MINA

As the countdown towards the 15th Edition of the MINA Smartphone Film Festival continues, we would like to introduce you to some of the Judges who have helped make this Festival possible with our Judges' Spotlight!

tam.h.dang:
Dang Huy Tam is a published author, translator, and independent
filmmaker based in Vietnam. With a background in psychology and English linguistics, Tam explores the human psyche through various mediums, from literature to cinema. His recent short film "SEEN" received an Honourable Mention at Inspiring Vietnam 2025 and was an Official Selection for S-Express Vietnam 2026. Having served as an international judge for the MINA Smartphone Film Festival for three consecutive years, Tam is passionate about the intersection of storytelling, mobile cinematography, and mental health.

Fengyuan Liu:
Fengyuan Liu is a digital designer and creative practitioner based in Hamburg, Germany, where he is currently pursuing Digital Design at Brand University of Applied Sciences. His work explores the intersection of visual storytelling, interactive media, and emerging technologies, with interests spanning film, photography, immersive experiences, and VR. He is particularly interested in how digital media can shape the way people perceive, experience, and connect with stories.

RJ Baculo:
RJ Baculo is a Melbourne-based video producer, content creator and filmmaker who uses the means of visual storytelling and mobile filmmaking to tell stories about mental health. His award-winning smartphone-shot films have screened at various film festivals around the world including the International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego, New York Mobile Film Festival, iCinema International Smartphone Film Festival in Italy, and Australia's own SF3 and MINA.

Join us for the 15th MINA Smartphone Film Festival at ACMI in Melbourne on the 20th of November 2026: https://events.humanitix.com/15minasf3

As the countdown towards the 15th Edition of the MINA Smartphone Film Festival continues, we would like to introduce you to some of the Judges who have helped make this Festival possible with our Judges' Spotlight!

Sonali Srivastav, Ph.D:
Sonali is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Design, IIT Hyderabad, India. She has worked in the media production industry in various capacities such as a camera person, scriptwriter, editor and producer for documentaries, TV shows and news. For her Ph.D., she worked in the area of web narratology and market dynamics of OTT platforms in India and attended the Summer Doctoral Program at the Oxford Internet Institute on scholarship. Her film on female indie filmmakers of India, titled Rebel. Record. Repeat has screened at multiple film festivals.

Marcelo Lagreze:
Marcelo Lagreze is an Argentine director, editor and photographer based in Chile.
His work moves between documentary observation and poetic cinema, exploring memory, territory, time and the relationship between people and their environment. Often working with smartphones and small crews, he approaches mobile filmmaking as a creative language rather than a technical limitation.
His short films have received recognition at numerous international festivals.
Beyond the specific message of each film, his work seeks to leave the viewer with a lingering question, a sense of intrigue, or a personal reflection that continues beyond the screen.

Layne Scotland:
Layne Scotland is a creative producer and freelance filmmaker. Drawn to nuance, and the small, human details that make a story feel alive. She has a passion for people-driven stories and strong visuals that emotionally connect with their audience. Her background in both film and history means she approaches storytelling with curiosity and care: part researcher, part observer, part artist. She values authenticity above polish, connection above performance. The goal is to create work that doesn't just look beautiful, but feels true; stories that resonate long after the screen fades to black.

Stay tuned as we gear up to announce more information on the 15th MINA Smartphone Film Festival soon.

As we gear up to host the 15th MINA Smartphone Film Festival, let's meet some of the people that will be bringing the festival to you this year:

Woodrow Stevenson:
Woodrow is a 1st Year Student at Swinburne University of Technology, studying for a Bachelor of Media & Communication. Woodrow will be assisting with the operation of the festival's social media accounts.

Cameron Wines:
A Media and Communications student at Swinburne University of Technology with a passion for films and filmmaking. Both in and outside of his studies, Cameron has worked on various projects in immersive Media, film, animation, video and photography. He loves going to the cinema and attending film festivals, this year he was captivated by the absurdity of 'The Fox' at the Melbourne International Film Festival. His all time favourite films are 'Mary and Max' and 'Being John Malkovic'.

Will Hemsley:
Will Hemsley is currently a creative co-producer of the MINA film festival. He is responsible for editing some of the trailers and screening reels on display. He is in his third year of studying Media and Communication at Swinburne University, majoring in Cinema and Screen Studies, where he hopes to develop a career in Film Marketing or Distribution.

Stay tuned as we gear up to announce more information on the 15th MINA Smartphone Film Festival soon.

MINA will present the 'Connecting to Culture, Country & Community' screening at the Mobile Studies Congress in 🇮🇳.

Join us online or in person in Hyderabad: https://www.6thmobilestudiescongress.org/

🌍 FINAL WEEK for Submissions!
🎬 Submissions are now OPEN for MINA Mobile Smartphone Film Festival #15!
⏰ Deadline: July 1
📲 Submit now: https://filmfreeway.com/MINA
ℹ️ Event info: https://mina.pro

🌍 2 More Weeks Till Submissions Close!
🎬 Submissions are now OPEN for MINA Mobile Smartphone Film Festival #15!
⏰ Deadline: July 1
📲 Submit now: https://filmfreeway.com/MINA
ℹ️ Event info: https://mina.pro