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THE WIFF
RISING STAR AWARD
Dreams are important. Dream Now.
The "Westfield International Film Festival Rising Star Award" is presented to individuals who show promise as emerging talents in the film industry, be it as actors, screenwriters, or directors.
We predict that award recipients will enjoy successful careers in the industry. You may be our next rising star!
Dream Big. Dream Always.
2019 RISING STARS
WIFF 2019 Rising Star:
Luca Malacrino
Actor
Luca Malacrino is a Welsh-Italian Actor and proud member of the BAFTA Newcomer's Academy. Some of his recent credits include Distant Vision with Francis Ford Coppola, Grey's Anatomy, Amazon Prime's Elephants, Criminal Minds Beyond Border with AMDA's Paul Sorvino, Jim Carrey's I'm Dying Up Here, Babysplitters with Danny Pudi (just won the spirit award at Santa Barbara Intl Festival), as well returning back to Los Angeles after filming for several months in the U.K. as recurring guest star 'Andrea Abruzzi' in ITV Studio's Coronation Street.
Luca has also started a production company that in its first year produced an award-winning pilot called "Served," and an Indie film, "Elephants" that is listed across multiple platforms, including Amazon Prime, with a score of 80% Tomatometer & an audience score of 94%. The movie successfully secured distribution in the UK, USA and will be taken to Cannes Film Market this year for worldwide distribution.
Luca is one of this year's WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Luca HERE.
WIFF 2019 Rising Star:
Amanda Bear
Actor
Amanda Bear started acting at a young age, appearing in several films, tv shows and most recently, digital series. In 2016, she wrote a short about high school bullying and went on to produce and star in what became her first award-winning film, ‘Like Me.’ The following year, Bear launched her production company, Slater Pictures. From there, she continued to draw inspiration from her personal life as she created the critically acclaimed mini series, Bumbld (previously known as ‘Bumble Fuck’) in which she made her directorial debut.
Amanda is one of this year's WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Amanda at www.amanda-bear.com
Watch her series, Bumbld at www.bumbld.com
WIFF 2019 Rising Star:
Collin Kelly-Sordelet
Actor
Collin Kelly-Sordelet is a New York based Actor born in Montclair, New Jersey. He is known for starring opposite Bel Powley and Liv Tyler in Fritz Böhm's independent feature Wildling. Collin portrays Walt Freeman, the bleeding heart Communist, in Radium Girls, directed by Virginia Mohler and Lydia Dean Pilcher, which made its World Premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
While training in the BFA program at The Juilliard School of Drama, Collin was cast in a leading role in the Broadway production of Sting's musical"The Last Ship", for which he won a Theater World Award and was nominated for a Clive Barnes Award. Collin has also appeared on Hulu's "The Path." Born into a theater family, Collin has worked extensively in the New York Theater Scene, most recently playing James Joseph in the Tony Award Winning show, "The Ferryman."
Collin is one of this year's WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Collin HERE.
2018 RISING STARS
WIFF 2018 Rising Star:
Myles Clohessy
Actor
Myles Clohessy is an NYC based actor. A former Division 1 College athlete, Myles decided to pursue an acting degree at a prestigious acting conservatory in NYC following in his father, well known actor Robert Clohessy's, footsteps . He has studied with acting masters such as Giles Forman and others from top drama schools such as RADA and The Gaiety School for Acting. To complement his acting career, Myles models full time. He is signed with one of the top Modeling Agencies in the world, Wilhelmina Models. Myles is one of this year's 2018 WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Myles at myles-clohessy.squarespace.com
WIFF 2018 Rising Star:
Holly Curran
Actor
A graduate of Tisch School of the Arts, Holly Curran is an LA based actress. Her impressive credits include the Emmy-winning "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Z: The Beginning of Everything" and "Chicago Justice" among others. A native of New Jersey, Holly is a dedicated artist with credits on both stage and screen. Holly is one of this year's 2018 WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Holly by visiting www.hollycurranactor.com.
WIFF 2018 Rising Star:
Angelo Reyes
Actor/Filmmaker
Angelo Reyes is an award-winning actor and filmmaker. His last film was an official selection at IFFCA in Los Angeles, and won best production and best short film at the Global Film Competition.
Angelo has always had a passion for art and continues to display his artistic interpretations through film and acting. He is currently working on several projects and is in the process of writing a feature film. Angelo is one of this year's 2018 WIFF Rising Stars!
Learn more about Angelo at angeloreyes.com.
