Jury 2025
Meet the Jury of the 16th EKRAN Toronto Polish Film Festival — a panel of remarkable voices in film and culture who bring their insight and expertise.
SHORT FILM JURY
Anne Marie Perrault is an award-winning CEO and founder of AMP Talent Group and AMP It Up PR, two leading North American agencies acclaimed for their innovation in talent and influencer management, marketing, publicity, branding and communications. AMP Talent Group represents distinguished actors, models, talent and content creators across film, television, advertising and digital media, while AMP It Up PR specializes in publicity, strategic communications, brand partnerships, and high-impact influencer campaigns for visionary brands making a positive impact on the world. Driven by a mission to empower talent, amplify brands, and champion creative excellence, Anne Marie has helped launch careers, place clients in major film and television roles, and secure appearances on leading talk shows and media campaigns with global brands that inspire change. Throughout her career, she has united talent and vision to bring compelling stories to life—stories that resonate, influence, and transform. As a long-standing juror for the Toronto Polish Film Festival, she is passionate about celebrating filmsthat move, challenge, and unite audiences through the power of human expression and truth.
Monika Ekiert is the Director of the Polish Film Festival North America – Hollywood. Born in Poland and educated in France, she graduated from the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris with a Master’s degree in Economics and International Relations. She began her professional journey at Canal+, before pursuing acting at Cours Florent, one of France’s most elite and respected acting schools.
Her creative career spans Europe and the United States, where she has worked as an actress, director, and producer in both film and television. Monika has received multiple Best Actress and Best Director awards at international festivals.
Fluent in several languages, Monika brings a strong international perspective and industry insight to her work. Now based in Los Angeles, she leads this Polish Film Festival with a mission to elevate Polish cinema and build bridges between the European and North American film industries.
Natalie Remplakowski, is a Polish-Canadian filmmaker based between Toronto and NYC.
A recent graduate of NYU’s TISCH Graduate Film Program, Natalie has been a producer on award- winning films recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and festivals worldwide, including Venice, TIFF, Sundance, New York Film Festival, SXSW, among others.
She is the founder & President of Citrine Productions, currently finishing the debut feature film Seahorse, written, directed by and starring Aisha Evelyna.
Select producing credits include the short films, THREE KEENINGS by Oliver McGoldrick, which premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival, FREAK by Claire Barnett, which received a ‘Special Mention’ at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, and NOLA (co-directed by Aisha and Natalie), which premiered at Aspen Shortsfest in 2024.
Prior to NYU, Natalie worked as an associate producer for Daniel Bekerman (THE APPRENTICE) at Scythia Films in Toronto. She holds a BFA in Theatre Acting from York University.
Filip is a director, screenwriter and producer whose work includes film, television, commercials and branded content. He is the former Head of Research for the National Geographic Channel in Canada. Filip has directed videos for brands such as BMW, Toyota, IKEA, Samsung and Jameson Irish Whiskey. His spots for Campbell’s and Tim Horton’s were among the company’s most watched and garnered massive viewer engagement. His short films The Master and Suffer screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2024, LBB-Online selected Filip as one of Canada’s “best and brightest rising” directors.
Sanjay Mohanta is a CPA with an Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo. He has worked for the Federal Government, Non for profits and public sector accounting for nearly 30 years. In the Arts and Entertainment world Sanjay has worked with the Canadian Film Institute and held screenings with director Brandon Cronenberg, Sook Yin Lee and Oscar nominee Ariel Nasr.
Most recently he brought Director Tiffany Hsiang to Ottawa to speak for Asian Heritage Month. He has also presented films and cultural events with the Embassy of Haiti, Bulgaria, Japan, and the US. He is currently the President of the Asian Heritage Month Society. He served on the film jury of the World Arts film festival in Jacksonville, Florida and helped with the promotion of the Singaporean film “The Damned ones”.
He looks forward to watching great films at this year’s festival and seeing you at the festival!
FEATURE FILM JURY
Avram Butch Kaplan was born in New York City where he attended the Lycée Français de New York receiving both a classical French education and an appreciation for other languages and cultures. In 1982, Butch entered the film business as the Israeli distributor at CIC (Paramount &Universal Europe). In 1985, he returned to the United States and began working in independent production as an executive in charge of production at Epic Productions. In 1992, Butch started to freelance and began producing both feature films and television.
Butch’s feature credits include Line Producer on Marty Supreme for A24 starring Timothée Chalemet and Gwyneth Paltrow, All Star Weekend starring Jamie Foxx, Jeremy Piven and Gerard Butler, Executive Producer on Mr. Right starring Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Tim Roth (TIFF Gala Closer), Co-Producer / UPM on Oldboy starring Josh Brolin and directed by Spike Lee, and Executive Producer credits on Sparkle starring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks, Babylon AD starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh, and The Assassination of Richard Nixon starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.
In 1995, Butch began a working relationship with Nick Cassavetes while co-producing She’s SoLovely and continued through Alpha Dog starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone and Justin Timberlake, John Q starring Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods, and Anne Heche, and The Notebook starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. His recent television credits include the final season of What We Do in the Shadows, (Emmy Nominated), The Premise created by B.J. Novak on FX/Hulu and The Mosquito Coast created by Neil Cross. Mr. Kaplan is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of Canada and Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Richard Luke Rothschild began his career in different production capacities in feature films. Beginning in commercials, then rising through the ranks, he eventually produced indies such as The Big Picture, directed by Christopher Guest, and Urban Legends: Final Cut, as well as studio films Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion (Disney), The Truman Show (Paramount), Double Jeopardy (Paramount), The Scorpion King (Universal), and The Game Plan (Disney). He also performed duties as both UPM and Producer on the Sony Classics release, Get Low. He later moved into network, cable and streaming television projects, among them Coma, with executive producers Ridley Scott and David Zucker and worked on the nominated mini-series Five. He produced the Miami-based Starz series Magic City from 2012-2013. and worked on the first season of “Snowfall,” the successful series set in 1980s Los Angeles for FX. Most recently, he held the position of SVP of Production for Lionsgate Television.
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto, with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has been writing for several years for both trade and consumer publications within Canada and the United States, with a writing style that ranges from real life personal experiences to more business focused articles. He also has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities, and continues to travel the world in search of tasty treats, musical beats, and daring feats!
Monika Onoszko is a costume and fashion designer with an international career spanning Europe, Asia, and North America. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poland, she was the only European student to study kimono design at the Onoe Fashion Institute in Japan. She launched her career in fashion, creating 14 collections shown in nearly 100 fashion shows across Europe and Japan.
Alongside fashion, she became a theatre costume designer for Poland’s leading stages, including the National Theatre, Teatr Polski, Wspolczesny and the National Opera in Warsaw. Her film debut came with director Jan Jakub Kolski — a collaboration that earned her the top costume design award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2018. Her portfolio also includes commercials, fashion films, and music videos for international artists.
Since moving to Canada eight years ago, Monika has been designing costumes for Canadian and American film productions.
Born in Calabria, Italy in 1947, Frank moved, with his family, to North Bay, Ontario, in 1954. In his youth music was his passion, playing the accordion, keyboards, guitar and performing in both folk & rock groups. He eventually opened clubs for local and touring musicians to perform.
In 1980 Frank moved into commercial theatre, founding “Caruso’s Cabaret Productions,”
which later evolved into a touring company. In 1990, Frank transitioned into filmmaking with Caruso Visual Productions / Caruso Films and went on to act, write, produce and direct feature films, shorts, documentaries, music videos and commercials. He has Produced 12 Feature Films. He has directed 7 Films and written 24 Screenplays.
Frank has taught on-camera acting workshops in Toronto for over 25 years, helping to launch numerous careers. He was instructor at the Toronto Academy of Acting and his own studio“Actors In Motion”. Frank Caruso was a founding member and head programmer for the Toronto Italian Film Festival (1999 to 2006). He has been on award & selection juries for film festivals such as: Toronto Polish Film Festival, Vaughn Film Festival, the Canadian Gemini awards, Macedonian Film Festival and the Film For Peace Festival.
Ursula is the Co-Founder and Producer at The Creators Bureau.
With over a decade of PR and marketing experience in television, lifestyle and healthcare she has created campaigns that resonate with audiences and boost brand awareness.
As Publicist for HGTV Canada and DIY Network Canada, Ursula helped increase talent profiles and created content for various plattorms. She has overseen numerous national and international productions for The Creators Bureau and has sat on the jury of the industry leading New York based Brand Film Awards.
DOCUMENTARY FILM JURY
Dr. Malgorzata (Margaret) P. Bonikowska is a Polish-Canadian journalist, linguist, and educator. She is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta (www.gazetagazeta.com) and of POLcast, the award-winning English-language podcast about Poland and Poles around the world. A passionate promoter of Polish culture in Canada, she served as artistic director and host of the Toronto Polish Film Festival in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as of numerous Polish film premieres, screenings, and cultural events in Canada.
André Kamehama works in the film industry, specializing in graphic design, audience engagement, and marketing strategies for film releases. He has collaborated with major independent distributors, including Imovision, O2 Play, and Vitrine Filmes, designing key visuals, creating promotional materials, and assisting with campaigns for theatrical and streaming releases. His design work has supported films including Monster (Hirokazu Koreeda), Benedetta (Paul Verhoeven), and Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola). He is also deeply involved in the festival circuit, contributing to events such as TIFF, Hot Docs, Inside Out, Reel Asian Film Festival, Canadian Film Festival, and many more. His roles have included social media strategy, programming assistance, event coordination, coverage, and on-the-ground support as part of volunteer staff.
Angelica (Angela Johnson) is an award-winning Canadian pianist, singer-songwriter, and producer whose genre-spanning music and powerful performances have captivated audiences worldwide- from cruise ships to concert halls and film scores.
Adam Benish is a Canadian filmmaker and producer whose career spans across television, Feature films, and independent shorts. He has worked on major international productions such as What We Do in the Shadows (FX), I Woke Up a Vampire(Netflix), and Teletubbies (Netflix), bringing expertise in both creative storytelling and logistical problem-solving. As a line producer and production manager, Adam has successfully delivered projects under tight budgets and schedules, while as a writer and director he has crafted award-winning short films including War Games: A Christmas Truce and the festival-screened comedy Last Exams.
Adam’s latest project, Grapple, draws on his 25-year connection to the wrestling world, blending humor, underdog spirit, and themes of equality. He brings to the jury both an industry-tested eye for craft and a deep passion for stories that challenge convention while entertaining audiences.
Born in Istanbul, Can Deniz Atıcı studied at Binghamton University in New York and Boğaziçi University in Istanbul before earning his master’s in interior design from Domus Academy in Italy.
After returning to Istanbul, he began working in the art department on film sets, contributing to four local and three international feature films, including two as an assistant director. He co-wrote and co-directed the short film Museum of Broken Love (2017) before writing and directing his first solo short, Black Box (2020). The film premiered atfestivals such as Sarajevo, Arlington, Brno16, Antalya, Oulu, and Asiana and won Best Fiction Film at the Star Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Boston Turkish Film Festival, and a Special Mention at Bašta Fest.
In 2024, he developed and directed Game Changers, a sports docuseries about women’s volleyball, currently in post-production. Since relocating to Toronto in 2023, Can has been building his career as a writer director between Canada and Turkey. He is currently developing a TV series named As Good As New and a new short film, Happy Birthday, Kızım, set to go into production in Toronto in the fall of 2025. He has been selected to participate in Talents Sarajevo 2025 with his upcoming short film.
