Final Jurors 2025
KC FIlmFest International
JS Hampton
JS HAMPTON is an indie film veteran having produced 6 feature films. His most notable film, Jayhawkers, was written and directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott. JS made his directorial debut with the film, The Unseen, won the 2023 KCIFF Best Heartland Narrative Feature and was released in 2024. JS wrote and produced the upcoming Break The Cycle, starring Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine, DC Young Fly, and Cuba Gooding Jr. His projects have appeared in theatres nationwide and have found homes on streamers such as Hulu, Showtime, Amazon Prime, and Tubi.
JS was born and raised in San Jose, California before spending most of his late teens and 20’s wandering the country. In his past lives he was a college athlete, sous chef, and film school reject. He credits his nomadic past as a driving force behind his creative perspective.
Chris Metzler
CHRIS METZLER is Kansas City born and a converted Californian, Chris Metzler’s film career has taken him to some strange places as he has pursued making subculture documentaries on subjects as far ranging as rogue economists, lucha libre wrestlers, swamp rat hunters, ganja-preneurs, Black punk rockers, and evangelical Christian surfers. His award winning films include: PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA (KCFF 2004), EVERYDAY SUNSHINE: THE STORY OF FISHBONE, RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE (KCFF 2018) and JACK HAS A PLAN (KCFF 2023).
He also serves as the Director of Programming for two irreverent, San Francisco based film festivals, SF DocFest and SF IndieFest.
Benjamin Pascoe
BENJAMIN PASCOE is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed, produced, and edited a variety of films that have screened for enthusiastic audiences around the world. His foundation is in narrative storytelling, but Ben has developed a taste for both experimental and documentary works. Ben has always been interested in teaching, but his spark was reignited while living and working in Austin, Texas. As an instructor for the Austin Film Society, he helped high school students write, shoot, and edit their own short films. Ben found this to be extremely rewarding, and he decided on a career path that would offer the best of both worlds.
Since joining the faculty of the School of Visual and Communication Arts at Avila University, Ben has come up with a set of priorities. At the very top of that list are his students: “Avila University encourages excellence in the classroom as well as professional development from their faculty. I fell into a wonderful opportunity, one that allows me to grow as an artist, and one that allows me to have a hand in guiding our young filmmakers in their intellectual and creative development.”
is an indie film veteran having produced 6 feature films. His most notable film, Jayhawkers, was written and directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott. JS made his directorial debut with the film, The Unseen, won the 2023 KCIFF Best Heartland Narrative Feature and was released in 2024. JS wrote and produced the upcoming Break The Cycle, starring Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine, DC Young Fly, and Cuba Gooding Jr. His projects have appeared in theatres nationwide and have found homes on streamers such as Hulu, Showtime, Amazon Prime, and Tubi.
JS was born and raised in San Jose, California before spending most of his late teens and 20’s wandering the country. In his past lives he was a college athlete, sous chef, and film school reject. He credits his nomadic past as a driving force behind his creative perspective.
Steph Shannon
STEPH SHANNON is the current Director of Major Giving at Kansas City PBS Television Station. She is the previous Kansas City Film Commissioner (10 years) and 20+ years in the indie film and commercial production industry. Steph grew up in St. Louis, Mo. and is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in Communications, emphasis in Film.
She re-established the KC Film Office in 2014, she led efforts to recruit and give assistance to scores of independent film, TV and commercial productions like Netflix’ Queer Eye, Cannes award-winning film American Honey and NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. In her tenure she assisted over 1,600 projects for an estimated $80M in jobs and economic impact.
She collaborated with the City of Kansas City to architect the city’s first ever local film incentive, which can be utilized by films, television, and commercial projects.
She is on the KU Professional Advisory Board, Imagine KC Advisory Board, serves as Treasurer of Grow Kansas Film and as Vice President of Film in Mo.
Justin Begnaud
JUSTIN BEGNAUD is a “Gotham Award” and “Spirit Award” nominated film producer. He has worked on “EMMY Award” winning television series, and “Cannes Lion Award” winning advertising campaigns. While living in New York City, Mr. Begnaud worked on TV documentaries and non-fiction series for A&E Networks, MTV Networks, AMC Networks, NFL Films, NBC Sports, AT&T and Legendary Entertainment, and he wrote grants for the Museum of Modern Art and the Tribeca Film Institute.
While living in Los Angeles, Mr. Begnaud worked on over 400 feature films as a Producer, Executive Producer or as completion bond representative. He has raised over $100M for independent feature films through his network of private investors, senior debt financiers, and gap, bridge and tax credit lenders. Previously, he was the Vice President of Business Development & Production Finance for the international tax credit lender, Grosvenor Park Media, where he utilized his strong relationships with talent agencies, management companies and mini-major film studios to build finance strategies for large-scale independent films. Prior to this, he was the Director of Production for Film Finances, Inc., the world-wide leader in film & television completion guarantees.
Independently, the films he has produced have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Telluride, Toronto, Tribeca, SXSW, BFI London, Shanghai FIlm Festival and many more throughout the world. He has made feature films for Netflix, Amazon, MGM, Orion, Open Road, Vice, Lionsgate, and Fox Searchlight. He began his film career working for Scott Rudin Productions in New York City, and later Focus Features International in Los Angeles.
Mr. Begnaud has been invited to present at conferences and speak on industry panels for television & film finance, and emerging technologies in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, New York, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. And Mr. Begnaud has been a Producing Fellow at the Cannes Producers Network in France, European Film Market/ Berlinale in Germany, Strategic Partners Co-Production Market in Nova Scotia, Film Independent’s Producing Lab in Los Angeles, and the Sundance Institute’s Catalyst Initiative.
Mr. Begnaud serves on the board of directors for Children’s Mercy Hospital/ Red Hot Night, the American Royal, PBS Kansas City C.A.B., and Just Like You Films – an advocacy group and documentary media company, raising awareness for children with disabilities through the power of film. He also serves on the board of directors for Grow Kansas Film as well as Film In MO. He is a 20 year member of the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Mr. Begnaud holds masters degrees from UCLA’s Graduate School of Theater Film & Television (MFA, Film & Television Production), Columbia University in the City of New York (MS, Fundraising Management & Nonprofit Administration), and dual bachelor degrees from Syracuse University (BFA – Advertising, BID- Interactive & Industrial Design)
Leigh Kellmann Kolb
LEIGH KELLMANN KOLB is an Associate Professor of English at East Central College. She has an MFA in Writing and a bachelor’s degree in English. Prior to ECC, where she has been a faculty member for 17 years, Leigh worked in journalism and corporate communications. She teaches Composition courses, including the Honors Composition sequence, Film Studies, Diversity in the Media, Women’s Literature, African American Literature, and the American Literature sequence; she also advises student publications, including the Cornerstone newspaper and CUSP Arts and Culture magazine. She serves as a faculty mentor for students in the Humanities Pathway, and helps organize cocurricular opportunities, including a spring break trip to London for Arts and Humanities students. She has been involved in Guided Pathways, Achieving the Dream, NEA, Faculty Association, and the Civic and Community Engagement Coalition. Leigh also organizes the ECC Film and Lecture Series, which brings documentaries, narrative films, scholars, authors, journalists, and poets to campus throughout the year. Her writing about film and television has appeared in numerous books, magazines, and online publications. She serves as a screener and juror for film festivals such as the True/False Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Riverside Short Film Festival.