Private Project

The Critic

A starry-eyed actress with a troubled past faces her harshest critic during an interview gone wrong.

  • 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
  • Film 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
  • Film Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • UK Film Review Awards | WINNER
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 21, 2018
    WINNER Best Director (Stella Velon) / NOMINEE Best Short Film
  • Method Fest Independent Film Festival | WINNER
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 26, 2019
    West Coast
    WINNER Best Short Film / NOMINEE Best Actress (Stella Velon)
  • Queen Palm International Film Festival | WINNER
    Palm Springs
    United States
    WINNER Royal Gem Diamond Award (Festival Standout), Best Short Film (First-time Filmmaker), Best Actress - Short Film (Stella Velon)
  • Manchester Kinofilm |RUNNER UP
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    November 26, 2018
    International Premiere
    WOMEN IN FILM AWARD
  • Boston Film Festival | Official Selection
    Boston
    United States
    September 22, 2018
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Worldfest Houston | WINNER
    Houston
    United States
    REMI WINNER Original Dramatic
  • Sunscreen Film Festival | NOMINEE
    St. Petersburg
    United States
    April 28, 2019
    East Coast
    NOMINEE Best Breakout Short
  • London Independent Film Festival | Official Selection
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 12, 2019
    London
    Official Selection
  • Best Shorts Competition | WINNER

    WINNER Award of Excellence: Short Film, Lead Actress (Stella Velon) & Women Filmmakers (Stella Velon)
Director Biography - Stella Velon

STELLA VELON IS AN AMERICAN ACTRESS AND WRITER

Stella most recently wrapped shooting The Critic, her directorial debut, which she wrote and also starred in, and for which she has won multiple awards, among them Best Actress at the Queen Palm International Film Festival and Best Director at the 2018 UK Film Review Awards, joining an impressive list of critically-acclaimed films such as Alfonso Cuarón's Roma and Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born.

Her work on the film has been lauded by critics calling her writing and direction "exceptional" and her performance as the main character of the Actress "one of the best leading performances of the year" (UK Film Review). The film was dubbed "a sublime piece of indie film magic" (One Film Fan) and also became "the first short film to receive five stars on IndieShortsMag.com", among other accolades.

Stella is also developing a girl-powered comedy series inspired by her modeling years in New York City under the helm of her production company The Punk Floyd Company, which she co-founded together with former fashion super agent Jean Gabriel Kauss.

Velon has studied at some of the most prestigious drama schools in Paris, New York, and Los Angeles and spends her time between those three. Perfectly bilingual she also holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Paris X.

As a kid, she was obsessed with Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom, and Romeo + Juliet, and her latest work as a filmmaker has been influenced by the likes of Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky.

Add Director Biography
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.