About Around Films & Meet the ARFF Visioners
Around Films is a network-based film collective which gathers our international colleagues all around. Alongside the aim of creating a custom approach, ARFF International selects the best filmmakers through the annual festival to associate with the related edition to enhance the collective consciousness through the visioners in the world. We provide collaboration-based work opportunities by
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!