Antoine M. Dillard

Antoine M. Dillard, known internationally by his nickname Amani, is an independent filmmaker and polyglot who knows 8 languages (English, Spanish, Swahili, Egyptian Arabic, Greek, Japanese and Amharic and Russian). Antoine was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and raised in the small town of New Castle. An award-winning Director/Filmmaker, Antoine is best known for his directorial role in the Rise of the Avalanche films (2017 - 2019) and his on-screen role in The Kombat AllStar Show (2014 - 2017). He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media Arts & Animation (Graphic Design/2D & 3D Animation) from The Art Institute of Phoenix in 2005 & a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Special Effects Animation (Visual Effects) from Digital Media Arts College in 2007. Antoine started his career in the independent film industry in 2010 working for Gisela Productions on The Otherworld (2016) as a Visual Effects Artist. Even though post-production on The Otherworld was still in full swing his obligation to the project had been fulfilled and he moved on to work with Jazzy K Productions & Galloping Metal Productions as Visual Effects Artist and Visual Effects Supervisor on films like Hecate (2013) & TV Shows like Inner Dimension (2015).

On January 1, 2014, Antoine formed Quantum VFX International Pictures LLC (formally Quantum VFX Ltd.) an independent film production company and visual effects house, to further pursue his dreams. The company's 1st production was "The Kombat AllStar Show (2014 - 2017 )." In 2017 Antoine received 2 award wins & 2 nominations for his film directorial debut under the Quantum VFX umbrella, Rise of The Avalanche (2017). On May 12th, 2021, Antoine formed the Indie Nation Network LLC, which launched June 19th, 2021, a video streaming service that exclusively streams movies and shows from independent filmmakers from all over the globe.

He went on to serve as an Advisory Board Member for Front Range Community College (2011- 2013), was a member of ASIFA-Colorado (2013 -2014), a Festival Judge for the Hollywood Short Film Festival (2017- 2020), an industry member of the Denver Film Society (2013 - 2020), a member of the Marketing and Sales Committee (2019 - 2021) as well as a Board of Director (2020- 2023) for Open Media Foundation. After relocating to Georgia, Antoine became a member of the Atlanta Film Society (2023-2024).

Antoine has won several awards and nominations, a few of them include;

*Best Director of a Fantasy Award Win at the 2022 Best Director Awards for House of Ra: The Legend of Reo.

*Best Director Award Win at the 2021 Top Indie Film Awards for Citizen Blaine.

*Best Director Finalist Award Win at the 2021 Best Director Awards for Crazy Weapon 5: Back for the First Time.

*Best Crime Film Award Win at the 2017 Colorado Film Festival for Rise of the Avalanche.

*Best Original Story Award Win for Captain Powerful, at the 2018 Independent Shorts Awards.

*Best Director Nominations for Gotta Make It & Rise of the Avalanche: Revenge from the Shadows.

*Best Cinematography Nomination for Gotta Make It, at the 2018 Top Indie Film Awards.