Filmmaker Bio: First time Writer/Director Carrington Holritz, a recent graduate from Orange County High School of the Arts, draws inspiration from psychological thrillers and finds comfort in the uncomfortable.
 

Cast: John Kerry, Alan Maxson, Naiia Lajoie / Producer: Melissa Holritz / Director: Carrington Holritz / Writer: Carrington Holritz / Cinematographer: Ino Yang Popper / Editor: Oliver Li / Composer: Stefan Wesolowski

Filmmaker Bio: Mariya Pyter is an American Director, Screenwriter, and Producer, with experience working in Theater, film, and TV (CBS, TNT, REN TV, NTV). After graduating with honors from the UCLA Directing program, Mariya gained experience at the Dr. Phil show on CBS. Her short narrative films (The Dead are Silent, On the Way to Lovetown) collected multiple awards worldwide. The feature-length version of 22 received worldwide distribution on Amazon, VHX, and other VOD platforms. Her short horror film Me-eat premiered at MosFilm festival in 2020, and Somewhere in the Milky Way at We Make Movies International Film Festival in 2022. In collaboration with Buffalo 8, Mariya and her team at Magic Hour Productions, INC. are developing a feature-length horror/drama, Devil and Dr. Basterhimen.
 

Cast: The Braga Family / Producer: Mariya Pyter, Frank McNeice / Director: Mariya Pyter / Writer: Frank McNeice, Mariya Pyter / Cinematographer: Scott Baker / Editor: Jessica Carillo
 

Filmmaker Bio: Erin Brown Thomas is a writer/director who makes sad and haunting comedies. Her characters rarely get what they want, but always get what they need. As a director, Erin’s films and pilots have won awards at Oscar Qualifying festivals such as Hollyshorts and Cinequest, as well as top prize at Catalyst Story Institute. Dozens of other festivals have celebrated her work including AMPAV at Cannes, Austin Film Festival, Cleveland International, and Palm Springs Shortfest where she was selected as an “Artist in Residence.” Erin was also a 2020 finalist for Shondaland’s Women in Film Mentorship program through SeriesFest. As a writer, Erin’s work has advanced in many contests and programs including Ron Howard’s Imagine Impact, Sundance New Voices, Sundance Development Track, Scriptapolooza, ScreenCraft Comedy, Austin Film Festival, BlueCat Screenplay, and ISA Fast Track. Her feature The Body of Chris is trending on the Coverfly Red List and is a 2022 Semi-Finalist for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship. In Erin’s (not so distant) former life, she cut films for other talented filmmakers including Emmy Winners Richard Shepard, Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner, and Elisabeth Moss. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Salute Your Shorts Film Festival.

Cast: Olivia Haller, Hunter Stiebel, Ciarra Krohne, Odellas Cain, Amber Khieralla, Jonathan Slusser / Producer: Olivia Haller / Director: Erin Brown Thomas / Writer: Olivia Haller / Cinematographer: Beth Napoli / Editor: Joe Siebert / Composer: Daniel Rufolo, Adam Kromelow

Filmmaker Bio: Daniel Lawrence Wilson is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California, whose obsession with authentic narrative has led him to partner with brands, agencies, and production companies worldwide. He has spent the last 12 years working as a successful writer, producer, director, and editor, focusing on creating branded content that integrates lifestyle and stories.
 

Cast: Mia Krystyna, Yavor Vesselinov, Sausan Machari, Garland Scott / Producer: Daniel Lawrence Wilson / Director: Daniel Lawrence Wilson / Writer: Daniel Lawrence Wilson / Cinematographer: Darren Streibig / Editor: Lexi Hiland, Daniel Lawrence Wilson / Composer: Snakes of Russia, Francesca Guccione, Naomi August.
 

He served 13 years as a combat officer in the IDF. He has a B.A in Entrepreneur and Business Administration from the IDC. He learned screenwriting at the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School.
 

Cast: Lea Koenig, Amir Peter / Producer: Mor Barkan / Director: Ofer Weiser / Writer: Ofer Weiser / Cinematographer: Noa Shaham / Editor: Yevgenia Danilenko / Composer: Nightwalk – Gavin Luke    

Filmmaker Bio: Steph Martinez is an actor / director living and working in Los Angeles. As an advocate for more women in the film industry, alongside Julie Phillips, Steph is one third of the female-centric production company, Hot and Bothered. The second season of their series, BOTHERED, is scheduled to be released on IndieFlix this Summer. Steph reprised the role of Tessa, Eddie and Jenn’s love interest, and directed all 10 episodes. Continuing to hone their craft, Steph is enrolled at Studio 24 Seven with Mark McPherson and repped by MakeLA Prod Mgmt, Aqua Talent, and One World Model and Talent. Their recent credits include Lifetime’s Sins in the Suburbs, the hilarious pilot, Bee-Man, and the short film Avocado. They have also appeared in several other web series and short films in the past year, including The White Room, Pool, 10 Rabbits, Derek Delroy the Pool Boy, and Next. As an lgbtqia+ film maker and advocate, Steph sees the importance of diverse visibility in film and entertainment, as well as the power of creating more lgbtqia+ focused roles in film. When directing a queer-centric piece, their main focus is giving it heart. So many shows and movies portray the stereotypes and capitalize on the traumas of queer life. Steph’s goal is to break the mold with their art. “This is any other story, they just happen to be gay”. Giving a piece “heart” means showing the world and the media that us queer folk are just like everybody else. We love, we hurt, we cry, we persevere.
 

Cast: Ryan Bertroche, David Beatty, Jacob Seidman, Katie Tassone / Producer: HRH Productions / Director: Steph Martinez / Writer: Jacob Seidman / Cinematographer: Emerson Niemchick / Editor: Steph Martinez

Filmmaker Bio: Eric Michael Kochmer works as a producer and makes art films and experimental videos.

Cast: Whit Spurgeon, Anthony Ferraro / Producer: Eric Michael Kochmer, Whit Spurgeon, Anthony Ferraro / Director: Eric Michael Kochmer / Writer: Eric Michael Kochmer / Cinematographer: Ross Kolton / Editor: Eric Michael Kochmer / Composer: Sapna Gandhi

Filmmaker Bio: Shayna Connelly’s films on ghosts and liminal spaces explore the boundaries between documentary, experimental and fictional forms. The 8-film anthology A Memory Palace for Ghosts illuminates hauntings that arise from traumatic events, mental illness, everyday routines, the search for truth and the aftermath of grief. Her films have screened at Palm Springs, Sydney Underground, Ann Arbor, Athens International, Antimatter Media Art, Chicago Underground, San Diego Underground, and Experiments in Cinema among many others. Chicago’s Newcity Magazine named her one its 50 Screen Gems in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
 

Director: Shayna Connelly / Composer: Chris Connelly

Filmmaker Bio: Erin Brown Thomas is a writer-director whose evocative narratives will make you laugh and cry. Her directing portfolio includes recent wins at HollyShorts, Cinequest, and Catalyst Story Institute. Other Oscar-qualifying festivals have awarded her work over the past decade. She is a 2022 Nicholl Fellowship Semifinalist and on the Coverfly Red List (top .07% of comedy projects). Her writing has advanced in contests and programs including Sundance Development Track, Sundance New Voices, Austin Film Festival, and dozens more, with several first place wins. She is the artistic director of Salute Your Shorts film festival. Curation has deeply impacted her curiosity and voice as an artist. Follow along at @erinbrownthomas_filmmaker.

Cast: Hans Obma, Zina Badran, Marco Da Silva, Kojo Attah, Jessica Sanchez Thurnherr, Roshni Rathore / Producer: Elle Shaw, Gabrielle Kinde, We Make Movies / Director: Erin Brown Thomas / Writer: Hans Obma / Cinematographer: Beth Napoli / Editor: Erin Brown Thomas

Filmmaker Bio: Born and raised out of New Hampshire, Alex Garnett is an award-winning filmmaker, known for his wide variety of work in both television and film. Some of his directing/cinematography work includes Drowning Era (2010), and Belle (2014), as well as his latest feature, After the Night with Valerie, (2019) which has been awarded the Best Made in Texas (Feature) Film at the Austin Indie Fest, in addition to Best Feature Film at the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival. Today, Alex continues to pursue his passions in narrative filmmaking, and is currently working on a horror short that is set to be released later next year.
 

Cast: Lorelei Linklater, Sam Stinson, Carly Christopher, Jordan LeuVoy / Producer: Thomas Burke / Director: Alex M. Garnett / Writer: Alex M. Garnett / Cinematographer: Alex M. Garnett / Editor: Alex M. Garnett / Composer: Jesse Beaman

Filmmaker Bio: Brad Griffith is a Los Angeles based writer and actor. After a many year hiatus from performance, he began again in 2015. His first film, Under Construction, premiered at Outfest and played festivals nationally. He also made a feature length documentary, Cohibernation. This is his third film. He has been a semi-finalist for the Outfest screenwriting lab and the Screencraft Pilot Competition. As an actor, he can be seen in roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Snowfall, The Politician and The Dropout. He holds an MFA in acting from University of Washington and an MA in dramaturgy from Stony Brook University.
 

Cast: Julia Lester, Ziggy Segal, Milan Levy, John O. Paszkiewicz, Amelia Baker, Rory O’Neill, Brad Griffith / Producer: Vickie Mendoza, Sam Kite / Director: Brad Griffith / Writer: Brad Griffith / Cinematographer: Ian Carberry / Editor: Brian Levin / Composer: Peter E. Jones

Filmmaker Bio: Ruffy Landayan is an actor, physical movement artist, aspiring director, writer, and producer in Los Angeles. He has worked in theatre, film, television, voice over, and health education.  A proud member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG/AFTRA).  His most recent credits and campaigns include:  iCarly (Nickelodeon), General Hospital (ABC), AT&T, John Muir Medical Group, Dexcom (Glucose Monitoring System), The Barefoot Spirit and Crash: The Animated Series (Sherwood Players).

Cast: Steve Brock, Toyin Moses, Christine Corpuz, Jeannette Franco, Shaun Fury, Vitoangelino Kaiewe, Cari Kenny, Sharon Spence, Ariel Staehle, Andrew Hoffman / Producer: Sherwood Players, Matt Weinglass, Ruffy Landayan, Toyin Moses, Steve Brock, Alamada Karatihy / Director: Ruffy Landayan / Writer: Ruffy Landayan / Cinematographer: Ajala Bandele / Editor: Ajala Bandele / Composer: Sally Chou
 

Filmmaker Bio: Thea Touchton is a non-binary, disabled, Latiné, and pansexual Producer/Actor. They have an Associates Degree in Theatre. Thea is certified in Human Resources, Covid Compliance, Public Relations, Image Consulting, Motivational Speaking, and Event Planning. They are monetized on YouTube and have about 15K across their social platforms. They completed a production company training program called DRAESIS. Nowadays, they are involved in the SAG-AFTRA Next Generation and Women’s Committee and were recognized for their mental health advocacy at MTV’s Mental Health Youth Action Forum at the White House. They just completed their first documentary feature Bake It Till You Make It. They enjoy taking pictures of their creative friends,  reviewing films on their YouTube channel and podcast, writing poetry, as well as putting their cats in sweaters and bow ties.

Cast: Winnie Lee, Johnny Cannizzaro, Thea Touchton, Karuna Tanahashi / Producer: Thea Touchton/ Director: Karuna Tanahashi / Writer: Alvaro Sebastian Gonzalez, Thea Touchton / Cinematographer: Bryan Ricke / Editor: Alvaro Sebastian Gonzales

Filmmaker Bio: Matt Mitchell hails from the great, and sometimes confused, state of Florida. Cutting his teeth in Orlando, Matt has appeared in many independent films over the years. After moving to Los Angeles, he developed a love for photography, which blossomed into a passion for cinema. Baby marks his 12th time producing, his 6th as a partner in Fancy Movies, and his first effort as sole director after sharing directorial duties on several titles as an indie filmmaker. With Fancy Movies, Matt has collaborated on projects that have been screened at dozens of festivals worldwide, from the British House of Commons to a nudist resort in Texas.
 

Cast: Slade Picha, Brian Wallace, Rachanee Lumayno, Whit Spurgeon, Brent Picha, Callie Harlan / Producer: Matt Mitchell, Brian Wallace / Director: Matt Mitchell / Writer: Jon Thompson / Cinematographer: Aayush Joshi / Editor: Matt Mitchell / Composer: Roman Falkenstein

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Filmmaker Bio: Maxim Emelyanov was born in 1997 in Lipetsk. Despite having a master's degree in civil engineering, he’s directed theatrical productions and shootings for various creative projects since he was a student. He also runs a student theater and his own production studio in his hometown.

Cast: Dmitry Kozhoma, Sergey Belyaev, Nikita Nikitin, Dmitriy Frolov, Alexander Sushchik / Producer: Maksim Federiakin / Director: Maxim Emelyanov / Writer: Maksim Federiakin, Maksim Kozlov / Cinematographer: Daniil Ushkov, Dmitry Lelikov / Editor: Daniil Ushkov

Filmmaker Bio: McKegg Collins has been writing and directing since he was old enough to hold a pen. His last short film, Eros Point, was selected for the 2018 New York Horror Film Festival. He is a core member of the production company Fitch Fort Films and independent film criticism and theory writer. His work can be seen at www.mckeggcollins.com

Cast: Kimberlee Connor, Kar Logan, Dineen Markey, Clay Westman / Producer: Alex Spenser, Nick Candido / Director: McKegg Collins / Writer: McKegg Collins / Cinematographer: Carrie Stalk / Editor: Elise Conklin / Composer: Christopher Marti

Filmmaker Bio: Alexander Thompson seeks to explore the human condition through a personal brand of cinema that infuses a love of dark fairy tales, aberrant psychology, strange monsters and even stranger people. His coming-of-age fantasy drama The Sisters made the 2022 annual Black List after placing as a semifinalist in the AMPAS Nicholl Fellowship, and was named by Forbes Magazine as among the fifteen most promising unproduced screenplays. Between writing gigs Alex has worked as a music video director for clients like Adult Swim, Spotify and Mello Music Group, affording him opportunities to merge live-action photography with cell animation, stop-motion and CGI in dynamic and ambitious ways. Alex is in post on Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting, a neo-western fantasy short starring Milly Shapiro (Hereditary) and Pollyanna McIntosh (Walking Dead). Its ambitious creature VFX hail from the team behind the Fantastic Beasts, Star Wars and Marvel films. It will be completed in late 2023.
 

Cast: Matthew Del Negro, Celia Au / Producer: Sam Froelich, Isaiah Kang, Alexander Thompson / Director: Alexander Thompson / Writer: Alexander Thompson / Cinematographer: Harper Alexander / Editor: Zach Kashkett / Composer: APM Music

Filmmaker Bio: Pete Burkeet is an artist who makes paintings, music, videos, and generative art. His work has been exhibited internationally at festivals, museums, and galleries. Past shows include CutOut Festival Mexico City, Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, London Experimental Film Festival, and the Utah Museum of Art. He lives and works in Shaker Heights, Ohio. With an eye to the historical role of experimental art, his work focuses on how the stresses of current culture manifest in the expressions of our collective unconscious.
 

Director: Pete Burkeet / Writer: Pete Burkeet / Producer: Pete Burkeet

Filmmaker Bio: Nick Ronan is an award-winning storyteller. As a writer and filmmaker, he has earned multiple accolades for his short films Vinyl Underground and The Secret Nobody Knows, including a Director’s Circle Award (Poppy Jasper International Film Festival), and a Best Dramatic Writing Award (Blackbird Film Festival). His films have screened across the U.S. and internationally. Nick’s breakout performance on stage as Danny in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea earned him an IRNE nomination for Best Actor. He has appeared in three Tennessee Williams World Premieres and in numerous independent films. Most recently, he can be seen on cable TV in Season 2 of Godfather of Harlem (Epix). He is the founder and Creative Director of A Night of Fireflies Productions. He holds a B.A. double major in Acting and Film from Emerson College. His first feature film, Apollo Minus Project, is currently in development.
 

Cast: Erica Camarano, Nick Ronana / Producer: Erica Camarano, Aron Meinhardt, Kevin Chap / Director: Nick Ronan / Writer: Nick Ronan / Cinematographer: Juri Beythien / Editor: Austin Kase / Composer: Jesse Wiener

Filmmaker Bio: Nell Teare is an award-winning director, producer, actress and writer. She began directing foreign language dubs with Netflix in June, 2019 and has since completed seven projects, including the third season of Fauda. Nell has shadowed in network television on CBS’ NCIS with Bethany Rooney and NCIS New Orleans with Jimmy Whitmore, Jr. She has directed over 80 book trailers for multiple publishers through Film14. Nell has directed fifteen short films, two web series, and a few pilot presentations over the years, including Parannoyance and The Hunt. Bolivar, her debut feature, was written and produced in 2020. Nell wrote, directed, produced and stars in the film. She is currently attached to direct three feature films and has another two in development.
Nell is a native Texan and graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Originally trained as a stage actor, she was a member of the original cast of Memphis, which went on to win the Tony award for Best Musical, and was in Center Theatre Group’s original production of Randy Newman’s Harps and Angels. She became a company member at The Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles and, eventually, their Director of Development from 2011 to 2012. Nell is the founder of Harmon Creek Press, through which she published her children’s book, Celia and the Witches, and is dedicated to mentoring teens and young people.
 

Cast: Nell Teare, Robert Pine, Tracie Thomas, Alex Deśert, Chris Petrovski, James A. Walsh / Producer: Nell Teare, Jerry Cope / Director: Nell Teare / Writer: Nell Teare / Cinematographer: Julia Swain / Editor: Noah Harald / Composer: Philip Sheppard

Filmmaker Bio: TandemVision was formed in 2020 by five NYC actors (Jayme Woj, Bethany Kay, Josh Schubart, Claire Ganshert, and Amanda Turen) who set out to stay creative during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group began by organizing weekly zoom meetups to stay creative and offer support to one another during the isolating chaos. Through many weeks of dramatic improv, the group played with the idea of creating a story that had no heroes or villains, and instead explored the difficulties real people face when they are all just trying to do their best to get by. This exploration culminated in the two day, two camera, fully improvised piece that is Book Fair.
Steven LaMorte is an award-winning Director and Producer of feature films, commercials, and branded content based in Los Angeles. Steven has worked with top brands such as Sony, Apple, WWE and Miss World America, bringing his signature visual aesthetic and post production wizardry to each project. Steven’s mission is to tell unique stories, and to empower other artists to do the same. He is best known for creating the viral horror parody The Mean One, based on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which had a successful theatrical release in America before becoming a cult classic around the world.
 

Cast: Jayme Woj, Bethany Kay, Claire Ganshert, Amanda Turen, Joshua Schubart / Producer: Tandem Vision Productions / Director: Steven LaMorte / Writer: Jayme Woj, Bethany Kay, Claire Ganshert, Amanda Turen, Joshua Schubart / Cinematographer: Steven Della Salla / Editor: Matthew Roscoe

Filmmaker Bio: Kendy Joseph is a versatile producer, specializing in the creation of films and clip voices and design. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of storytelling, Kendy combines technical expertise with artistic vision to deliver captivating cinematic experiences.
 

Cast: Claudy Joseph, Magda Chery, Kenderson Chery, Telemaque Jacnold, Kervenso Aristhene / Producer: Kendy Joseph / Director: Kendy Joseph / Writer: Kendy Joseph / Cinematographer: Kendy Joseph, Jameson St Louis / Editor: Kendy Joseph / Studio: Helo Productions 
 

Filmmaker Bio: Marquis Simmons is an Award Winning Director based in Chicago. His work on Trial in the Delta: The Lost Story of Emmett Till garnered him an Emmy win in 2022.  
Marquis’s film projects have gained much success in Film Festivals winning Best Director at the 2021 Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival for Faith Interrupted, and Best of the Fest at the 2022 Chain Theatre Film Festival in New York City for Broke Down Drone. Marquis has a vivid passion for storytelling and is an immersive filmmaker who prides himself on tapping into the innermost layers of the heart.
 

Cast: Max Thomas, Willie Round, Harold Dennis / Producer: Crystal Barnes, G. Riley Mills, Willie Round / Director: Marquis Simmons / Writer: Willie Round, G. Riley Mills / Cinematographer: Gary Walker / Editor: Marquis Simmons, Chris Neighbors / Composer: Charles “CJ” Chatman

Filmmaker Bio: Steve Brock is an award-winning director based in Los Angeles. His debut film, Even Steve, a comedy based on what he calls an alt-history autobiography, won several awards. He creates films that speak to personal traumas and the journey back from the brink. His last narrative short, Echoes of Kerberos, dealt with childhood traumas and the strategies some have to use just to survive. Broken Mirror - Kayla Burch, is a music video for a song that deals with themes of growing past betrayal and coming out the other side. Steve loves to tell stories that portray the journey of the human condition. As an actor, screenwriter, director, producer, singer, songwriter, and music producer, he uses those skills in the pursuit of raising up the people around him. His is dedicated to shining a light on the spaces between the public narratives we all tell ourselves and others and by doing so, aid in healing at least one person, and hopefully more. He has been known to say, “An artist’s job is to change the heart and mind of at least one person. If there’s more, so much the better.” He is honored to participate in We Make Movies International Film Festival alongside so many other impactful projects.

Cast: Kayla Burch / Producer: Steve Brock / Director: Steve Brock / Writer: Kayla Burch / Cinematographer: Ajala Bandele / Editor: Ajala Bandele / Composer: Kayla Burch

Filmmaker Bio: As a visual artist, Will Rahilly has showcased his work – including photographs, drawings, performances, video art and installations – in galleries, film festivals, and art fairs for over a decade, both in the United States and internationally. In recent years, he has been unifying his various art forms within the realm of cinema. When directing these projects, he typically takes on the responsibilities of music composition, sound design, and special effects. His collaborative film, CANAL (2022), has won numerous awards on its festival run. 
 

Cast: Suri Jackson / Producer: Giovanni Saldarriaga / Director: Will Rahilly / Writer: Anna Boskovski, Suri Jackson, Will Rahilly, Aaron Rodriguez, Giovanni Saldarriaga Cinematographer: Will Rahilly / Editor: Will Rahilly / Composer: Will Rahilly

Filmmaker Bio: Jasia Ka is a New York Emmy and Telly award-winning director working in documentary, commercials, music videos & scripted entertainment. Jasia grew up an All-American runner and dancer in downtown Philadelphia. Her passion for filmmaking was inspired by a similar desire to explore and illuminate transformation in unexpected places. She has directed over 30 documentaries, narrative films and episodic series, all while being under 30 years old. She is also an editor by trade and often cuts her own projects. Jasia immerses viewers in audio-visuals with emotion and rhythm at their core, focusing on stories with grit and big dreams. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Paper Magazine, Pitchfork, Bklyner, Brooklyn Vegan, Buzzfeed. She is currently working on her original series Girls Aren’t Funny with BRIC-TV and several other upcoming independent projects, as well as directing for Condé Nast and other commercial and editorial clients.
 

Cast: Caroline Klidonas, Matt Ippolito / Producer: Matt Ippolito, Richard Yeagley / Director: Jasia Ka / Writer: Libby Doyne, Michael Sallee / Cinematographer: Cole Ellett / Editor: Richard Yeagley

Filmmaker Bio: Salvador Paniagua is a filmmaker and photographer. He is currently developing the television show Funny Brown People with A Good Home Pictures and Kontakto Entertainment, and recently sold his script But She Wasn’t Perfect to PixL Television. He has worked for the United Farm Workers Foundation, Chadwick School, Urban Compass, the Learning Rights Law Center, and the Children’s Institute. Salvador’s short documentary about Sacramento’s first Latino mayor, Joe Serna, was featured at the Sacramento Latino Film Festival. His work has also been recognized by the San Diego Latino Film Festival, the Ford Motor Company, and the American Cinematheque, and he was a finalist for the ABC/Disney Feature Writing Fellowship Program. Salvador received a grant from the Mercury Latino Lens Challenge to shoot Los Tamales, a comedic and warm-hearted story about a 7-year-old boy's trek across the neighborhood, which featured Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez in his debut role. He currently works as photographer and filmmaker for the Children’s Institute in Los Angeles.
 

Cast: Jaime Ferrar, Eddie Martin, Jack Conley / Producer: Jaime Ferrar / Director: Salvador Paniagua / Writer: Salvador Paniagua / Cinematographer: Alex Simon / Editor: Cleveland Buckner / Composer: Michael J. Gonzales

Filmmaker Bio: Steven LaMorte is an award-winning Director and Producer of feature films, commercials, and branded content based in Los Angeles. Steven has worked with top brands such as Sony, Apple, WWE and Miss World America, bringing his signature visual aesthetic and post production wizardry to each project. Steven’s mission is to tell unique stories, and to empower other artists to do the same. He is best known for creating the viral horror parody The Mean One, based on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which had a successful theatrical release in America before becoming a cult classic around the world.            

Cast: David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, Amy Schumacher, Flip & Finn Kobler, Terence Rotolo, Steven LaMorte, Christopher Sanders / Producer: Amy Schumacher, Martine Melloul, Steven LaMorte / Director: Steven LaMorte / Writer: Flip Kobler, Steven LaMorte / Cinematographer: Christopher Sheffield / Editor: Mathew Roscoe

Filmmaker Bio: Jason Kurth moved to LA and began his journey through filmmaking in 2014. He volunteered on a litany of projects and learned the different aspects of a film set for two years before creating his first project, WHERE, in 2016. Since then, he has honed his skill by directing over a dozen projects, including a proof of concept for a series.             Inspired by Michael Slovis’ work on AMC’s Breaking Bad, Cinematographer Katie Eleneke moved to LA in 2014 to pursue a future in film.  She graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in film and an emphasis in cinematography, while working in the industry as a first AC and camera operator. After school, she continued to work in camera for shows and features but eventually moved into lighting to bolster her communications skills with her grip and electric crew. In 2016, she found that she loved working with lights and electricity and began working as a gaffer and continues to do so, while also working as a Director of Photography.

Cast: Flip Kobler, Kalen Shepherd / Producer: Jason Kurth, Calliope Weisman, Cindy Marcus / Director: Cindy Marcus, Jason Kurth / Writer: Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus / Cinematographer: Katie Eleneke / Editor: Jason Kurth / Composer: Dennis Poore

Filmmaker Bio: Eric T. Roth’s work has appeared on Comedy Central, Buzzfeed, EPIX and Hard Times News. His feature film screenplay The F!@# Happened was produced by Laff Mobb Enterprises. As a comedian and improviser he performed at UCB, Second City, Improv Olympic, and TBS’s Just For Laughs New Voices. His work has been called “winsome,” and “loosey-goosey” with an “insanely confident…swaggering sensibility.” Recently, his short films have garnered several awards, including Best Dark Comedy at the Portland Comedy Film Festival. His screenplays have been semi-finalists at The Austin Film Fest in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
 

Cast: Bradley Nnadi, Steph Estep-Gosalo / Producer: Alex Honnet, Brian Biancardi / Director: Eric Roth / Writer: Eric Roth / Cinematographer: Alex Parker / Editor: David Scorca / Composer: John Szymanski

Filmmaker Bio: Stephanie Kaznocha has been working as a film and television editor for the past 10 years. Her editing work includes Comedy Central's Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, the Duplass Brothers' Room 104 on HBO, and Roshan Sethi's 7 Days, which won Best First Feature at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Confessions is Stephanie's first film as a writer/director. It world premiered at Palm Springs International ShortFest and has won several awards including First Prize for Best Live Action Short at Rhode Island International Film Festival.
 

Cast: Carol Herman, Eve Sigall / Producer: Chase Horton, Caroline Huber, Stephanie Kaznocha / Director: Stephanie Kaznocha / Writer: Stephanie Kaznocha / Cinematographer: Sarah Pierpont / Editor: Ali Greer / Composer: Tangelene Bolton

Filmmaker Bio: Kim Furst recently created 1827 in Jackson Browne's childhood home for her proof of concept for George Eliot's Middlemarch starring Chelsea Alden (13 Reasons Why) with DP Denis Moran (Mad Men) and Tammy Fouts, Camera (Avatar 2, 3). Her documentary Flying the Feathered Edge stars Harrison Ford and is listed by Flying Magazine as one of the top aviation films of all time. A former actor, Kim is also a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, and is on the Board of the Alliance of Women Directors where she created and spearheads their ongoing Works in Progress Program with sponsors Canon and FotoKem.

 

Cast: Julie Phillips, Julia Montgomery, Maite Garcia, Denise Ryan Sherman, Sierra Deanne / Producer: Julie Phillips / Director: Kim Furst / Writer: Julie Phillips / Cinematographer: Danny Brown / Editor: Michael Yanovich, A.C.E.

Filmmaker Bio: David Beatty received a BA from Adams State University in 1996 and a MFA from the University of California Davis in 2005. In 1997 David launched Double Yellow Line Films and through this production company has produced dozens of award winning shorts, short form series, feature films and new media projects. David is known for The White Room, The Human Project, The Wasteland, Get Spy, Lien On Me, Criminal Minds, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and his directorial debut feature film Surviving New Year’s.
 

Cast: Julie Phillips, Serena Laney, Jacob Seidman, Rio Magdaleno, April Nelson / Producer: David Beatty / Director: David Beatty / Writer: David Beatty / Cinematographer: David Beatty / Editor: David Beatty

Screenwriter Bio: Anu Bhatt (she/her) is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, dancer and language nerd based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about work that elucidates the "balancing act" of being American and a child of South Asian immigrants. Anu studied Linguistics at U.C. Berkeley and likes to incorporate language into her work. She speaks French fluently, and Hindi, Bengali and Korean not fluently. Anu received her M.F.A. in Acting from Chicago’s Roosevelt University and worked professionally in theatre and on-camera from 2010-2019. She started creating her own work in 2015 in an effort to gain agency in her career. In 2019, she toured her one-woman show, Hollow/Wave, off-Broadway, and in 2020, she created her first short film, AutoCorrect, a dramedy about the importance of name pronunciation. AutoCorrect was an official WMMINTL selection in 2022 and also screened in nine other festivals. It won Poppy Jasper’s Audience Choice Award for Best Acting. Thank you to WMMINTL for having me back! Follow Anu and her work on Instagram at @iamanubhatt or visit her website at www.anubhatt.com.

Filmmaker Bio: David Beatty received a BA from Adams State University in1996 and a MFA from the University of California Davis in 2005. In 1997 David launched Double Yellow Line Films and through this production company produced dozens of award winning shorts, short form series, feature films and new media projects. These include The White Room, The Human Project, The Wasteland, Get Spy, Lien On Me, Criminal Minds, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and his directorial debut feature film Surviving New Year’s.
 

Cast: Kelly Mullis, Whit Spurgeon, Michael Beardsley, Ernie Charles / Producer: David Beatty / Director: David Beatty / Writer: David Beatty / Cinematographer: David Beatty / Editor: David Beatty / Composer: Daniel Westiner

Filmmaker Bio: A professional actor for over 15 years, this is Brit Morgan’s first time on the other side of the camera. After moving to Los Angeles in 2006, Brit has been on hit shows such as The Boys, Supergirl, and Riverdale as well playing werewolf Debbie Pelt in HBO’s True Blood. She has worked with acclaimed directors such as Alan Ball, Lesli Linka Glatter, and David Nutter.
 

Cast: Emily Burton, Leah Lewis, Matt Barr, Philemon Chambers / Producer: Larry Teng, Rynn Vogel, Logan Donovan, Brit Morgan, Emily Burton, Jared Padalecki / Director: Brit Morgan / Writer: Emily Burton / Cinematographer: John Fitzpatrick / Editor: Hector Carrillo

Filmmaker Bio: A native of Cleveland, OH, Nonie Shiverick has always been inspired by creative pursuits. As a teenager, watching the behind-the-scenes footage of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, she fell in love with film as a technical medium and dreamed of one day having a career in the industry. After a brief detour in the world of ballroom dance, and pursuing acting for a few years, she found her true passion behind the camera. Realizing Hollywood would never read her mind, and finally believing her mother that “the world needs more feminist writers,” Nonie began making her own projects.
 

Cast: Rivka Deray, William Charles Everett, Dontell McMichael / Producer: Nonie Shiverick, Ryan Koppelman / Director: Nonie Shiverick / Writer: Nonie Shiverick / Cinematographer: Paul Moore / Editor: James Neyman / Composer: Eli Manos

Filmmaker Bio: Winter Dunn is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for depicting rich Black stories. She is the producer of the feature film Jezebel which premiered at SXSW 2019 and is currently streaming on Netflix via Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY. Her directorial debut and award-winning short film Junebug has screened at several festivals including HollyShorts Film Festival, American Black Film Festival & Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. She is a former video producer and director for global media company Condé Nast Entertainment. Her celebrity video features for Vanity Fair, Vogue, Architectural Digest, GQ and other media brands have garnered 60 million views and counting.
 

Cast: Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Garland Scott, Perry L. Brown, Maleena Lawrence, Jennifer Lauren DiBella / Producer: Nicole Mairose Dizon, Xin Li, Jordan Hart / Director: Winter Dunn / Writer: Charmaine Cleveland / Cinematographer: Mike Maliwanag / Editor: Emily Ge Zhai

Filmmaker Bio: Tom Bessoir was born and raised in the Astoria section of Queens in New York City in 1957. From there he commuted by subway to attend The Bronx High School of Science. Tom studied mathematics and electrical engineering at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. While attending the Engineering School, he took advantage of Art School classes, focusing on film theory and studying experimental filmmaking with Robert Breer. In the late 1970s, he started photographing the downtown music scene. His photographs have appeared on dozens of records as well as in films, books, magazines, and newspapers. Tom’s experimental films often use mathematics to explore perception and the structure of film. In the arts, Tom is best known for Microfilm (1979), Digits of Pi (2019), and his photography documenting downtown NYC.
 

Cast: Jahna Rain (Vocals) / Producer: Tom Bessoir, Joshua Pines / Director: Tom Bessoir, Joshua Pines / Writer: William Shanks / Composer: Tom Bessoir

Filmmaker Bio: Noam Kroll is a Los Angeles-based narrative filmmaker, known for his incredibly DIY approach to the craft. Over the past decade, Noam has written, directed, shot, and edited numerous acclaimed short and feature projects that have screened at international film festivals, including his micro-budget features Shadows on the Road and Psychosynthesis. Committed to sharing his expertise, Noam reaches millions of filmmakers each year through his popular podcast, "Show, Don't Tell," newsletter, "Micro-Budget Weekly," and his personal filmmaking blog, www.noamkroll.com. Currently, Noam is gearing up to premiere his third feature film, Disappearing Boy, while in development for his fourth feature film, Teacher's Pet, which is funded and slated to shoot in January
 

Cast: Josh Pafchek, Gabriela Lopez, Maynor Alvarado, Brad Raider, Arielle Bodenhausen, Mickey Kroll, Tessa Lauren, Carolina Alvarez, Ryan Oksenberg, Noam Kroll / Producer: Noam Kroll / Director: Noam Kroll / Writer: Noam Kroll / Cinematographer: Noam Kroll / Composer: Craig Saltz

Filmmaker Bio: Raised in a small Siberian town, Roman Olkhovka is a filmmaker based in Moscow, Russia. Being a true film enthusiast, he began his directing career in 2013 by filming short films for the 48-Hour Film Festivals and was nominated for those films 3 times.
In 2015 his movie-style music video Saving Love was nominated at Russian National TV and in 2016 received the Best Music Video award at the Tracce Cinematografiche Film Festival in Italy. He has since been working on his debut feature film Dreamover.
 

Cast: Ilya Chepyrev, Angelina Savchenko, Roman Olkhovka, Ioann Lahin, Maksim Govorunets, Sergey Kuznetsov / Producer: Nikita Yefimov/ Director: Roman Olkhovka / Writer: Roman Olkhovka / Cinematographer: Dmitriy Zalisky, Nikita Yefimov, Roman Olkhovka, Leo Giller / Composer: Guy Andrews

Filmmaker Bio: Peter McCully has worked in visual effects for the film industry for over 25 years, running visual effects company Albedo VFX, overseeing work for numerous feature films, television films and series, and he has several awards and nominations to show for it. Peter directed the NZFC funded short film Eeling (2009) and wrote and directed the short film The Gully (in post-production). He was Associate Producer of the telefeatures Jean (2016) and Kiwi Christmas (2017). Peter’s visual effects work for Jean earned him a New York Festivals Silver Medal. His previous short film with Media Design School, Kino Ratten, was selected by several international film festivals in 2020, winning awards at Palm Springs Animation Festival and Irvine International Film Festival, plus numerous nominations for cinematography and screenwriting.
 

Cast: Jeff Szusterman, Emmett Skilton, Milo Cawthorne, Sean O’Connor / Producer: Peter McCully, Toni Li / Director: Peter McCully / Writer: Steve Dorner / Cinematographer: Rafael Bonatto / Composer: Andrew McDowall

Filmmaker Bio: Amy Geist is a Producer, Director, Writer, and Founder of Beloved Root, hailing from Ohio before landing in Los Angeles. She started in LA as a freelance Producer and Production Manager at The Woo Agency, working with such clients as Lenovo, Disney, Sebastian, Motorola, Marvel, Milani, Bosch, Braun, and Delonghi. Her feature film and television work include Blade Runner 2049, Little, The Exorcist, Alex Inc, Trees of Peace, Everything’s Fine, #FBF, and most recently Bar Fight. In 2018, she wrote and produced the short film The Way You Saw Me, which screened at twelve film festivals and won Runner-Up for Best Narrative Short at the Denver Underground Film Festival and the Bronze Film Award for Narrative Dramatic Short at WorldFest Houston. In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic she directed the comedy short The Interrogation, which was featured on Elizabeth Banks’ site WhoHaHa. She also made the short horror film Enjoy Your Stay, which won the top prize at the Shockfest Horror Quarantine Competition. Her 2021 short film Dysmorphia has won Best Short Film Screenplay at the LA Crime & Horror Film Festival and the Independent Horror Movie Awards. Amy holds a B.F.A from Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio.
 

Cast: Brit McRae, Jordan Knapp, Nick W. Nicholson, Laura Dromerick, Blake Lindsley, Megan Gill, Debbie Deltoro, Kiki Valentine / Producer: Sean Prange, Katie Kirkpatrick / Director: Amy Geist / Writer: Amy Geist / Cinematographer: Maddie Leach / Editor: Chloe Ballende, Dan Litzinger / Composer: Alexander Taylor

Filmmaker Bio: Paloma Nozicka is a proud Mexican-American actor, writer, director and filmmaker, born in Chicago and based in Los Angeles. She loves femme-forward stories and anything that promotes the equality of historically marginalized groups, specifically Latine people. Her dark humor, combined with her perspectives on death, grief, and womanhood, blend together to create unique stories that are all her own. She currently has a feature film in development, and is also working on her Death Doula certification.
 

Cast: Paloma Nozicka, Cher Alvarez / Producer: Lucas A. Ferrara, Vance Smith / Director: Paloma Nozicka / Writer: Paloma Nozicka / Cinematographer: Haley Min Young Kreofsky / Editor: Zoe Kraft / Composer: Bradley Grant Smith

Filmmaker Bio: Robert DiTillio began his acting career in New York City where he appeared in off-off Broadway plays, independent films, soap operas and many music videos. Moving to Hollywood, he made guest appearances on TV shows including Babylon 5, Sliders, General Hospital, NYPD Blue and more. He was a prizewinner on America’s Funniest People for a sketch that he co-wrote. Robert works with Rogue Improv and Community Improv on a regular basis. He has also performed at The Comedy Store in LA with his own improv group, Are You Talkin’ Ta Me? He has appeared in a variety of feature films over the years, including Dragon Fighter with Dean Cain (currently streaming on Amazon Prime), the remake Night Of The Living Dead 3D, and the Christmas horror parody The Mean One, which had a very successful 5 week theatrical run in December 2022. As an actor, he has appeared in Tip Toe, which screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Attack Of The Film Festivals, and won Best Short Film Comedy at the 2015 Burbank International Film Festival, as well as in 2016's multiple award-winning Happy Hour, and 2022s’s award-winning Moving Violation, currently on the festival circuit. The Book Club, a short comedy produced by and starring Robert and Christine DiTillio, who also wrote the screenplay, is currently on the festival circuit. Robert’s short horror script, Easy To Scare, was a 2019 winner of the We Make Movies Short Film Challenge. He directed and produced the film along with Christine, who plays Janet. Easy To Scare is currently being submitted to festivals.
 

Cast: Datgirl Serene, Brianna Oppenheimer, Victoria Ippolito, Christina Marie Leonard, Christine DiTillio / Producer: Robert DiTillio, Christine DiTillio, Patrick Coleman Duncan / Director: Robert DiTillio / Writer: Robert DiTillio / Cinematographer: Daniel Button / Editor: James Hecht / Composer: Datgirl Serene

Filmmaker Bio: Max Radbill is an independent filmmaker from Frederick, Maryland, currently living in sunny Los Angeles, California. After studying film at Towson University, he wrote, directed, and produced two independent feature films, the latest of which, the horror comedy Re-Elected, was released on VOD and DVD in the Summer of 2021. He is passionate about films, animals, the Earth, and coffee.
 

Cast: Lorena Neumann, Sean Mullan, Max Radbill / Producer: La Selva Ecosistema Creatiu under the advice of Werner Herzog / Director: Max Radbill / Writer: Max Radbill / Cinematographer: Max Radbill / Editor: Max Radbill / Composer: Cazz Cerkez

Filmmaker Bio: Bob Telford is an award-winning actor/director who has spent the last 42 years working in theater, commercials, TV & Film. TV credits include Parks and Recreation, Roseanne, Reasonable Doubts and The Young & The Restless. Recent film credits include Riding With James Dean, Wild Horses & Butterfly Caught. He has also appeared in several Hollywood Fringe offerings. As a producer, writer, director and actor, Bob has been involved with a variety of projects ranging from short films & web series to TV and film projects. From 1989 to 2006 Bob had his own production company, producing and directing over 200 projects for clients including The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. During that same period he directed audition sessions for several LA-based casting directors. As a result he has had the rare opportunity to witness the audition process from both sides, and has shared that insight through numerous panels, workshops and classes at the SAG/AFTRA Conservatory & SAG/AFTRA educational program.
 

Cast: Tom Cavanaugh, Bob Telford / Producer: Bob Telford / Director: Bob Telford / Writer: Bob Telford

Filmmaker Bio: Garrett Johnson is a director/writer based out of Los Angeles who specializes in the horror, thriller and sci-fi genres.
 

Cast: Scarlett Redmond, Chester Cheeseman / Producer: Garrett Johnson / Director: Garrett Johnson, Paranoid LA / Writer: Garrett Johnson / Composer: Erik D. Magnus

Screenwriter Bio: A native Houstonian with Liberian roots, Tehana Fatima Weeks is an actor and storyteller committed to serving, uplifting, inspiring, and empowering people to make our communities, societies, and world better. Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a major in business and minor in drama, she has become an award-winning actor and filmmaker. After graduating from the iO West Theatre Training Center on a full scholarship, she began performing regularly at The Second City Hollywood as a member of the long form improv house ensemble Stick Pics. To date, she has created and produced the web series Shrink Wrapped, for which she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy by LA Web Fest; written, produced, directed and starred in the short film COIN, which won a WorldFest Houston Bronze Remi Award, produced and directed the short film Mama Wanna, a We Make Movies Film Challenge winner, and directed the short film Super Inappropriate as part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. If you scour the interwebs, you might find her in an Apogee ad for their ClipMic Digital 2, a PSA for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, a digital media campaign for the active eyewear company Goodr, a web series or two, a few photo essays, some multimedia projects and a few short films.

Filmmaker Bio: Julia White is a Writer/Director/Producer. She wrote a feature film starring Vanessa Williams, Singleholic, that was produced in Africa with friend/mentor Bryan Barber (Idlewild). On set, she met actor and director Adrian Martinez (Stumptown, Lady and the Tramp, iGILBERT) and went on to co-write a pilot currently being shopped around. On the producing side, Julia has executive produced with Kay Tuxford (The Miseducation of Bindu, Wine Bottles) on several projects, including Tuxford’s upcoming feature, Delivery. A proud member of Women in Film (WIF) and a 2021 WIF peer mentee, Julia’s writing has placed in several Screencraft competitions, Scriptapalooza TV, and the second round of the Sundance TV Writing lab. She likes kicky punchy things with a heart and is inspired by Edgar Wright, James Gunn, and copious amounts of scotch. When Julia’s not writing, and should be, she can be found swimming with sharks or reading comics (about people fighting with and or befriending sharks).
 

Cast: Will Weed, Charlotte Stokely, Jamie Zwick / Producer: Sami Kolko, Kay Tuxford / Director: Julia White / Writer: Julia White / Cinematographer: Mariscela Mendez / Editor: Brandon Marchionda / Composer: Michelle Richards

Filmmaker Bio: Neil Ira Needleman was born in Brooklyn, New York toward the middle of the last century, and began tinkering with moving images shortly after that. Throughout the decades, he’s continued to capture and manipulate images, attempting to develop a sense of vision that is honest, engaging, provoking, inspiring, and worthy of repeated viewing.
 

Director: Neil Ira Needleman / Writer: Neil Ira Needleman / Artwork: Herb Rogoff

Filmmaker Bio: Scott Baker is a Writer, Director and Steadicam Operator known for 5th Passenger and The Diary of Anne Frank of the Dead. He grew up in Northern California. He holds a degree in History from Sonoma State University, with a focus on US/Soviet relations and the Cold War. He was a Peace Corps volunteer from 2000-2001 in Turkmenistan. A self-taught filmmaker, Scott pursued acting as a child but fell in love with storytelling while making short video projects with his friends. He now lives in Hollywood and completed his first feature as a director, 5th Passenger, in early 2015.
 

Cast: Aaron Ten Bears, Eva Emmer, jinny Ryann, Carden Mongiello / Producer: Eric Michael Kochmer, Eva Emmer / Director: Scott Baker / Writer: Christopher Willis, Nonie Shiverick / Cinematographer: Scott Baker / Editor: Scott Baker / Composer: Cora Yi-huan Chung

Filmmaker Bio: Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, PA, Catherine Mosier-Mills is a filmmaker who currently resides in Los Angeles. She graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Media Studies in 2018, and currently works as a Junior Story Producer for unscripted television, most recently Netflix’s Selling Sunset (upcoming seasons 6 and 7). She also served as a Story Associate Producer for Selling Sunset (season 5), Selling the OC (season 1), and Selling Tampa (season 1). Her thesis film, The Secret Life of Art, was shortlisted in the 2018 BAFTA Student Film Awards.
 

Cast: Nicole Guibord, Matthew Hawthorne, Rachael Bower, Kelsey Painter / Producer: Catherine Mosier-Mills / Director: Catherine Mosier-Mills / Writer: Catherine Mosier-Mills / Cinematographer: Catherine Mosier-Mills / Editor: Catherine Mosier-Mills

Filmmaker Bio: Brian James Crewe has directed numerous projects including the award winning short films Cabeceo, Far, and Une Libération as well as commercials for Princess Cruises. He co-produced the zombie cult classic Dance of the Dead, which was released by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Underground through Lions Gate Films. Brian produced and edited the feature films Father vs. Son, a Christmas comedy which won the Houston Critics Society's Award for Best Premiere at Houston WorldFest, and the thriller Golden Earrings, winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at ShockerFest and IndieSpirit Film Festivals. He also directed Behind The Scenes documentaries for the DVD releases of all three features. Brian is originally from Minneapolis MN, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.
 

Cast: Joe Holt, Amy Sloan / Producer: Brian James Crewe, Matt Keil / Director: Brian James Crewe / Writer: Brian James Crewe, Matt Keil, Joe Holt, Amy Sloan, Mario Rivas / Cinematographer: George Feucht / Editor: Christian Logan

Filmmaker Bio: Wheeler Winston Dixon is the James Ryan Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and, with Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, editor of the book series Quick Takes: Movies and Popular Culture for Rutgers University Press, which has to date published more than twenty volumes on various cultural topics. He is the author of more than thirty books on film history, theory and criticism, as well as more than 100 articles in various academic journals. He is also an active experimental filmmaker, whose works are in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art. His recent video work is collected in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. He has also taught at The New School, Rutgers University, and the University of Amsterdam. As an experimental filmmaker, his works have been screened at The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Anthology Film Archives, Filmhuis Cavia (Amsterdam), Studio 44 (Stockholm), La lumière collective (Montréal), The BWA Katowice Museum (Poland), The Microscope Gallery, The National Film Theatre (UK), The Jewish Museum, The Millennium Film Workshop, The San Francisco Cinématheque, LA Filmforum (Los Angeles), The New Arts Lab, The Exploding Cinema (London), The Collective for Living Cinema, The Kitchen, The Filmmakers Cinématheque, Film Forum, The Amos Eno Gallery, Sla 307 Art Space, The Gallery of Modern Art, The Rice Museum, The Oberhausen Film Festival, Undercurrent, Experimental Response Cinema and other venues.In addition, Dixon’s films have been screened at numerous film festivals throughout the world, including presentations in London, New York, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Monterrey (Mexico), Urbino (Italy), Tehran (Iran), Naples (Italy), Athens (Greece), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rybinski (Russia), Palermo (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Australia, Qatar, Amsterdam, Vienna, Moscow, Milan, Switzerland, Croatia, Stockholm (Sweden), Havana (Cuba) and elsewhere.
 

Director: Wheeler Winston Dixon 

Filmmaker Bio: Christopher Macken is an award-winning director & writer from Massachusetts. After graduating from Emerson College in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film production, Christopher relocated to Los Angeles, CA where he became Charlie Day’s assistant on various projects from New Line Cinema’s Fist Fight, Legendary’s Pacific Rim: Uprising to FOX’s Cool Kids, eventually becoming a Co-Producer on Charlie’s feature film debut FOOL'S PARADISE. Christopher co-created/produced THE GAMER AND THE MOUTH, a video game competition show where Gamers get paired with Stand-Up Comedians to do their trash-talking. Featuring Jacksepticye & Chris Redd, TGATM is getting a theatrical release this September at Cinemark Theaters. With a background in comedy, Christopher hopes to explore his own struggle with OCD in a more dramatic and stylized-sense with this film.
 

Cast: Darragh O’Toole, Kelly Curran, Charlie Morgan Patton, Dan Sanders-Joyce / Producer: Charlie Day, John Myers, Luke Macken, Christopher Patrick Macken, Jillian Nordby, Sierra Oleson, Ellah Seno / Director: Christopher Patrick Macken / Writer: Christopher Patrick Macken / Cinematographer: Kenzen Takahashi / Editor: Christopher Macken / Composer: Erik Groysman

Filmmaker Bio: Kay (she/her) is the writer of The Miseducation of Bindu, and played a seminal role in accruing over $60,000 for the film on Seed & Spark, winning the Hometown Heroes’ Grand Prize, and drawing the attention of the Duplass Brothers to executive produce. Bindu is now available on Peacock TV. Kay wrote, produced, and directed Wine Bottles, winning multiple awards, including best LGBT film at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival, and also produced The Awareness, which premiered on Shortoftheweek.com and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. Straddling the analytical and the creative, Kay graduated from Northern Arizona with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry before transitioning into filmmaking for her MFA at Chapman University. She focuses on outside-the-box roles for women and underrepresented minorities in film. She is loved by her family and only just tolerated by her cat.
 

Cast: Emi Ellis / Producer: Kay Tuxford / Director: Kay Tuxford / Writer: Kay Tuxford / Cinematographer: Richie Yau / Composer: Erica Porter

Filmmaker Bio: Born in Montreal, Canada, Los Angeles-based director Michael Gabriele discovered his passion for film and storytelling as a teenager. He made a name for himself within the vibrant advertising community in Chicago, where he spent nearly a decade working at some of the top creative agencies. He made the jump to full-time director after joining the reputable design and production studio Daily Planet in Chicago. Michael commands a striking visual style and creative voice that integrates video-based storytelling with a focus on humanity to express genuine emotions and sincere narratives. His work connects viewers to the story by employing authentic performances from actors and real-life people alike told via relatable stories and experiences and shot in a beautiful, cinematic visual style.
 

Cast: Lisa Starrett, Steph Martinez, Ericka Lane Enggren / Producer: Danny Rhodes, Amy Stewart, Mike McNamara / Director: Michael Gabriele / Writer: Anthony Jefferson, Michael Gabriele / Cinematographer: Ryan French / Editor: Michael Gabriele

Filmmaker Bio: Daniel Alexander is a creative artist and first time filmmaker who is driven by a love and passion for music and film, and a desire to tell important, impactful, and diverse stories.
 

Cast: Michael Klug, Daniel Alexander, Whit Spurgeon / Producer: Daniel Alexander, Michael Klug, Neal Tyler / Director: Daniel Alexander / Writer: Daniel Alexander, Michael Klug / Cinematographer: Neal Tyler / Editor: Edwin Lewis, Daniel Alexander / Composer: Daniel Alexander

Filmmaker Bio: Allie Sultan received her MFA degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University in 2004, and holds a B.S. in Recording Industry: Production and Technology from Middle Tennessee State University. A narrative and documentary filmmaker, Allie’s short film work has focused on youth identity, LGBT issues, and family dynamics. Her films have screened and won awards at over 60 domestic and international film festivals. Allie has worked as a sound and picture editor for industry leaders such as ESPN, Tippett Studio (character animation and visual effects), Berkeley Sound Artists, Zoetrope-Aubry Productions, Tollin-Robbins Productions (creators of Smallville), Disney/Touchstone Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment. Films and television shows she has worked on include: Casanova, Marie-Antoinette, Feast of Love, Enchanted, Spiderwick Chronicles, Bonds on Bonds reality TV series, and the Sundance award-winning documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. She continues to work as a video producer and editor through her production company, Green Scoot Films (www.greenscootfilms.com).
 

Cast: Sarah Michele Bailey, Christopher Bailey, Darci Wantiez, Tyler Evick, Carla Christina Contreras / Producer: Sarah Michele Bailey, Christopher Bailey, Allie Sultan / Director: Allie Sultan / Writer: Sarah Michele Bailey / Cinematographer: Chris Hollo / Editor: Allie Sultan / Composer: Sarah Michele Bailey

Filmmaker Bio: SONIA BLANGIARDO-GOINS is a 3-time Emmy winner (and 8-time nominee), with over 30 years of experience as a producer/director/writer. She is currently directing on Peacock/NBC Universal’s Days of Our Lives, for which she won her 2018 Best Directing Team Emmy. Sonia is the co-owner of The Usual BS Productions, founded with Brandon Goins, which focuses on writing and creating both scripted series and films of varying genres, as well as unscripted concepts and live theatre, including the hit new comedy stage show Kentucky Fried Calamari. Sonia began her career as a production assistant for ABC’s All My Children, serving as an associate producer before joining ABC’s One Life to Live as a coordinating producer in 2000.  In 2004 she joined CBS’ As the World Turns as a director and line producer. She then joined the directing team at ABC’s General Hospital.  Sonia won an Emmy for best drama in 2002 for One Life to Live and best directing team in 2007 for As the World Turns. She directed and produced the Off-Broadway hits My Big Gay Italian Wedding. She is also the founder of CARLO’S GOAL, a non-for-profit organization for pancreatic cancer research, which has raised over $30,000. Sonia is a graduate of St. John’s University, and is a dual citizen of both the USA and Italy.
 

Cast: Eric Martsolf, Eva LaRue, Gilles Marini, Paul Telfer, Tiffany Smith, Brandon Goins, Elin Alexander / Producer: Sonia Blangiardo-Goins, Brandon Goins, Teresa Cicala, Eric Martsolf, Steve Dempsey, Allyson Sereboff / Director: Sonia Blangiardo-Goins / Writer: Sonia Blangiardo-Goins / Cinematographer: Rodolphe Portier / Editor: TEE / Composer: Steve Dempsey

Filmmaker Bio: Paul L. Carr is a Chicago based filmmaker who has written, directed and produced feature films -- Busted City, American Barbarian, Empire and Casual Criminals, in addition to short films and music videos. Mr. Carr's films have screened at festivals throughout Europe, the US and Canada and won numerous awards. While the genres and styles of his films can differ significantly, they are all works of passion.
 

Cast: Katherine Terrell / Producer: Paul L. Carr / Director: Paul L. Carr / Writer: Paul L. Carr / Cinematographer: Nick G. Schultz / Editor: Nick G. Schultz

Cast: Dave Rosenberg, Joshua Ray, Jim Todd, Olivia Cane, Effie Lavore, Boyana Balta /  Producer: Dave Rosenberg, Jim Todd, Bryant Lopez, Joshua Ray / Director: Armin Siljkovic / Writer: Bryant Lopez, Joshua Ray, Jim Todd, Dave Rosenberg, Hindy Leitner, Effie Lavore

Ram Prasadh Parthasarathyis based out of  San Francisco, Bay Area. He is very passionate about cars and movies. Karuppu Vellai being his first project that has been screened in multiple film festivals and has won in film festivals ; Jersey Shore Film festival, Indo French International Film Festival and Tatras International Film Festival.

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Cast: Akash D Prabhu, Suruthi Periyasamy / Producer: Noam Shapiro, Luke Tennie / Director: Ram Prasadh Parthasarathy / Writer: Ram Prasadh Parthasarathy / Cinematographer: B Vasanth Paul, Ameen / Music Director: M.S. Jones Rupert / Choreography: Harshitha Sidhraj 

Filmmaker Bio: Arseniy Seroka was born in 1993 in St. Petersburg, Russia. For 10 years, he has been associated with the Mariinsky Theatre. He graduated as Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics at ITMO University. Since 2015, he has been engaged in international business in the art and scientific fields. In 2020, he entered the film school at the Lenfilm studio, finishing in 2022. He shot his graduation film and moved to Paris, where he currently lives and works and continues to develop in the film industry. 
 

Cast: Roman Ageev, Dmitry Lugovkin, Eduard Gursky / Producer: Ragif Konshin / Director: Arseniy Seroka / Writer: Arseniy Seroka / Cinematographer: Alexandr Sisnev / Editor: Dan Orlov / Composer: Alexey Pomigalov

Filmmaker Bio: Charles Burmeister is an award-winning writer and director whose films have appeared at the Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and the IFFBoston, where he received a jury award for directing. His first feature film, Columbus Day, starred Val Kilmer, and the screenplay won the Chesterfield Screenwriting Fellowship sponsored by Paramount Pictures and was named Top 30 of 4400 scripts by the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. His first short film, Interview (shot by Jay Duplass), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. Lift is a sequel to Interview, now exploring the main character “Mark” 15 years later. Recently, Mr. Burmeister sold an original television series to Sony, with Gary Oldman as executive producer. His feature film, Mercury Plains, starring Scott Eastwood, was released by Lionsgate in 2016. He currently teaches filmmaking at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
 

Cast: Mark Kelly, Leonora Pitts, Justin Park, Savannah Joeckel, Christopher Brown, Hoyt Kelly, Greta Kelly / Producer: Rose Donahue / Director: Charles Burmeister / Writer: Charles Burmeister / Cinematographer: Jeremy Bolden, Brent Johnson, Charles Burmeister / Editor: Charles Burmeister / Composer: Austin Wintory

Filmmaker Bio: David A. Flores is an Arizona born writer/director and former mariachi musician. He loves genre stories, with an eye for diverse characters and heroes that aren't truly heroic.
 

Cast: Mary Rose Branick, Virginia Newcomb, Lanéa Nolan / Producer: Kyle Little / Director: David A. Flores / Writer: David A. Flores / Cinematographer: Carrie Morgan / Editor: Andrew Nolan / Composer: Bruce Witkin

Filmmaker Bio: Debra Solomon has been making animated films since 1995. She is a N.Y.F.A fellow and Jerome recipient and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her films have won awards at festivals around the world, including a Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale, Best Soundtrack in Annecy, and a Special Jury Award at the World Animation Festival. Her film Everybody’s Pregnant is in MOMA's film and video collection. In 2001, Debra helped create the Disney Channel's first hit show, Lizzie McGuire, designing the animated Lizzie and acting as animation director for the series and movie adaptation. Her film Getting Over Him in 8 Songs or Less was featured on HBO. Debra’s latest animated short, Little Hurts, follows the aftermath of a visit to the dry-cleaners where she is told to go on a diet, “Just go to the gym and stay there!”
 

Cast: Debra Solomon / Producer: Debra Solomon / Director: Debra Solomon / Writer: Debra Solomon / Composer: Alan Zahn

Filmmaker Bio: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk is a Ukrainian author and filmmaker, graduated from the Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University. A participant of the Berlinale Talents, Locarno Film Academy, he is the founder of the script platform Terrarium. He was first noticed with his short film Weightlifter, an EFA contender, winner of the Best Short Film Award in Angers and Grand Prix of the Warsaw IFF. His first feature, PAMFIR, was developed by TorinoFilmLab, Midpoint and Cannes’ Cinéfondation and achieved a selection at Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight in 2022.
 

Cast: Roman Sova, Serhiy Danko, Andriy Holdiy, Orest Voytekhivskiy  / Producer: Soo-Jeong Kang, Daniel Lombroso / Director: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk / Writer: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk / Cinematographer: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, Andrii Lysetskyi, Konstantyn Klyatskin, Denys Vorontsov, Denys Tokarev / Editor: Sergo Klepach / Sound Design: Mariia Nesterenko / Music by: Church of Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky, Reverend Sebastian Dmitruckh, Choir Artos, Conductor Natalia Ivashkiv

Filmmaker Bio: Andreas Blair (me!) is an artist from California, who studied film directing and screenwriting at City College of San Francisco. Blair has been a happy Angeleno since 2010.
 

Cast: Andreas Blair, Niko Volonakis, Nicholas Haughton, Siobhán Willing, Taher Medhat, Julia Comita, René González / Producer: Andreas Blair, William Blair, L.A. Blair / Director: Andreas Blair / Writer: Andreas Blair / Editor: Andreas Blair

Filmmaker Bio: A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, it was over a decade ago that Michael Beardsley first moved to Los Angeles to work as an actor. As an actor, he’s worked on well over one hundred projects across film, television, commercials and stage, and has played everything from a serial killer to a mentally challenged man-child, from God to the Devil, and from a peeping pervert to a romantic leading man. Over the years Michael slowly started adding other filmmaking skills to his repertoire: writer, editor, producer and director. Love-Craft marks the first occasion that he’s taken on all these roles in a single project. Since July 2010, We Make Movies has been an important part of Michael’s creative journey, and he’s very pleased to have the world premiere of Love-Craft at the We Make Movies International Film Festival.

Cast: Jay Lindsay, Michael Beardsley, Allyson Sereboff, Victoria Ippolito, Brent Scott Davis, Christina Marie Leonard, David Beatty, Marlan Clarke, Torie Tyson, Christina Gray, Lauren Simon, Datgirl Serene, Tehana Weeks, Kerry Liu, Ernie Charles, Bron Theron, William Joseph Hill, Josh Margulies, Tim Wadhams, Richard Parker, Michael Fluffer, Heidi Schooler, Millicent, Kelly Mullis, Pamela Hill, Carolyn Meyer, Robert DiTillio, Mystique, Stella Tinucci, Héloïse Rose, Geoffrey Gould, Sunset, Sharon Spence, Zack Van Eyck  / Producer: Michael Beardsley / Director: Michael Beardsley / Writer: Michael Beardsley / Cinematographer: Phillip Darlington / Editor: Michael Beardsley

Filmmaker Bio: Nicholas Luciano is a director/writer/producer and video editor based in Los Angeles. He received a B.A. in Film and Video at Penn State University, where his comedy short Mad About Saffron premiered at the Penn State Student Film Festival. His recent short Lunch Tattoo was an official selection at Dances with Films 2023. Since 2015 Nicholas has produced and written live comedy shows on house sketch teams at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, and is interested in telling stories that uplift, empower and subvert an audience's expectations. Comedy videos that Nicholas has made with his father have charmed thousands of people on YouTube and Instagram, and have been featured in Huffington Post, GQ, Mashable and Now This News.
 

Cast: Kimia Behpoornia, Nicholas Luciano, Jesse Lara, Kenny Takar, Parvin Behpoornia, Jay Behpoornia, Regina Luciano, Mike Luciano Jr., Sophia Grosso, Tricia Lu / Producer: Kimia Behpoornia, Nicholas Luciano / Director: Nicholas Luciano / Writer: Kimia Behpoornia, Nicholas Luciano / Cinematographer: Fernando Castro / Editor: Nicholas Luciano / Composer: David Adrian Nunez-Brenes a.k.a. The Tewa

Filmmaker Bio: Jeffrey Morin is a poet, playwright and producer.

Filmmaker Bio: Andrew Harmer is an award-winning director based in Bristol, UK. His debut feature film, The Fitzroy, a comedy set in a post-apocalyptic 1950’s Britain aboard a hotel submarine, won Best Comedy Feature at World Fest, with the title sequence garnering two awards at SXSW. Andrew has a passion for film and storytelling. With a strong love of British comedies, fantasy and folklore, his work often focuses on the darker aspects of the human psyche.
 

Cast: Anne-Sophie Marie, Thomas Wingfield, Violeta Anne / Producer: Paul Anderson, Andrew Harmer / Director: Andrew Harmer / Writer: Anne-Sophie Marie / Cinematographer: Amber Tunstall / Editor: Andrew Harmer / Composer: Gary Say

Filmmaker Bio: After unenthusiastically serving in the US Army and getting kicked out of The United States Military Academy (West Point), Adam Peltier found himself working at a super cool box factory in Piqua, Ohio. Truth be told, it was neither super nor cool. He was miserable making boxes so...Adam decided to make movies instead. He put the box factory in his rearview and marched his butt on over to Hollywood where he got his MFA in Acting from CalArts. Currently, you can find Adam in debt up to his eyeballs and avoiding phone calls from student loan debt collectors.
 

Cast: Adam Peltier, Lucas Brahme, Amanda Montell, Sam Jacobs, Courtney Flanagan / Producer: Lucas Brahme, Connor Linnerooth, Adam Peltier / Director: Adam Peltier / Writer: Adam Peltier / Cinematographer: Connor Linnerooth / Editor: Connor Linnerooth / Composer: Max Davidoff-Grey

Filmmaker Bio: Matt Steinauer is an award-winning director with a strong background in cinematography and editing. Previous works have become Vimeo Staff Picks and invited to prestigious film festivals such as Telluride, Raindance and Seattle International. Francis Ford Coppola said of his film, GUMSHOE, "Funny, unique and must've been hard to pull off." Matt is a knowledgeable cinephile with an excellent grasp on genre and cinematic style.
 

Cast: Angelique Pretorius, Leslie Miller, Greg Berman, Michael Tighe, Jamie Lynn Concepcion, Jason Sims-Prewitt, Alison Martin, Stefanie Estes / Producer: Matt Steinauer, Angelique Pretorius, Dilip Isaac / Director: Matt Steinauer / Writer: Matt Steinauer / Cinematographer: Dilip Isaac / Editor: Matt Steinauer / Composer: Patrick J. Griffin

Screenwriter Bio: Harker Jones grew up on a dirt road in Michigan in a town so small it doesn’t to this day have a traffic light. Upon completion of college he found his way to the entertainment hub of Los Angeles where, as a queer writer, he has completed the Amazon #1 best-selling gay love story Until September and seven screenplays, revealing truths through humor and horror. His short thriller Cole & Colette won the Get It Made Short-Form Competition and was subsequently produced and accepted into thirty-nine film festivals, garnering several awards. He loves cats and carbs, would like to be a pop star, and is a member of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and a card-carrying member of Mensa.

Filmmaker Bio:  Karen Bryson MBE has a multi-award winning career spanning over 25 years across various multi-media platforms, both in front of the camera and, more recently, behind it. Karen was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her Services to Drama. She is best known for playing Avril Powell in the critically acclaimed drama Shameless. Her recent acting projects include series regular in the award-winning Nordic drama White Wall, Black Narcissus (BBC and FX US), the independent feature film REAL directed by Aki Omoshaybi, Elinor Stone in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO MAX/Warner Brothers), Unchartered (Sony Pictures), and Teacher (Channel 5), due out this year. She produced Family Reunion, winner of Best of the Fest at the Triforce Short Film Festival, and The Block, winner of Best Pilot at the
Ramsgate International Film Festival. She also founded a theatre company, writing and directing two short plays which toured the fringe theatre around London. Karen has just finished writing her first feature film, The Art of Falling, and is developing a TV series. She recently narrated the landmark documentary series 1000 Years a Slave, available now on Channel 5. Karen is a voting member of BAFTA, BIFA and the Raindance Film Festival.
 

Cast: Stephanie Levi-John, Sonnyboy Skelton, Kennedy McCallam-Martin, Elisha Robin / Producer: Shakyra Dowling, Lorraine Bhattachary / Director: Karen Bryson / Writer: Karen Bryson / Cinematographer: Tristan Chenais / Editor: Rebecca Lloyd / Composer: Daniel Patrick-Murell

Filmmaker Bio: Sam Solomon is a director, performer & writer from Maryland, currently living in Los Angeles. Since graduating from Emerson College, Sam’s original work has been selected in poetry anthology, theater and film festivals alike. His feature-length screenwriting work has been selected into writing fellowships like Stowe Story Labs (2021). Sam has been awarded a two-time Forbes Under 30 Creative Scholar during his time in college and has worked at several entertainment companies including Viewpoint Creative, Bow & Arrow Entertainment, and Imagine Entertainment for Ron Howard & Brian Grazer. Sam is a working actor and hip-hop dancer, training at prestigious acting studios like Stagedoor Manor, AMAW & Maggie Flanigan Studio, and trained at many professional dance studios around LA. In addition to being a working performer and writer, Sam also worked as a virtual moderator for Broadway Plus, offering VIP experiences with notable Broadway stars. His most recent acting accomplishment was playing The Weeknd in the Universal Horror Nights The Weeknd: After Hours maze at Universal Studios Theme Park LA. In 2020, Sam wrote “i guess i am lonely...”, his first collection of poetry and prose, self-published through Amazon. Poetry book #2 is set for release sometime in 2023.
Goldmond Fong is a Director and Editor from Toronto, Canada, currently located in Los Angeles. Goldmond is a creative director and post-production specialist, having created many commercials, music videos, promos and more. He has worked with award-winning agencies and as an Editor on the YouTube Original BookTube with Michelle Obama. In his freelance time, he has served as creative director for visualizers for mainstream recording artists like Katy Perry, Niall Horan and Marina. Goldmond has directed music videos for Nav, Coi Leray, Tyga and more, and announcement videos for e-sports streamers like Fuslie, Lily Pichu, Myth and FaZe Swagg. He recently won the Outstanding Editing (Short) Award at the 2022 Micheaux Film Festival for the 2023 Oscar Qualified Live Action short film Fetish. A graduate from Emerson College, Goldmond not only has an expertise in film production, but a keen eye for visual effects production. He is trusted by Fortune 500 brands and Billboard Hot 100 recording artists alike.
 

Cast: Seth Liam Ellis, Andrea Jennings, Julian Vidaurrazaga / Producer: Benjamin Bradley Gilbert, Sam Solomon, Goldmond Fong / Director: Sam Solomon, Goldmon Fong / Writer: Sam Solomon / Cinematographer: Vivan Lau / Editor: Goldmond Fong / Composer: Jack Bradley

Filmmaker Bio: 
Giorgos Efthimiou was born in Athens. He has been making films since 2011. He is also a stage director, visual artist, performer and curator (Pugnant Film Series).
 

Cast: Evi Chroni, Kleio Papatzanaki-Chrysovergi, Kristina Konchits / Producer: Giorgos Efthimiou / Director: Giorgos Efthimiou / Writer: Nitsa Gofa, Andreas Efstathiou

Filmmaker Bio: In the last three years, Meg Swertlow has directed eight short films which have been selected for over 50 top film festivals, including the Austin Film Festival, Hollyshorts, Fright Fest UK, Fantastic Fest, Screamfest, Macabro, Nightmares Film Festival, FilmQuest and Etheria Film Night. Her films have been featured on Shudder and recommended by the New York Times. In March, her feature screenplay of No Overnight Parking was selected for K Period Media/Blumhouse’s inaugural “Screamwriting” Lab. 
 

Cast: Alyssa Milano, French Stewart, Brandon Loeser, Tina Huang, Sammy June, Chelsea Edmundson, Gola Rakhshani / Producer: Nate Lipp, Felicity Wren / Director: Meg Swertlow / Writer: Meg Swertlow / Cinematographer: Noah Rosenthal / Editor: Brett Solem,Tom Pilla / Composer: Jacques Brautbar

Filmmaker Bio: With Sarah serving as Production Designer while Matthew wrote and directed, the Emerys first collaborated on Matthew’s thesis film while he attended Loyola Marymount University. That film, Pâté, won 8 awards including Best of Fest and Best Director, garnered another 7 nominations and screened at dozens of festivals. After getting married and moving across the country, the two then decided to christen the house with their latest short film, OKAY AL-i. With cast and crew totaling 3 persons, Sarah and Matthew co-wrote, directed, and featured in OKAY AL-i, all as a trial run for their latest project, a self-made feature film entitled Nervous System.  
 

Cast: Sarah Emery, Matthew Emery / Producer: Sarah Emery, Matthew Emery / Director: Sarah Emery, Matthew Emery / Writer: Matthew Emery, Sarah Emery / Cinematographer: TinNGai Chan / VFX: Matthew Emery

Filmmaker Bio: 
Jorė Janavičiūtė has a BA in Journalism from Vilnius University (2014), has completed a Film Production course at European Film College in Denmark (2015), and holds a Film Directing MA from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater (2018). She has made five short films. Her short film Where Things, Where People Disappear (2017) has been screened in almost twenty festivals around Europe and won the Silver Screen award “Young Director Award” in Film School (Europe) category in 2018 in Cannes, France as well as Best Fiction Film prize in BEAST IFF 2019 in Porto, Portugal. Her short documentary <3 / Less Than Three (2019) had an International premiere in Ji.hlava IDFF 2019. Parking Lot (2021) was also screened in a number of festivals including Palm Springs International Shortfest, HollyShorts in the U.S., FEST in Portugal, etc. Jorė currently is developing new film projects, lecturing at Vilnius University, writing articles for Lithuanian media, as well as working as Junior Programmer at Vilnius International Short Film Festival and in casting on film, TV, and commercial productions.
 

Cast: Greta Petrovksytė, Milda Noreikaitė / Producer: Migla Butkutė / Director: Jorė Janavičiūtė / Writer: Jorė Janavičiūtė / Cinematographer: Vytautas Katkus / Editor: Gabrielė Urbonaitė

Filmmaker Bio: An artist in the 3D Animation field, Maxime Divier writes, directs and experiments, guided by his passion for storytelling and visual composition. Interested in all the formats that allow us to tell stories visually, he challenges himself by directing and creating projects that are dear to his heart.                                                                                          

Cast: Cédrick Mainville, Louis Carrière / Producer: Yanis Arab / Director: Maxime Divier / Writer: Jérome Bérubé, Maxime Divier / Cinematographer: Antoine Doan / Editor: Laura Novo / Composer: Philipe Poulin

Filmmaker Bio: Peter McCully has worked in visual effects for the film industry for over 25 years, running visual effects company Albedo VFX, overseeing work for numerous feature films, television films and series, and he has several awards and nominations to show for it. Peter directed the NZFC funded short film Eeling (2009) and wrote and directed the short film The Gully (in post-production). He was associate producer of the telefeature Jean (2016), and Kiwi Christmas (2017). Peter’s visual effects work for Jean earned him a New York Festivals silver medal. His previous short film with Media Design School, Kino Ratten, was selected by several international film festivals in 2020, winning awards at Palm Springs Animation Festival and Irvine International Film Festival, plus nominations for cinematography and screenwriting.                                                        

Cast: Jules Robertson, Pete Muller, Richard Felix, Sean O’Connor, Thea Hielkema, Maza White / Producer: Peter McCully, Ryan Mullany / Director: Peter McCully / Writer: Peter McCully / Cinematographer: Rafael Bonatto / Editor: Pierre Montage / Composer: Andrew McDowall

Filmmaker Bio: Elisabeth Rasmussen is a Sámi filmmaker from the Norwegian Arctic Circle and the founder of Wonderline Productions. With a passion for storytelling and a fearless perspective, she has established herself as a rising talent in the film industry. She sold her award-winning directorial debut The Heart of Bruno Wizard to Netflix and SVT. The film screened at more than 30 festivals around the world, including those qualifying for the Academy Awards, and was voted a “must watch film” ahead of The Frieze Art Fair by Dazed & Confused magazine.  Elisabeth’s storytelling heritage ranges from participating in NRK’s radio show Ekko on several occasions, articles in Grist (US), The Observer Magazine (UK), music videos and installations featured at Tele3 and Flaix TV (Spain), The Barbican and Selfridges (UK), The Norwegian Embassy in Berlin (Germany) as well as the most prestigious international film festivals. She holds a MA in Media and Communications with Merit from The City University of London & a BA in Philosophy from the University of Tromsø. Starting out as a guest coordinator for TIFF (Tromsø International Film Festival) and then Marketing Manager for The Aurora Cinema Chain in Norway, Elisabeth was inspired to make her first short. Her intimate style has allowed her to produce, direct and edit medically sensitive films for the production company Takepart Media & Science (Germany), make the website “Mine Behandlingsvalg” for the University hospital in Tromsø, Norway, as well as make inspiring videos for the American Veterans. Rasmussen is known for her collaborative spirit and ability to bring out the best in her cast and crew, making her a sought after resource in the industry.                                                                             

Cast: Phoenix, Elisabeth Rasmussen, Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Agnes Søerheim, Josh Wald/ Producer: Elisabeth Rasmussen, Inge Wegge / Director: Elisabeth Rasmussen / Writer: Elisabeth Rasmussen / Cinematographer: Dmitriy Mukhin, Knut Sævik, Elisabeth Rasmussen, Jannicke Mikkelsen, FNF, Sara Marielle Gaup Baeska, Agnes Sørheim, Danny Sarns, Jeremy Ripley, Melanie Horn, Babang Deshommes, Mohamed Jabaly / Editor: Marte B Aasen, NFK / Composer: Øivind A. Sjøvoll

Filmmaker Bio: Patricia Seely is a Los Angeles-based multimedia producer/director/writer. She is currently a 2022 WIF Google Shorts Lab Inaugural Fellow for a short film she wrote and directed called Please In Spanish. Her recent projects as a producer include two shorts which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival: The Cocktail Party, written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Jessica Sanders, and The Rising Voices Story, directed by Kwanza Nicole Gooden, which was created as part of Lena Waithe’s Rising Voices initiative. She was previously the Vice President of Production for Kobe Bryant’s Granity Studios, producing the ESPN+ series Detail, the scripted podcast The Punies, The Wizenard Series and Legacy and the Queen audiobooks, and behind-the-scenes documentation of the Academy Award-winning animated short Dear Basketball.                                                                                              

Cast: Emily Tosta, Kevin Alexis Rivera, Esther Pidal, Marabina Jaimes, Diana Tinker, Elizabeth Lamboy-Wilson / Producer: Alexandra Clayton / Director: Patricia Seely / Writer: Patricia Seeley / Cinematographer: Veronica Bouza / Editor: Karl Stieg, Justin Yates / Composer: Josean Jacobo

Filmmaker Bio: Ellie Stewart is a writer, director, and producer from Calgary Alberta. Blending the whimsical with the grotesque, her work exists at the intersections of comedy and horror. Her short film Weird Sister was nominated for best student film at the 2018 Stinger Awards. Her film The Curse premiered at the Final Girls Festival in Berlin, played at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, and can be found streaming on the Arrow Player app. Her most recent short film, Pool Party, was funded by Calgary Arts Development, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and CSIF. It is a queer coming of age film with a twist.                                                                                              

Cast: Glen Dela-Cruz, Jack Rasmussen / Producer: Ellie Stewart, Matt Prazak, Rino Mioc, Tyler Whelen / Director: Ellie Stewart / Writer: Ellie Stewart / Cinematographer: Myriam Boutin / Editor: Jelayna Hyggen / Composer: Julianna Hindemith

Filmmaker Bio: Gabriel Horn is an award-winning filmmaker from Tel-Aviv, Israel. His first film, Do No Harm, highlighting clinical negligence in the UK, won several prizes on the international film circuit. Gabriel is also a European citizen, and has made several independent films with international collaboration. His film Post Mortem is based on true events and draws attention to the criminal culture of many British institutions. Gabriel is a professional actor and has taken part in many international productions including feature films, independent films and commercials. Horn’s films include Do No Harm; Mordechai; Thou; First Do No Harm; Life, Death & Turkey Sandwich; The Only Friend I Ever Had; Tortoise; One Step Forward Two Steps Back; Post Mortem; All I Ever Wanted; Protagonist; Avner; and Stuck.                                                                                              

Cast: Gabriel Horn, Kati Thiemer, Betty Kaplan, Roland Eisner, Karina Frik, Vanessa Most / Director: Gabriel Horn / Writer: Gabriel Horn / Cinematographer: Clemens Helmchen / Editor: Talia Levy / Composer: Patrick Zimmerman

Filmmaker Bio: Alberto Díaz López (Bóveda, 1984) graduated in Audiovisual Communication from Rey Juan Carlos University and has a European masters degree in Film studies. It was during his time as a student that he filmed his first short Stringless, which was defined as “a piece capable of innovating the layout of a hypertonic montage which has a thrilling post modernist structure” at Ca Foscari de Venecia Film Festival. He has recently directed a self-referential film workshop in the Escuela Internacional de Cine de San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba) thanks to a grant awarded by the SGAE. Nowadays he finds himself involved in writing and the pre-production phase of his first feature film, a metalinguistic reflection about motion picture art. Alberto is passionate about the theory of Cinematography and the poetic discourse.  Mordisco Films, his production company, has enabled him to carry out simultaneous undertakings such as writing, directing and post-producing in various audiovisual pieces. He is the founder of Yaq distribution, a short film production company, having  dealt with over 500 audiovisual pieces to date. Among his projects as a director and producer he counts more than 1500 selections and 300 international awards. Alberto also held one of the most prestigious grants in the Real Academia de España in Rome as an Artist in Residence.                                                                                

Cast: Zoe García De la Torre, Samu Piñeiro Durán, Antonio Durán Morris, María Vazquez, Xose Antonio Touriñan, Gemma do Carmo / Producer: Alberto Díaz, Kyong Sik Suh Oh, Pedro de la Escalera, Carlota Coronado, Alfonso Palazón / Director: Alberto Díaz / Writer: Alberto Díaz, Ángela Andrada / Cinematographer: Miguel Ángel Viñas / Editor: Raquel Sánchez Moreno / Composer: Carme Rodríguez

Filmmaker Bio: Andrey Kolenčík, nicknamed Admiral (born 3/8/1984 in Bratislava) is a film director and visual artist. At present he’s studying his doctoral studies at Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava and working as a freelance film director of fiction, documentary and also animation films. In 2014 he was selected for Berlinale Talents. In 2015 he started his own production company called Admiral Films. Films he directed have been awarded at several international film festivals like the Golden Egg at the Kunstendorf film festival in Serbia, but also at home – the Slovak Oscar Sun in the Net Award. His films have been selected to such festivals as Palm Springs Short Fest, Atlanta Film Festival, Guanajuato International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, DOXA Documentary Film Festival and many more.        

Cast: Eva Pavlíková, Viliam Hriadel, Marek Obuch, Kuki / Producer: Andrej Kolencik / Director: Andrey Kolenčík / Writer: Juro Slauka, Andrey Kolenčík / Cinematographer: Michaela Klanicová / Editor: Andrey Kolenčík / Composer: Adam Matej Composer: Carme Rodríguez

Filmmaker Bio: Will Lee is a Los-Angeles based filmmaker and blu-ray hoarder. His short film, RINGWORMS, was a creative lifeboat during the pandemic and a story that became deeply personal. He takes inspiration from Sam Raimi, David Cronenberg, and a little bit of Junji Ito, pushing vulnerable characters with relatable fears into a nightmarish crucible that demands transformation. His favorite horror films are The Thing (1982), The Shining (1980), and Mandy (2018).

Cast: Faye Tamasa, Skylar Okerstrom-Lang / Producer: Katrina Ungewitter, Ian Hedman / Director: Will Lee / Writer: Will Lee, Ian Hedman / Cinematographer: Rafael Gomez / Editor: Will Lee / Composer: Marc Giguere

Filmmaker Bio: Maximilien Blanc is a London-born, French-American actor, editor and director based in Los Angeles, with dual US and French citizenship. His editing work includes the Emmy Award-winning series The Shop, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. He is also an avid animator, having experimented with the medium during the Covid pandemic lockdown. In 2022, Maximilien won an animation Emmy Award (along with the rest of the team) for his work on the CNN documentary Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street. He is a graduate from Pitzer College, earning his B.A. in Media Studies and Literature.

Cast: CC McKenna, Taani Fuahala, Chander Daya, Greg Safel / Producer: Chander Daya, CC McKenna / Director: Maximilien Blanc / Writer: Maximilien Blanc / Cinematographer: Rob Mestas / Editor: Maximilien Blanc / Composer: Epidemic Sound

Filmmaker Bio: Emerson Niemchick is an award-winning director, writer, and actor. His first short film, roach, was acquired for distribution and presented at the 2020 Cannes Film Market. His third short, anniversary, won the Audience Award at the New York Movie Awards in 2021. His films are heavily influenced by David Lynch and take on the surrealist-noir genre. He resides in Los Angeles.                                                                                                                        

Cast: Siena Solinda, David Beatty, Sierra Deane, Anna Heffington, Gregory Yuan, Raisu Williams, Julie Phillips, Ryan Bertroche, Craig Fairbanks, Jess Shira, Caleb Francis Jenkins, Emerson Niemchick, Mary Sader, Lacey Buchanan, Karen Niemchickl / Producer: Emerson Niemchick / Director: Emerson Niemchick / Writer: Emerson Niemchick / Cinematographer: Emerson Niemchick / Editor: Emerson Niemchick / Composer: Emerson Niemchick / Animation: Bruno Vertel

Filmmaker Bio: Marissa Lichwick began her career in New York City in the Lower East Side at LA Mama Etc... helmed by Ellen Stewart, devising work with the late Elizabeth Swados and Michael Fieldman. She made her way through the Off-Off Broadway scene performing at various venues including The New York International Fringe Festival and making her Off-Broadway debut at Urban Stages Theatre. Marissa lived and worked as an actress in New York City for ten years before heading off to the University of Washington to earn her MFA in Acting. Upon completion, she lived in Los Angeles before moving to Chicago where she worked at various theatres throughout the city –  including appearances at The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, and Silk Road Theatre. She worked regionally at The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center, and workshopped many new works by emerging playwrights. She has appeared in Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, and Chicago Med, as well as in short films and independent feature films. Marissa wrote her solo show, Yellow Dress, in graduate school. It performed in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Minnesota, St. Louis, and most recently at the Santa Monica Playhouse. She wrote a short film in 2020 inspired by her solo show with the same title, Yellow Dress, which went on to win 15 Best Film awards and 29 other honors including honorable mentions and finalist selections. She completed her second short film, YOO, which premiered this March and was awarded Best Short Film on Women by the RunDoc Film Festival, received the Best Actress Award by New York Film Award, the Best Acting Ensemble by Best Directors and Actors Award in New York City, and was an Official Selection at the Marina del Rey Film Festival. Searching For Yoo completed filming on June 29, 2022.   ​Marissa completed her Screenwriting degree at UCLA this Spring, of 2022                                                                                                    

Cast: Annabella Camardelli, Avelyn Choi, Bruce Baek, John Ruby, Dwight Sora, Karla Kim, Marissa Lichwick, Greg Matthew Anderson, Karmann Bajuyo, Aurora Adachi-Winter, Chris Yim, Atlie Gilbert, Jacob Chan / Producer: Eric Michael Kochmer, Marissa Lichwick / Director: Eric Michael Kochmer, Marissa Lichwick / Writer: Marissa Lichwick / Cinematographer: Grace Pisula, Drew Tieng / Editor: James Hecht / Composer: John Baxter

Filmmaker Bio: Lindsay Zibach has worked as Guillermo del Toro's assistant, an Associate Producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and a Photo/Video Producer for The Hollywood Reporter. Her debut film, Seeing Diane Arbus, reflects her curiosity for outsiders, period films, and classic horror. She received her B.S. in Journalism from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and her M.F.A. in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives in Ventura, CA,  where she's in post production on her second film, a folk-horror short titled The Last Sin Eater.                                                                                                    

Cast: Kimberly Alexander, Katrina Kemp, Circus-Szalewski, Joshua Close / Producer: Natalie Heltzel, Stephanie Fischette, Ian Gibson, Lindsay Zibach / Director: Lindsay Zibach / Writer: Lindsay Zibach / Cinematographer: Favienne Howsepian / Editor: Stacy Pietrafitta / Composer: Daniel Pioro

Filmmaker Bio: Bonita Oliver is a multidisciplinary artist and improviser whose body in space work focuses on transitions - the process of moving through. She creates emotionally stirring, immersive works which often directly engage audiences. Much of her work is improvised - created in the moment - with audience participation and imagination. Bonita (who also performs under the name of French Leave) is originally from Springfield, Massachusetts. She is a composer, curator, visual artist, actress, playwright and multi-award winning filmmaker. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA, NYWIFT, WOCU and is a 2022 Opera America Artist in Residence, currently working on her first Augmented Reality installation.                                                                                              

Cast: Nadhege Ptah, Jade Litaker, Cynthia St. Juste, Mecca Akbar, Ronnie Rochester, Bonita Oliver/ Producer: Bonita Oliver / Director: Bonita Oliver / Writer: Bonita Oliver

Filmmaker Bio: Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Cortney Scott Wright is a screenwriter as well as a film and television actress. A university graduate from with a BFA in Theatre performance, she played lead roles in Off-Broadway theatre productions of Grease and Flyin’ West before steadily booking lead roles in acclaimed regional theatre, such as the award-winning Joe’s Turner’s Come and Gone at The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles. She had the lead role in the Toni Braxton biopic Unbreak My Heart for A&E/ Lifetime, as well as playing a recurring role in the long-running soap, General Hospital, and guest starring in the comedy series Game Shakers for Nickelodeon. Her animated comedy pilot, Toy Detectives, is currently in development with Mads Munk, Executive Producer of the Lego cartoon series franchise for M2 Film and M2 Animation. Most recently, Cortney wrote and directed the short film Sheer Desperation, which is currently in festivals. She is also a staff writer on the Blippi Franchise for Moonbug Entertainment.                                                                                                    

Cast: Courtney Williams, Connie Jo Sechrist, Cortney Scott Wright / Producer: Connie Jo Sechrist, Cortney Scott Wright, Scott Norcross / Director: Cortney Scott Wright / Writer: Cortney Scott Wright / Cinematographer: Gavin V. Murray / Editor: Kiana Ortega / Music: Daniel Varela

Filmmaker Bio: Nicole Moore-Joseph is a writer, actor, and film director. Her most recent short film, The Lunch, was featured in the Actor’s Army film festival in Atlanta, GA. Currently, Moore-Joseph is working on funding her personal project, Here Lies the Red Bird, a coming-of-age family drama that depicts her true story and testimony over fantasy sex addiction. Nicole has studied acting and directing across the United States. She was featured in A Piece of Me at the Producer’s Club and Blew, a one-woman show at The Strand Theatre. After working and training in both New York and Los Angeles, Moore-Joseph relocated to Atlanta where she continues taking classes, directing, and teaching. Committed to giving back, Moore-Joseph served as the VIP Communications Coordinator for the Inaugural Atlanta Black Theatre Festival working with national and international guests. Though she loves acting, she is equally committed to her role as a wife and mother to two daughters.                                                                                                

Cast: Tryphena Wade, Kamal Bolden, Sophia Stephens, Aliha Strange, Jean Charles, Kelly Thomas / Producer: Tryphena Wade, Jasmine Shanise Gammon / Director: Nicole Moore-Joseph / Writer: Tryphena Wade / Cinematographer: Olugbenga Tayo Osikomaiya / Editor: Mairi S. Utno

Filmmaker Bio: Melanie Zoey Weinstein is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and actor, who creates content at the intersection of sexuality, religion and modern life. Melanie is director of Why I Dance, a pole dance film about women who come together to reclaim their bodies through movement. Why I Dance went viral with nearly 2 million views worldwide on vimeo, and was featured in Vogue, Refinery29, Upworthy, Buzzfeed, HuffPo and more. Why I Dance screened internationally in Berlin, London, Kosovo and at Vienna International Shorts, winning best cinematography and best editing at Women’s Indie Fest. Melanie is co-producer and dialogue writer of A24’s Menashe, the Yiddish film that premiered in Sundance NEXT 2017, and was nominated for Best First Feature in the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards. She is developing her feature debut, Dirty Pictures. Ericka Naegel of Lena Dunham’s A Casual Romance called Spanko “frank, funny and triumphant,” and Kristen Murtha of Sundance hit Band-Aid called Spanko “contagious.” Melanie’s coming-of-age comedy Sex and the Holy Land, about a young woman’s quest to find her orgasm in Israel while combating the Jewish mothers in her mind, premiered in The New York International Fringe Festival. Sex and the Holy Land sold out, and was chosen from two hundred plays for an extended run in The Fringe Encore Series.                                                                                                                 

Cast: Melanie Zoey Weinstein, Robert Bella, Amelie Buchler / Producer: Elissa Cohn, Chell Stephen, Jennifer Tocquigny, Melanie Zoey Weinstein / Director: Melanie Zoey Weinstein / Writer: Melanie Zoey Weinstein / Cinematographer: Kimby Caplan / Editor: Matt Hale

Screenwriter Bio: Harker Jones holds a degree in written communication and literature from Eastern Michigan University. He has written two novels (including the Amazon #1 best-seller Until September) and seven screenplays. His short thriller Cole & Colette won the Get It Made Short-Form Screenplay Competition and was subsequently produced and accepted into nearly forty film festivals. He loves cats and carbs, would like to be a pop star, and is a member of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and is a card-carrying member of Mensa.

Filmmaker Bio: Mars Roberge is a Canadian-American dual-citizen filmmaker, born in Scarborough (borough of Toronto) and living in Los Angeles. A film production graduate of York University, Mars Roberge is a multi-award-winning director, producer, screenwriter and editor. U.K. press has called Mars a leading figure of the Hellawood film movement for underground filmmakers in Hollywood who create their art by any means necessary. Mars is responsible for launching a new film genre in 2016 which he calls "Rocktopia" and defines it as "an individual's struggle against the ideals of a Utopian society where the only freedom of escape is to rock out." When not making films, he moonlights as a successful underground disc jockey named "Die J! Mars" playing every major venue in Toronto, NYC and Los Angeles since the early nineties and runs a vinyl record label called World Domination Records. Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2011, directing two feature films under his film company, World Domination Pictures: the punk comedy Scumbag, which had a world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2017, and the feel good dramedy Mister Sister, which premiered as the official closing night film for Dances With Films in 2021. Mister Sister went on to win Best NYC Film in 2021 at Winter Film Awards International Film Festival where it was also the closing night film.   Also in 2021, Mars won We Make Movies’ "Make Your Feature" international pitch contest, winning funding for Stars. Mars is in pre-production for another feature film biopic he is writing and directing, produced by Freeway Rick Ross, to be shot in 2023.                                                                                      

Cast: Debra Haden, Rah Digga, Sophia Lamar, Miley Rose, Eva Dorrepaal, Meredith Binder / Producer: Mars Roberge, Sam Mestman, Kenneth Shaw, Eric Michael Kochmer / Director: Mars Roberge / Writer: Mars Roberge, Doron Braunshtein / Cinematographer: Coddy K. Stauffer / Editor: Mars Roberge / Composer: Michael Cashmore

Filmmaker Bio: Daniel Robin makes creative documentaries that are often preoccupied with memory, personal relationships, and family history. His film my olympic summer screened in 30 film festivals, winning several awards including the Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize. His film All The Leaves Are Brown screened in over 30 festivals, including Curtas Vila Do Conde, and won the Best Director Award at the Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival. His film Petting Zoo has screened at 23 film festivals including Ji.hlava IDFF. Daniel’s most recent film, Sun Coming and Casting a Shadow, shot on super 8, has screened at international festivals including Kassler Dokfest and the Atlanta Film Festival. Daniel Robin is a professor, teaching filmmaking at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.                                                                                                

Cast: Jenny Lee, Daniel and George / Director: Daniel Robin / Writer: Daniel Robin / Cinematographer: Daniel Robin / Editor: Daniel Robin

Filmmaker Bio: This is Sophie Colquhoun’s debut film as writer and director. Sophie is a successful actress, starring in shows such as Plebs, The Royals, Blandings and Some Girls and films such as Captain America, The Inbetweeners and Thomas the Tank Engine. Her background spans across the arts, studying both at Central St. Martins School in Fine Art and also Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is an experienced decorative artist and photographer, and was awarded the Jessie Scrivener prize for her acting. Now a mother of three, storytelling is in her bones. The spectrum of artistic mediums that she represents and the collaborative opportunities between them are what really excites her in her work.                                                                                      

Cast: Sophie Colquhoun, Wendy Allnutt / Producer: Sophie Colquhoun / Director: Sophie Colquhoun / Writer: Sophie Colquhoun / Cinematographer: Leighton Spence / Editor: George Clemens / Composer: Andreas Aaser

Filmmaker Bio: François Larpin started his career as a production assistant at Lazennec (Un Monde Sans Pitié, Les Patriotes, La Haine...). Then, he became a music video producer at Iconoclast where he notably produced Territory by The Blaze (Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions 2017). Surfaces is his first short film as a director. He is currently shooting his first documentary, No Plan So Far, which follows the journey of a collective of four graffiti artists.                      

Cast: Loïc Corbery, Michael Abiteboul / Producer: Solène Collard, Leslie Sicouri, François Larpin / Director: François Larpin / Writer: François Larpin / Cinematographer: Raphaël Vandenbussche / Editor: Cyrielle Thélot / Composer: Nicolas Worms

Filmmaker Bio: Born and raised in LA, Ursula Rudorfer is a former yoga teacher turned filmmaker pursuing the creative journey in her second act.          

Cast: Chauncey Trask, Suzie Hinds, Isaac Ligsay, Patrick Duncan, Catherine Dvorak / Producer: Patrick Coleman Duncan, Ursula Rudorfer / Director: Ursula Rudorfer / Writer: Patrick Coleman Duncan / Cinematographer: Denis Maloney ASC / Composer: Pietro Milanesi

Filmmaker Bio: William Joseph Hill: I began my life as a filmmaker shooting movies in my backyard with my sister and brothers as my co-stars. My first feature (well, mini-feature) was Law Of The Ninja, which I produced, directed and starred in while growing up in Hawaii. Hawaii was also where I began my martial arts training. I started with Okinawan Kenpo Karate and Kobudo (weapons), earning my 2nd Degree Black Belt. My wife Pamela & I created our own web series That Darn Girlfriend along with several short films which we produced through our production company Four Scorpio Productions. We have our own YouTube channel and are producing original content, as well as developing our own film projects including our sci-fi martial arts film Cyber Fighter, which is originally being produced as a short film to eventually develop into a feature film. We belong to We Make Movies, a Hollywood-based film collective dedicated to producing independent film. I’ve been a series regular on several web series, including Jupiter’s Ghost, Diary Of A Henchman, and Buona Sera News.                                                                                           

Cast: Pamela Hill, William Joseph Hill / Producer: Pamela Hill, William Joseph Hill / Director: William Joseph Hill / Writer: Pamela Hill, William Joseph Hill / Cinematographer: William Joseph Hill / Editor: William Joseph Hill

Filmmaker Bio: As a first generation Ecuadorian raised in Asheville, NC, Damián Javier Apunte viewed the world in an unconventional way. His intrigue of the unique beauty in the darkness influences Damián’s aesthetic vision through his reflective storytelling. Additionally, his discovery of existentialism paired with life changing assaults shaped his compassion for the human soul. This compassion is something he strives to share with the world by making films that make you feel. His lifelong quest is to find out “who got the hooch?”                                                                                  

Cast: Nora Harriet, Ofelia Rivera / Producer: Erika Martinez, Taius Greenidge / Director: Damián Javier Apunte / Writer: Damián Javier Apunte / Cinematographer: Jon Schweigart / Editor: Brandon Felker / Composer: Heather Sommerhauser

Filmmaker Bio: A Washington DC native, Matthew S. Robinson spent his early years dreaming of becoming an archaeologist. As time went on his passion for historical documentaries and research morphed into a passion for cinema and theatre. After making his feature directorial debut, Robinson would write and direct various short and feature-length plays. He has won several awards while working with some of the most talented individuals in the Los Angeles community.                                                                                                

Cast: Caitlin Patricia Weiler / Producer: Caitlin Patricia Weiler / Director: Matthew S. Robinson / Writer: Caitlin Patricia Weiler, Peter Soby / Cinematographer: Nick Vera / Editor: Alex Scarfe / Composer: Vivien Villani

Filmmaker Bio: Tom’s film SERVICE ME, won Best North American Short Film at New York Independent Cinema Awards, Best Short Short at New York Long Island Film Festival and Best Relationship Short Film at the Silicon Beach Film Festival in Hollywood.   Tom’s play, ADAM &amp; YOSHI World Premiered in Hong Kong, China on December 1st, 2022 with Wedraman Theater Company.  Tom’s screenplay AMERICAN ONRYO, a Horror Short is a Finalist for Best Short Screenplay at International Filmmaker Festival in New York and won Best Short Screenplay at the 2023 Night of Drama Film Festival in Milan, Italy. Tom is a member of We Make Movies, The Actors Gym, Naked Angels and The New Ambassadors Theater Company in NY, and has been a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, since 1998.                                                                          

Cast: Bob Telford, Heidi Schooler / Producer: James Cavanaugh, Tom Cavanaugh, Allyson Sereboff, Bob Telford, We Make Moviesl / Director: Tom Cavanaugh / Writer: Tom Cavanaugh / Cinematographer: Chris Narrie/ Editor: Tom Cavanaugh / Composer: Jeffrey Gold

Filmmaker Bio: Vedran Rupic is a director living in Sweden. Originally from Bosnia, he came to Sweden as a refugee. He started doing films in high school when he gave up on his dreams of becoming a scientist. Documentaries at first, but much like science, you can't make stuff up, so he started doing shorter narrative work.                                                                                                

Cast: Erik Sjöström, Rodrigo Pozo Vizcarra / Producer: Siamand Masoodian, Christian Kuosmanen, Erika Malmgren, Annika Hellström / Director: Vedran Rupic / Writer: Gustav Sundström, Vedran Rupic / Cinematographer: Lionel Cabrera / Editor: Nils Moström / Composer: Gustav Jennefors

Filmmaker Bio: Sapna Gandhi is an award winning actor, producer, and singer-songwriter. Screen credits highlight hit shows such as Bosch and Shameless, and she has appeared in dozens of shorts and features, most recently the sci-fi thriller Wakener and the socio-political drama Inside. She's produced several films and series independently as well as under the umbrella of production company Elegant Grotesque, including the award winning drama Scrap (Anthony Rapp, Vivian Kerr) and musical feature film Stranded On Earth (dir. by Mike Bruce, featuring Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds). Sapna is one half of the cinematic dream-pop musical duo VATAVARAN, and served as Editor-In-Chief and then Chief Marketing Officer of We Make Movies for a decade until 2022. 
 
Cast: Sapna Gandhi / Producers: Eric Michael Kochmer, Sapna Gandhi & John T. Mickevich / Director: Sapna Gandhi / Writer: VATAVARAN / Cinematographer: Ross Kolton / Editor: Eric Michael Kochmer / HMU: Kristen Pickrell

Filmmaker Bio: Reuben and Gedaly Guberek are brothers from Encinitas, CA. They grew up on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Warcraft III, and choreographing lightsaber fight videos. Gedaly has performed in dozens of theatrical productions including Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He's also a fight performer and a colorist, and runs DVResolve.com, a popular DaVinci Resolve news outlet, and Working.Actor, an all-in-one career resource for actors. Reuben graduated from USC Film School focusing on writing and directing; his thesis film Foodfellas was distributed nationally on PBS Film School Shorts. He co-wrote, directed, and produced his own micro-budget feature film, which won an Audience Choice Award at Scumdance.                                                                                                

Cast: Gedaly Guberek, Beth May, Gary Lamb, Tim Storms, Stephen Dunford, Ajala Bandele, Jeff Budner / Producer: Gedaly Guberek, Reuben Guberek / Director: Gedaly Guberek, Reuben Guberek / Writer: Gedaly Guberek, Reuben Guberek / Cinematographer: Pearce Healy / Editor: Gedaly Guberek, Reuben Guberek / Composer: Nikhil Koparkar

Filmmaker Bio: Stephanie Owens has a background in experimental and nonfiction works. Traditionally, her films have been collaborations between herself and the people she records, drawing attention to their relationship and the construction of the film. She is also interested in themes of placement, striving to express what it means to be both here and there -- a part of and apart. Her most recent short documentary Downstage has screened at numerous festivals including BlackStar Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, New York International Children's Film Festival, Dance Camera West, Chicago International Children's Film Festival, and Cucalorus Film Festival. Owens is also an editor, and co-edited the Academy Award™ winning short documentary The Queen of Basketball, directed by Ben Proudfoot. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and CalArts. The Model is her first narrative short film.                                                                

Cast: Cora Vander Broek, Helen Sadler, Elaine Rivkin / Producer: Carina Chavda / Director: Stephanie Owens / Writer: Cora Vander Broek / Cinematographer: Kalilah Robinson / Editor: Clare Cooney / Composer: Matthias Wagner, Martin Landstrom

Filmmaker Bio: Michael Russell is an Emmy nominated reality TV editor on shows including Naked and Afraid and College Hill: Celebrity Edition, but he has taken his first trip behind the camera with this short horror film he wrote, directed and edited.                                                                                                

Cast: Nicole Garrabrant, Paul Holowaty, Robin McDonald, Scarlett Redmond, Eric Rollins / Producer: Barrett Nicol, Michael Hilf, Michael Colin Russell / Director: Michael Russell / Writer: Michael Colin Russell / Cinematographer: Barrett Nicol / Editor: Michael Colin Russell / Composer: Tim Hare

Filmmaker Bio: Pasquale Esposito is an Italian actor and director. His artistic vision has been influenced by his practice of Zen Buddhism. He’s also been invited to the International Symposium on "Mindfulness and Performance" (June 2016) at the University of Huddersfield West Yorkshire, UK, to share his work on awareness of the nature of our own expression, an inquiry on our original self. As an actor he had his international breakthrough with the TV series Gomorrah (prod. by Sky Atlantic), leading to roles in Hotel Portofino (PBS), Industry (BBC-HBO), and Ripley (Showtime). He has written and directed different short films and documentaries. In 2015 he wrote, produced and directed the documentary In the right light, about the founder of the Win Conference, an independent global women's leadership organization.                                                                                              

Cast: Carlo Caracciolo, Anna Butterworth, Pasquale Esposito / Producer: Pasquale Esposito / Director: Pasquale Esposito / Writer: Pasquale Esposito / Cinematographer: Paolo Codato / Editor: Paolo Codato, Pasquale Esposito 

Filmmaker Bio: Julianne Martin is a Los Angeles based animation professional with credits on television shows and films such as Bojack Horseman, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and Bob's Burgers.                                                                            

Cast: Parker Simmons, Ryan Self, Julianne Martin Director: Julianne Martin / Writer: Julianne Martin / Compositor: Julianne Martin / Editor: Julianne Martin

Filmmaker Bio: Farnoosh Abedi was born in 1985 in Isfahan/Iran. He has made more than 20 short animated films and TV series, documentaries, and one animated feature. His films have been presented and screened in more than 200 domestic and international film festivals.                                                  

Producer: M. Reza Karimi Saremi, Negah Khezre Fardiar, Mohammad Ghaffari / Director: Farnoosh Abedi / Writer: Farnoosh Abedi / Editor: Farnoosh Abedi / Composer: Soroush Abedi

Filmmaker Bio: Arlo is a 19-year old aspiring filmmaker from Brighton, UK. He is currently studying English Literature at the University of Leeds. His younger sister, Stevie, has a form of learning disability called Tuberous Sclerosis. The Stevie Project is his first collaboration with a professional video production service. He enjoys making films in his spare time, especially documentary and non-fiction film. Arlo was still at college during the course of The Stevie Project’s shooting and editing process. He took A-Levels in English Literature and Language, Sociology and a BTEC in Creative Media Production. It was this last qualification that got him more interested in the documentary form. In 2022, he directed and edited 'Surfing All The Time', a short film about surfing and mental health. His portfolio also consists of music videos, adverts and fiction shorts that are yet to be uploaded online. While Arlo is a newcomer to the filmmaking scene, The Stevie Project has already blown away audiences with its heartbreaking honesty and beautiful warmth. He is always looking for more projects to sink his teeth into outside of university, seeking to specialise in films about family issues, identity, social commentary, mental health, surfing, the sea, wellbeing, and more

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Director/Writer/Editor: Arlo Taylor-Osmond / Producer: Tristan Loraine Camera: Ed White / Sound: Luke White

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Filmmaker Bio: Mark Hensley was born in Streator, Illinois but moved to the Netherlands when he was 6 with his family. As a teenager, Mark played in several bands and began his career in the music industry. At 23, he moved back to the United states and enrolled in a one year program at the College for Recording Arts in San Francisco. Upon graduation, he started interning at the world renowned Plant Studios in Sausalito, where he soon was hired as a staff assistant engineer. Mark also started producing local bands, which resulted in a platinum record for engineering the 4 Non Blondes hit single What’s Up. During a trip to Vancouver, BC, Mark met his wife Peggy, resulting in his decision to relocate there. In Vancouver he was introduced to audio post production for film and TV. Within a few years he was hired as staff Re-Recording mixer at one of the top studios in Vancouver, Post Modern Sound. His work there resulted in 8 Canadian sound Award Nominations and 3 wins. In 2008 Mark decided to push his career further, and moved to Los Angeles, where he has since been nominated for 3 CAS awards and 3 Emmys. He won an Emmy in 2018 for his work as Lead Re-Recording Mixer on Genius: Picasso. In 2016 Mark produced a short film written by his wife Peggy. Unhappy with the final product, the project was shelved. Two years later, Mark had an idea for another short film. His wife wrote the script, and Mark made the decision to direct it himself. Enjoying the process, he also taught himself to edit the film, which went on to be accepted in various festivals around the world, resulting in a distribution deal from a European distributor. In the last 4 years Mark has become a self-taught filmmaker, capable of handling all facets of filmmaking, and allowing him to make over 10 short films and several music videos in that time. He is currently shooting his first feature and is in pre-production for both a short and another feature.                                                                            

Cast: Jack Merrill, Paige Segal, Tammy Minoff, Dan Sanders-Joyce, Annabelle Gerwitch, Angel Parker / Producer: Mark Hensley, Jack Merrill / Director: Mark Hensley, Jack Merrill / Writer: Jack Merrill / Composer: Mark Hensley

Filmmaker Bio: Jim Haverkamp grew up in Iowa and lives in Durham, NC. His short fiction and documentary films have screened around the world, including the London Underground Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, the American Dance Festival, and the Chicago Underground Film Festival. He has toured on the Southern Circuit of Independent Film, served as a juror for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and was co-organizer of the Strange Beauty Film Festival. Jim also teaches for Duke University's Department of Cinematic Arts and bowls occasionally.                                                                            

Cast: Jessica L. Hudson, Jane Holding, Katja Hill / Producer: James Cavanaugh, Tom Cavanaugh, Allyson Sereboff, Bob Telford, We Make Movies / Director: Jim Haverkamp / Writer: Virgil Renfroe, Jim Haverkamp / Cinematographer: Alex Maness / Editor: Jim Haverkamp / Composer: Joyce Ventimiglia

Filmmaker Bio: Fiona Dorn is an actor and writer, now making her producer debut with There and Bach Again. Holding a BFA in Acting and a Minor in Creative Writing from CalArts, she specializes in action, creature performance, motion capture and voiceover, and currently works as a screenwriter. She loves bringing creatives of all different mediums together, and hopes to create many more films in the future.  

                                 
Cast: Amy Schumacher, Ell, Katie O’Hagan, Fiona Dorn / Producer: Fiona Dorn, Richard Yung / Director: TJ Storm / Writer: Fiona Dorn, TJ Storm / Cinematographer: Eddie Tsai / Editor: Christopher Sheffield 

Filmmaker Bio: John F. Beach, a Louisiana native, is an actor and filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles, CA. He recently co-directed the international award-winning short film, The Accomplice, starring opposite Evan Peters. He also created and stars in the award winning web series Holloway Heights. They Grow Up So Fast is John's solo directorial debut, and he has multiple projects in development as a writer/director. He can be seen in various roles as an actor in film, TV and commercials. You might remember him as 'The Shusher' in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.                                                                            

Cast: John F. Beach, Emily Althaus, Martin Spanjers, Madelynn Deason, Thatcher Payne, George Beach Alexander, Henry Ferrell, Reed Huguet, Aaron Himelstein, Jack O’Malley / Producer: Martin Spanjers / Director: John F. Beach / Writer: John F. Beach / Cinematographer: Damian Drake / Editor: Aaron Himelstein / Composer: Chromosomes

Filmmaker Bio: Alisa Khairetdinova was born in 1997 in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan. In 2015 she entered the Faculty of Journalism of the Higher School of Economics and started making documentaries as a part of her studies. The film I'm not a feminist got into the program of Artdocfest 2019. During studies she worked as a journalist on TV Rain and on other independent media. In 2020, she entered the Moscow Film School, and the directing course of Alexei Popogrebsky. She currently lives in Georgia and works as an HR-editor at Yandex.                                                                              

Cast: Anastasia Redkina, Muhammad Gazikhanov, Sofia Kovaleva, Irina Shkabara, Oleg Seliverstov / Producer: Anna Merenkova / Director: Alisa Khairetdinova / Writer: Alisa Khairetdinova / Cinematographer: Anna Golubeva / Editor: Natalia Simendeeva

Filmmaker Bio: Comedy and dramedy director and writer Amy DePaola focuses on tenderizing stories that find humor in dark times and uncomfortable moments. Drawn to characters that are outsiders grappling with relationships, identity, and growth, her background in acting has given her a knack for finding grounded performances within unexpected, unusual circumstances and heightened worlds. She began her directing career with a self-titled short, AmyDee, about her journey into the sport of boxing. She also starred in and fought her first amateur fight for the film, keeping all of her teeth in the process. Amy is a 2023 Blackmagic Collective Future Women of TV Directing Fellow, a 2023 Yes And Laughter Lab Finalist, and a Stowe TV Writers Lab Finalist. She is a producing member of the Television Academy. Her production credits include working with Participant Media, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and The CW. She has an MFA from Emerson College and studied at The Groundlings, and had an integral role in Joe Jonas’ first-ever stand-up comedy show. www.amydepaola.com                                                                            

Cast: Danielle Beckmann, Christine Rose Schermerhorn, Will Brandt, Jeanne Taylor, Amy DePaola, Angelina Ramirez, Walker Hare / Producer: Danielle Beckmann, Aliethea D’Angelo / Director: Amy DePaola / Writer: Amy DePaola / Cinematographer: Lucas Alvarado-Farrar / Editor: Samantha Smith, Daniel Ferrara

Filmmaker Bio: Jessica Liu is a director and writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her film Prom Time was awarded the Women's Empowerment Award at the Anaheim Film Festival and hand-selected by Emmy-winner Kate Hackett for mentorship at the Cinema Femme's April 2021 showcase. Her film OrangeDreams was selected by the City of Los Angeles to promote an initiative to encourage outdoor activities for young girls. Liu’s work combines dream-like states with grounded realities centering on fascinating characters. She often explores female desire and duality in identity. Her films have been screened internationally, domestically, and digitally - at the Museum of Creative Minds, Shanghai, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, and on Amazon Prime. A graduate of UCSC with double majors in Film and Feminist Studies - Culture, Power, and Representation, she strives to honor authentic marginalized perspectives through fresh and exciting storytelling.                                                                                                

Cast: Lowam Eyasu, Emilio Garcia Sanchez / Producer: Jessica Liu / Director: Jessic Liu / Writer: Anat Eshel / Cinematographer: Danilo Pitrelli / Editor: Aashish D’Mello / Composer: Phillip Southworth-Kreyche

Filmmaker Bio: Truman Hatfield is a 20-year-old photographer and cinematographer from Los Angeles, CA.                                                                            

Cast: Christopher Hatfield / Producer: Truman Hatfield / Director: Truman Hatfield  / Writer: Truman Hatfield  / Cinematographer: Truman Hatfield / Editor: Truman Hatfield 

Filmmaker Bio: Anthony Ferraro has directed two feature films, 13 short films, and two web series. He was also a producer and editor on Al Gore’s Emmy Winning Current TV team. Ferraro is the writer/director of the breakout sci-fi short film Aeranger. The film earned over 3 million organic views across platforms, including the highly curated sci-fi YouTube channel, DUST. Ferraro’s stylized sci-fi series, Galactic Galaxy, won the Outstanding Film Award at the Berlin Sci-Fi Film Festival. He also received seven nominations for special effects and visual effects on the festival circuit. Anthony is also the creator and host of Create SciFi, a popular weekly show for independent filmmakers, with over 2.6 million views.                                                                                        

Cast: Rhomeyn Johnson, Nimo Purcell, Sapna Gandhi, Anthony Di Petro, Jonathan Castile / Producer: Eric Michael Kochmer, Clint Carney, Anthony Ferraro / Director: Anthony Ferraro  / Writer: Anthony Ferraro / Cinematographer: Jon Schweigart / Editor: Anthony Ferraro / Composer: Matthew Patterson Curry, Oliver Chapoy
 

Filmmaker Bio: Kristýna Budínová is working class – born and raised in Prague, the cold City-of-a-Hundred-Spires, sculpted by the hustle and bustle of New York’s melting pot, and now in LA wandering the hills and Tinseltown’s backlot. She is a bit shy, but loves to share stories with the world through art. She spends the majority of her time immersed in the creative process of writing and directing; communicating her exploration of self in hopes of understanding the world while utilizing her most beloved form of art (after music) – cinema. She was taught to sit and look pretty, told to be quiet, hold back the tidal waves of emotions that hold oceans inside. She was careful not to spill out until she left home and saw the world outside dying of drought. So through writing and directing she found a way to be an out loud and proud tsunami in the desert – that was a start. Fueled by her previous background in graphic design, crafting her skills of cinematic expression at the New York Film Academy, both in NYC and LA, has enabled her to rediscover her voice, sharpen her focus and fully dedicate herself to visual storytelling. Kris aims to be a creative voice calling for equality; women's empowerment is very close to her heart. She wants to represent, and provide a safe space for all, but especially those who identify as women; to question; and to make the audience laugh and cry, sometimes all at the same time.         

Cast: Chanelle Madison, Mahogany Zachary, Alexis Turrentine, Mayra Celaya, Kierra Mansilla, Damian Vesely / Producer: Mahogany Zachary, Lawrence Evans / Director: Kristýna Budínová / Writer: Chanelle Madison / Cinematographer: Ale Rubiera/ Editor: Paul Dixon
 

Filmmaker Bio: Sarah Lasley is an award-winning filmmaker from Louisville, Kentucky and an Assistant Professor of Film at Cal Poly Humboldt. She has screened internationally at festivals, museums, galleries, and universities such as the Cairo Video Festival, 25 FPS Film Festival, Katonah Museum of Art, and National Chiao Tung University. She holds an MFA from Yale School of Art and a BFA from University of Louisville and was a resident at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2004.                                                                                        

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Cast: Brenna Palughi / Director: Sarah Lasley / Writer: Sarah Lasley, Brenna Palughi / Sound Mix: Branden Brown

Filmmaker Bio: Madeline Mack is a New York-based filmmaker. She is a grantee of The Future Of Film Is Female, a mentee of the Ryan Murphy HALF program, and shadowed director Dan Minahan on HBO’s Deadwood movie and Netflix’s Halston. Her most notable films – Six Pack, Sweet Heart, and Hot Water, have played worldwide and won multiple awards. A long-time alumni of Hollyshorts, her script for Small Fry won Best Episodic Screenplay in 2020. Madeline joined forces with Michael Landry and Brandon Haynes, known collectively as Landry + Haynes, to create When We Grow Up and is excited to show her best work yet. Landry + Haynes are husbands and filmmakers based in Los Angeles. Their first project together was 2020’s short film Nice To Meet You. The film is based on actual events surrounding Landry's coming out experience and the subsequent divorce from his ex-wife. The film was awarded Top Five and Best Actress at the Louisiana Film Prize, was an official selection in festivals including Micheaux Film Festival and Beverly Hills Film Festival and has over 65K views on Youtube. They are currently writing their third short film, BOYS, which they will co-direct in early 2024.          

Cast: Teri Wyble, SHEOPATRA, Yoerelis Apolinario, Becca Q Co, Jeremy Batiste, Nate Walker, Harrison Wayne, Abigail Lam, Linton Smith, Misha Bullock / Producer: Alvaro Valente, Brandon Haynes, Madeline Mack / Director: Michael Landry, Madeline Mack  / Writer: Brandon Haynes, Michael Landry, Madeline Mack / Cinematographer: Akina Van De Velde / Editor: Michael Landry / Composer: Misha Bullock

Filmmaker Bio: Amina Maher (b. Tehran, 1992) is a filmmaker and artist whose works train her unblinking gaze on the breakdown of the family structure, shame culture, and patriarchal myths. Her films have been part of Cannes Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, CPH:DOX Forum, and Shorts México among many others. Her first short directorial film, Letter to My Mother (2019), has received worldwide attention with 200-plus Festival Selections and 50-plus awards. Her trilogy, THREE SHORT FILMS, directed by Maher, was part of the Frauen Film Festival Dortmund-Köln in 2022. Her first directorial feature film has been part of Berlinale Dok Station Lab in 2023 as well as FID Lab Marseille, Dok Fest München Forum, and Baltic Sea Docs Forum in 2022. She has a BA in Film & TV from Limkokwing University in Malaysia and an MA in Film Directing from Babelsberg Film University in Germany.                                                                                    

Cast: Amina Maher, Paolo Lagana / Producer: Amina Maher / Director: Amina Maher  / Writer: Amina Maher / Cinematographer: Siddhant Sarin / Editor: Amina Maher, Juliano Castro

Filmmaker Bio: Sophia Peer (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker, born and raised in Flushing, Queens where she began her career as a child, directing her parents in short films. She experiments with conventions and creates visual content that effortlessly balances artistic austerity with meme-worthy humor. The pilot episode of WHO’S ANNIE?, a comedy series Sophia is creating, co-writing, and directing, premiered at Slamdance 2023, and has been having a stellar festival run. Sophia was awarded Best Director at Seriesfest, and The Gotham, Shore Scripts, and Screencraft have recognized and supported her screenwriting. Her extensive portfolio of music videos includes artists such as Paramore, Julien Baker, and The National. Sophia’s work has been featured at the Whitney Museum of Art, Hauser & Wirth, Abrons Art Center, Anthology Film Archives, The Queens Museum, and MoMA. Sophia is currently developing several new projects, including a surreal cooking show, her first feature film, and a doc/scripted hybrid series.                                                                                        

Cast: Annie Pisapia, Sophia Peer, Sofia Dobrushin / Producer: Manon Carrie, Ryan Cunningham, Troy Thompson, Randy Stulberg, Heather Brown, Kari Dexter, Samin Pogoff / Director: Sophia Peer / Writer: Sophia Peer, Annie Sicherman / Cinematographer: Adam Uhl / Editor: Matt Posey / Composer: Christopher Keyes

Filmmaker Bios: Fancy Movies is the film partnership of Matt Mitchell and Brian Wallace, based in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Oakmead Productions is the partnership of brothers Paul Longley and James Longley, based in London, UK. The collaborators met repeatedly at various film festivals around the world, and bonded over a shared sense of humor and common desire to create ambitious projects despite limited resources. Individually, Paul's sketch content is making him one of Instagram's most-followed comedy accounts, James has served as Assistant Producer on many of the UK's flagship TV shows, Matt has directed the most popular content for Fancy Movies, and since Brian once had a few lines on Law & Order, he handles most of the paperwork. More at www.fancymovies818.com & www.oakmeadproductions.co.uk.                                    

Cast: Christopher Hatfield, Whit Spurgeon, Bill Pryor, Paul Longley / Producers: James Longley, Paul Longley, Matt Mitchell, Brian Wallace / Directors: Brian Wallace, James Longley / Writers: Brian Wallace, Paul Longley, James Longley / Cinematographer: Matt Mitchell / Editors: James Longley, Paul Longley, Matt Mitchell, Brian Wallace / Composer: Roman Falkenstein

Filmmaker Bio: Eli Waltz is a folk rock artist based in Washington, D.C. His brother Benjamin Schwarzschild is a videographer and photographer who runs the L.A.-based video production company Black Shield Entertainment. The brothers created Eli’s debut music video Writer’s Block in March, 2023, featuring his eponymous single about creativity for creativity’s sake. Ben is passionate about detail-oriented film and stop motion productions, and cut his teeth in the L.A. scene over the last five years. Eli Waltz recently signed with the Woodstock, N.Y.-based label 'Only One on the Mountain'.                                                                                    

Cast: Eli Waltz / Producer: Benjamin Schwarzschild, Eli Waltz / Director: Benjamin Schwarzschild, Eli Waltz / Writer: Benjamin Schwarzschild, Eli Waltz / Cinematographer: Black Shield Entertainment / Editor: Black Shield Entertainment / Composer: Eli Waltz

Filmmaker Bio: Megan Magee is an actress, director, and producer based in Astoria, Queens. Megan has directed numerous theatre productions which have been staged at Teatro Latea, Manhattan Rep, the Arthur Seelen Theatre, and more. The first short film she directed, Hope, received an Honorable Mention at New York Lift-Off Film Festival. This is her first spec pilot, and she could not have asked for a better production team than Carly Wilkins and Kristin Papadopoulos. More at www.meganmagee.com         

Cast: Carly Wilkins, Kristin Papadopoulos / Producer: Carly Wilkins, Kristin Papadopoulos / Director: Megan Magee / Writer: Carly Wilkins / Cinematographer: John Hoffman / Editor: Carly Wilkins / Composer: Aston Hollins McClanahan