About Around Films & Meet the ARFF Visioners
the essential elements of filming.
Jim Rygiel
Visual Effects | Second Unit & Assistant Director | Actor |ARFF International | Lifetime Achievement Award
3 Times Academy Award (Oscar’s)-winning Visual Effects Supervisor for:
THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY.
3 Times BAFTA Award-winning Visual Effects Supervisor for:
THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY.
Jim has been working in Hollywood since 1985 and has set the standard for photo-real visual effects as a proud member of the Board of Director’s of the Visual Effects Society.
Iliona Blanc
Actress | Composer | Stunts | ARFF Barcelona | GoldfingersAndrea Zirio
Actor | Producer | Writer | ARFF Paris | Ulysses: A Dark OdysseyStephen Castor
Producer | Visual Effects | Director |ARFF International | Lifetime Achievement Award
International Speaker and also the CEO of an International Film Fund, Stephen began his career in entertainment in 1992, and by the mid-1990s his visual effect companies became world-renowned. Well known for his work on the Columbia Pictures/Sony Spider-Man features, and his team has supervised Disney and DreamWorks Animation films. Stephen is partnered in business with Jim Rygiel, three-time Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects on THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.
Michael B. Katz
Actor | ARFF InternationalMichael B. Katz is both an actor and a lawyer who operates an entertainment law firm located in various cities in Florida – United States, as well as ”Around the World”. Michael brings some much appreciated lawyerly seriousness to ARFF. Whatever tomorrow brings with the waves, we are safe & sound!