Final Jurors 2026
KC FilmFest InternationalÂ
Jamie Addison
JAMIE ADDISON is an actress and filmmaker based in Kansas City and the founder of Buckwheat Productions. Her work centers on stories that challenge social norms and amplify underrepresented voices. Her directorial debut, BF, launched the BF Universe, which also includes the children’s book Breast Friends. Jamie’s writing has been recognized by the Georgia Shorts Film Festival, Atlanta Women’s Film Festival, and Oniros Film Awards New York.
Her films have screened at Kansas City FilmFest International, the Juneteenth Film Festival, and the Gary International Black Film Festival. Her on-screen work includes portraying Beth in the Hallmark film Holiday Touchdown: A Chief’s Love Story, and she received Best Actor in a Drama at the Birdwatching Film Festival 2023 for her performance in Vie.
Outside the arts, Jamie holds an MBA and serves as Head of Professional Services at a software company.
Justin Begnaud
JUSTIN BEGNAUD is a “Gotham Award” and “Spirit Award” nominated producer and worked on EMMY Award winning television series and Cannes Lion Award winning advertising campaigns. Feature films produced include the cult horror film, CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2022, PRIME) based on Stephen King’s short story; the wide-release comedy, SUPER TROOPERS 2 (2019, FOX SEARCHLIGHT) starring the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe along with Brian Cox and Rob Lowe; the action-thriller, THE SYSTEM (2022, APPLE TV) starring Tyreese Gibson, Terrance Howard and Jeremy Piven; the drama, BLACKBIRD (2019, MILLENNIUM) starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska; the action-comedy, TRUE MEMOIRS OF AN INTERNATIONAL ASSASSIN (2016, NETFLIX) starring Kevin James, Andy Garcia and Rob Riggle; and the road trip comedy CHEF (2014, OPEN ROAD) starring Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Jr and Scarlett Johannson.Â
Prior to working in Hollywood, Justin Begnaud lived in New York City and worked on non-fiction series and TV documentaries for MTV, VH1, A&E, The History Channel, AMC Networks, NFL Films, AT&T and NBC Sports.Â
He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, the International Film & Television Alliance, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He holds masters degrees from UCLA’s Graduate School of Theater Film & Television, Columbia University in New York, and an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University.
Shawn Edwards
SHAWN EDWARDS is an award-winning journalist and film critic at Fox 4 News (WDAF) in Kansas City, Missouri, where he began working in 2000. Shawn co-founded the African American Film Critics Association in 2003, created a Celebration of Black Cinema & Television in 2014, and created the Black Movie Hall of Fame in 2022. He has also produced several documentaries on the history of Black film.
Shawn is currently the executive producer of the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Black Cinema & Television award show and is writing a book on the history of Black film. He also contributes as a juror for several film festivals and appears on several nationally syndicated television and radio programs providing his insight on the film and television industries.
Sue Vicory
SUE VICORY has been making films since 2002. She is an eight time Telly award winning and six time Emmy award nominated filmmaker who has filmed from coast to coast as well as internationally.
Sue has spoken on panels at both the Sundance film festival and Cannes film festival.
Béty Lê Shackelford
BÉTY LÊ SHACKELFORD is the Founder and Executive Director of Hella Good Deeds, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to building long-term cultural infrastructure, community-rooted ecosystems, and systems of belonging for Asian communities in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest.
Before HGD, she volunteered as the Director of Community Outreach for Café Cà Phê while serving as Political Director and Campaign Manager for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. Prior to community-driven work, Béty received her BFA in acting from CalArts and lived in LA and NYC to pursue a career in film/tv and stage for 10+ years.
She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association with highlights including Pretty Little Liars, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the National Tour of Cathy Rigby’s Peter Pan, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Dalton Homolka
DALTON HOMOLKA has been an active part of the film industry for 10+ years now, predominately developing projects in his home-city of Kansas City. Beyond that, he’s spent time creating in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. In 2015, Dalton graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking, emphasizing on screenwriting and production design.
Professionally, Dalton has bounced between production management and art coordination, including independent feature films (Rise & Shine; Art Coordinator), historical documentary works with Wide Awake Films, narrative projects with the Chiefs (Falling for Football; Production Manager), global commercials, and award-winning television shows (Ted Lasso; Location Coordinator). He’s currently the Director of Lifestyle at Crossroads Hotel, overseeing large events, programming, and all other cultural and artistic avenues. Â
Dalton hopes to one day transform his vast experience and passion for storytelling into a career in the film festival realm.
Caleb Worcester
CALEB WORCESTER is a Kansas City based freelance 3D artist, animator, and director with six years of full-time experience across the full production pipeline, concept art, modeling, animation, and rendering. His clients include The Washington Post, Blue Origin, and Veritasium. His short film Under the Thicket won Best Animated Short at the Las Cruces Film Festival.