Melissa Skirboll - Filmmaker Bio
Melissa Skirboll is an award-winning director, writer, actor and producer – for both screen and stage. In 2019, she was awarded the FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD at the Västerås Film Festival in Sweden.
Her short Greetings From Sarajevo is currently on the festival circuit; it recently was awarded BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER at Manhattan Film Festival and BEST SHORT at the NYC TV Festival. It is scheduled to screen this fall at the Fort Myers Beach International Film Festival in Florida; the Wallachia Film Festival in Romania; and Västerås Film Festival in Sweden.
My Dinner With Schwartzey which premiered at the Bermuda International Film Fest in March 2019, has since won BEST DRAMEDY at the Manhattan Film Fest, BEST DRAMEDY and BEST DIRECTOR at the NYC TV Fest, BEST DIRECTOR at the Brightside Film Fest, BEST FILM at DMOFF, BEST COMEDY at CFIFF as well as a number of other awards. Its festival run comes to an end this fall with screenings at Fort Myers Beach International Film Festival in Florida and the Jerome Indie Film Festival in Arizona.
All told, her first four shorts have been official selections at over 80 festivals so far with 87 nominations/awards in categories across the board.
Her work in theater has also been recognized with a number of nominations and awards including wins for outstanding playwright (Blizzard: A Love Story); outstanding direction (The Closet by Amy Gray Piper) and nominations for acting in Blizzard: A Love Story, for direction on both Superstars by Glory Kadigan and Straight-Faced Lies by Mark Jason Williams, and for projections/SFX on A Madness of One Acts.
She is a member of New York Madness, a director for the Women's Work Play Lab at New Perspectives Theatre and The Brazen Giants Ensemble. In NYC she has directed work at Nylon Fusion Theater Co, Urban Stages, Abingdon Theatre and Estrogenius Festival. Ego Actus, Abingdon Theatre, and Urban Stages have staged her plays here in New York.
Skirboll is a proud member of NYWIFT and SAG/AFTRA.
Melissa also teaches acting for the Sande Shurin Acting Studio and works with individuals as a private coach.
Melissa Skirboll IMDB
**Short Films directed/produced by Melissa Skirboll and LifeDream Productions have screened at Festivals worldwide and have been nominated for over 90 awards in various categories; winning 41 thus far.
Wins include:
Greetings From Sarajevo:
Best Psychological Short Manhattan Film Festival
Best Short Film NYC TV Festival
My Dinner With Schwartzey
Best Short Dramedy Manhattan Film Festival
Best Director Comedy Brightside Film Festival
Best Cast French Independent Film Festival
Best Dramedy, Best Director NYC TV Festival
Best Film DMOFF
Best Comedy Changing Face International Film Fest
The Spy Who Scratched Me
Best Comedy Erie International Film Fest
Show & Tell Tango
Best Short Film Her Vision Film Festival
Her short Greetings From Sarajevo is currently on the festival circuit; it recently was awarded BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER at Manhattan Film Festival and BEST SHORT at the NYC TV Festival. It is scheduled to screen this fall at the Fort Myers Beach International Film Festival in Florida; the Wallachia Film Festival in Romania; and Västerås Film Festival in Sweden.
My Dinner With Schwartzey which premiered at the Bermuda International Film Fest in March 2019, has since won BEST DRAMEDY at the Manhattan Film Fest, BEST DRAMEDY and BEST DIRECTOR at the NYC TV Fest, BEST DIRECTOR at the Brightside Film Fest, BEST FILM at DMOFF, BEST COMEDY at CFIFF as well as a number of other awards. Its festival run comes to an end this fall with screenings at Fort Myers Beach International Film Festival in Florida and the Jerome Indie Film Festival in Arizona.
All told, her first four shorts have been official selections at over 80 festivals so far with 87 nominations/awards in categories across the board.
Her work in theater has also been recognized with a number of nominations and awards including wins for outstanding playwright (Blizzard: A Love Story); outstanding direction (The Closet by Amy Gray Piper) and nominations for acting in Blizzard: A Love Story, for direction on both Superstars by Glory Kadigan and Straight-Faced Lies by Mark Jason Williams, and for projections/SFX on A Madness of One Acts.
She is a member of New York Madness, a director for the Women's Work Play Lab at New Perspectives Theatre and The Brazen Giants Ensemble. In NYC she has directed work at Nylon Fusion Theater Co, Urban Stages, Abingdon Theatre and Estrogenius Festival. Ego Actus, Abingdon Theatre, and Urban Stages have staged her plays here in New York.
Skirboll is a proud member of NYWIFT and SAG/AFTRA.
Melissa also teaches acting for the Sande Shurin Acting Studio and works with individuals as a private coach.
Melissa Skirboll IMDB
**Short Films directed/produced by Melissa Skirboll and LifeDream Productions have screened at Festivals worldwide and have been nominated for over 90 awards in various categories; winning 41 thus far.
Wins include:
Greetings From Sarajevo:
Best Psychological Short Manhattan Film Festival
Best Short Film NYC TV Festival
My Dinner With Schwartzey
Best Short Dramedy Manhattan Film Festival
Best Director Comedy Brightside Film Festival
Best Cast French Independent Film Festival
Best Dramedy, Best Director NYC TV Festival
Best Film DMOFF
Best Comedy Changing Face International Film Fest
The Spy Who Scratched Me
Best Comedy Erie International Film Fest
Show & Tell Tango
Best Short Film Her Vision Film Festival
