2025 Film Jury
The 2025 Film Jury brings a rich and varied experience in film, environmental conservation, and activism. The Jury watches a shortlist of films selected by the Festival Director and Lead Programmer to decide upon the following awards: Best of Festival, Best in Theme, Spirit of Activism, Most Inspiring Adventure Film, Best Short, Jury Awards, and Honorable Mentions.
Many thanks to our talented and prestigious Jury for the long hours they spent selecting the 2025 award-winning films!
Aaron Zettler-Mann
Aaron Zettler-Mann grew up swimming and playing in the creeks and rivers near his coastal home in a small town in Humboldt County. A Geographer at heart, he has completed three degrees in Geography: a BA at the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MA at the University of Denver, and a PhD at the University of Oregon. His academic training and research are in fluvial geomorphology and remote sensing. He has been involved in river research projects across the western US and internationally. Aaron’s drive to protect and improve the health of the West’s watersheds led him to SYRCL. He works closely with the community, government, and private entities and the SYRCL team on restoration, education, inspiration and advocacy efforts across the Yuba River watershed. Aaron can be outdoors playing on the water with his wife when not working. Whitewater kayaking and rafting, skiing, surfing, and mountain biking keep Aaron busy year-round.
Angela Matano
Angela was born in Los Angeles and lived there most of my life, before moving to Mendocino, CA. From a very early age, movies transfixed her. She went to movies as frequently as she could, and of course watched them on television. The Wizard of Oz played on TV once a year around Easter and she considered this day as important as any holiday.
For over twenty years Angela worked at the film non-profit, Vidiots, focusing on programming and events. Vidiots often felt like the epicenter for film lovers in Los Angeles and she was able to rope in extraordinary directors and writers and actors for Q&As, book signings, film screenings and even music. On moving to Mendocino during COVID, fortuitous timing landed her the job of director of the Mendocino Film Festival. She is entering her fourth year at the fest and loves being able to bring a wide collection of independent films to an appreciative audience.
Houghton Kinsman
Working between Cape Town and Sacramento, Houghton Kinsman’s writing has appeared in Frieze, Art South Africa, Contemporary, and Dazed and Confused magazines. He works as Education Manager at the Crocker Art Museum and served previously as the Assistant to the Curator of Education at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami.
Jeff Clark
One of the original founders of the Nevada City Film Festival, Jeff has been the captain of the festival’s ship since 2001. In that same year, Jeff took ownership of the Magic Theatre (now called the Onyx Theatre), which has established itself as one of the premier arthouse theatres in the region. Jeff lived in Los Angeles until 1996 when he headed north and settled into the Sierra Nevada foothills. Jeff lives by the quote by writer Henry Miller: “Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.”
Jeff Ross
With a background in live music, DJ art promotion and event production, Jeff started San Francisco IndieFest in 1998. In the past Jeff has worked for the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Santa Cruz Film Festival and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. He has worked for Burning Man since 2006 and is one of the founders of the Film Festival Alliance. In 2025 SF IndieFest will present the 27th SF Independent Film Festival, the 25th SF Documentary Festival, the 21st Another Hole in the Head genre festival, the 8th SF Shorts Fest and the 6th Green Film Festival of San Francisco.
Megan Cotterell
Megan is passionate about creating great experiences that inspire positive change. Her studies were in conservation biology and zoology, and she has a number of years’ experience working in environmental roles in the resource sector, before she moved into the community engagement and event world. In 2016, her love of the outdoors brought her to Canada, and shortly after, she joined the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour team. Currently Megan is the Festival Manager, overseeing the logistics for the nine-day festival in Banff and the online film platform. When she’s not working, Megan loves to spend as much time in the mountains as possible, on foot, bike, or rope.
Michelle Ficara
Michelle is the Founder and Director of the Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival, dedicated to spotlighting stories that light up the soul and bringing powerful narratives from around the world to the Lake Tahoe area. As a Documentary Filmmaker herself, Michelle is dedicated to social equality and fair representation. Over the past decade, she has produced numerous non-fiction projects across cultures and communities worldwide. Her films seek to connect people, challenge perspectives, and inspire action through thought-provoking, entertaining storytelling. Michelle’s most recent documentary, Momentum, premiered on PBS, while her earlier films have been nominated for an IDA award and won accolades at the Social Justice Film Festival and the DC Environmental Film Festival. She is an active member of the New Day Film Cooperative, collaborating with other filmmakers to bring impactful stories to broader audiences. Michelle served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama and holds an M.A. in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She Currently resides in South Lake Tahoe, CA with her husband and twin babies.
