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The Critic

World premiere at the 2018 Boston Film Festival, First Prize at Amazon’s inaugural 2019 All Voices Film Festival, Winner Best Director at the 2018 UK Film Review Awards and Best Short Film at the 2019 Method Fest, as well as Indie Shorts Mag's Editor's Pick - "The Best Of All, From 2018!". The Critic offers a glimpse into the darker side of fame, as a starry-eyed actress, fresh off a major win embarks on an interview that proves to be a lot more than just that.

  • Stella Velon
    Director
  • Stella Velon
    Writer
  • Jean Gabriel Kauss
    Producer
  • Stella Velon
    Key Cast
    "Actress"
    Baskets, Men in Black 3, Shutterbug
  • Alan Smyth
    Key Cast
    "Interviewer"
    Persons Unknown, Castle, Poor Behavior
  • Todd Karner
    Key Cast
    "Director"
  • Ivan Andrijanic
    Editor
    I.T. , No Way Jose
  • Akis Konstantakopoulos
    Cinematographer
    The Late Bloomer, Running for Grace
  • Asaf Sagiv
    Composer
    Drugged, Homefront, Last Summer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Psychological, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 16, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Spyflix Film Festival | SPOTLIGHT SERIES
    New York
    United States
    Honorable Mention
  • The Webby Awards | NOMINEE
    New York
    United States
    May 19, 2020
    Best Individual Performance (Stella Velon)
  • Amazon Studios' All Voices Film Festival | WINNER
    Nationwide
    United States
    August 27, 2019
    Amazon Prime Video USA Premiere
    First Prize/Runner-Up Award
  • The W3 Awards | WINNER

    United States
    October 6, 2020
    Gold Award: Best Individual Performance (Stella Velon)
  • Festival Angaelica at Catalyst Content | WINNER
    Duluth
    United States
    October 11, 2019
    Minnesota Premiere
    Best Breakout Performance (Stella Velon)
  • Annual Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    July 14, 2019
    Palm Springs Premiere
    Grand Jury Prize 'Couronne d'Or'
  • Annual Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    July 14, 2019
    Palm Springs Premiere
    Best of Fest 'Queen Supreme' Award for Best First-Time Filmmaker (Stella Velon)
  • Annual Queen Palm International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Palm Springs
    United States
    July 14, 2019
    Palm Springs Premiere
    Best Actress - Short Film (Stella Velon)
  • Method Fest Independent Film Festival | WINNER
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 26, 2019
    West Coast Premiere
    Best Short Film
  • Method Fest Independent Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 26, 2019
    West Coast Premiere
    Best Actress (Stella Velon)
  • UK Film Review Awards | WINNER
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 21, 2018
    Best Director (Stella Velon)
  • UK Film Review Awards | NOMINEE
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 21, 2018
    Best Short Film
  • Indie Shorts Mag | EDITOR'S PICK

    "The Best Of All, From 2018!"
  • Manchester Kinofilm | WINNER
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    November 26, 2018
    International Premiere
    Women in Film Award (2nd place)
  • Boston Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Boston
    United States
    September 22, 2018
    World Premiere
    Best Short Film / Official Selection
  • Short of the Year | WINNER

    Spring Edition / Special Jury Mention
  • Women's International Film & Arts Festival | OFFICIAL SELECTION
    New York
    United States
    June 7, 2019
    New York Premiere
    Not a competition
  • Arpa International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Los Angeles
    United States
    November 20, 2020
    Best Short Film
  • Sunscreen Film Festival | NOMINEE
    St. Petersburg
    United States
    April 28, 2019
    East Coast Premiere
    Best Breakout Short
  • London Independent Film Festival | NOMINEE
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 12, 2019
    London Premiere
    Best Short Film / Official Selection
  • Filmatique Talents | OFFICIAL SELECTION

    Online Film Showcase (April 2019)
  • The HB Film Festival | WINNER
    Paisley
    United Kingdom
    October 21, 2019
    Scotland
    Best Story
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Royal Gem Diamond Award - Festival Standout)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Award for Best Short Film — First-time Filmmaker
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Award for Best Actress - Short Film (Stella Velon)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Silver Award for Best Trailer
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Bronze Award for Best Producer (Jean Gabriel Kauss)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Bronze Award for Best Editor (Ivan Andrijanic)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Bronze Award for Best Cinematography (Akis Konstantakopoulos)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Honorable Mention for Best Director (Stella Velon)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Nomination for Best Actor (Alan Smyth)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Nomination for Best Music (Asaf Sagiv))
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Nomination for Best Poster (Sylvere Azoulai)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | NOMINEE
    Palm Springs
    United States
    December 15, 2018
    Gold Nomination for Best Writer (Stella Velon)
Distribution Information
  • Amazon Prime Video
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Country: United Kingdom
  • UK Film Channel
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
  • Omeleto
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - Stella Velon

Stella Velon is an actress, writer, and director, who works in both English and French-language productions.

In addition to her acting work, Velon has been developing various original projects. She wrote, directed and starred in the psychological thriller “The Critic,” which was among the five winners of Amazon Studios' All Voices Film Festival, and also earned her a Webby Award nomination in the Best Individual Performance category and a Best Director win at the UK Film Review Awards.

Other accolades include the Annual Grand Jury Prize, and Best Actress award at the Queen Palm International Film Festival, the Best Short Film award at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival, and the Best Breakout Performance award at Festival Angaelica at Catalyst Content.

Her performance, writing, and direction of the film were met with critical acclaim, earning multiple 5-star reviews, with many complementing Velon's direction and the performances of the cast.

UK Film Review called Velon's portrayal of the main character of the Actress “one of the best leading performances of the year so far,” her dialogues “exceptional,” and the film “a particularly poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate.” Indie Shorts Mag elected “The Critic” their Editor's Pick — “The Best Of All, From 2018!”.

The audience's reaction was also overwhelmingly positive, with Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman among those praising the film.

One of Velon's greatest strengths as a filmmaker has been said to be her ability to tell deeply personal stories that resonate with audiences on a universal level. She is working on expanding the short into a full-length feature film, and is also developing a NY-Paris dramedy series loosely inspired by her experiences in the fashion world.

Velon is also an advocate for gender, and race equality and diversity in the arts. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is also a dedicated philanthropist. She has worked with several non-profit organizations, including the Hearts of Gold Foundation (a New-York based non-profit presided by Deborah Koenigsberger, with CNN's Soledad O'Brien, and actor, and activist Marcia Gay Harden, whose mission and purpose is re-imagining the future of homeless mothers and their children), Larger Than Life (helping seriously ill children with cancer), #WashTheHate (raising awareness around hate crimes committed against Asian communities since the outbreak of Covid-19), and starred in a PSA as a battered mom to raise awareness against domestic violence.

She is a dual (US/EU) citizen and the co-founder of The Punk Floyd Company (Los Angeles).

Stella splits her time between Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA, BAFTA Connect and Free the Work Pro.

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Director Statement

'The Critic' is a short film about facing one's inner demons, with which I wanted to explore the psychology of what it is like to be confronted with one’s harshest, most merciless critic: one’s own self, and how destructive that little voice in our heads can be.
As an actress myself, I also wanted to weave in elements of what is happening at the moment within the entertainment industry and explore the perils and pressures of the profession while leaving the message of the film open to individual interpretation as I am a firm believer that how we perceive the world is how we experience it.

My intention with this piece is to fire up people's imagination, make them think and not spoon-feed the audience the answers like a lot of movies do.