JUDGING COMMITTEE

Meet the 20th Annual Vancouver Island Short Film Festival Judging Committee!

We are thrilled to introduce the exceptional panel of judges for the 20th annual Vancouver Island Short Film Festival. This year, the VISFF Judging Committee is comprised of seasoned VISFF participants, each with a film screening in our 20th Anniversary Showcase (May 1, 2025) and their own Goldie Award accolades. We couldn’t ask for a more qualified group to award the 2025 Goldies!

See the Goldie Award results here.

Gary Hawes has directed multiple episodes of ABC’s hit drama THE GOOD DOCTOR, receiving the 2022 Leo Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series for the episode “Waiting”.  He also directed the 2nd Unit for the upcoming Imax major motion picture FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES.  He directed the indie feature LEAP 4 YOUR LIFE, that played multiple festivals around the world and is currently available on AppleTV.  His award-winning short films have featured the likes of Emmy Winner Alan Cumming and BAFTA winner Ioan Gruffudd.

John Gardiner is a veteran Nanaimo filmmaker and three-time recipient of the People’s Choice Award at the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival.

His short films have won several awards, including Best Canadian Film at the Toronto Smartphone Film Festival, showcasing his skill in creating cinematic art using unconventional tools. Additionally, John’s unique sense of humour and directorial vision earned him both Best Director and Best International Film accolades at the Portland Comedy Film Festival.

While he is kinda-sorta-maybe retired from short filmmaking, he has been learning how to animate his silly drawings and hopes to one day combine his interest in storytelling with his new interest in animation.

Twenty years ago, Sara Homer was making films in Montreal. Today, she lives on a Gulf Island with her family, a menagerie of pets and her chickens. She still has a (quieter) rebel yell, a creative drive and a dark sense of humour. She is currently working on a video project combining the theme of joy in midlife with her love of house music.

Graham Stark In 2003, along with Vancouver Island University graduate Paul Sanders, he founded the internet sketch comedy troupe LoadingReadyRun. Graham has written, directed, shot, acted and produced thousands of short videos and live broadcasts. Graham is a founder and organizer of Desert Bus for Hope, an internet charity telethon that has raised over $11 million dollars for Child’s Play, a Children’s Hospital Charity.

Paula Jean Hixson is a dual US/Canadian actor based in Montreal with a BFA in Theatre Performance from Concordia University. Driven by a love of storytelling, she expanded into screenwriting, co-writing a pilot and creating the award-winning short film Are You My Mommy, which received the People’s Choice Award at the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival.