August TGIM celebrity judge Justin Verely
Screenwriter, filmmaker and cinematographer Justin Verely (August 1 TGIM)
One of the celebrity judges who will be on hand to get the discussion going after the presentation of each film screened at the August 1st T.G.I.M. is Justin Verely. The FSU sophomore is not only a freelance artist and photographer, but a screenwriter, filmmaker, editor/cinematographer and co-founder/producer of Critical Edge Film Festival Network, a national network of student-
run microfestivals and film societies.
Verely founded Critical Edge Film Festival (CEFF) in Tallahassee with Collin MacPherson. Since its inception in 2014, CEFF has grown to be a student-favorite, with frequent screenings and audience interaction. The Tallahassee branch of the festival has been renamed “Experimental Edge 
Film Festival.” It also collaborates with different festival events around the country, most recently in Milwaukee, WI and New Orleans, LA.
“Our business as a festival network is designed to guide student artists, actors, and filmmakers through the process of creating their own film festivals in hot-spots in the student art 
community,” relate Verely and MacPherson.
Small, short film pre-screening events typically take place inside art spaces, independent theaters and local coffee shops, and are generally cheap or free and open to the public. “A typical CEFF branch consists of a pre-screening season involving a number of pre-screening events. During these events, a student host will screen a number of short films and facilitate audience 
critiquing between shorts. These critiques assist in the process of deciding whether or not a festival selection will be screened during our annual event or wins a category.”
Although many of CEFF’s festival branches are in their first season, Verely and MacPherson aim for the annual events to take place at multiple venues over a span of a few days, and consist of all of the 
films deemed winners through the pre-screening season/submission period.
Verely has already penned two feature films, directed one feature and several shorts, and is currently shooting a half-feature in Southwest Florida called “Paradise,” with locations including Bowditch Pass and The Barrel Room at Twisted Vine Bistro.
As you can see from this brief profile, Justin brings a lot to any analysis and discussion of the films that Eric Raddatz and Melissa DeHaven will screen at the August 1 edition of TGIM. It’s another reason you should plan to attend. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center’s doors open at 6:30 with screenings beginning at 7:00 p.m.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.