenes on films that premiered in competition at festivals such as Cannes (“Miles from Home”) and won honors at Deauville (“Federal Hill”), Berlin, and Sundance.

Mr. Finch has also worked on numerous award-winning theatrical productions at internationally-recognized venues including Lincoln Center (“Goose and TomTom”), The Kennedy Center (“3 Hotels”), the Westwood Playhouse (“Hurlyburly”), and at The Ambassadors in London’s West End – where he was part of the team behind the legendary Royal Shakespeare Company production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”.

In recent years, Mr. Finch’s research and teaching (at Taipei’s National University of the Arts and The Beijing Film Academy) has included publication on new platforms and tools and keynoting at numerous events including the HTC Vive Jam in Taiwan, at the symposium on VR and Pedagogy at the University of New Haven, and at UXPA in Nanjing.

Mr. Finch is also a long time board member of The Echo Theater Company in LA, which recently, and once again, has been nominated for its world premiere of new work (2020-2021, “Poor Clare”).

Selina Onedera-Salas is a community advocate who is actively involved in community nonprofit organizations that seek to protect, perpetuate, and promote the preservation of CHamoru cultural values.

She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and returned home to continue her work in public service.

Niel Darren Romero is a 2011 Guam International Film Festival “Best Made in the Marianas” award-winning filmmaker with more than 15 years of creative experience.

Whether it is directing, editing, writing, graphic design or performance, he puts 110% into everything he does. He believes that you can educate, entertain and inspire if you listen to your heart and follow your true passion.

For the past 6 years, Niel has been captivating audiences with his bold and innovative commercial advertisements while also charming the local film industry with his professional work ethic and leadership.

In 2011, Niel co-founded Project: Inspire alongside Erani and Justin to produce, write and direct their first feature film — “iHeartGU.” Now they use their creative talents to “Dream Impossible” and “Create Beyond” for the greater good of Guam.

Kyle Perron is the Co-Founder, co-director and editor for the small Guam based film production company Mighty Island.

Growing up on the small island, Kyle’s interest in film began with joining his family to every Friday showings at the local multiplex. After spending some time as a freelance editor in the Bay Area, Kyle moved back to Guam to start film projects with Mighty Island.

The production company works on a wide genre of projects such as short documentaries, music videos, and corporate commercials.

Together with Mighty Island, Kyle continues to tell the stories about the people of Guam and the Marianas.