DFW2026 Official Selections List
Meet the 2026 Jury
Tasked with the monumental job of reviewing more than 100 hours of content, our jury consists of esteemed professionals from various corners of the world. With their unparalleled expertise and diverse viewpoints, they are dedicated to ensuring a rigorous and equitable evaluation process. We extend our deepest gratitude to each juror for their commitment and contribution, making this festival a remarkable journey of discovery and excellence.
Film Jury
Carla Johns
Carla loves sharing the skies with the Boulder community through her work at Fiske as the Membership, Marketing & Digital Strategy Manager. Prior to joining the team at Fiske, Carla was a STEM Informal Science Educator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of NASA’s Museum Alliance, a volunteer membership network of informal science educators at over 600 institutions in the U.S.
She also developed and led planetarium presentations and STEM curriculums for after school programs, science clubs, libraries, camps, and scouting groups. In addition to her work at JPL, she worked as a Telescope Demonstrator at Griffith Observatory and a 60-inch and 100-inch Telescope Operator at the historic Mt. Wilson Observatory.
Mark Petersen
Mark Collins Petersen is president and founder of Loch Ness Productions. He is a long-time dome show producer, as well as broadcast and online videos. He has more than four decades of experience as a soundtrack producer, with more than 60 shows to his credit, and a space music composer under the name Geodesium, with 16 albums of original music in release.
Mark has collaborated with producers around the world, including Albedo Fulldome, Mediendome Kiel, Ogrefish FilmProduktions, and Dome3D to bring their work to worldwide audiences. He also composed and recorded original music for two fulldome ride films, SpacePark360: Geodesium Edition and SpacePark360: Infinity. Mark currently oversees distribution of dozens of fulldome videos through Loch Ness Productions and its streaming service FULLDOME OnDemand.
Together with Carolyn Collins Petersen, Mark was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Fulldome by Dome Fest West in 2022. Read more about Mark at: https://www.lochnessproductions.com/lnpages/mcp.html
Pedro Zaz
Pedro Zaz is a Portuguese New-Media artist and VJ, specializing in Fulldome and video projection mapping. He co-founded the international collective United VJs, recognized for creatively integrating digital arts through video projection mapping, Fulldome Projection, software programming, sound, and video art. United VJs, headquartered in São Paulo with partners across South America, Asia, the US, and Europe, has earned global acclaim for its innovative performances.
In addition to his artistic endeavours, Pedro Zaz co-founded VJ University, an educational platform providing specialized training in art and technology for VJs and visual artists worldwide.
Zaz's significant contributions extend to the Fulldome and Immersive Cinema fields. He plays a pivotal role as one of the main directors and a key organizer of the Immersive Cinema festival, Fulldome UK. His innovation in Fulldome technology includes co-creating influential software tools like Blendy Dome VJ, Blendy 360 CAM, and FDVJ, widely used for content creation and VJing in dome environments.
Feather Miigwan
Aanii! Feather Miigwan, a Native American transdisciplinary artist from the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, combines art, culture, and technology in her work. She is passionate about immersive media, STEAM education, Indigenous perspectives, sustainability, and empowering women in science and technology. Miigwan's work nurtures humanity through an Indigenous Futurist lens.
Miigwan's work is deeply influenced by the seven generations theory, a principle from their culture that emphasizes the importance of considering the impact of one's decisions on the next seven generations. This perspective drives Miigwan to leverage the exciting opportunities within their fields to effect meaningful change.
In their free time, Miigwan finds joy in being close to water and trees, indulging in art in all its forms—whether it be films, galleries, or performances. Combining travel, nature, and art represents Miigwan's ideal state of happiness, reflecting a deep connection to their surroundings and a passion for exploration and discovery.
Carolyn Collins Petersen
Carolyn Collins Petersen is CEO of Loch Ness Productions, responsible for show development, writing, and outreach.
She is an award-winning science writer whose work appears in fulldome shows, online videos for MIT's Haystack Observatory and DarkSky International, podcasts for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, science exhibits for museums in the U.S. and China, the online science magazine Universe Today, and in 8 astronomy and space-science books.
She has created shows for major planetaria and planetarium/fulldome companies across the U.S. She is Director Emeritus for IMERSA, and was responsible for show selection and planning for several IMERSA meetings. She and Mark served as judges for DomeFest West in 2022 and for the Jena Fulldome Festival in 2012.
Together with Mark C. Petersen, Carolyn was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Fulldome by Dome Fest West in 2022. Read more about her work at: https://www.lochnessproductions.com/lnpages/ccp.htm
Live Performance & Interactive Experience Jury
Andrew Merkin
Overseeing creative direction for immersive experiences and games for Cosm, Andy directs and produces stories and designs games for the comprehensive large format pipeline.
He serves as an adjunct professor/speaker in transmedia strategy and production across the world including USC, UCLA, Art Center, Harvard Business School, and professional conferences such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival. His award-winning projects include Cannes Lions, SXSW Interactive Awards, D&AD Gold Pencils, and the 2006 Time Person of the Year.
Andy holds an MS from MIT in transmedia production management, an MBA from HEC-Paris in creative management, and an AB with Honors from Rollins College. A true believer that interesting storytellers have led interesting lives, Andy’s previous work experience includes development and production for Sony Pictures Television, training entrepreneurs in the Peace Corps in Bangladesh, performing improv, and educating students in zoo keeping for Busch Gardens.
Oana Jones
Oana Jones is a Director, Producer and Science Communicator. Her work includes exhibition design, documentary filmmaking and science communication and has been featured in Planetariums, galleries, virtual reality, augmented reality and even onto buildings for large events.
She opened and managed the Perpetual Guardian Planetarium in Dunedin’s Otago Museum for almost seven years and in that time has developed twelve planetarium shows, four funded digital exhibitions and dozens of museum programmes. Currently she’s a lecturer in Game Art and Animation at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury and her research explores immersive exhibition design and the intersection between digital and physical interaction.
Oana is the Oceania board member for the International Planetarium Society and works actively within the Australasian Planetarium Society to promote collaboration and innovation between planetariums and science centres in the region.
Kelon Cen
Kelon Cen is an animation director, creative technologist, and founder of IMUU artist collective. He has explored various media forms, from traditional painting to animation and programming. He focuses on crafting immersive narrative experiences using VR, WebXR, fulldome, and real-time rendering.
His works have graced numerous festivals, such as the Japan Media Arts Festivals, Ars Electronica, FILE São Paulo, Jena Fulldome Festival, Animamix Biennale, etc. Kelon holds an MFA in experimental animation from CalArts.