2026 Edition
JURY MEMBERS
This year’s jury unites a powerhouse roster of actors, directors, writers, and producers whose work spans film, television, and theatre. The LSFF 2026 jury will select awards in categories including Best Short Film, Best Screenplay, and multiple Acting categories. This exciting 10th festival will once again celebrate films with strong authentic performances—hallmarks of the Institute’s long tradition of training honest actors and storytellers.
AL PACINO is an acclaimed American actor, director, and producer whose career spans more than five decades. A close friend and mentee of Lee Strasberg, Pacino is renowned for his Method performances and commanding screen presence, rising to international fame as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. Pacino’s celebrated body of work also includes iconic films such as Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, Heat, and The Irishman. On stage, Pacino has given renown performances in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, The Merchant of Venice, Glengarry Glen Ross, and China Doll. A recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, multiple Emmy Awards, and Tony Awards, he remains a defining figure in American cinema.
BRITTANY ALEXIA YOUNG is a Florida-born, LA-based filmmaker telling genre-blending, coming-of-age stories that follow black, queer protagonists. After a career playing Division 1 lacrosse at the University of Delaware, she earned her MFA from Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts earning the coveted Strickland Pathfinder Award. She's recently received support from the Future of Film is Female x NEON grant for her next film and earned a spot in the 2025 Sundance Ignite Fellowship. Her recent short, Munchies, has been supported by the WAVE Grant and has screened at festivals including Palm Springs ShortFest, HollyShorts, and NFFTY.
HAYLEY ORRANTIA is a multi-hyphenate artist, actress, singer/songwriter and producer, most known for her role as Erica Goldberg in the decade-long ABC sitcom ‘The Goldbergs’. She has gone on to star in feature films such as ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ and ‘Christmas Is Canceled’, both of which feature her original music. Hayley has also placed as runner-up on Season 6 of The Masked Singer, disguised as The Ringmaster. Over the past three years, she has developed and produced original concepts in support of independent filmmakers, helping to bring award-winning short films to life.
HENRI ESTEVE actor, writer, and alumnus of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, best known for his series regular role in the Amazon series Primo, for executive producers Mike Schur and Shea Serrano. He most recently seen on the hit HBO Max series The Pitt and in the series finale of the NBC series FOUND. Henri’s credits also include recurring roles in the Amazon series Homecoming, for creator Sam Esmail and opposite Julia Roberts, and the Hulu/Freeform series GROWN-ISH.
WADE ALLAIN-MARCUS is an award winning writer, director, and actor. For his most recent feature, he directed a remake of the cult classic Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead which opened to rave reviews including a NYT Critics Pick. After a run on BET+, French Dirty, which he co-wrote, directed, and starred in, was licensed to Netflix and screened at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano in Cuba, and the Las Vegas International Film Festival where it took home the jury prize for Best Feature Film and Best Feature screenplay. Wade was a producer/writer/director on Freeform's hit show, Grown-ish, and a supervising producer/writer/director on Phoebe Robinson's Everything's Trash (Freeform). He was supervising producer on the fourth and final season of Peacock's hit Bel Air. As an actor, he recurred as "Ali Gator" in Netflix's Eric starring Benedict Cumberbatch, as "Derek Dubois" in HBO's Insecure, and as "Diego" in the FX drama, Snowfall.
HYEJIN “GRACE” PARK is a Korean writer, director, and editor based in Los Angeles. A USC MFA Film & TV Production graduate, she has directed 26 short films, 15 vertical series, and co-directed a feature. Her work blends sci-fi, fantasy, and social commentary with humor and heart, often exploring themes of identity, connection, and environmental change. Her short Comet Orphan screened at the 2025 Cannes Short Film Corner and HollyShorts. With over a decade of filmmaking experience across genres and formats, Grace brings a global perspective and a passion for emotionally resonant storytelling to her work.