2025 Pueblo Film Festival Jury
The Pueblo Film Fest is proud to present this year’s jury, a distinguished panel made up of award-winning filmmakers, educators, and industry professionals. With five professors among them, the jury brings a strong academic and professional perspective to the evaluation of submissions. Inspired by the diversity and urgency of the stories shared, they reaffirm that cinema is a powerful force for representation, dialogue, and social change.
Shahrzad “Sherry” Dadgar is an Iranian feminist, award-winning filmmaker, and educator. Her short film Highlight, which examined gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy, was banned by the Iranian Ministry of Culture—strengthening her resolve to challenge censorship and advocate for inclusive media. Her debut feature, Eternity Road, continues that mission through an intersectional lens, exploring self-image, acceptance, and identity. Sherry holds an MFA in Feature Film Production and currently serves as an assistant professor of Media & Entertainment at CSU Pueblo, where she mentors the next generation of storytellers, helping them embrace their creative voice and expand the boundaries of representation.
Lisa Peterson spent 20 years in Los Angeles working as a line producer and production manager, with credits including Tremors (Universal), Hotel Room (HBO), Major League (Paramount), National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins (Showtime), and Fantasia 2000 (Disney). In 2000, she relocated to Orlando and joined the University of Central Florida’s film program. She served as a senior instructor and graduate scholar for 21 years, retiring in 2023. Now based in Long Beach, Mississippi, Peterson continues to share her industry expertise as an adjunct instructor in the University of Southern Mississippi’s film program.
Living abroad with limited access to English-language media, Tim Ritter developed a deep love for cinema through a growing collection of VHS tapes recorded during his travels. After a successful decade as a newspaper reporter, he turned to filmmaking, inspired by Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew. Within ten years, he had directed multiple feature films that screened globally, co-founded the Fort Myers Film Festival advisory board, earned an MFA in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema at UCF, and taught over two dozen college film courses. Ritter continues to explore low-budget filmmaking and how ancient moral ideas resonate in modern narratives.
Sarah Tice is an award-winning genre filmmaker and cinematographer with over 60 short films and 3 features to her credit. Her feature debut, DID I?, explores Dissociative Identity Disorder through genre subversion and was produced for just $10K. Sarah served as Writer, Director, Producer, and Director of Photography. The film is screening at festivals worldwide, including the Florida Film Festival, Toronto International Spring of Horror (Best Feature), and Sydney’s A Night of Horror (John Wiggins Independent Spirit Award). Her work centers on women’s stories, mental health, and social justice, aiming to transform psychological states into powerful, cinematic experiences.
Zahra Irannezhad is a film and design scholar teaching in the Film and Digital Media Department at the University of North Georgia. She holds an MFA in Design from Illinois State University and advanced degrees in Creative Technologies and Art Research. Her background spans filmmaking, editing, and film studies. Irannezhad has worked extensively in film production, both independently and with Iran’s Broadcast Organization. Her film Delivery won the Audience Award at the Film Invasion Festival, and her documentaries have been recognized at multiple Iranian festivals. Her research and publications further highlight her expertise in creative technologies and digital media.
Borneo Sedeu Nishevikj is a Macedonian-born, Atlanta-based first assistant director, director, screenwriter, and cinematographer for film and television. His film A.D.A.M. (2022) won Best Sci-Fi Film at the New York International Film Awards, and his cinematography on Gnomes (2023) earned an ASC nomination for the Owen Roizman Award. He has worked as an assistant director on Wicked City, Love Island, and films like Reboot Gone Wrong and Murder at The Kentucky Derby. Recognized with the Excellence in Film award from Jacksonville University, Borneo holds both an MFA and BA in film from its Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts.
Jury Statement
We are honored to be part of the second year of the Pueblo Film Festival.
The majority of our committee—five out of six members—are professors, bringing a strong academic and professional perspective to the evaluation of submissions.
We were deeply inspired by the diversity of voices and the urgency of the stories shared. These films remind us that media is not only an art form, but a vital force for representation, dialogue, and social change.
We thank all the filmmakers for sharing their visions and for strengthening the spirit of independent and inclusive cinema.