Danielle Hinde ushers in the new

What appealed to you about taking on the role of head judge for the New Director category?

One of my favourite parts of my job is finding and cultivating new talent.  When directors start out, they are enthusiastic and constantly inspired, which is infectious. It’s a true joy to help them bring their vision to life, and it helps steer them down the right path.  

It’s also harder than ever to break into this industry, so new directors need this platform to help gain exposure. 

This is an unusual situation where the jury is largely changed from last year. Can you tell us why you and the shots team decided to do this?

We honestly wanted a do-over since the submissions were so low last year. We were excited about the work we saw in 2024 but just wanted more!  

When directors start out, they are enthusiastic and constantly inspired, which is infectious.

We know there are so many new directors out there, but some may not know of this opportunity, or they may be unable to swing the entry fee, so those things were addressed this year, and we wanted the opportunity to try again.

Above: Hinde [L] with some of her fellow New Director jurors.

What makes a good jury?

I love a vocal and opinionated jury. It’s never fun when we all agree on everything.  

I love a vocal and opinionated jury.

Filmmaking is very subjective, so I love to hear the varying viewpoints and a lot of the time it helps me see things from a different perspective.

Do you think 2024 was a good year for creativity in North and South America?

I think our industry is definitely on the creative struggle bus.  

It’s hard to get anything green-lit that is truly innovative, as fear dictates many decisions these days.  

There are some outliers, but it’s harder than ever to make the creative work that was more commonplace even a decade ago.