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2013 Short Film Competition Judges

November 1- 2, 2013

Cindy Adams

Cindy Adams is Chief Operating Officer of Superior HealthPlan, Inc., a Cinema Touching Disability Producer-level sponsor. Superior HealthPlan is an affiliate of Centene Corporation (www.centene.com), a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise that provides programs and related services to individuals receiving benefits under Medicaid.

Adams' professional experience includes 33 years working with government-funded programs in both the public and private sectors, with an emphasis on long-term care delivery in a community-based setting. She earned her BS in Social Work from the University of North Texas. She currently serves on the Board for the Texas Silver Haired Legislature Foundation, and was appointed by the HHSC Executive Commissioner to the Promoting Independence Advisory Committee.

Dr. Laurence Becker

From 1964-1974, Dr. Becker served as Chairman of the English Department at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, where he founded and directed for 6 years the Texas Student Film Festival, one of the largest and best student film festivals in the US. He also taught "Introduction to the Film," the largest senior elective offered at the school.

Then, in 1983, Dr. Becker directed and produced the international, award-winning documentary film With Eyes Wide Open about autistic savant artist Richard Wawro of Edinburgh, Scotland. For the past thirty-five years, he has worked with and written about some of the world’s most prolific autistic savant artists.

A longtime supporter of Cinema Touching Disability, Dr. Becker has served as a Short Film Competition judge since 2007.

Eric Clow

Since his childhood, Eric Clow has been passionate about film. He started making short documentaries in high school. His award-winning short film, “It’s Just Us: Taking a Stand While Sitting Down,” focused on the struggles of the disability rights movement.

In 2011, Eric graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Geography, but he also received extensive training in film production, film editing, screenwriting, and radio programming.

Eric’s passions still reside in the arts, and he spends his time writing, making music, and constantly seeking new films to enjoy. He currently works at VSA Texas.

Victor Diaz

As a film reporter and critic for YNN: Your News Now, Victor Diaz covers everything from local productions to Hollywood blockbusters and the many specialty films that populate Austin's art houses.

In 2009, Victor was honored by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters for his specialty beat covering the film industry. Victor has more than a decade of experience covering Central Texas news, sports, and entertainment.

You'll also see Victor covering sports for YNN along with filling in as a news anchor and traffic reporter.

Victor is a lifelong Texan, graduating from Round Rock High School and Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University – San Marcos). Cinema Touching Disability is pleased to welcome Victor Diaz back for his 4th year as a judge for the Short Film Competition.

Lynn Johnson

Lynn Johnson is in charge of Community Relations and Outreach Services at VSA Texas, a group devoted to promoting the creative power in people with disabilities.  She co-founded “Disability from Real to Reel” a film festival of local and international film by and about people with disabilities.  After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts  in Theater, she pursued different careers in the motion picture industry as a film editor  and  professional theater as props designer, back stage manager, house manager and volunteers for various equity theaters in Austin.

Sandy Wood

Sandy Wood has been a working writer/producer and voice talent for over three decades. Her work has been featured in radio, television, print and static museum exhibits. Since 1991 Sandy has been the voice of Star Date Radio, a production of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, heard nationwide on approximately 350 commercial and NPR stations. Additionally she is a writer/ producer of audio flash fiction and was selected as a finalist in 2009 by the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. Sandy was chosen by National Geographic publications to write the forward for their publication, Backyard Guide to the Night Sky and was featured in a New York Times article on October 30, 2011.