International
Indie Filmmakers
Hall of Fame

Our 2019 inductee is JoAnn Hess. JoAnn is a multi-award-winning Master screenwriter, filmmaker, and voice-over artist. Named as one of the industry’s Most Recommended Writers, JoAnn’s stories revolve around the socially-disenfranchised, those whom society has forgotten, who struggle to find a place in the world. JoAnn is highly sought out as her work has been optioned and contracted for-hire by several producers in both the US and UK. She mentors other writers through seminars and panels.

Bob Messinger, a 2018 inductee for screenwriting, studied filmmaking and screenwriting under some of the brightest professionals in both New York and Los Angeles. His scripts have placed in screenwriting competitions such as Francis Ford Coppela's American Zoetrope Contest (Semi-Finalist), ENDAS International Screenwriting Expo (Best Script), Garden State Film Festival (Top 5 Finalist), and several of his scripts have been winners in The Indie Gathering International screenwriting competition.

Erik William was inducted in 2018 for his work as a TV Host. He is the host of both "Saturday Fright Theater" and "Indie Films Backstage". Previously, he was co-host of "The Phil and Erik Show", and he also currently works as a field producer and interviewer on "Horror Hotel". In addition to his work in hosting, Erik is also an award-winning filmmaker and an actor.

Jason Tostevin is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, film festival director, and founder of Hands Off Productions, a boutique studio with a worldwide reputation for its short genre films. Jason has directed and produced a string of festival-hit short genre films. In 2016, he co-founded Nightmares Film Festival, a celebration of "Better Horror." Jason has become a leader in independent film, speaking at festivals and presenting film circuit insight in his "#BetterFesting" live broadcasts.

Saba studied acting in Cannes and performed in France for many years before moving to the United States in 1996. After presenting his own productions with Saba Dance Theater for five seasons, he decided to pursue his dream and passion as an actor. Since 2006, Saba has appeared in many indie movies, tv shows, and major productions. In 2010, he started Cloudy Sky Films, a film production company based in NYC, to create roles for himself and other actors by writing, directing and producing films.

Bruno Tatalovic, inducted for his work in teaching, is an independent film producer, screen actor, and professor of creative arts at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH.

Michael Gibrall, President of One of Each Productions LLC, is a two-time Emmy Award winner. Michael has been writing screenplays since 2010, in which he has received dozens of awards and nominations from the film festival circuit. He is listed in the Del Weston book, "Top 50 Indie Writers In The World." Currently, he is a screenwriting judge for the Eerie Horror Fest, listed as a "Top 13 Film Festival To 'Die' For" by MovieMaker Magazine.

Composer Edward Douglas is the founder of the pioneering gothic horror instrumental act, Midnight Syndicate. For almost two decades, the band has been the premiere supplier of original Halloween music to the haunted attraction, amusement park, and Halloween retail industries. In 2007, Edward directed and scored the horror film, "The Dead Matter." In 2013, Midnight Syndicate released it's seventeenth studio album, "Monsters of Legend" and began work on a multimedia concert scheduled for 2014.

"From Dusk 'till Dawn", "Spawn", and the TV mini-series "Dune", for which KNB and Al won an Emmy award for Best Special Effects. Big Al serves as the Makeup Effects Shop Supervisor for Precinct 13 Entertainment (Kurtzman's company in Ohio) and often serves as VFX Supervisor for company projects, hearkening back to his days as a fervid fan of Ray Harryhausen.

Robert Kurtzman - Trivia: Kurtzman was the first person to pay Quentin Tarintino to write a screenplay. For $1,500, Tarantino penned the screenplay for "From Dusk 'Til Dawn based on a short story Kurtzman had written about an action movie with the vampire element. From producing, directing and FX supervising, Robert Kurzman has done it all! 2012 Indie Filmmakers Hall of Fame inductee. Visit his IMDB page for all his credits. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476071/

For most actors the road is never easy, but through perseverance, faith and talent Joe has become an accomplished actor, and in Hollywood today he is one of the busiest actors for one reason: He is one of the best at what he does. Joe can be seen weekly on the T.V. series "Hollywood Joe" and as the host of the critically acclaimed Faith Film Festival in N.Y.C. And if you want to read about Joe, pick up a copy of his book "Wiping off the Sheen"