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Award-Winning Actress, Writer & Director
 

BIO

WRITER DIRECTOR ACTRESS

Stella Velon is an award-winning writer, director and actress who lives and works between Los Angeles, New York and Paris.

Her directorial debut, the psychological drama THE CRITIC, which she also wrote and played the female lead in, was among the five winners of Amazon Studios' All Voices Film Festival for U.S. filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. Judges for the festival included top executives from Amazon Studios and the CEO of IMDb, Col Needham. Stella was also nominated for a 2020 Webby Award in the Best Individual Performance category from nearly 15,000 entries that year, alongside Emily Hampshire (SCHITT'S CREEK), FKA twigs (HONEY BOY), Leslie Grace (IN THE HEIGHTS) and Gastor Almonte (STORIES FROM THE STAGE), and also won the w3 Gold Award in the same category.

Other notable distinctions include the Best Director award at the UK Film Review Awards (in the company of Oscar-winning films such as Alfonso Cuarón's ROMA and Bradley Cooper's A STAR IS BORN), the Best Short Film award at the Method Fest (“celebrating outstanding performances in independent film”), the Best Actress Gold Award and the Annual Grand Jury Prize at the Queen Palm International Film Festival (alongside Emmy-winning documentary 'CRIME + PUNISHMENT' in the feature category). Her film was also elected Indie Shorts Mag's Editor's Pick.

Focused on personal and visceral storytelling, Velon received outstanding reviews for her work on THE CRITIC as a performer, writer, and director. UK Film Review’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Olson called Stella's portrayal of the main character “one of the best leading performances of the year so far,” her dialogues “exceptional” and the film “a particularly poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate.” Indie Shorts Mag wrote: “From her writing & direction to acting, she has done it with such finesse, that it’s a pity that we can’t rate her any higher.” In addition to film critics and festivals, her film received an overwhelmingly positive reception by the public, with Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman among those praising the film​.

As a performer, Velon has worked on film and television series such as BASKETS (with Zach Galifianakis), MEN IN BLACK 3, GOSSIP GIRL (with Sam Page and Blake Lively), HOPPUS ON MUSIC (starring alongside Mark Hoppus), and more. She trained as an actor in Paris (Cours Viriot), Copenhagen (IT New York), New York (HB Studio), and Los Angeles (AMAW).. She became the face of an international jewelry campaign for Di Modolo, succeeding Catherine Zeta-Jones.

As a creator/screenwriter, she is developing a female-driven dramedy series, loosely inspired by her experiences in the fashion world in New York City and Paris, the feature-length version of THE CRITIC, and several other original projects.

She is the co-founder of her production company, The Punk Floyd Company.

Stella also holds a degree in economics from Paris X University, is perfectly bilingual (English/French), speaks several other languages, and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, FREE THE WORK Pro, and BAFTA.

 
 

RECENT PRESS & REVIEWS

❝

 

The Hollywood Reporter

“Stella Velon’s The Critic was named best short [at the Method Fest].”
— Gregg Kilday

 

UK Film Review
★★★★★

“Intertwining external pressures with internal angst and guilt, The Critic is a powerful short film loaded with exceptional dialogue… For me, a jaded male critic, I would still say this is one of the best leading performances of the year so far.”
— Chris Olson

 

Indie Shorts Mag
★★★★★

“‘The Critic’ remains Stella Velon’s show. From her writing & direction to acting, she has done it with such finesse, that it’s a pity that we can’t rate her any higher.”
— Nimisha Menon

 

Film Daily

“She took the world she knew and wasn’t afraid to call out the aspects that people don’t talk about with being an actor. Her triple threat efforts worked out successfully, as ‘The Critic’ has been praised for its raw look at the industry and self-criticism.”
— Frankie Stein

 

The American Reporter

“Stella Velon’s Star Performance in “The Critic” Recognized with a 2020 Webby Awards Nomination”
— Jennifer Ross

 

Critical Popcorn

“The Critic is well written, stunningly shot with a beautifully observed performance at its centre. As a short film it’s affecting, and a brilliant showcase for Velon, who is clearly incredibly talented, and one to watch out for.”
— Nick Bartlett

 

California Herald

“Newcomer Stella Velon nominated for the 2020 Annual Webby Awards. Other celebs include Emily Hampshire, Post Malone, and Trevor Noah”
— Lisa Baker

 

Indie Shorts Mag
”Editor’s Pick”

“Stella Velon’s ‘The Critic’, a poignant, insightful look into the soul of an actress, with the measured performance of Velon… is an absolutely stunning visual and a treat to the cerebral folk and cinephiles alike!

The editor’s pick this year singularly, unabashedly falls for Stella Velon’s ‘The Critic’, worth every minute of the short! Indie Shorts Mag wishes Stella Velon the best for her future projects and thanks her for shining such pearls of genius upon us this year!”
— Nimisha Menon

 

One Film Fan

“A quietly fierce, dramatically potent, and heartbreakingly palpable exercise in what could very well be one of the most impactful inward looks at the realities found within the celebrity mindset, writer/director/actress Stella Velon’s 15-minute indie short film [The Critic] profoundly places the viewer right into the core of an interview gone wrong.

Velon brings charm, an undeniably innocent allure, and a deeply grounded sense of vulnerability in her role as the actress, a fresh face on the scene who’s coming off a recent awards win for a performance… a gorgeous performance without question.”
— Kirk Fernwood

 

Film Threat

“[Velon] grabs you from the start, establishes an emotional connection with the audience, and then straps you in on an emotional roller coaster ride.”
— Alan Ng

 

The Independent Critic

“The heart and soul of the film is unquestionably Velon, who manages to convince as both a confident, award-winning actress and as a young woman with a fragile façade… It's powerful, disturbing actually, to watch Velon's entire being shift throughout the interview—her language, her facial expressions, and her body language all revealing every little transition in subject and tone.

[The Critic] is Velon's baby and what an amazing baby it is to behold.”
— Richard Propes

 

The Movie Buff

“Velon has written and produced a powerful indie…

[The Critic] deals with heavy material, and, from its start, Velon (who also stars in the film as the actress) positions herself as a serious filmmaker… the pain – both psychological and physical – is palpable, and Velon (through her direction and acting) makes us feel it.”
— Mark Ziobro

 

Indy Reviews

“Stella Velon proves to be a triple threat in her directorial debut, ‘The Critic’… Her performance as a talented but uncertain actress is exquisite in creating psychological mystery… The script is a powerful foundation which is intensified tenfold by the performances of the protagonists. Stella Velon’s debut film, ‘The Critic’ is hopefully the start of many to come!”
— Olivia Ballington

 

The Fan Carpet + Acting Hour

“The standout offering of the block is 'The Critic', written, directed by and starring Stella Velon. Velon ably carries the film. Her wealth of expressions do far more work than any dialogue could, admirable for anyone directing themselves. Understanding the form and purpose of a short story is just as important as screencraft and 'The Critic' succeeds on all fronts.”
— Sophie London

 

Medium

“look no further than The Critic for a first-rate example of short screen storytelling. Deftly capitalizing on a simple premise, with a tension-crackling script that is always surprising, topped with a compelling central performance, The Critic showcases a major talent in the world of short film.”
— Lawrence Bennie

 

FILM 280 REVIEWS

“The subdued, neo-noir style combined with a dash of Hitchcockian threat and a sharp twist, creates a short but punchy little number…

Stella Velon carries [The Critic] with such vulnerable aplomb that you aren’t sure whether she’s acting, projecting, or scratching the fickle skin of Hollywood.”
— Billy Reynard-Bowness

 

The Review Awakens

“The Critic plays out as an intriguing look at a compelling character, showcasing a dark and daring study full of different complexities.
This is 100% a pure character study that shares similar narrative threads from previous films, such as Whiplash (2014).
The dialogue of the interview is complex, yet it’s written to near perfection.
The film’s perfect title captures what the film is really about, without spoiling too much. On that note, it gets its messages across quite solidly. I cannot deny that this is an important film… Its depiction of celebrity status is far more compelling and thought-provoking than any material I have ever come across.”
— Sam Edwards

 
 
 

ACCOLADES

  • Amazon Studios All Voices Film Festival

    Winner
    ‘The Critic’

 
 

THE CRITIC

(Psychological Drama/Thriller | 15 MIN | USA)

Multi-award-winning (Amazon All Voices Film Festival, UK Film Review Awards) and critically acclaimed short psychological drama/thriller written and directed by Stella Velon. Produced by The Punk Floyd Company. The short is being expanded into a full-length feature.