Stella Velon is an actress, writer, and director who works in both English and French-language films. She made her directorial debut with the psychological drama The Critic, which she wrote and starred in as the female lead, and which earned her multiple award nominations and wins, including in Amazon Studios' inaugural All Voices Film Festival.[1][2]
Stella Velon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alma mater | Paris Nanterre University HB Studio |
| Occupation(s) | actress, writer, director |
| Years active | 2005 - present |
| Known for | Director of The Critic (2019 film) |
| Awards | Full list |
She was nominated for a Webby Award for Best Individual Performance for her role in The Critic.[3]
Education
editVelon attended the Paris Nanterre University, where she studied Economics and Business Management, while simultaneously taking acting classes in Paris and Copenhagen, before moving to New York to study at the HB Studio, to further pursue her acting career.[2][4]
Career
editWhile in drama school, Velon worked as a professional model appearing in various ads and commercials for Calvin Klein,[5] Oribe, Lacoste, and others.[6][7]
She also made appearances on television shows and films such as Gossip Girl (alongside Sam Page and Blake Lively) and starred in independent productions such as Shutterbug, short films and music videos.[6][7]
Velon co-founded her production company The Punk Floyd Company with former fashion and beauty photography agent Jean Gabriel Kauss (president of JGK Inc.). Their inaugural production was the short psychological drama The Critic written, directed, co-produced and starring Stella Velon opposite Alan Smyth as the two leads.[4]
Velon filmed The Critic over the course of two consecutive days in one location in Los Angeles, California.[4][8][9][10] The film deals with topics ranging from impostor syndrome, mental health, and substance abuse, to artists' and women’s place in Hollywood.[11][4]
She was named Best Director at the 2018 UK Film Review Awards.[11][12] She was also nominated for Best Individual Performance at the 2020 Webby Awards for her work in the film.[13][14] She won the Best Short Film award at Method Fest Independent Film Festival, one of the four first prizes in Amazon’s first All Voices Film Festival for the film[13][15] and was runner-up for the Women in Film award at the Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival.[16]
Filmography
editFilm and television
editKey
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Title | Year | Actor | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vive la vie | 2005 | Yes | No | No | Feature film (France) |
| R.I.S. Police scientifique | 2006 | Yes | No | No | TV series (France) |
| A Girl and a Gun | 2009 | Yes | No | No | Shot on film |
| Shutterbug | 2009 | Yes | No | No | Feature film |
| Gossip Girl | 2010 | Yes | No | No | TV series |
| Dead End | 2010 | Yes | No | No | Short film (silent)[17] |
| Hoppus on Music | 2011 | Yes | No | No | Promotional |
| Asylum | 2011 | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| Far Rockaway | 2011 | Yes | No | No | Feature film |
| Men in Black 3 | 2012 | Yes | No | No | Feature film |
| Video Game | 2013 | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| Sruggleing | 2017 | Yes | No | No | Web series |
| Baskets | 2016 | Yes | No | No | TV series |
| 79 Parts | 2016 | Yes | No | No | Feature film |
| Stella | 2017 | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| The Critic | 2019 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| Erase & Rewind † | TBA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film based on the short The Critic |
| Untitled Stella Velon Comedy Series Project † | TBA | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV series[18] |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Secret Window” | Dusty Wright | Performs “Soleils couchants” by Paul Verlaine at the top[19] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award/Festival | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Film Review Awards[1] | 2018 | Best Director | The Critic | Won |
| Kinofilm Manchester[20] | 2018 | Women in Film (2nd place) | The Critic | Won |
| Boston Film Festival[1] | 2018 | Best Short Film | The Critic | Nominated |
| Queen Palm International Film Festival[20] | 2018 | Best Actress - Gold Award | The Critic | Won |
| Queen Palm International Film Festival[20] | 2019 | Annual Grand Jury Prize | The Critic | Won |
| Queen Palm International Film Festival[20] | 2019 | Annual Best Short Film - First-time Filmmaker | The Critic | Won |
| Festival Angaelica | 2019 | Best Breakout Performance | The Critic | Won |
| London Independent Film Festival[22] | 2019 | Best Short Film | The Critic | Nominated |
| Sunscreen Film Festival[21] | 2019 | Best Breakout Short | The Critic | Nominated |
| Amazon Prime Video’s All Voices Film Festival[1] | 2019 | Runner-up / First Prize recipient | The Critic | Won |
| Method Fest Independent Film Festival[23][1] | 2019 | Best Short Film | The Critic | Won |
| Method Fest Independent Film Festival[23][1] | 2019 | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| The Webby Awards[4] | 2020 | Best Individual Performance | The Critic | Nominated |
| W3 Awards[24] | 2020 | Best Individual Performance - Gold Award | The Critic | Won |
| Arpa International Film Festival[25] | 2020 | Best Short Film | The Critic | Nominated |
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Michael (2020-05-12). "The Critic, Stella Velon Debut, an Out-Standing Award Winning Film". indieactivity. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ a b "Meet Stella Velon | Award-Winning Writer, Director, Actress". SHOUTOUT LA. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ a b c d e "Interview with The Punk Floyd Company on Making "The Critic"". Webby Awards. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "Calvin Klein Downtown - Sasie Sealy". sasiesealy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ a b "Aspiring Queens actress sues after her picture appears in Di Modolo jewelry ad". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ a b "Model suckered into national ad campaign for $400: suit". NYPost. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "Interview: Stella Velon, First-time Director on Award-winner, The Critic". indieactivity. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "THE CRITIC | Psychological Thriller Film | Los Angeles, CA - FilmLocal". 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "The Critic". IMDb.
- ^ a b Review, UK Film (2018-08-07). "The Critic short film". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Review, UK Film (2018-12-17). "The UK Film Review Awards 2018 Nominees". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ a b Kilday, Gregg (2019-04-01). "'Princess of the Row' Wins Audience Award at Method Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Grein, Paul (2020-05-07). "Patton Oswalt Promises to Host Virtual Webby Awards While 'Sitting Around in Pajamas'". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Zhan, Jennifer (2019-08-28). "'Mr. & Mrs. Kim' wins Amazon's first All Voices Film Festival". AsAmNews. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "KINOFILM 15th Edition Award Winners, Runners Up and Special Mentions | Kinofilm Festival". Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ ""Dead End" by Fabien Dufils". Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "Untitled Stella Velon Comedy Series Project". The Punk Floyd Company. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "Dusty Wright - "Secret Window" | Dusty Wright's Culture Catch". culturecatch.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b c d Dapo (2020-05-12). "Case Study: The Making of The Critic by Producer Jean Gabriel Kauss". indieactivity. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ a b "The Critic (2018) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "The Fan Carpet + ActingHour's Sophie London shares her Reviews for Shorts Block 6 at the 2019 Edition of the London Independent Film Festival". thefancarpet.com. April 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Method Fest Independent Film Festival". methodfest.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "Winners List". w3 Awards. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ IFF, Arpa (2020-09-24). "Short film THE CRITIC by Stella Velon 2020 Arpa IFF". Arpa International Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-03-22.