CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL
About Us and Our Mission
City of Angels Film Festival, one of the most respected and well established film festivals in Los Angeles is NOW WELCOMING MEN AND WOMEN and projects of all genres and content to our event. Located in the heart of Hollywood on the famous Sunset Boulevard, your film will be seen on the big screen just minutes from every major Los Angeles Film Studio. The festival is in the top 1% of BEST REVIEWED film festivals in the world. City of Angels is also an IMDB qualifying festival which is a prestigious recognition given to a handful of festivals worldwide. Our mission is expanding as we move towards 2025 with new horizons and offices in Los Angeles, London and Cannes.
City of Angels is an inclusive film festival with a mission to connect, empower and uplift filmmakers and writers from all over the world. Our four day festival celebrates diverse filmmakers' stories by creating a platform for those stories to be shared and celebrated through the medium of film and written word. We have an open call for submissions from both men and women and people of all backgrounds and ages to submit your projects on Film Freeway.
As the festival continues to expand its mission, City of Angels Film Festival is making strides to shine a light on films that create awareness for people with disabilities and environmental films that promote sustainability and conservation and encourage conversation on these important themes.
We aim to showcase the highest calibre work which reflects high artistic merit and which also entertains. Some of our filmmakers have gone on to be contenders for the Academy Awards and have won prestigious awards from the DGA and other notable accolades. We are happy to see our community of filmmakers thrive and we are proud of the creative work that has emerged and continues to emerge from City of Angels Film Festival.
We warmly welcome both our international and local filmmakers and writers together from around the world to connect, network and empower each other and learn more about the film industry by sharing experiences through screenings, panels and Q&A's. It is our hope that both working relationships and friendships will be sparked through participating in the festival, and both experienced and new filmmakers and writers will continue on this positive trend of change in film and beyond.
The Core Team
This is our core team with offices located in Los Angeles, California; London, United Kingdom; Cannes, France.
To meet our Advisory Board members, click the button below.
Founder/Creative Director
Lisa K. Crosato
Los Angeles Office
Lisa K. Crosato is an award winning Actress, Writer and Producer, based in Los Angeles and originally from Vancouver, Canada. After acting in numerous independent films and stage plays, Lisa turned to writing and producing to fuel her creativity. Her first written, produced and starred in film, KENMORE AVE gained acclaim at Cannes, where the organizers of the festival played the trailer in rotation continuously over their red carpet alongside major features and is currently distributed by Shorts TV. She produced the feature length documentary TO RISE ABOVE, which has earned numerous awards and has recently received distribution. She was a producer and developed the screenplay for acclaimed director Jean Pierre Bekolo’s film, LES SAIGNANTES which was shot in French and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Silver Stallion Award. She was mentored by famed screenwriter, Mardik Martin (RAGING BULL, MEAN STREETS) while writing her first screenplay XXL which has won several awards and has been optioned. She has several projects in development including a crime thriller she wrote about infamous female serial killer, Sheila LaBarre which won Best Script and an Exceptional Achievement Award in the Multidimensional Film Festival and was recently a semi-finalist at the Oscar qualifying Rhode Island Film Festival. She has recently penned another edgy drama FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE which has won multiple awards and will be shot in London and LA. Lisa successfully founded City of Angels Film Festival which is one of LA's most respected and Best Reviewed film festivals in the world. COAFF has been mentioned in Forbes magazine, Variety, and is sponsored by Shout Studios, Final Draft, Coverfly and Panavision. It has awarded several Academy Award and Golden Globe winning artists with Angel Awards for extraordinary work and inspiration including Alan Ball, Charles Burnett, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Bogdanovich, Dee Wallace and others.
International Producer
Paul Dubois
London Office
Paul is a British Canadian Producer based in the UK specialising in short films. Over the past decade Paul has produced and worked closely with new and established filmmakers including the following projects: the documentary PEMÓN by Brandon Pestano (BFI/Doc Society: winner of Best International Documentary, Buenos Aires Film Festival), DING-DING, NEXT? by Alexander McKenzie & India Plummer (Screen South/BBC Creatives: winner Berlin Flash Film Festival), Alice Trueman’s JAS (Red Rock Production Award), Eleanor Dolan’s READY OR NOT (Screen South/C4 Random Acts, Best Micro Film, NRFF), Joshua Kerr’s FLY HOME (Super 8s Cannes & World 25 winner) and for trans director/actor Jake Graf’s COCKTALE & XY (Iris Prize Nominee). Paul has produced numerous online series, including the award winning comedy series #HONESTY by Niall Bishop and Ruggero Dalla Santa and A QUICK FORTUNE by Erin Hunter and James Gavigan. Paul was also the Co-Producer of the feature film DARK SIGNAL (Netflix USA, SKY Cinema & Kaleidoscope) by Edward Evers-Swindell with James Cosmos and Exec. Produced by Neill Marshall. For further information about Paul’s film projects, please visit https://www.aproposltd.net/films
International Co-ordinator/Marketing Team/Media Team
Julita Litkowiec
London Office
Julita Litkowiec is an English and Media teacher, photographer, editor, and writer (of scripts, short stories, books, and poetry) based in the United Kingdom, originally from Lubycza Krolewska, a small city in Poland. Julita is deeply passionate about the arts of literature, storytelling, and filmmaking.
Julita gained her marketing, filmmaking, and screenwriting knowledge at Luton Sixth Form College (Luton, United Kingdom) during her studies before going off to university. She utilized and further expanded her marketing knowledge as a former European Union Student Careers Ambassador for her university, the Academy of Zamosc (Zamosc, Poland). She was a speaker during an international conference between the Academy of Zamosc and the University of Padova/Padua (Italy). The conference was titled From Padua in the South to Padua in the North and covered a range of topics including Professor Fiona Dalziel's (University of Padova), “Learning Languages Through Drama: Experiences at the University of Padova.”
Julita's first feature-length original script Always & Forever - A Tale of Timeless Love has been selected as an Official Selection for the 2024 season of City of Angels Film Festival. Julita continues to tell stories through her writing projects, including scripts.
Media Team
Jenna Westfall
Los Angeles Office
Jenna is one of our media team coordinators, she helps with film/media editing for our social media marketing and is always on the lookout for sponsors! This year 2024, she will graduate from Quinnipiac University with her Master’s, studying Cinematic Production Management. Jenna hopes to become a director and/or producer, combined with her passion of post-production one day. Her studies and experiences involve studying abroad to work for the Cannes Film Festival 2023, and worked for a production company in Los Angeles, California, 2023. Currently, she lives on the East Coast, and is also working for A&E Network as a PA. Jenna is a big advocate for female empowerment, inclusion, and fair representation within the film and T.V. industry. She is proud to be a part of women in film and T.V, while being a member of the City of Angel’s Media Team!
French Festival Liaison for Production France-US
Maria Lazaridi
Cannes Office
Maria Lazaridi was born in Belgium and moved to the French Riviera, where she has resided for over 20 years. Maria is a well-respected entrepreneur and producer of high-end customized luxury events in the south of France including Cannes, St. Tropez and Monaco. More recently Maria has focused on producing films with Hollywood actress and producer Lisa K.Crosato. Maria has also joined the team of City of Angels Women’s Film Festival as the international French representative and liaison for promoting film business between France and the US vis a vis City of Angels Film Festival. Ms. Lazaridi also oversees European partnership and sponsorship opportunities for the Hollywood based festival and looks forward to bringing her expertise to City of Angels Film Festival in 2025.
Festival Consultant
Anchal Chand
Los Angeles Office
Anchal currently serves as President of Rukus Avenue a 27 year old entertainment and lifestyle brand based in Los Angeles. She serves as the director for Rukus Avenue Radio, the world’s #1 South Asian radio and podcast network. Rukus Avenue radio has recently signed a distribution deal with iHEART radio, making it the first south asian platform to join the IHEART family, diversifying their listenership to a broader audience.
In addition to her work across the range of Rukus Avenue initiatives, Anchal served as director for Rukus Avenue's 15 year partnership with the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles with its mutual venture called Rhythm Village and currently serves on the board. She is cofounder/creator of Good Luck Yogi LLC, a wellness brand and character dedicated to teaching children mindfulness. In addition Anchal sits on the advisory board of In A Perfect World, an organization dedicated to providing mentorship and education to underserved youth worldwide . She also serves as a US Ambassador for New Light India for the past 9 years, an NGO dedicated to offering comprehensive community development services to at-risk women and children in Kolkata India. Her personal passion in the space of social justice, Indigenous rights, and advocacy for children has driven her role in impacting social change and advancement through the creative arts and media.
Advisory Board
Meet our Advisory Board Members
Tom Holland
Los Angeles, California, USA
Tom Holland is an American director and screenwriter of horror and thriller films. His early writing projects include Class of 1984 (1982) and the Robert Bloch- inspired Psycho II (1983), the latter starring Anthony Perkins as the menacing psychopath, Norman Bates.
Tom gained more notoriety, however, as a director. His directorial debut was the popular 1980s Vampire film, Fright Night (1985) which, at the time, was said to have been responsible for redefining the sub-genre, influencing later films like The Lost Boys (1987) and Near Dark (1987). The film was a box office hit and garnered three Saturn Awards and one Dario Argento Award.
For his next project, Child's Play (1988), Tom again cast Chris Sarandon. The film was a Number One box-office hit in America and a worldwide success, despite controversy over its thematic content. It, like Fright Night (1985) has since gathered a cult following amongst horror fans. Tom then went onto direct two films based upon adaptations of Stephen King's novels: The Langoliers (1995) and Thinner (1996). He also took a cameo role in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994).
Tom's other projects have included _The Incredible Hulk_ episode 'Another Path', Steven Spielberg'sAmazing Stories (1985), three episodes of Tales from the Crypt (1989), and the prestigious Masters of Horror (2005) anthology. He starred in A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970) with Ingrid Bergman.
In 2009 Tom took a starring role in Hatchet II (2010) alongside Kane Hodder and Tony Todd.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Lee-Williams
Henry Penzi
Los Angeles, California, USA
Henry Penzi is a powerhouse Hollywood producer and talent manager, known for working with A-list stars and delivering blockbuster entertainment. With deep industry connections and a sharp eye for talent, he has played a key role in bringing major film and TV projects to life. A true dealmaker, Penzi's influence spans across production, management, and high-stakes Hollywood negotiations.
Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith
Dallas, Texas, USA
Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, The Film Festival Doctor is a change agent. Her focus on film festivals and mental health is the first of its kind within the film industry. She creates new ways to approach festival strategies and redefine how to look after one’s mental health within the intense & rewarding world of film festivals.​
After choosing not to pursue a career in Academia teaching film studies, Rebekah began her film industry career in 2009, working as one of the producers of Wales’ most successful national horror film festival; the Abertoir Horror Festival, and during that time began to develop a great knowledge of the film festival business. Which led her to become inspired to start her own innovative company in an industry she loved.​
Rebekah and the hard-working team are committed to nurturing filmmakers in order to help them secure film festival screenings, win awards, and cultivate a positive recognition within the film industry. Currently, her company has won more than 2,225 awards for their clients and one Oscar nomination. Her team has supported over 850 creatives across the world, enlightening and inspiring their journey towards achieving their goals and following their filmmaking dreams. ​
One of the factors which has led to her success is the blending of both practical business skills and spiritual techniques that infused new life into her company’s growth. She decided to record her hard-won knowledge in her book Born to Do It: Becoming the Leader of a Business Niche Using Powerful Spiritual Techniques to help others who are pondering the leap into entrepreneurship or are already on the journey, but yearning for more success and profitability.​
Rebekah has been featured in Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Variety, Ladders, Parade, Screen Daily, The Sun & The Mirror and her profile continues to grow.
Paul Dubois
London, UK
Paul is a British Canadian Producer based in the UK specialising in short films. Over the past decade Paul has produced and worked closely with new and established filmmakers including the following projects: the documentary PEMÓN by Brandon Pestano (BFI/Doc Society: winner of Best International Documentary, Buenos Aires Film Festival), DING-DING, NEXT? by Alexander McKenzie & India Plummer (Screen South/BBC Creatives: winner Berlin Flash Film Festival), Alice Trueman’s JAS (Red Rock Production Award), Eleanor Dolan’s READY OR NOT (Screen South/C4 Random Acts, Best Micro Film, NRFF), Joshua Kerr’s FLY HOME (Super 8s Cannes & World 25 winner) and for trans director/actor Jake Graf’s COCKTALE & XY (Iris Prize Nominee). Paul has produced numerous online series, including the award winning comedy series #HONESTY by Niall Bishop and Ruggero Dalla Santa and A QUICK FORTUNE by Erin Hunter and James Gavigan. Paul was also the Co-Producer of the feature film DARK SIGNAL (Netflix USA, SKY Cinema & Kaleidoscope) by Edward Evers-Swindell with James Cosmos and Exec. Produced by Neill Marshall. For further information about Paul’s film projects, please visit https://www.aproposltd.net/films
Pam Finn
Galway City, Ireland
Pam Finn is an award-winning film director, accomplished TV presenter, and respected PR mentor with a passion for storytelling and impactful communication. Her films have received critical acclaim for their originality and emotional resonance, while her work as a TV presenter has established her as a dynamic and engaging media professional.
As a PR mentor, Pam has guided countless individuals and organizations in crafting their narratives and building meaningful connections with their audiences. She is also the founder of PR PamProductions, where she leads full-service media projects, including video production, event coverage, and content creation for high-profile clients and cultural initiatives.
Now joining the City of Angels Film Festival Advisory Board, Pam brings her expertise in filmmaking, media, and public relations to champion diverse voices and support the festival’s mission of celebrating the transformative power of cinema.
Abdul Malik Abbott
Los Angeles, California, USA
Abdul Malik Abbott followed in his father's footsteps to become a filmmaker, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Film from the School of Visual Arts in New York City after attending the famed LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. Beginning in the industry in the sound department, he contributed to notable projects like Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues, along with over 500 commercials, music videos, and worked on two seasons of Chappelle’s Show. Also establishing himself as a music video editor, Abdul constructed over 300 music videos.
Abdul’s notable breakthrough came with directing the award-winning jazz music video People in Me by jazz legend Abby Lincoln and the Platinum-selling, long-form
music video, Streets is Watching starring Jay-Z, which reached #1 on the Billboard charts. As director, he directed a variety of music videos and scripted dramas such as State Property featuring Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z. After moving to Los Angeles and joining the Directors Guild of America, he broadened his career into television, documentaries, and new media. Abdul’s love for music sparked him to co-create a soul music band entitled B.O.S.S in which he produced and released two albums for the music project; Tricky Kinda Love and Liquid Leather.
Recently, Recently Abdul garnered acclaim for his award-winning short films Curse of War and Balance of Power. He has recently completed producing, shooting and
editing a documentary feature on LA-based artist Betye Saar and continues his multifaceted role as producer, director, and lead editor for the (AAFCA) African
American Film Critics Association's prestigious award shows and other projects.
Sunil Sadarangani
Los Angeles, California, USA
Sunil Sadarangani is a Mumbai-born, Los Angeles-based award-winning producer and writer with over 15 years of experience in international film and TV production, and who is passionate about creating and promoting diverse and inclusive stories for global audiences.
He is the co-founder and former director of programming of the Ojai Short Film Festival, that included Academy Award-nominated and winning films, and episodic series from studios such as Sundance TV/AMC Networks. Sunil is a member of the Programmers of Colour Collective, was on the programming committees at Outfest and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles,
and has served on the juries of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival and the Yellowstone International Film Festival.
Sunil is a contributing entertainment writer for Deadline Hollywood (non-fiction), New York Amsterdam News, and American Kahani, covering filmmakers and artists of color at major film festivals and industry award events.
He has been recognized by the California State Senate for his ongoing commitment to creativity and innovation in the Los Angeles community.
Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Los Angeles, California, USA
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Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir is an award winning and accomplished Icelandic film editor who graduated from the London Film School with honors. She is known for her incredible editing skills and her contributions to the film industry. In three decades of work in the industry, Elísabet showcased her skills editing projects from TV shows through documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters. She has namely edited projects such as The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Deadpool 2, and John Wick. She has the reputation of the go-to editor for action sequences and films. She has played a key role as an advocate for women in the film industry and is a founding member of Women in Film & Television Iceland (WIFT Iceland). She was the chairwoman of WIFT Iceland for two terms. Her work fosters representation and opportunities for women in the film industry. Elísabet received an Angel Award from City of Angels Film Festival for her extraordinary work as an editor.