Actor and director, James Caan, is the Chairman of Openfilm. Caan joined Openfilm with the belief that succeeding in the film business requires talent, an unshakeable belief in yourself and being in the “right place at the right time.” He feels Openfilm will create that “right place” for burgeoning filmmakers, harnessing the power of the Internet to provide a forum for films to be seen by industry insiders. As an Advisory Board Member, Caan will mentor the next generation of talent who will continue his passion to entertain and inspire.

Caan studied acting in New York and soon began to work in numerous TV roles, making his big screen debut with the starring role in Lady in a Cage (1964) with Olivia de Havilland. He quickly garnered the attention of audiences and critics with his work in Red Line 7000 (1965), El Dorado (1966), Journey to Shiloh (1968) and The Rain People (1969). In one of his most acclaimed roles, Caan was cast as the hot-tempered gangster Santino "Sonny" Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972). The film earned Caan a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. That same year, he received a Best Actor Emmy nomination for the award-winning Brian’s Song. He later reprised the role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather: Part II (1974).

Caan moved on to act in a diverse number of films, including a cop-buddy crime partnership with Alan Arkin in Freebie and the Bean (1974), a man playing for his life in the critically acclaimed The Gambler (1974) and pairing with Barbara Streisand in Funny Lady (1975). Two further strong starring roles came in the 1975 films Rollerball and The Killer Elite. He starred in fellow Advisory Board Member Mark Rydell’s films Cinderella Liberty (1973),Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) and For the Boys (1991).

Caan acted in a variety of films throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, including the critically acclaimed heist movie Thief (1981), the supernatural romantic comedy Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), Francis Ford Coppola’s Gardens of Stone (1987), and the sci-fi hit Alien Nation (1988). He surprised audiences with his portrayal of a meek romance novelist held captive after a car accident by a deranged fan in Misery (1990). Other films include Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), The Program (1993) and Flesh and Bone (1993). Caan made his directorial debut in 1981 with the film Hide in Plain Sight (1981), which won him accolades from every known film critic.

Over recent years, Caan has influenced a new generation of fans. He has consistently created intriguing characters in such films as The Yards (2000), The Way of the Gun (2000) and City of Ghosts (2002). In 2003, Caan starred alongside Nicole Kidman in Lars von Trier’s provocative tale Dogville and later caught the attention of both child and adult audiences starring alongside Will Ferrell in the now holiday classic, Elf. For many years, Caan was also seen as the casino security chief in the television series Las Vegas.

In some of his latest projects, Caan lent his voice for the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and starred in features New York, I Love You and Mercy, written by and costarring his son Scott. He will be seen in the upcoming film Middle Men and is currently starring alongside Keanu Reeves in Henry’s Crime.

As one of the industry’s most renowned actor’s, Caan is also a veteran, having starred in well over 80 films. He is widely known and celebrated in the entertainment community by industry workers of all ages and professions. As part of the Openfilm Advisory Board, Caan will offer his wisdom to the Openfilm community as he evaluates submissions, serves as a judge for the online competitions and interacts with emerging talent.

Renowned actor, director, writer and producer Robert Duvall joins Openfilm as a member of the Advisory Board. Duvall will evaluate film submissions, serve as a judge for Openfilm’s online competitions and interact with the Openfilm community during twice-annual online webcam chats.

Duvall made his screen debut in the now classic motion picture, To Kill A Mockingbird. He received his first Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Godfather. In 1979, Duvall earned a second Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. The next year, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor as the Marine pilot Bull Meechum in The Great Santini. He was honored with the Academy Award as Best Actor for the 1983 release Tender Mercies. He was later nominated for The Apostle, which he wrote and directed. won a Golden Globe for Stalin and received his sixth Oscar nomination for A Civil Action.

In his impressive roster of additional feature films, some of his credits include The Chase, The Rain People, True Grit, M*A*S*H, THX 1138, The Godfather Part II, The Killer Elite, Network, Days of Thunder, Falling Down, The Sixth Day, John Q, Gone in 60 Seconds, Gods and Generals, Open Range, Secondhand Lions, Lucky You and We Own the Night. In 2008, he appeared in the holiday blockbuster Four Christmases.

Duvall formed Butchers Run Films so that he could become more actively involved in all aspects of film and television development and production. In 2006, its miniseries, Broken Trail, aired on AMC and garnered16 Emmy nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and a Directors Guild Award. The company’s first co-production, A Family Thing, in which Duvall co-stars, earned a Humanitas Award. He executive produced the TNT Original The Man Who Captured Eichmann in which Duvall portrayed the Nazi bureaucrat, Adolph Eichmann. In 2001, he went to Argentina to direct, write, produce, and star in Assassination Tango.

Last year, Duvall could be seen in the post-apocalyptic feature, The Road. He also produced and acted in the critically acclaimed film Crazy Heart, which has recently been nominated for 2 Golden Globe awards. This year, Duvall plays the lead in the period film Get Low.

Director, producer and actor Mark Rydell joins Openfilm as a member of the Advisory Board. Rydell will evaluate film submissions, serve as a judge for Openfilm’s online festivals and will participate in twice-annual webcam chats with Openfilm members. With over 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Rydell has seen filmmaking progress through technology advances and believes Openfilm will help new emerging talent get recognized, discovered and financed in ways never before possible.

Rydell began his career as an actor and became known for his roles in television shows including The Edge of Night and As the World Turns. He later received critical acclaim for his role as the violent Jewish mob kingpin, Marty Augustine, in The Long Goodbye (1973).

Rydell has directed numerous actors to receive coveted nominations and awards in many of his films. His directing credits include The Reivers (1969), The Cowboys (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Rose (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director, The River (1984), For the Boys (1991) and Intersection (1994). Most recently, he directed the 2006 film Even Money. Rydell also directed the TV bio-pic James Dean (2001), which he played head of Warner Studios Jack Warner.

In addition to his work with Openfilm, Rydell is dedicated to educating aspiring artists. He has worked for many decades at The Actors Studio, a non-profit theatre workshop for professional actors, directors and writers, and currently serves as the Artistic Director and Executive Director in West Hollywood. In 2009, Rydell, actor Martin Landau and screenwriter/playwright Lyle Kessler teamed up to produce a unique two-day event covering the disciplines of acting, directing and writing called “The Total Picture Seminar.”

Actor, writer and director Scott Caan serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Openfilm and is a member of the Advisory Board. The son of actor and director James Caan, he grew up around actors and other industry professionals and benefitted from having an insider’s look at what it takes to be successful in the film world. He is committed to sharing his knowledge with a new crop of talent. In this role, Caan will evaluate film submissions, provide insight and work with the rest of the Advisory Board team to help jump-start the careers of aspiring filmmakers.

Caan began acting in the 1990s and has appeared in numerous independent and studio films. After studying acting at the Playhouse West in Los Angeles, Caan quickly gained recognition for his roles in such films as Enemy of the State (1998) and Varsity Blues (1999). Caan subsequently appeared in the films Ready To Rumble (2000), American Outlaws (2001) and Into the Blue (2005) as well as the box office successes Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen.

Caan began creating his own material, making his screenwriting and directorial debut in 2003 with the film Dallas 362, which won the Critics Award at the 2003 CineVegas International Film Festival. He also wrote and directed the 2006 comedy The Dog Problem, in which he plays one of the supporting characters.

Most recently, Caan has been seen as a Hollywood talent manager on the HBO series Entourage and starring in the film Mercy, which he wrote and produced. His book of photography, Scott Caan Photography Vol.1, was published in 2009.