Stella Velon is an award-winning actress, writer, and director who works in both English and French-language productions. She made her directorial debut with the psychological drama "The Critic" which she also wrote and starred in as the female lead. The film deals with topics ranging from impostor syndrome, mental health, and addiction, to artists' and women’s place in Hollywood. It received over twenty awards, including one of the four First Prizes in Amazon Studios' inaugural All Voices Film Festival judged by top executives there and the CEO and founder of IMDb Col Needham, the UK Film Review Award for Best Director, the Annual Grand Jury Prize at the Queen Palm International Film Festival in Palms Springs, and the Best Short Film award at The Method Fest Independent Film Festival in Beverly Hills. It also earned Stella a 2020 Webby Award nomination for Best Individual Performance, out of over 13,000 entries worldwide.
Her performance, writing, and direction of the film were met with critical acclaim. In his 5-star review of "The Critic," UK Film Review's Editor-in-Chief Chris Olson called Stella's dialogues "exceptional," her performance "one of the best leading performances of the year," and the film "a particularly poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate." Indie Shorts Mag elected the film their "Editor's Pick – The Best Of All From 2018!"
One of Velon's greatest strengths as a filmmaker has been said to be her ability to tell a deeply personal story that resonates with audiences on a universal level. The short, which is distributed by Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK, and Omeleto worldwide, received wide praise from both the public and industry professionals, such as Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman, the British Film Institute, and others.
Stella also worked as a professional model, appearing in various campaigns and commercials. Her time in the fashion industry inspired a comedy series project, that she is currently developing alongside Jean Gabriel Kauss, among other original projects, including the feature length version of "The Critic."
Velon is a dual US/EU citizen and lives and works between Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA, Free the Work Pro, and BAFTA.
