GenArt Announces First Jury Members for 2012 Film Festival

LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GenArt, under new CEO Marc Lotenberg, announces today that award-winning writer, director and producer, Jay Duplass; entertainment journalist, Ben Lyons; Webby-Award winning critic and host, Matt Singer; and ABC News Radio host, David Blaustein will lead the jury for the 17th Annual GenArt Film Festival ("GAFF") taking place in New York on August 8-14. GAFF has long established its reputation as one of New York's most celebrated film festivals showcasing emerging talent and this year it will uphold that legacy while taking a more innovative approach to engage audiences. Over the course of seven nights, GAFF will premiere seven shorts and seven feature films followed by seven after-parties.

The jury members will select the Grand Jury Awards for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film, as well as the Stargazer Award, which highlights a breakout actor or actress in the 14 total films. This year's film festival will also feature two new award categories and added social media integrations. The awards ceremony will take place on August 14.

"This year's panel really gets the next generation and understands where GenArt is going," says GenArt CEO, Marc Lotenberg. "Not only are our jury members respected amongst their peers in the film industry, but they are active on social media and use these platforms in innovative ways to promote the films they cover. We want to make sure in addition to creating an experience on the ground this year that we keep our online and mobile audiences engaged as well."

GenArt will announce additional celebrity jurors as well as the complete lineup of films for the festival in July. For more festival information and to purchase passes, visit the GAFF site (festival.genart.com) that will be live on Monday, June 18.

Also, follow updates regarding the GenArt Film Festival on Twitter (@GenArt) and through the festival's hashtag: #genartfilmfest.

More about the 2012 Jurors:

Jay Duplass

In 2006, Jay Duplass directed the short film, The Intervention, that premiered during GAFF's 11th annual festival. The film also starred his brother and film partner, Mark Duplass. Jay Duplass, along with his brother Mark, wrote and directed The Puffy Chair, Baghead, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, Cyrus, and Jeff, Who Lives at Home which GenArt hosted a screening for in March of this year.

Ben Lyons

Ben Lyons served as co-host for MTV's Your Movie Show in 2004. He has also hosted entertainment segments on E!'s The Daily 10, appearing on the channel's red carpet coverage of the SAG, Golden Globe, Critic's Choice, and Oscar telecasts before moving to his current position as film correspondent on Extra TV.

Matt Singer

Matt Singer currently runs the Criticwire blog on Indiewire. His criticism has appeared in the pages of The Village Voice, Time Out New York and on IFC. In 2010, Singer, with co-host Alison Willmore, launched the IFC News Podcast: a weekly survey of the world of film that ran for over 200 episodes and was a 2010 Webby Honoree for Best Radio/Podcast.

David Blaustein

David Blaustein is the Entertainment Correspondent and Movie Critic for ABC News Radio. He's conducted thousands of interviews and covered almost every important entertainment event you can imagine. His reports and movie reviews are heard by millions of people a week on ABC News Radio affiliates across the country. 

About GenArt Film Festival

The GenArt Film Festival is a week of premieres that spotlight some of the most talented emerging filmmakers in North America. GenArt's roster of events and programs are tailored to give up-and-coming filmmakers a platform to propel them into the spotlight. GenArt has helped launch the careers of countless influential filmmakers including Brad Anderson, Richard Shepard, George Ratliff, Jesse Peretz, Adrienne Shelly, Tim Blake Nelson, Cary Fukunaga, Drake Doremus, as well as actors such as Rooney Mara, Malin Ackerman, Krysten Ritter, Adrien Grenier, Josh Radnor, Adrien Brody who have all made debuts with GenArt.

www.genart.com

Press Credentials
We are now accepting requests for 2012 GAFF Press Credentials.

SOURCE GenArt Film Festival