Academy®-nominated actors. Grammy®-winning composers.
Emmy®-awarded showrunners. And more.
This is the jury that will define the 2026 Carmel International Film Festival—
A gathering of industry legends united by a single purpose: to find and celebrate the stories that matter.
Frances Fisher is an accomplished American actress whose work has spanned stage, film, and television for nearly five decades. After launching her career in professional theater and gaining early recognition on the television drama The Edge of Night, she built an extensive body of work that includes acclaimed performances in Unforgiven, Titanic, House of Sand and Fog, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Host, and numerous television series including Resurrection, Watchmen, The Sinner, and The Rookie. Respected for her versatility and enduring contributions to the performing arts, Fisher brings decades of storytelling experience and artistic insight to the CIFFest Jury Panel.
Stephen Gyllenhaal is an award-winning director, producer, and writer whose career spans more than four decades in film and television. He has directed acclaimed feature films including Waterland, A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, and Grassroots, along with celebrated television productions such as Family of Spies, Paris Trout, and Girl Fight. His work has earned a Directors Guild of America Award, multiple Emmy nominations, and international recognition for its thoughtful storytelling and richly developed characters. Bringing decades of experience across independent film, studio productions, and television, Gyllenhaal offers a distinguished creative perspective as a member of the CIFFest Jury Panel.
Timothy Hutton is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, and director whose distinguished career has encompassed film, television, and theater for more than four decades. He made history as the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his breakthrough performance in Ordinary People, and has since delivered acclaimed performances in films including Taps, The Falcon and the Snowman, The Dark Half, Beautiful Girls, and The Good Shepherd. Television audiences also know him for leading roles in Leverage, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, American Crime, and Jack Ryan. As both an accomplished performer and filmmaker, Hutton brings decades of creative experience and industry insight to the CIFFest Jury Panel.
Bill Morrison is a 3-time Eisner Award-winning cartoonist, writer, and illustrator best known for his work with The Simpsons and Futurama, as Creative Director, Writer, and Artist at Matt Groening’s Bongo Comics. Working with Groening, Bill did visual development and early character designs for Futurama and served as the series Art Director. Morrison also helped develop and served as Character Designer and Artist on Groening’s Netflix series, Disenchantment. Morrison brings a distinctive artistic vision and decades of work in animation to the CIFFest Jury Panel.
Stephen Nemeth is an accomplished producer, actor, and director whose career spans independent narrative features and award-winning documentaries. As founder of Rhino Films, he has produced or executive produced acclaimed films including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Sessions, Dogtown and Z-Boys, War Dance, Fuel, Flow: For Love of Water, Climate Refugees, and Mediha. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Nemeth is also recognized for championing socially conscious filmmaking and supporting numerous nonprofit arts and humanitarian organizations. His decades of experience developing impactful independent cinema make him a distinguished member of the CIFFest Jury Panel.
