Jump to content

Stella Velon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stella Velon
Alma materParis Nanterre University
HB Studio
Occupation(s)actress, writer, director
Years active2005 - present
Known forDirector of The Critic (2019 film)
AwardsFull list

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]

She was nominated for a Webby Award for Best Individual Performance for her role in The Critic.[3]

Education

[edit]

Velon 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

[edit]

While 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

[edit]

Film and television

[edit]

Key

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

X Catalyst Content[21]

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
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Stella Velon | Award-Winning Writer, Director, Actress". SHOUTOUT LA. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  3. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Interview with The Punk Floyd Company on Making "The Critic"". Webby Awards. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  5. ^ "Calvin Klein Downtown - Sasie Sealy". sasiesealy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  6. ^ a b "Aspiring Queens actress sues after her picture appears in Di Modolo jewelry ad". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  7. ^ a b "Model suckered into national ad campaign for $400: suit". NYPost. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  8. ^ "Interview: Stella Velon, First-time Director on Award-winner, The Critic". indieactivity. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  9. ^ "THE CRITIC | Psychological Thriller Film | Los Angeles, CA - FilmLocal". 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  10. ^ "The Critic". IMDb.
  11. ^ a b Review, UK Film (2018-08-07). "The Critic short film". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  12. ^ Review, UK Film (2018-12-17). "The UK Film Review Awards 2018 Nominees". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  13. ^ a b Kilday, Gregg (2019-04-01). "'Princess of the Row' Wins Audience Award at Method Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  14. ^ Grein, Paul (2020-05-07). "Patton Oswalt Promises to Host Virtual Webby Awards While 'Sitting Around in Pajamas'". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  15. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (2019-08-28). "'Mr. & Mrs. Kim' wins Amazon's first All Voices Film Festival". AsAmNews. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  16. ^ "KINOFILM 15th Edition Award Winners, Runners Up and Special Mentions | Kinofilm Festival". Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. ^ ""Dead End" by Fabien Dufils". Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  18. ^ "Untitled Stella Velon Comedy Series Project". The Punk Floyd Company. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  19. ^ "Dusty Wright - "Secret Window" | Dusty Wright's Culture Catch". culturecatch.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ a b "The Critic (2018) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  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.
  23. ^ a b "The Method Fest Independent Film Festival". methodfest.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  24. ^ "Winners List". w3 Awards. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  25. ^ IFF, Arpa (2020-09-24). "Short film THE CRITIC by Stella Velon 2020 Arpa IFF". Arpa International Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-03-22.