https://breakingthroughthelens.org/mission-2 daily 0.75 2024-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1579692581668-OE8IGOWDQGUVVTDX01CL/IMG_1914-1.jpg Mission https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b8bcb379-3965-45fc-9dc4-8fa95b0b696f/White+Face+Sketch.png Mission https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e22c8781-442a-46a7-9d63-fbae5796768c/Action+Grant+Graphic.png Mission - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2a50475d-6be0-4268-83db-86c3e881930c/Project+Showcase+Graphic.png Mission - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/9bcd253b-bd21-4fcf-b3a5-95ebacde3c17/Industry+Events+Graphic.png Mission - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7a134a45-8179-47d3-9803-2f5c4f33a8a3/Industry+Workshops+Graphic.png Mission - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1579692323391-QFTKYK9OUVYYSNL760TL/IMG_2570-1.jpg Mission "In an industry that’s favoured the male voice for so long, Breaking Through The Lens is changing that dynamic." — Liza Foreman, Cannes Market News https://breakingthroughthelens.org/home-impact-old daily 0.75 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1553997346447-QVOMVC75QL2ZZJ73XBYA/Ross_Urien008.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554003598721-Y57C1K429P0LYRVK8M05/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/74b55b4c-524d-40fb-9e36-12b07fb2980b/VB1_0376_RuQFIOxw.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1553994283801-494WAMKSZEHKOW7TN9ON/BTTL_TEXT_ALL_WHITE.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/71ca897e-f536-402a-8bf4-e23b77483232/Lauren-founder2.jpg Home - Announcing new: “SIMBELLE IMPACT AWARD” A $10,000 unrestricted grant for one of our BTTL Finalists who exhibits bold vision and a commitment to social impact, powered by Simbelle Productions. “As a filmmaker and mother, I understand how powerful it is for women and girls to see themselves authentically represented on screen. These stories open up new possibilities and inspire the next generation to envision a future where their voices and experiences are valued.” ~ Simbelle Productions founder Lauren Melinda, BTTL Cannes 2025 event. Applications are now open for our 2026 Program offering: ✔️ 2 X $10,000 Action Grants ✔️ 1:1 Mentorship and Coaching ✔️ Travel Grant to attend Cannes 2026 ✔️ VIP Invitation to our BTTL Events ✔️ Investor Showcase at Cannes 2026 This opportunity is open to any woman or LGBTQIA+ Director with a feature film or documentary in late stage development. READ GRANT GUIDELINES https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a81fac60-cda9-4b3d-9653-eadcf7682b6f/FILMMAKERS+GROUP+SHOT.jpg Home - Make it stand out BTTL Cohort at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 / Photo Credit: Jolly D https://www.jollydphoto.com/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/31a6627c-0316-4682-98c6-3167bc4f4cb1/1.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/5212be64-d331-4077-a026-fd128e756d88/2.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b5a6cfc3-f528-42e9-82d9-827f14bcfc80/3.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7a9259ba-bd4c-4219-acde-14232803f6c1/NeoGen_Logo_RGB_White+-+Large.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/790445c0-0da9-4d10-a878-7ffb7967a8d8/Neogen+footer.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7b6ddc67-37d3-4f5c-a275-239c6737c5aa/Founders-website.jpg Home - Our Mission Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL) launched at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival with a simple yet powerful vision to help women feature-film directors get their projects made. Our founders – a Director, Writer and Actor working on a film together – received an opportunity from an investor to host a pitching event in his villa, and BTTL was born. We have since expanded to world renowned festivals such as Venice, Toronto and Berlin, hosting dynamic panels and events. We believe that by providing secure avenues to finance by way of grants, curated investor meetings and industry mentorship, we can systemically change the landscape and improve gender representation at the top levels of cinema. Now set up as a 501(c)3 registered non-profit in the U.S., our program is open to any filmmaker who experiences marginalization due to their gender, including women, non-binary and trans directors. Our mission is to be a results-driven resource, one that promotes passionate storytelling, smart business and equal representation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483650628-CUHEBRBDL3GBIA6FJAEQ/230219_Campari-2.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483646259-UHWDUL9T8267540XH6NR/230219_Campari-3.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483692784-WY8C03FN0BLBOPCW2A2W/230219_Campari-4.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483706438-9ZNLAZ53IWA89WA7VLP5/230219_Campari-6.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483763800-VYU343Y7OIJIBZOKMBKX/230219_Campari-7.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483765468-0CPIN9647JMSDG119LNX/230219_Campari-8.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483829394-NS20WPWLW1I4XBTGD31P/230219_Campari-9.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483827057-KIQZKU73YOD4P8HORQGJ/230219_Campari-10.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483891320-V50J4Z6W4AGIHX3765XK/230219_Campari-11.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483869057-MCPX9D9G7F9KGTUZMJAW/230219_Campari-12.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483933124-GETG724WD6ZP1TGAB7EZ/230219_Campari-14.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483955633-7HXAJJVQAGD2UJO1AQ4R/230219_Campari-15.jpg Home https://breakingthroughthelens.org/volunteer-index-impact daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59dbc7c2cf81e0c47e15482d/1509983042007-RTMWNU37BD3WV9M6HT4B/_50A4130.jpg Volunteer https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-index-impact daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59dbc7c2cf81e0c47e15482d/1509386798700-GZN997HA8TMR0M009X0F/Untitled-3.jpg Donate https://breakingthroughthelens.org/blog-impact daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/blog-impact/example-blog-post-1-4l65x monthly 0.5 2017-11-09 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/blog-impact/example-blog-post-2-zt2cg monthly 0.5 2017-11-09 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/home-impact daily 1.0 2026-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6177961d-9d32-40ed-b901-20034d22f814/Section+%281%29.png Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1d1bbc4b-a6ef-4aed-89ce-c3155b6b58d2/shutterstock_2566573791+%281%29.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1553994283801-494WAMKSZEHKOW7TN9ON/BTTL_TEXT_ALL_WHITE.png Home V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b0cbb7a6-64ba-4ee2-89f3-60a327aff25b/Container.png Home V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e892d2ea-6f9b-4a6c-84ae-3b7e7068e573/Kristen+Stewart+web.jpg Home V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/92764416-a063-466d-976a-83164a0d9e18/Our+Mission.png Home V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/603d9b76-f658-4c90-bc4c-d29ffe1a2212/FINALIST+COLLAGE.png Home V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483650628-CUHEBRBDL3GBIA6FJAEQ/230219_Campari-2.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483646259-UHWDUL9T8267540XH6NR/230219_Campari-3.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483692784-WY8C03FN0BLBOPCW2A2W/230219_Campari-4.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483706438-9ZNLAZ53IWA89WA7VLP5/230219_Campari-6.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483763800-VYU343Y7OIJIBZOKMBKX/230219_Campari-7.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483765468-0CPIN9647JMSDG119LNX/230219_Campari-8.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483829394-NS20WPWLW1I4XBTGD31P/230219_Campari-9.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483827057-KIQZKU73YOD4P8HORQGJ/230219_Campari-10.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483891320-V50J4Z6W4AGIHX3765XK/230219_Campari-11.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483869057-MCPX9D9G7F9KGTUZMJAW/230219_Campari-12.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483933124-GETG724WD6ZP1TGAB7EZ/230219_Campari-14.jpg Home V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1677483955633-7HXAJJVQAGD2UJO1AQ4R/230219_Campari-15.jpg Home V2 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/actiongrant-v2 daily 0.75 2025-10-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/62ec7748-b9ca-4768-97d5-ba4c6f57159a/Applicants%27+requirement.png Apply V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/62ec7748-b9ca-4768-97d5-ba4c6f57159a/Applicants%27+requirement.png Apply V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/62ec7748-b9ca-4768-97d5-ba4c6f57159a/Applicants%27+requirement.png Apply V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/59cd1e8e-9013-4803-9bec-7ce58588dd40/Applicants%27+requirement.png Apply V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/17bd9709-ea07-4a94-8878-28cd390229b2/gradient.png Apply V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2bbec598-b8e6-4e02-a1d2-6c7fda177481/For+Applicants2.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/bdd783e4-27c8-4b35-b5ac-95d3baa9935d/For+Finalists2.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/24c9befb-e612-41c4-8d9d-0e21a62a49ce/For+Finalists22.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/4c08ca60-dcf2-42f3-98d4-fc202400761f/2026%2BBTTL%2BBW%2BJury%2BCollage.png.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f8be550f-e4f0-493a-bdde-672d241af393/Are+You+Eligible.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2a50637c-c6bd-4048-bc16-c27dc88be434/Start+Your+Application.png Apply V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/mission-v2 daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/59cd1e8e-9013-4803-9bec-7ce58588dd40/Applicants%27+requirement.png Mission V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/59cd1e8e-9013-4803-9bec-7ce58588dd40/Applicants%27+requirement.png Mission V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/17bd9709-ea07-4a94-8878-28cd390229b2/gradient.png Mission V2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b8bcb379-3965-45fc-9dc4-8fa95b0b696f/White+Face+Sketch.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/96246fe5-9545-489e-aed4-54b2f2a881eb/Group+47192.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/bfdd9ae7-c593-4ca0-99ee-2ff3b8c24fff/Group+47193.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/96a54976-700b-4861-b35a-38c83b30da73/Group+47194.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/93780d2a-5cf7-4135-936d-353fc947802a/Group+47191.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6f55fb24-230d-48ac-93b5-db25920cb5b5/Mask+Group.png Mission V2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/events daily 0.75 2019-03-31 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/jury daily 0.75 2025-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e6022d69-5d1d-40d4-9a3e-df85b9ed2956/Chiara_Giavarini.jpg Jury - Make it stand out AMY GARDNER | Founder and Producer, Finite Films & TV (she/her) Amy is a British filmmaker, producer, writer, and the founder of Finite Films & TV, established in 2007. Since then, her company has built a prolific and acclaimed body of work spanning shorts, documentaries, features, television series, animation, plays, and digital productions—fueling emerging talent and creative innovation across the UK and beyond. As a Producer and Executive Producer, Amy develops diverse and boundary-pushing storytelling. Her recent festival credits include BTTL Action Grant Winning film Brides (Sundance 2025), Dreamers (Berlinale 2025), The End (Telluride 2024), and The Settlers (Cannes 2023). Amy recently oversaw the launch of Finite Films & TV’s new base in Belfast, Northern Ireland, aligning with the country’s booming film ecosystem and supporting projects including The End and Dreamers. Throughout it all, Amy remains a powerful champion for new writers and directors—from giving life to daring shorts and theatrical productions to supporting access for bold creative voices to progress through development. Amy brings to the BTTL Jury deep experience in nurturing early-career talent, steering independent projects across the festival circuit, and building infrastructures for underrepresented voices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/032d1c6b-74dc-4e42-b3df-97be947a7f04/Nicolas_Celis.jpg Jury - Make it stand out NICOLÁS CELIS| Founder, Pimienta Films | Academy Award–Winning Producer (he/him) Nicolás is one of Mexico’s most acclaimed producers and the founder of Pimienta Films, the production company behind Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, which won the Golden Lion at Venice and three Academy Awards including Best Director, cementing its place as a landmark in global cinema. Under his leadership, Pimienta has become a hub for bold, socially engaged filmmaking, producing a slate of award-winning films that have premiered at top international festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Sundance. His credits include Tempestad (Berlinale), Heli (Cannes), Prayers for the Stolen (Oscar-shortlisted, Cannes Un Certain Regard), and Noche de Fuego (Netflix). As a producer, Nicolás is recognized for championing underrepresented voices and stories that confront urgent cultural and political realities, while successfully navigating the international financing and co-production landscape. He is a member of both the Mexican Academy of Film and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where his work continues to influence the global recognition of Latin American cinema. Nicolás brings to the BTTL Jury a proven ability to shepherd visionary projects from local roots to international acclaim, along with a deep commitment to amplifying diverse voices and connecting underrepresented filmmakers to financing and global distribution opportunities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e0427394-008b-45de-a306-30ac1e2031f1/Screenshot+2025-09-04+at+12.29.42%E2%80%AFPM.png Jury - Make it stand out MIA BAYS | Director of the British Film Institute National Lottery Filmmaking Fund (she/her) Mia is an Oscar-winning BAFTA-nominated film producer and executive producer, renowned equality agitator and distribution strategist who has worked across many areas of the independent film sector in a 34-year career. She has produced an Oscar winner (Martin McDonagh's debut, Six Shooter, winning Best Live Action Short 2005) and received two BAFTA nominations including for Best Debut for her work on cult music film Scott Walker – 30 Century Man executive produced by David Bowie and shepherded many more to critical success and box office acclaim in her other roles. She became Director of the National Lottery Filmmaking Fund at the British Film Institute in October 2021 and oversees the work of one of the highest profile and largest UK public film funds. Mia launched a new strategy for the fund in Spring 2023 which contributes £54m of National Lottery funding to support film development and production, across short form and long form, fiction and documentary and immersive works, from 2023-26. The BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund under her tenure had its most decorated year ever in 2023 with the most ever nominations and wins for Lottery-funded titles with films such as Blue Jean, Kneecap, How To Have Sex, Scrapper, Rye Lane, Hoard, Bird, Santosh, Layla, In Camera, Sister Midnight and Sky Peals. The fund just received its most BAFTA nominations ever in 2025 scoring 12. The upcoming slate includes Brides by Nadia Fall and The Thing With Feathers by Dylan Southern starring Benedict Cumberbatch which played at Sundance 2025. Three fund titles premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. Mia also served as creative producer 2007 to 2014 on the Film London BBC Film micro-budget scheme Microwave which launched the careers of diverse talent such as Riz Ahmed and Hong Khao. She was Director-at-Large for Birds’ Eye View 2015-21, a charity that centres the female perspective in film and campaigns for gender equality in all film spaces, establishing the renowned #ReclaimTheFrame which continues to this day to bring ever-greater audiences to films by women. She was raised by a single mother on meagre means in inner city London, which gave her a life-long passion for opening the doors of the film industry to those previously excluded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/63110c52-54fc-4173-9c63-f9302dae7cc7/Steven_Adams.jpg Jury - Make it stand out STEVEN ADAMS | Founding Partner, Alta Global Media (he/him) Steven is a Peabody Award–winning manager, producer, and Founding Partner of Alta Global Media, with a distinguished career developing and producing film and TV with international talent. He has recently brokered a three-picture deal with Netflix for South African director Mandla Dube, launched Heart of the Hunter at #1 worldwide on Netflix, and closed a six-picture slate financing deal with South Africa’s IDC, providing nearly half of all production finance. Steven’s producing credits include the Netflix Original Rodney King and the Peabody Award–winning A Huey P. Newton Story, both directed by Academy Award winner Spike Lee. His independent feature work spans global box office successes such as India’s record-breaking The Goat Life (Netflix) as well as Rise, Die Like a Man, Redemption Day, Zero, The Ninth Cloud, and Burning Shadows. Earlier in his career, Steven served as VFX Executive Producer at France’s oldest VFX house, BUF, where he contributed to Oscar-winning blockbusters including James Cameron’s Avatar and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, along with Thor, Green Lantern, Green Hornet, Odd Thomas, and Dark Shadows. At Digital District, he was VFX Executive Producer on The Artist and The Intouchables, both Academy Award winners. He is also the founder of the Alta Global Media Summit, now in its 4th edition, and previously served as President of FilmPro Finance, advising film finance leaders including Bloomberg/Cite, Atlas Film & TV Finance Summit, and global film commissions and festivals. A recognized public speaker and host, he has appeared at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Durban FilmMart, and more, and co-created the web series Show Me The F$#!ing Money: How to Invest, Raise Finance, and Recoup Money in the Film Business, featuring interviews with over 150 industry leaders in film finance. Steven is a member of BAFTA, the Producers Guild of America, and the Television Academy, and sits on advisory boards for BFI America, Content London, the Durban FilmMart, and the Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, where he serves as Chief Strategist. Bringing unmatched global reach, deep financing expertise, and a career bridging Hollywood and international cinema, Steven joins the BTTL Jury as a powerful ally for underrepresented filmmakers navigating the path from creative vision to global distribution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/367c05e3-1f34-4a0e-8c35-f2cb3d7b8e23/Kara+Durrett.jpg Jury - Make it stand out KARA DURRETT | President of Pinky Promise (she/her) Kara is the President and Head of Film for Pinky Promise, where she oversees all film and television development and production for the company. Her recent credits include producing Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut Eleanor The Great set to release Fall 2025 with Sony Classic and TriStar, and David Craig and Brian Crano’s I Don’t Understand You, set to release in June of 2025. She also served as an executive producer on Gia Coppola’s Golden Globe and SAG Award nominated The Last Showgirl starring Pamela Anderson, and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA nominated Bird starring Barry Keoghan. Past films include Caddo Lake, produced alongside M. Night Shyamalan released by Max, The Starling Girl, If You Were The Last, Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul., Topside, Save Yourselves!, AYAR, and many others. Kara aims to elevate underrepresented filmmakers who have a clear vision and distinct storytelling voice. She has been awarded the Sundance Film Festival’s Producers Fiction Award and the Janet Pierson SXSW Producing Award, and she was recognized as one of Variety’s 2024 New Leaders. She was also a Sundance Producing Lab Fellow, and received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Piaget Award. A Texas native, she currently resides between Los Angeles and New York. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ca6863cc-9a0a-4e5c-a31c-47a355a6bf1a/Thomas+Pierce+Headshot.png Jury - Make it stand out THOMAS PIERCE | President, Pierce Capital Entertainment | Executive Producer, The Brutalist (he/him) Thomas is the President of Pierce Capital Entertainment, a company dedicated to producing and packaging premium content for the global market. A seasoned media executive turned film producer, he has played a pivotal role in bringing acclaimed films to audiences worldwide, including the 100% rated Tu Me Manques (HBO Max) and Almost Love (Netflix). Most recently, he served as an Executive Producer on the epic The Brutalist, which earned 10 Academy Award nominations and wins, as well as The Wizard of the Kremlin. Before establishing Pierce Capital Entertainment, Thomas founded Pierce Media & Associates, a successful entertainment marketing agency in New York, where he developed expertise in integrating brands into studio films, producing high-profile promotional events, and spearheading P&A initiatives with studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and AMC Networks. He is also the Founding Chairman of the Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF), which has raised more than $8.7 million since 2023 to ensure young patients and their families have access to the arts as part of their healing journey. In addition, Thomas is a proud member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Producers Guild of America (PGA). Bringing industry acumen and lived perspective to the BTTL Jury, Thomas contributes a unique ability to connect bold, underrepresented filmmakers with the financing, packaging, and networks needed to launch award-worthy projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/37a30310-46f1-4383-b047-2d07dd2906e3/Lauren_new.jpg Jury - Make it stand out LAUREN MELINDA | Founder, Simbelle Productions (she/her) Lauren is the founder and CEO of Simbelle Productions, the nonprofit production company behind our new $10,000 Simbelle Impact Award, which will be awarded to a 2026 BTTL finalist. Simbelle is dedicated to empowering women through film. Simbelle nurtures and elevates emerging filmmakers by providing essential resources, platforms, mentorship, and opportunities to tackle societal challenges through creative expression. An award-winning filmmaker and artist herself, Lauren’s short films have screened at 52 festivals worldwide and earned six top prizes. Her latest, Before You, created in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, is currently on the festival circuit. As a mixed-media artist, her video installations have been commissioned by galleries and museums across North America and the Middle East, and her photographs are held in major private collections. She is now developing her first feature, Echoes, and a television series inspired by her Ukrainian great-grandmother. Lauren brings to the BTTL Jury a deep commitment to socially engaged storytelling and a proven passion for creating meaningful pathways for women and LGBTQ+ filmmakers to thrive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ff9ed8f0-8b42-4ce6-a298-5ad83b315268/Jen_Blake.jpg Jury - Make it stand out JEN GOYNE BLAKE | Partner, Diversity Hire Ltd \ Founding Director, Sundance Episodic Lab (she/her) Jen is a Partner at Diversity Hire Ltd., a film and television production company previously under a deal with FX Networks. Diversity Hire’s debut feature Joyland premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, and went on to win the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film and earn a spot on the 2023 Oscars shortlist. Their next feature, A Sad and Beautiful World, will premiere at Venice in 2025. Jen was the Founding Director of the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Lab, where for nearly seven years she built one of the industry’s most influential pipelines for underrepresented voices, guiding more than 200 writers through over 20 labs. Before Sundance, she worked at Relativity Media and WMA, and she now serves as the Board Chair of New Market Discovery. She also leads the Episodic Writers Program at Oxbelly, expanding global networks that connect creators with decision-makers and financing opportunities. Jen brings deep industry relationships and hard-won expertise in development, pitch strategy, and translating vision into fundable, market-ready projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6947b66a-5d8f-442c-bc81-f12cd1d16ef4/Rita+Baghdadi+Headshot+bw.jpg Jury - Make it stand out RITA BAGHDADI | Filmmaker & Producer | 2025 BTTL Action Grant Winner (she/her) Rita is an Emmy Award–winning Moroccan-American documentary filmmaker celebrated for her deeply intimate, character-driven storytelling. Her feature Sirens, executive produced by Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph, premiered at Sundance (2022), won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest, and was praised as “utterly charming,” while her film City Rising earned the Emmy for Best Social Issue Film. Her work also includes Finding the Light (Disney+, 2024), which garnered Cinema Eye Honors and Independent Spirit Award nominations, and My Country No More (Independent Lens, 2019). In 2025, Rita was awarded the BTTL Action Grant alongside Erin Sayder for Sidelines (formerly Les Hijabeuses), a powerful documentary following young Muslim women in France battling for the right to play football in hijabs at the European Court of Human Rights. The grant has offered critical support during late-stage development, propelling the project forward toward global impact. Her filmmaking is rooted in empathy and cultural resonance—she co-founded Lady & Bird Films (Los Angeles–London) to support ethical, underrepresented narratives, and she’s a recognized voice in the industry as a Concordia Fellow, Sundance Momentum Fellow, DOC NYC “40 under 40” honoree, Sundance Momentum Fellow, and Chicken & Egg Award recipient. Rita brings to the BTTL Jury personal, lived understanding of the power of storytelling to shift cultural narratives, and invaluable insight into navigating the documentary pipeline from development through to impact distribution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b99de146-b333-426a-ab48-8f637c66313f/Director+Erin+Sayder+Headshot+bw.jpg Jury - Make it stand out ERIN SAYDER | Filmmaker & Producer | 2025 BTTL Action Grant Winner (she/her) Erin is a London-based Turkish-American-British filmmaker and producer whose work centers on intimate, socially engaged non-fiction storytelling. She co-produced the Sundance 2024 hit and BAFTA-winning Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, a moving portrait of resilience that became one of the most talked-about documentaries of the festival, and has contributed to acclaimed projects including the BAFTA-nominated Queens of Rap and Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars. In 2025, Erin won the BTTL Action Grant for her feature documentary Sidelines (previously titled Les Hijabeuses), which follows young Muslim women in France fighting for their right to play football while wearing the hijab. The grant provided crucial support in late-stage development, helping the project build momentum and attract vital partnerships. Erin’s filmmaking is driven by a commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and exploring themes of identity, belonging, and cultural intersections. As both a grant recipient and an accomplished director/producer, Erin brings to the BTTL Jury a dual perspective—offering this year’s cohort invaluable insight as living proof of the transformative power of strategic support at the right moment. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/our-mission-1 daily 0.75 2019-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1553995719724-M93TYTF0VTKM84KN2XKF/Mission Copy of Our Mission - Our Mission In 2018 less than 8% of the top 100 films worldwide were directed by women. Clearly words alone are not enough. We are a group of passionate young women, dedicated to addressing this imbalance practically at the most important level - financing. There is a shift occurring in the film industry, a moment that must be seized, and it will be deeds not words that bring about this change. Inclusivity is not a 'trend', it is the new way of doing business. Join us as BTTL leads the way. 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1711380452004-VO9LPSRL6U0N3X9D8M0M/26.jpg Programs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1711380477245-MGILPEEJF5CAILGQ353F/32.jpg Programs https://breakingthroughthelens.org/team daily 0.75 2025-06-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554014446639-VG052FSBSOQPPBAXIQQC/Daphne%2BSchmon-photo.jpg Team DAPHNE SCHMON | Executive Director and Founder Daphne is an award-winning Greek-American filmmaker and visionary leader with over 15 years of experience in the global film industry. As Founder and Executive Director of Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL), she has spent the past eight years growing a flagship initiative that supports women and queer led projects at the financing stage, with activations at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and Sundance. Daphne’s work is defined by her ability to connect rising talent with key gatekeepers—curating Cohorts, facilitating high-level matchmaking, and designing innovative training models rooted in equity, sustainability, and digital innovation. Her directorial debut, The Eye, won Best International Film at the London Independent Film Awards and was shot in Greece using pioneering green production practices that led to new filming policies on the island of Corfu. Prior to BTTL, she founded Seek Films, directing and producing broadcast content for CNN, SBS, Amazon Prime, and Sky Arts, and delivering projects in over 20 countries. Trilingual and triple citizen, Daphne brings global fluency and strategic insight to every phase of development. She is uniquely positioned to foster international collaboration and help shape the future of cinema through systemic, scalable change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/77f26e47-6c3a-4ee4-ac1b-dda07d971492/Raffaella%252BRossiello Team RAFFAELLA ROSSIELLO | Director of Communications With a strong network of editors, influencers, artists, celebrities, and talents in all countries, Raffaella and her team of professionals helps brands in building their reputation and becoming more desirable. In her previous ten years’ experience at Chopard, as International Communication Director, Raffaella was responsible for corporate and product communication worldwide, international events such as the Cannes Film Festival sponsorship, celebrities’ endorsement, and the CSR project “The Journey to a Sustainable Luxury”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/230d0c6b-ff2a-49db-b3b8-9a9072b6e595/Elena+Headshot.jpeg Team - Make it stand out ELENA PRIOVOLOU | Director of Programs & Development Elena is a highly accomplished Producer and Co-Production Specialist with over 15 years of experience in international film and television. She has worked with major studios and productions including David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, ITV’s The Durrells, and iconic titles such as My Life in Ruins and Mamma Mia, helping to position Greece as a key destination for global storytelling. As Director of Programs & Development at Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL), Elena plays a central role in connecting rising female and queer talent with global decision-makers. She is instrumental in expanding BTTL’s presence across Europe, curating high-impact activations at festivals including Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, and developing new cross-border film and TV projects. Elena brings deep expertise in international co-production strategy, development financing, and festival packaging, having led over 80 international service projects during her tenure at Argonauts and Foss Productions (Maestro, Netflix). She is especially adept at bridging European creators with the global market, guiding projects from pitch to production with strategic insight and creative precision. With a strong background in education and a wide international network, Elena is a dynamic force behind BTTL’s efforts to transform the industry through inclusive leadership, sustainable filmmaking, and next-generation business models. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/361df650-c1df-47e8-9c38-18c317822fc0/Alex-Newland.jpg Team ALEX NEWLAND | Director of Operations Alex has worked in the creative industry for over 25 years as an actor and producer with his films screening at festivals across the world. He’s worked extensively in theatre and appeared in many television shows, including CRACKER, SILENT WITNESS and Channel 4’s BAFTA nominated CAST OFFS. Alex is BAFTA Elevate Producer and co-founder of the new production company As Big As This and has recently been selected for the Breakthrough Leadership program sponsored by Sky, ITV and BBC studios. In 2021 Alex wrapped as a producer on a feature staring Natalia Tena and Nathaniel Parker and is in post production with a Creative Scotland film with Kate Dickie and Rickard Rankin. His film TINY VESSELS, directed by BTTL Founder Daphne Schmon won “Best Film” at Berlin Lift Off. Alex most recently appeared in Tom Stoppard’s newest play LEOPOLDSTADT directed by Patrick Marber. Alex aims to continue working with those who share his enthusiasm and passion for making films that resonate with their intended audience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554015791704-T15XHNRJU6EWC583R3LP/Elpida2.jpg Team ELPIDA STATHATOU | Co-Founder | BTTL Greek Ambassador Elpida is an award-winning Greek producer, actress and co-founder of BREAKING THROUGH THE LENS. In 2017 she adapted, produced and acted in a one woman play called “Stegosaurus" which received 5-star critical acclaim, and was nominated for the Mental Health Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. "Stegosaurus" was also part of the VAULT Festival 2018 in London. Elpida has been featured in InStyle and Esquire among other top publications. In 2021, Elpida completed short film “Umbilical” which she wrote, directed and starred in. The film recently screened at BAFTA-qualifying Encounters and is touring festivals worldwide. Elpida is playing a leading role and will be Associate Producing Seek Films’ upcoming feature film THE EYE. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554015013486-ISF8ADLKRPBI96JAQGJ9/Emily-5.jpg Team EMILY CARLTON | Co-Founder Emily is screenwriter and producer based in London. Her pilot script LESBIAN BED DEATH was shortlisted for the Edinburgh TV Festival ‘New Voices’ award, and earned her a fellowship on the Film Independent Episodic Lab in LA. She currently has TV concepts in development with Pulse films, BBC Studios and OneTwoTwenty Entertainment and recently completed a horror feature SCUM which is currently in late-stage development with Boulderlight Films. THE EYE will be her debut feature film. Emily has had three short film scripts produced which have played at over 35 international film festivals to date and won multiple awards including ‘Best Screenplay’ at the LiftOff Season Awards 2019. She made her directorial debut, short film EXIT TO STAGE (2019) with the support of Directors UK and ARRI. It won ‘Best Director’ at the London Independent Film Awards. Emil is a Co-Founder of Breaking Through The Lens and an active member of WIFTV and BAFTA Crew. She hopes to spend the next four decades exploring her love of film, before pursuing her lifelong dream, to be a Cher impersonator in Vegas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6ea404a3-a90d-4165-ac3f-9c04cc39aa5a/Liz+Cardenas.jpeg Team LIZ CARDENAS | Producer, Writer, Director, Actor, Ten To Six Pictures | BTTL Board Secretary LIZ CARDENAS is an award-winning producer, writer, director and actor. Nominated for the Producer Award at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, she was a 2022 Indie Spirit Award Winner for Best First Feature for 7 DAYS (Tribeca 2021 | Cinedigm), which she produced for Duplass Brothers Productions. Written and directed by Roshan Sethi, the film stars Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan. She was also nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2019 Indie Spirits for Augustine Frizzell's NEVER GOIN’ BACK (Sundance 2018 | A24) starring Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone and Kyle Mooney, which she produced with Sailor Bear. A former reporter for The Dallas Morning News, Liz was selected by The Gotham to participate in the 2023 Cannes Producers Network at the Marche du Film at the Festival de Cannes, was one of four producers to receive the inaugural 2022 Dear Producer Award + Grant, and was included in the 2019 LATINXT, a highly curated list of emerging Latinx creators from an initiative by Zoe Saldana, Robert Rodriguez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. She’s also a Rotterdam Lab and Film Independent Fellow. Other notable producing credits include Alex Lehmann's ACIDIMAN (Tribeca 2022 | Brainstorm Media) starring Academy Award nominated actor Thomas Haden Church and Dianna Agron; MATERNA (Utopia), which took home Best Cinematography and Best Actress awards at Tribeca 2020; JULES OF LIGHT & DARK (Wolfe Releasing), the 2019 Outfest Best US Narrative Feature winner; and David Lowery's A GHOST STORY (Sundance 2017 | A24) starring Academy Award Winner Casey Affleck and Nominee Rooney Mara. Liz has written and directed two award-winning short films and co-created a series of successful live-action children's films, ADVENTURES OF BAILEY, sold worldwide. Under her Ten to the Six Pictures, she has two features and one documentary in post-production and six features in various stages of development – one of which she wrote (an Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition semi-finalist), one she’s set to direct, and one based off the 2023 Oscar-qualifying Indigenous short film, BURROS, she produced and Eva Longoria Executive Produced. She also has a series in development about a Latino trans teen in Texas inspired by one of her short films, IMAGO, which she’s collaborating with 2023 Sundance Jury Award Winner Lio Mehiel (MUTT). Liz is based in Los Angeles and Dallas, where she grew up with her Hispanic father who immigrated to the US from Mexico City and Irish-American mother from the East Coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c89290d0-ab26-456f-8737-990abad71a2a/Jasmin-Morrison-Headshot.jpeg Team JASMIN MORRISON | Head of Business Affairs, Sky Original Film | BTTL Board Treasurer Jasmin is Head of Business Affairs at Sky Originals, and an experienced film professional having worked in production, post-production and film finance. For over 7 years, Jasmin served as Investment Manager at The Fyzz Facility, where she was involved in the financing of over 100 feature films including 47 METERS DOWN, THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT and the upcoming THE INFORMER. In 2019 Jasmin founded Soul Cognition a production and consultancy company which is committed to diverse stories. Jasmin is an expert public speaker having spoken at numerous events worldwide including SXSW and Film London’s New Entrants course. Jasmin is also the Business Director for Underwire Film Festival, and serves as a consultant for Breaking Through The Lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554014446639-VG052FSBSOQPPBAXIQQC/Daphne%2BSchmon-photo.jpg Team - Make it stand out DAPHNE SCHMON | Executive Director and Founder | BTTL Board President Daphne is an award-winning Greek-American director and co-founder of BREAKING THROUGH THE LENS. Her debut feature THE EYE recently won Best Director and Best Film at the Greece International Film Festival. Daphne began her career in documentaries with CHILDREN OF THE WIND winning 8 international awards including ‘Best Emerging Filmmaker’ and ‘Best Documentary’ at X-Dance. Her next documentary DOWN TO EARTH was broadcast on CNN and distributed by Apple. Daphne has produced three short films, including TINY VESSELS, winner of Best Film at Berlin Lift-Off, and EXIT TO STAGE, winner of Directors UK Trinity Challenge. Her work has been featured on CNN, SBS, Amazon Prime and broadcast in over 30 countries. Daphne often serves as a Jury Member for the Lift Off Global Awards and runs events at key festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Toronto in her role as CEO of Breaking Through The Lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2953971c-b205-4986-9fd0-11f8e799e15e/Kathryn+Headshot.jpg Team KATHRYN M. MOSELEY | Founder & Producer, One Two Twenty Entertainment | BTTL Advisory Board & Sponsor Kathryn is a Writer, Producer, Financier and Executive Producer based in Southern California. After graduating Cum Laude from Pepperdine University with a degree in Economics, Kathryn worked for Price Waterhouse before turning her attention to social change and storytelling. In 2017 she founded One Two Twenty Entertainment, which focuses on high quality diverse projects by emerging talent in the film industry. Kathryn’s Executive Producer credits include Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER (2021, Focus Features), John Swab’s BODY BROKERS (2021, Mubi) and XYZ Films’ feature documentary CLAYDREAM about the Oscar-winning master of Claymation. Kathryn Produced the 2022 Cannes’ Un Certain Regard winner JOYLAND, directed by Saim Sadiq, which became Pakistan’s nomination to the Oscars. Kathryn joined the BTTL team in 2020 and is a key member of their Advisory Board. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/05a4d849-b805-4f0e-b876-0a9c93b05c35/Tiffany.jpg Team - Make it stand out TIFFANY BOYLE | President, Packaging & Sales, Ramo Law | BTTL Advisory Board Tiffany is President, Packaging & Sales at Ramo Law, a law firm that represents producers, financiers, as well as a handful of foreign sales agents, directors, and writers. Over the past decade, Boyle has leveraged her business-oriented sales and packaging skills to bring hundreds of films and documentaries to fruition. She connects filmmakers with producers, co-finance partners, distributors, agencies, foreign sales agents and other industry representatives. She advises producer and investor clients on the foreign sales and distribution marketplace, how sales are made, and what the recoupment looks like from foreign entities; and she handles select direct territory deals for clients. This includes advising investors and producers outside of the United States on the foreign marketplace, submitting and helping package their content. Such companies include: Upper Street (a production company based out of the UK), Backup Media (a finance company based out of France) as well as Media Fund Management (a debt and production company based out of Australia) Experienced with project budgets ranging from micro-sized to $30 million, Boyle has helped to establish and expand high-value sales and packaging resources, uniquely accessed outside of the traditional management company and agency model, since joining Ramo Law in 2009. With this experience she has been able to help foreign production companies and investors create a foothold in the US marketplace. She is also a partner in Vested Interest, a newly formed production company looking to produce and create sellable feature and television content focused on unique filmmaking voices. Thus far they have had “Something Else” and “Rollers” under this banner and recently sold an autobiography to Hulu for development into a limited television series. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/52414daf-c642-4f9d-a737-247a706c972b/Oliver.jpeg Team - Make it stand out OLIVER RIDGE | Producer, Executive Producer | BTTL Advisor & Sponsor Oliver is the founder of Space Pilot Media, sponsor of BTTL’s 2024 Filmmaker Travel Grants. Ridge is an experienced Producer and strategy advisor to BTTL. Ridge has been making a name for himself by creating independent films all over the world, most recently Executive Producing Paul Schrader’s OH CANADA which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. After graduating from the Drama Centre with a Master of Arts degree in Acting, Ridge began his career behind the camera, cutting his teeth and producing his first indie film THE NEIGHBOUR, starring William Fichtner and Michael Rosenbaum. Legendary author Stephen King tweeted his praise, giving the film a great deal of traction and Ridge’s career began to build momentum. His next feature film, BODY BROKERS was top 3 on Netflix, the film shared a real-life story about insurance scams surrounding the opioid crisis in America and was acquired by HBO Max. His first documentary VALERIE based on the life, career, and illness of actress Valerie Perrine — won the American Documentary Film Festival (AMDOC) and was in Oscar contention that year. His independent film JOYLAND premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Award and going on to win Best International Film at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/8a3d1645-18b4-41e2-95de-69f343362235/Mati.jpeg Team - Make it stand out MATI COVARRUBIAS | BTTL Latin America As a business woman, creative entrepreneur, film director, producer, and music composer, Mati Covarrubias actively promotes a new emotional culture in her works. She is committed to projects that enlighten and expand emotional health, the consciousness and care for the planet. Around 2003, she founded Co-Crea, originally a communication, music, audiovisual and marketing company, where Mati has been director and general producer. At the time, she partnered with Deepak Chopra in the CD-Book LIBERARA. In 2020, she took the company to a new level, turning it into a film production house and streaming service, creating her directorial debut in the documentary film “The Bay of my Life”. Mati observed the urgent need to reconnect with the Earth and with our origin, managing to create a film about love for nature, thus promoting a new way of being in the world, benefiting not only the environment but also our mental health and well-being by connecting with nature. “The Bay of my Life”” was chosen by Orasi Media (an international audiovisual distribution company) to promote it at LA Screenings 2024 and to broadcast the first preview during the Cannes Film Festival 2024. With the aim of promoting the presence of women and underrepresented gender identities in the film industry, co-founder & CEO Daphne Schmon has invited Mati Covarrubias and her documentary film "La Bahía de mi Vida" to represent Latin America at "Breaking Through The Lens” an organization of female filmmakers from around the world, seeking to promote the participation of women directors and producers in the film industry. Redes sociales / Social Networks IG: @MatiCovarrubiasoficial FB: @MatiCovarrubiasOficial TikTok: @MatiCovarrubiasOficial https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6e9a749b-e663-4445-a065-f82fa7266f80/IshaanChandhok.jpg Team - Make it stand out ISHAAN CHANDHOK | BTTL India Ishaan is the founder and producer at Criss Cross Content, a dynamic media company committed to developing and producing narratives that blend genre with South Asian identity, aimed at global audiences. Bringing over eight years of experience across various media formats, Ishaan was a pivotal member of the incubation team at Applause Entertainment, where he significantly contributed to the development and production of their IPs. His production credits include more than four series for Amazon Prime and Disney Hotstar, such as the BAFTA-winning BBC series 'Criminal Justice', starring Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, and Jackie Shroff, designed for Indian viewers. An alumnus of Lasalle College of the Arts Singapore and mentored by Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam, Ishaan has been working extensively in the media and entertainment industries across India, Singapore, and the UK. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/contact daily 0.75 2021-04-13 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/press daily 0.75 2021-07-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1625925768148-YS1NS3P3P3FS07K3S240/screendaily+logo+copy.png Press - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1584359211787-I6454SH6H6XC9G1IECRX/variety-logo-2.png Press https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1614532156283-WD08NRFRHX6Y43NENFQF/variety-logo-2.png Press https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1568371242958-UBDOF8XMH4IIUPELV2BS/screen.png Press https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1568371532260-O17XLGXDLPE8HFNPW4SI/cannesmarketnews.png Press https://breakingthroughthelens.org/partners daily 0.75 2025-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/49efbebb-d2c4-4275-9d90-60c502b87020/campari_logo_red_CMYK-01.png Partners - 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Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-final daily 0.75 2020-06-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554219291723-27LCPFFQ00I9ZIVQT0M4/A%2BLife%2BElectric%2BEpilepsy%2BDocumentary.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554288552718-X9VM8J2CK4LA49MH65CW/MichaelaStormMoir.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554463658865-GZHZ29LNFYZRZOFKXVIR/Binarang%2BPoster.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554296210248-BGC7RVGI4AT4B8RSUWGT/headshot.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554289738394-TJC19P9LLDGL3JAC1XNK/CARBONMomandBaby_Title%2Bcopy.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1592950720267-2UX7N3J8P9I6VUC3O77E/PriscillaAnany.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554303064821-2TQ3RNT0MFYN82SP6EZG/Clara%2BSola%2Bstill%2B1.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554297236328-POQNITZULAM2GMQ8S4BY/nathalie.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554291306135-8PRLUXA76GP3R8QJF0ZI/One%2BPage%2B-%2BDec%2B2018%2BDawn%252C%2BHer%2BDad%2B%2526%2BThe%2Btractor%2B-%2BUpdate%2B2018_12_16%2B%25282%2529%2B%2528dragged%2529%2Bcopy.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554291351349-NTFV0UKYDVXN5TQG4E0H/ST%2Bpink%2Bsmall.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554292062591-WLMZJIQ9PHTOZ3TDA05D/FindingSatoshi_WithTitle_2.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554292129004-FFCWHBPJ8SZ3ZDKUCAVP/EmilyJames-0210.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554292502026-QDQ32ONVOQH0D97BM5NK/heatstroke.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554292530081-Q7LOA217DU0Y0B8FC5Y9/nina.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554293478578-XR1SB4N36ZKLM090DSF1/MRD%2BImage%2Bwith%2Btitle.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554293382154-YIQ9ZDWANPET4EZNNDYH/DirectorPhoto.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554293806955-S5QRY7RGNW81DLJT216B/Sirens%2BStill%2B.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554293842242-OFDQF4AF9H1VCJP522CE/Rita%2BHeadshot.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554294904723-PB79C8BOL0TZZU6K9MOU/Picture1.jpg Films Final https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1554295025555-I0KQ0B2OTP9P7A5DOAB0/Tina%2BGharavi%2BDirector.jpg Films Final https://breakingthroughthelens.org/actiongrant daily 0.75 2025-10-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ab43e658-df17-40b9-a5d3-507ee5a55380/BTTL_Jury+Collage.png Grants - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-shortlist-2020 daily 0.75 2020-08-19 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-final-2020 daily 0.75 2023-07-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599744609337-03KH5K0BWCV55B1Z2XXI/POSTER+%28foto+de+alfredo+caliz%29.jpg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • The first project to combine Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew languages. • TVE (Spanish public television) 2020 selected project. • Finalist for SGAE 2019 Julio Alejandro Film Screenplay Award. • Producer's credits include TU HIJO, ADIOS, the Oscar-nominated short MADRE and TV show PAOUITA SALAS. • Key Cast includes Cecilia Suarez (PERFECTOS DESCONOCIDOS) and Luis Tosar (QUIEN A HIERRO MATA). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599744831160-FI0I6R3RZM9WS64CAJOW/VIOLETA+SALAMA.jpg Films Final 2020 Violeta Salama holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Master's degree in creative documentary from the Universidad Aut6noma de Barcelona. She moved to Vancouver in 2007 to pursue a post-graduate degree in film production at the Vancouver Film School. There she began working in second production units such as THE L WORD and SMALLVILLE. In 2009, she returned to Madrid to work on television series CREMATORIO and AMAR EN TIEMPOS REVUELTOS. Violeta transitioned to cinema with Antonio Chavarrfas to make DICTADO as assistant director, followed by BLANCANIEVES by Pablo Berger and EL SEXO DE LOS ANGELES by Xabier Villaverde. In 2013 Jaime Rosales included some pieces directed by her in his film BEAUTIFUL YOUTH. She has collaborated as script supervisor with directors such as Manolo Martin Cuenca and Mateo Gil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599745387918-1V3AWOU96NILB3CJL630/poster.jpg Films Final 2020 • BIRTH/REBIRTH participated in the 2020 Sundance Screenwriting Lab. • Director Laura Moss named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film. • Moss' short film FRY DAY was acquired by Criterion and is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. • BIRTH/REBIRTH was awarded a development grant by Rooftop Films/The Adrienne Shelley Foundation https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599745720500-7QSSR22YG6NS09674YRS/LauraMoss.jpg Films Final 2020 Laura Moss is an AICP-award winning filmmaker from New York City. She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film, an IFP Emerging Storyteller and has earned jury awards for her films at Tribeca, SXSW, Melbourne International Film Festival and Hollyshorts. Her recent project, the pilot of the sci-fi/comedy series, 'neurotica' (starring Karen Gillan and Jon Bass), premiered this April at the Tribeca Film Festival and won Best Director for a Comedy Pilot at Seriesfest. She was a fellow at the 2020 Sundance Screenwriters Lab, developing her horror feature 'Birth/Rebirth', an all-female redux of the Frankenstein myth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599746564210-CB1Y39L8MPW55LCRW3B7/Chickenshit+Image+2+.jpg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • SFFILM grant recipient, Hamptons Screenwriters Lab participant, IFP Emerging Storytellers participant, NYU Purple List and NYU Production Lab selection. • Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Christian Sprenger attached. • Director Jessica dela Merced featured in Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film. • Merced's short film, WAIT TIL THE WOLVES MAKE NICE which acts as a prelude to CHICKENSHIT, premiered at SXSW and won the Grand Jury Prize in Detroit's Cinetopia International Film Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599746736009-CHAQFZD12PSAESGCOEVF/Director_headshot.jpg Films Final 2020 Jessica dela Merced is a Filipina American writer/director from San Francisco. She was a director in the Disney ABC directing program and one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film. She is a graduate of NYU's grad film program where she received the Spike Lee Fellowship. Her award winning thesis film HYPEBEASTS, written under the mentorship of Lee, aired on PBS. Her short film, "Wait 'til the Wolves Make Nice," premiered at SXSW and won the Grand Jury Prize in Detroit's Cinetopia International Film Festival. Her feature script CHICKENSHIT is a winner of the NYU Purple List, a San Francisco Film Society grant recipient, and a Hamptons Screenwriters Lab participant. Her latest short PHONY, executive produced by Paul Feig, premiered at SeriesFest 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599746995257-H4ZDRO87UE7KTRVHHJSD/Jennifer42_Falling_Poster_27x40.jpg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Awarded a $50,000 grant from New York Foundation of the Arts inaugural Women's Film Fund. • Accepted into Women Make Movies production assistance program and finalist for ITVS funding. • World-leading advocate, law changer and expert in violence-against-women Laura Richards attached as E.P. • Strong interest from Wondery to produce a 6-part companion JENNIFER, 42 podcast. • Working with NYC-based Mighty Oaks animation studio, who have experience creating for Netflix, HBO and NBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599747726242-QBT29ZKD6TCKXK1XA7FA/Elle.jpg Films Final 2020 Elle Kamihira is a multi-disciplinary director and producer. After graduating from Ingemar Bergman's alma mater Sodra Latin in Stockholm, Elle honed her creative skills in independent film and commercial production in LA and NY. Drawn to the challenges of large-scale media integration and the museum as a storytelling space, Elle's credits include award-winning introductory theater WHO WE ARE at the National Museum of the American Indian and signature films for Museum of the American Revolution. Other credits include feature film JACK & HIS FRIENDSt (Arrow Entertainment Group), documentary MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS (Lifetime) and ROCKY HORROR SHOW on Broadway. JENNIFER, 42 is Elle's first documentary feature film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599747772303-667QBIHPA9VSVEGPPJ03/Kodokushi+replacement+pic.jpeg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Awarded Best Project at Tokyo Talent Campus in Japan. • Recipient of Next Masters Development Grant in Japan. • Recipient of Audience Award at Torino FilmLab Frameworks in Italy. • Cinemart Selection at International Film Festival & Awards Rotterdam in The Netherlands. • Film Development Council Philippines Film Market Selection, winning Post Production & Equipment Support. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599747854753-R2CIO287A0NBXDCIVSHT/images_11.jpeg Films Final 2020 Janus Victoria is a Filipino filmmaker born and based in Manila. She has been working in Philippine media for more than a decade, beginning in print and moving to broadcasting, where she currently works as a director and writer for I-Witness, the longest-running documentary program in the country. A fellow of the Asian Film Academy and Tokyo Talents, Janus has independently produced five short films. Her first film, Hopia Express, a story about a young migrant woman from China and a disgruntled Filipino call center agent set in Manila's Chinatown, premiered at Cinemanila International Film Festival in 2006. Since then, she has been writing and producing films about urban life that juxtapose dissimilarities between cities and depict how people and places interact. Her debut feature project, Kodokushi, is set in two cities at odds with each other: Tokyo and Manila. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599766826772-U9GFDP55RN46LYDIFGZ2/Let%27s+Do+Poster+Image.jpg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Lora Campbell is a Canadian Screen Nominated Director. • Selected for the Women in the Director's Chair Career Advancement Module 2019. • Executive Producer Lauren Grant named by Hollywood Reporter one of 15 Talents to Watch. • Editor Christine Armstrong won Special Jury Award at SXSW 2018 for THE NEW ROMANTIC. • Celebrated Cinematographer Gayle Ye's films have played at TIFF, Cannes and festivals all over the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599767044177-XGFA08ZUZNTF1KQLZH4R/Lora_Campell_Headshot.jpg Films Final 2020 Lora Campbell is a transgender non-binary (they/them) Canadian Screen Award nominated director from Newfoundland, Canada. A graduate of the Atlantic Filmmaker's FILM 5 Program, the National Screen Institute and the Canadian Film Centre's Producers Lab, they also work as a film educator. In 2016 they directed over 150 digital episodes for The Beaverton Digital which garnered them a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Cross Platform Project in 2017. In 2018 they created, directed and produced numerous digital series including #interns, as well as Yoga 101 and Soul Decision Comedy for CBC Comedy. In 2018 Lora received two rounds of development funding for Let's Do This and 40 Acres from the Harold Greenberg Fund. In 2020 they go to camera on Karen Chapman's Village Keeper and RT Thorne's 40 Acres, both of which were originally funded by the Telefilm Talent to Watch Program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599768258464-IANF2LXE35EJSGCWENHA/Factory.jpeg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Meryl Streep champions LILLY in Hollywood Reporter article. • Expressed interest from Embankment (foreign sales) and Roadside Attractions (domestic distribution) • Screenplay for LILLY is an ATHENA LIST winner (The Blacklist for female protagonist led scripts) • Feldman was awarded the NYWIFT Ravena/ grant for female filmmakers over 40 toward directing LILLY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599768394704-90G2PA6TPYUVXJ5AB9LQ/Rachel+Feldman.jpg Films Final 2020 Rachel Feldman is an accomplished director and writer. LILLY is the nexus of her professional, personal, and political passions. Feldman has directed over 75 broadcast episodes and movies including her most recent shows: CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS), BLUE BLOODS (CBS), THE ROOKIE (ABC), and the pilot and full season of MGM's new series THE BAXTERS. Feldman has written features and pilots for eOne, Freeform, Lifetime, Scott Free and more. Her pilot KINKS was selected for the 2019 MIP Cannes In Development Initiative, and also won the 2020 ScreenCraft Pilot Launch, and the WGA Drama Queens Best Pilot. You can find her full bio and credits at www.rachelfeldman.com and follow her on Twitter @WomenCallAction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599771006184-M4NWOPS8R7C3D2I412IO/Mama+Bears_poster+image.jpeg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Daresha inked a co-production deal with /TVS for an 86-min version of MAMA BEARS in September 2019. • MAMA BEARS was accepted into the 2020 Film Independent Documentary Lab and the Women In Film / Sundance Institute Financing Intensive. • Daresha's feature documentary CHAVELA about iconic lesbian singer Chavela Vargas premiered at Berlinale 2017 and was named the best Latin American documentary of the decade by "CineArte" magazine. • Pedro Almadovar champions CHAVELA in an Indiewire article saying “I cry till the very last frame.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599769249314-489WSEGBEXU15W89CTYF/daresha_CU_green_dress_171.jpg Films Final 2020 Daresha Kyi writes, produces, and directs film and television in Spanish and English. A graduate of NYU Film School, in 2018 she directed the short documentary TRANS IN AMERICA: TEXAS STRONG which garnered over 3.5 million online views, won 2 Webby awards, and won an Emmy. In 2017 she co-directed CHAVELA, an award-winning feature documentary which premiered at Berlinale and screened in over 40 countries. In 2015 she produced Kristina Wong's HOW NOTTO PICK UP ASIAN WOMEN. In 1992 Daresha won a Tri-Star Pictures fellowship to attend the directors' program at the AFI Conservatory based on her award-winning short LAND WHERE MY FATHERS DIED, co-starring Isaiah Washington. Daresha's films have been funded by ITVS, NEA, NYSCA, and many other foundations. Currently a fellow with A Blade of Grass and Film Independent, she is a former fellow of Creative Capital, Firelight Media Documentary, and the Chicken & Egg Eggcelerator labs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599770218872-4OIN0YP00ADAJGQJIYVX/Screen+Shot+2020-05-08+at+8.40.25+PM.png Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • MOUTH won the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Screenplay in the 2015 BlueCat Screenplay Competition • MOUTH landed on the 2015 Tracking Board "Hit List" of best unproduced screenplays. • Kimi wrote and directed SUGAR, a short proof of concept for MOUTH, which had a successful festival run. • Kimi was selected for the 2019 Film Independent Episodic Lab in Los Angeles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599770538672-KJ43D7ORZC7BCBY3RPVS/KimiLee-headshot.jpg Films Final 2020 Kimi Lee is a multi-racial writer, director and graduate of Stanford University's Film and Media Studies program. She began her career as a Story Editor curating short-form content for Snapchat, Inc., before transitioning full time to screenwriting. Kimi's feature script, MOUTH won the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Screenplay in the 2015 BlueCat Screenwriting Competition, and subsequently landed on the Tracking Board's 2015 "Hit-List" of best unproduced screenplays. Ki mi's award winning short films SUGAR and KAMA'AINA have travelled the film festival circuit internationally, and have premiered on Newness and Short of the Week, among others. Kimi was most recently staffed on the Amazon Studios + Blossom Films drama series THE EXPATRIATES, based off the NYTimes best-selling novel and Netflix's LOCKE AND KEY based on the popular graphic novel. She was also a participant in Film lndependent's 2019 Episodic Lab, and landed on the 2019 Young and Hungry list of Hollywood's top new writers. Kimi is repped by UTA and Kaplan Perrone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599771683507-IBFX8RO8IUASTDGZN7DG/Skin%2BKey%2BVisual%2B1.jpg Films Final 2020 Project Highlights • Winner of Open SEA Fund Award 2019 in Thailand. • Winner of Sorfond Award 2019at Busan Asian Film Market. • Winner of Special Mention at Talents Tokyo 2019 and selected for NYU Purple List 2020. • Official Selection at Berlinale Co-Production Market 2020. • Official Selection of Cannes La Fabrique de Cinema Du Monde 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1599772107022-LFRLEJTCXTUW804T6QK0/Ash_headshot.jpg Films Final 2020 Ash Mayfair was born in Vietnam and educated in the UK and the US. She received an MFA in filmmaking at NYU Tisch. The screenplay for her first feature, THE THIRD WIFE, was a recipient of the Spike Lee Film Production Fund in 2014. Ash Mayfair is an alumna of the NYU Purple List in 2014. The Third Wife premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 and won the NETPAC Jury Award for Best Asian Film. The Third Wife has since garnered multiple awards including the Otra Mirada Award at San Sebastian IFF, a Special Mention for Best Feature Film at the Milano IFF, a Gold Hugo for Best Director at the Chicago IFF, a Special Jury Award from the Minsk IFF Listapad, the Golden Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film at the Kolkata IFF, the Best Artistic Contribution at the Cairo I FF, the Youth Jury Award Comundo at the Fribourg IFF and the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the Sarasota IFF. Most recently, Ash Mayfair was nominated for the Someone To Watch Spirits Award. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-shortlist-2021 daily 0.75 2021-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620304554381-SLO2CBHO0SCIT3Y854NJ/Cain+and+Abel+still.png Films Shortlist 2021 Elizabeth Woodward, Producer Elizabeth Woodward is an independent producer from New York City and founder of Willa Productions. Current projects include ON THE DIVIDE about three people whose lives intersect at the last abortion clinic on the US/Mexico (Tribeca 2021), The Othrs and Vice Studios’ YOU RESEMBLE ME, and ANOTHER BODY a film about deepfake image based abuse. Past projects Netflix’s THE GREAT HACK (Oscars shortlist, Primetime Emmy nominee, BAFTA nominee, IDA nominee, Cinema Eye winner, Sundance premiere), HBO’s hit documentary series THE VOW: A NXIVM STORY; AFTERWARD (Executive Produced by Abigail Disney); PERSUASION MACHINES (Sundance New Frontier) a VR experience narrated by will.i.am, PBS American Masters’ BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY, and a film with Fareed Zakaria by the CNN Documentary Unit. Her projects have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, AFI Docs and Sheffield Doc Fest and have been supported by Film Independent, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Institute, Bertha Foundation, Artemis Rising, Field of Vision, Level Forward, The Gotham, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of the Documentary Peer Group at the Television Academy (Emmys), the Documentary Producers Alliance, and the Young Professionals Group at the Council on Foreign Relations, and was selected for Berlinale Talents 2021. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and received a masters with distinction from the University of Cambridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620304490872-PDBGMY15T4P6WIQII1G3/Amer+Dina.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Dina Amer, Writer / Director Dina Amer is a filmmaker and investigative journalist. Growing up between the US and Egypt, her work has focused on sharing nuanced, intimate and humanized stories in the Middle East with a global audience. She experienced Egypt’s revolution on the frontlines for three years producing Academy Award-nominated and three-time Emmy-winning documentary THE SQUARE, the story of revolutionary Egypt beyond the news headlines. Dina has produced several documentaries for CNN and PBS. Her work has been published in The New York Times, CNN and the Huffington Post. She produced and was the correspondent on several films for VICE, including BLACK MARKET, during which she uncovered the human trafficking of Syrian refugees, and explored the underground economy of illegal Egypt-Gaza tunnels. Her directorial debut YOU RESEMBLE ME is an intimate lens into radicalization that explores the mirrored lives of a would-be suicide bomber and her surviving sister. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620305785084-23N3J5DGMCTZ7XIFICLN/_1250715.jpeg Films Shortlist 2021 Serena Armitage and Pietro Greppi, Producers Joined by a common interest in stories of outsiders and visionary talent, Serena Armitage and Pietro Greppi are developing several projects together and their companies, Red Breast Productions and Lunapark Pictures, are both recipients of BFI Vision Award funding. In addition to English Animals, their combined slate includes a new feature film by Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, In Fabric) and Sarah Clift’s feature debut, developed via the iFeatures programme supported by Creative England, BFI and BBC Films. In May 2020, they completed their first production together, Sarah Clift’s BAFTA longlisted short film The Birth Of Valerie Venus. Previously, Serena spent a decade making programs for ITV before winning an Academy Award for producing Benjamin Cleary’s short film Stutterer in 2016. In 2020 Serena completed a Film London funded short FOG and in 2019 TV pilot Bored directed by Georgia Oakley, which premieres at SXSW2020. Serena is also developing LGBTQ drama Son Of A Preacher Man, with writer / director Chika Anadu, supported by BBC Films. Serena is an executive branch member of AMPAS. Pietro produced Andrew Steggall's BFI-funded debut Departure, a UK-French co-production starring Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther, and Giacomo Cimini’s award-winning short The Nostalgist. He has developed projects with partners including The Wellcome Trust and Ingenious and executive-produced three debuts due for release in 2020/21: Camille Griffin’s Silent Night, starring Keira Knightley, produced by Marv and Maven Pictures; Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart, funded by Film London’s BFI/BBC supported Microwave scheme; and Eliza Schroeder’s Love Sarah, starring Celia Imrie. Pietro began his career across sales, finance and distribution at Magnolia Pictures in New York and Goldcrest in London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620305951018-KUBYFWYHNSJ6LXFBVIA1/Claire2_1_1.jpeg Films Shortlist 2021 Claire Oakley, Writer / Director Claire is a filmmaker from London. Her debut feature 'Make Up', starring Bafta-winner Molly Windsor (BBC's Three Girls), was released in 2020 by Curzon Artificial Eye to critical acclaim. Robbie Collins from The Telegraph called it “the British film of 2020 so far” and Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian said it is “a clever and expertly made movie”. The film was produced by Quiddity Films and iFeatures with the support of the BFI, BBC Films and Creative England. The film was also released in the US, Canada, Spain and Scandinavia. Claire's four short films have played at festivals worldwide and have picked up several awards internationally. They explore themes of identity and place with an atmospheric visual style. Claire has been commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, Film London, Universal Music and the photographer Rankin. Her previous work also includes an essay film shot entirely underwater, which she produced. Claire was chosen as a Screen Star of Tomorrow, 2019 and is a graduate of Torino Film Lab, BFI Network, EIFF Talent Lab and iFeatures. In 2014 she co-founded Cinesisters a peer-to-peer mentoring group for female directors. She is currently developing feature films with the BFI and BBC Films and has two original TV series in development with Tiger Aspect and with Little Door. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306549827-M5P4W8U9X1ZPVIKSHAIN/Key+Image+FERAL.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Emma Comley, Producer Emma is an LA-based producer with over 25 years of experience in the industry. In 2012, she co-founded Blonde to Black Pictures in London - their progressive and diverse slate of films includes titles like Buttercup Bill, Set The Thames On Fire, and Two For Joy - all garnering festival plaudits and achieving worldwide distribution. She was the former Head of Production and Executive Producer at Flynn Productions - where she produced videos for the likes of Foo Fighters and Jay-Z, while boasting commercial credits for leading brands including Nike, NTC, Smirnoff, and Nokia. She has recently formed production outfit Hooligan Dreamers Productions with producing partners Jaime King and Sola Fasheun - with a focus on developing and producing stories for both screen and television with a fearless and sensitive approach that speaks a truth not always voiced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306400615-CH6CT52TQ7C2WW8KHH9O/Nihaarika+Negi+Headshot2.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Nihaarika Negi, Writer / Director Nihaarika is an International multi-award winning actor, an immersive theatre-maker and an independent filmmaker from India. Lying at the intersection of performance, magical realism and contemporary folktale - she tells stories that allow us to reclaim those parts of ourselves we try so hard to erase. Stories that capture our imaginative potential for healing and change. Through this, she seeks to make space for diverse female-identifying South-Asian voices in a sustainable international context. She holds an MA in Physical Performance and Actor-Training (University of Exeter, UK), where she has trained under master practitioner Phillip Zarrilli in the psychophysical acting methodology - which uses principles of meditative martial arts practices to train artists, create work and direct ensembles. Her work in film and theatre has been described as ‘revelatory and thoroughly riveting’ (Laurence Kardish, MOMA) and work ‘that stands at the cusp of what could be an artistic breakthrough for Indian theatre’ (The Hindu). An alum of Berlinale Talents 2021 and winner of the XR Market Award at NewImage Festival (Paris), her work has been supported by Sundance Institute + Women In Film, FACE Foundation (US), IFFR’s Cinemart, Venice Film Festival Development Labs and Gap Financing Market (Italy), French Ministry of Culture -CNC, UK Arts Council, Roundhouse Theatre, SPILL Festival (UK), Serendipity Arts Festival and NFDC Film Labs (India). Her films have been screened at New York Indian Film Festival, Austin Indie Meme Festival (US), London Asian Film Festival (UK), Mumbai Film Festival (India), Women Make Waves Film Festival (Taiwan); and broadcast on platforms like Channel 4 (UK), Disney+’s Star Gold & Hotstar (India) and Amazon Prime (US/UK). She holds an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program (University of Southern California, US), where she’s worked at places like MACRO, Amblin Partners, Bona Fide Productions and IFFLA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620307253916-AD81J2NWN6KP4G5797SC/Poster.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Don Handfield, Timothy Linh Bui and Tony Bui, Producers Handfield produced THE FOUNDER starring Michael Keaton and KILL THE MESSENGER starring two-time Academy Award nominated actor Jeremy Renner. He is currently producing SWITCHED ON at Focus Features with Marc Platt (LA LA LAND, CHICAGO 7) and GRAVE HILL with CJ Entertainment (PARASITE). Handfield is the co-creator and Executive Producer of the History Channel series KNIGHTFALL and wrote and directed the Saturn Award-winning film TOUCHBACK starring Kurt Russell. Handfield’s comic THE RIFT was optioned by Steven Spielberg and produced as the season finale of the Amazing Stories reboot on Apple +, for which Handfield also wrote the teleplay. He is a partner and board member of Scout Comics & Entertainment and teaches TV Writing in the Professional Program at UCLA. Tim co-wrote and co-produced THREE SEASONS, starring Harvey Keitel and is a triple award winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Tim followed up with his directorial debut on GREEN DRAGON, the film world premiered at Sundance in Dramatic Competition and is the recipient of the Humanitas Prize Award. Bui went on to make such films as the Spirit Award Nominee OWL AND THE SPARROW, INSIDE OUT, POWDER BLUE, starring Jessica Biel, Eddie Redmayne and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, THE THROWAWAYS for Sony Crackle, starring James Caan and Kevin Dillon. Tony's films include Yellow Lotus, Three Seasons, Green Dragon and The Throwaways and has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and received the Grand Jury and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He is also a recipient of the Humanitas Prize. Tony is a graduate of the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting and Directing Labs. Tony has written and developed projects for NBC, Warner Bros and HBO, and is currently adapting Lac Su's memoir I Love Yous Are for White People into a feature film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306906432-6UD9FVEXQTXOIBFWXCF3/Tricia_Lee.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Tricia Lee, Director Recognized as one of Hollywood’s top new writers, Tricia Lee has been named on the 2020 Black List, CAPE List, Young & Hungry List, Athena List and BitchList. GOOD CHANCE, her feature script being produced by Janet Yang (The Joy Luck Club) was a semifinalist in The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, grand prize winner Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, top 14 finalist Universal Studios Writer's Program, winner Cinequest Best Feature Screenplay, winner WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Features, and selected for the prestigious Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop. Currently, she is attached to direct a feature produced by Viola Davis’ company JuVee Productions and will be directing a William Hung (American Idol) biopic which she also wrote and is being produced by Don Handfield (The Founder), Tony and Tim Bui (won Sundance Grand Jury Prize & Audience Choice Award). Lee has directed 3 award-winning features including BLOOD HUNTERS, which sold to Hulu and was presented in Cannes by Frontieres and SILENT RETREAT, which was theatrically released across Canada and sold to NBC Universal’s Chiller Network. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314525101-F8PD5PHPLO67BF7JDS5S/Layla_3.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Oliver Sunley, Producer A founding parter of C24 Films Ltd, Oliver has produced a large body of UK and European productions that have reached over 100 festival screenings including Austin, Sarajevo and New Orleans. A London Film School graduate, he is an alumnus of Edinburgh Talents (2019), Berlinale Talents (2020) and a current member of BFI Network x BAFTA Crew. Having produced a large body of films which have screened at BAFTA and Oscar Qualifying festivals, he is currently developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND with the support of the BFI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620333349709-H37OG5AHIOXLM8YEPABG/CelineCotran_Director_Photo.jpeg Films Shortlist 2021 Celine Cotran, Writer / Director Celine is an award-winning British-Lebanese writer and director with a slate of female- driven, children’s and young adult projects for Film and TV. She is currently developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND, a coming-of-age drama exploring UK migrant culture. With early development funding from the BFI, the project is being mentored by Will Clarke (Altitude Film Entertainment) and was selected as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival Talents 2019 and Berlinale Talents 2020. The project was developed from her most recent short, LAYLA, which is currently on a strong festival run having won and been nominated for awards at a number of Academy Qualifying festivals. Her children’s drama, THE TIME TREE, was funded by the Doha Film Institute and made in association with the Academy-award winning Trademark Films. Premiering at Sarajevo Film Festival, it is now available online through Omeleto, receiving over 280K views. THE EDGE OF HOME, funded as part of Club London’s Film Emerging Creative scheme 2019, is a documentary exploring the lives of refugees in London. Recently completed, the film is about to begin its festival run. Celine’s TV projects include children’s animation, MICE OF THE UNDERGROUND and YA comedy/drama, FIRST BLOOD. A London Film School graduate, she is part of Directors UK Access and Inclusion committee and will be shadowing BAFTA winning director Andy De Emmony on ITV’s THE LARKINS. Her favourite filmmakers are Guillermo Del Toro, Billy Wilder, and Agnes Varda. She is represented by Katie Langridge at Knight Hall Agency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620307893302-ANPIEAM5DHNIA0O8TIHU/leche_4.png Films Shortlist 2021 Shruti Ganguly, Producer Shruti is a filmmaker and the founder of honto88. Prior to honto88, Shruti ran video departments and developed the video strategy at various media companies from MTV to Conde Nast/Vogue, to being the VP of TV & Video at NYLON and been a co-founder at Fictionless. Shruti has worked with James Franco for the last five years on several feature films, digital content, and other productions including a performance piece at MoMA PS1 featuring Franco and Marina Abramovic. The films have included talent such as Jessica Chastain, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, Olivia Wilde, Whoopi Goldberg, Chloe Sevigny and Logan Marshall-Green and have gone to Sundance, Venice, Berlin, Telluride, and AFI. She is currently producing a feature with Keanu Reeves and is developing several other scripted films and TV series. Shruti received her Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and was the first graduate of NYU’s dual MFA (in Film) at Tisch and MBA at the Stern School of Business, where she had the Kenshin Oshima Scholarship and a Wayfare Fellowship. Shruti has also been a TED India (INK) Fellow and was a Global Economic Symposium Young Fellow. Shruti is a member of the Entertainment Consortium Collaborative Outreach Program (ECCO) for the White House and is on the Creative Council for Emily’s List. Shruti hails from India by way of Oman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620307725458-ZK12LJ2709ETYZIHIWML/gmoses_headshot_2.JPG Films Shortlist 2021 Gabriella A. Moses, Writer / Director Gabriella is an award-winning director, writer, and production designerbased in Brooklyn, NY. She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Her latest short films Sticky Fingers and Leche are currently playing the festival circuit. Her award-winning thesis film Las Mañanitas has played at numerous international film festivals winning Best Ensemble Cast, Production Design and Score at NYU's First Run Film Festival and Best Film at the Katra Film Fest Series. Her production design work has been featured across top film festivals across the globe including Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca and SXSW. Gabriella was selected by the Hispanic Coalition of NY as one of their 2015 Rising Latino Stars. She also served as a Shadow Director for the 2015 ABC Diversity Showcase. Gabriella is currently developing her directorial debut feature, Leche, which has received support from 2016 Sundance Institute’s Creative Producing Lab, the 2017 NYWIFT "From Script to Pre-Production" Workshop, 2018 Sundance Screenwriter's Intensive, 2018 Tribeca Film Institute All Access Lab and 2018 . Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund program. She most recently was a TFI x Chanel Through Her Lens Fellow. She believes in sharing stories with underrepresented protagonists that test viewer’s perceptions of identity and their imaginations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620308290725-UC5ES1POJPRIXL0VX43K/movinghomeposter.JPG Films Shortlist 2021 Lauren Avinoam, Producer Lauren hails from Toronto, Canada. Graduating Western University with an honors degree in Film Theory & History she became the lead festival strategist for OUAT Media. Later, she founded LA Publicity handling festival strategy for independent filmmakers. Then, she began to Produce and founded Jemstone Productions with partner Jed Mellick. Producer credits include: Ask Me Anything (eOne, 2014) featuring: Britt Robertson, Christian Slater, Justin Long & Martin Sheen. From Fat To Finish Line (Netflix, Gravitas Ventures, 2015) a documentary that follows the 100LB weightloss journey of 12 people who embark on a 200 mile Ragnar Race. 4th Man Out (Netflix, Gravitas Ventures, 2016) a queer buddy comedy which played over 35 film festivals and won awards including the Iris Prize, Outfest Audience Award & more. Starring: Evan Todd (Broadway’s BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical), Parker Young, Chord Overstreet, Jon Gabrus, Kate Flannery. All These Small Moments (Orion Classics, 2019) premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. Directorial debut of writer Melissa Miller Costanzo, starring: Molly Ringwald, Brian d’Arcy James, Jemima Kirke, Brendan Meyer, Harley Quinn Smith and Sam McCarthy. Lowland Kids (RYOT/ HuffPo) premiered SXSW 2019 & won the Audience Award for Best Doc at Palm Springs Shortfest among others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314549144-ET16SPJ927NVN10NZCTT/sandrawinther-portrait2021.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Sandra Winther, Director Born in Copenhagen and based in New York, Sandra Winther’s style melds documentary and narrative with an emphasis on capturing the stories and pulse of vibrant youth culture and climate focused issues. Her critically acclaimed documentary LOWLAND KIDS premiered at SXSW in 2019 and screened at 30+ major festivals. The film was hailed for its “compassionate and intimate portrayal of climate refugees” and received several awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at Palm Springs Shortfest and a Cinema Eye Honors Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short. She spends part of her time in Puerto Rico where she filmed SHADOW OF A HURRICANE in 2019 as part of NOWNESS Survival Season –a visual exploration that celebrates the resilient spirit of the Puerto Rican people in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Sandra is currently in development on her first narrative feature and a doc/sci-fi hybrid slated to film in winter 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620308662627-OTS7OW4LSAXY6BZ7LJAL/On+The+Road+To+Hades.JPG Films Shortlist 2021 Elizabeth Woodward, Producer Elizabeth Woodward is an independent producer from New York City and founder of Willa Productions. Current projects include ON THE DIVIDE about three people whose lives intersect at the last abortion clinic on the US/Mexico (Tribeca 2021), The Othrs and Vice Studios’ YOU RESEMBLE ME, and ANOTHER BODY a film about deepfake image based abuse. Past projects Netflix’s THE GREAT HACK (Oscars shortlist, Primetime Emmy nominee, BAFTA nominee, IDA nominee, Cinema Eye winner, Sundance premiere), HBO’s hit documentary series THE VOW: A NXIVM STORY; AFTERWARD (Executive Produced by Abigail Disney); PERSUASION MACHINES (Sundance New Frontier) a VR experience narrated by will.i.am, PBS American Masters’ BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY, and a film with Fareed Zakaria by the CNN Documentary Unit. Her projects have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, AFI Docs and Sheffield Doc Fest and have been supported by Film Independent, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Institute, Bertha Foundation, Artemis Rising, Field of Vision, Level Forward, The Gotham, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of the Documentary Peer Group at the Television Academy (Emmys), the Documentary Producers Alliance, and the Young Professionals Group at the Council on Foreign Relations, and was selected for Berlinale Talents 2021. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and received a masters with distinction from the University of Cambridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620308507550-DX9IF59ZEUCNUBDE0OLV/Directors+Press+shot.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Daisy Squires and Sophia Seymour, Directors Daisy is a documentary filmmaker based in London who has worked on award winning character led obs docs - all with authentic human stories at their heart. She has 7 years experience producing TV documentaries working in countries all over the world from Syria to Venezuela. She has worked alongside Bafta and Emmy award winning directors such as James Bluemel on BBC series 'Exodus: Our Journey to Europe’ and ‘Pandemic 2020’ as well as with Dan Reed on ‘Calais: End of the Jungle’ where she has cast and carefully produced stories unfolding in a cinematic and powerful way. She often works on sensitive storylines and deals with vulnerable and difficult to access contributors such as BBC series ‘Football’s Darkest Secret’ (Dan Gordon) and BBC series ‘In the Face of Terror’ (Tim Lawton). Daisy has a wealth of experience producing and now directing documentaries which put the contributors stories at the forefront covering issues of our time. She is an IWMF fellow after directing a documentary for the Intercept about young women in Venezuela opting to be sterilized. Isosceles Productions was born from a joint award-winning documentary project called 'Teranga: we dance to forget'. Daisy Squires, Lou Marillier and Sophia Seymour met and joined forces to co-direct, film and edit their first feature documentary which was published by both Guardian Documentaries/ Boiler Room and BBC Africa Eye. Sophia is a British journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Naples and London working for the likes of the Guardian, BBC, and Vice. She is the founder of the critically praised Looking for Lila, an independent local production company in Naples working with news agencies, production houses, and fashion photographers as a casting and location scout and and local producer. They are currently based between London, Paris and Naples. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309035988-6AHYH76U3104NL88VE6R/PONYBOI_Short+Film_Still.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Ezra Miller, Producer (they/them) Ezra is a person from New Jersey. They are an actor, producer and musician. 20 years into a career performing in opera, theatre, tv, film, and as a touring and recording member of the band Sons of an Illustrious Father, they have produced their first two films. The first, Neptune Frost, is the forthcoming Kinyarwanda sci-fi musical and directorial debut of acclaimed multi medium artist Saul Williams. The second film, Asking For It, is an intersectional feminist vigilante justice genre film and the directorial debut of Eamon O’Rourke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620308927296-TBFET8I6KHG81I0W2618/River+Gallo_Headshot_Feb2021_FINAL.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 RIVER GALLO, Writer / Director (they/them) River Gallo is a Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, writer, model and intersex activist from New Jersey. They are a recipient of the 2019 GLAAD Media Rising Star Award, the 2020 Ryan Murphy HALF Foundation for television directing, and was selected as a 2021 Berlinale Talent fellow. River’s work explores the dynamics of personal and confessionary storytelling, and the media's ability to transcend human consciousness via re-envisioning underrepresented narratives. Ponyboi which they wrote, starred in, and co-directed with Sadé Clacken Joseph premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival where it was named one of the “Five not to be missed short films” by Forbes. Ponyboi is the first narrative film created by and starring an out intersex person in cinema history. Executive produced by Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. River was one of the faces of the 2019 NYC Pride Campaign, and has worked on campaigns with Facebook, Birchbox Beauty, Badoo, Youth to The People, and Maison Margiela. They were named one of the “Most Exciting Queer People to Follow in 2019” by Out Magazine, PAPER Magazine’s list of “100 People Taking Over 2019”, and were the cover star of the 2019 Fall/Winter issue UK Hunger Magazine shot by RANKIN. In 2020 they starred in an episode of Hulu’s “Love, Victor”. River is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Experimental Theatre Wing and the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts MFA program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309563040-605GPKTKWWBZ1FY0M730/Slide2.jpeg Films Shortlist 2021 Sam Levy, Producer Sam first gained recognition with Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy - voted one of the “Best 25 Films of the 21st Century” by The New York Times. He went on to shoot three films for Noah Baumbach: Frances Ha, Mistress America and While We’re Young. His recent films include Lady Bird - nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture - as well as two projects for director Spike Jonze: Changers and Untitled Frank Ocean Project. Sam produced and photographed Mayday, Karen Cinorre’s feature. The film was shot in Croatia and world premieres at Sundance 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309373878-SVQD1PKN9LUSB22VEEFL/Guishard_Headshot.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Tamika R. Guishard, Writer / Director Tamika’s first-generation American born of Kittitian & Nevisian heritage in East New York, Brooklyn. With the mind of a Park Ranger, heart of a teacher and soul of a dancer, she taught middle school before completing NYU Graduate Film. She believes in powerfully fusing education and cinema, collaborating with school districts, Tribeca, and on Leech Lake Reservation for “films that help”. Her forthcoming feature, "Rhythm in Blues” is supported by Rooftop Filmmakers Fund, Digital Bolex’s Women Cinematographers Grant, and NYSCA. Recognized by Oscar-qualifying festivals, its proofs of concept were shot, directed, written, and co-produced by its Black women’s team. Tamika’s an inaugural fellow with Athena Film Festival's LA Writers Lab, Residency Unlimited, and one of two non-Canadians with Black Women Film Canada! at TIFF. Profiled in Shadow and Act's and her alma mater Phillips Andover, as a trailblazer, she’s won the Governor's Office's "Celebrate Equality NY”. Tamika’s ideated social justice new media content for NYC youth employment, and interactive curricula for Ghetto Film School with WarnerMedia & AT&T as a certified Minority and Women-owned business enterprise. The first Black Communications professor at Adelphi University, and Director of Communications & Development for Mastery Transcript Consortium, a movement to holistically value the whole child, she shot her most recent short at Lower Manhattan’s African Burial Ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309880309-M860ROSQH58JAHYLU6JK/SamsonCover_0503.png Films Shortlist 2021 David Harry Yoon, Writer David is a New Jersey-bred, Los Angeles-based writer and director who completed his B.F.A. at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts film program. Yoon was recently selected to participate in the 2019 Film Independent Episodic Lab with his pilot, “Oh Country.” He was also a screenwriting fellow in the Film Independent Project Involve program where a short film he wrote was produced and premiered at the 2015 LA Film Festival. He has spent the last decade working steadily on notable film and TV productions that have shot all across the country in various capacities, including HBO’s Girls, CW’s Gossip Girl, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Man on a Ledge, and The Avengers. He has worked intimately with award winning filmmakers So Yong Kim and Bradley Rust Gray, serving as the associate producer for Kim’s For Ellen, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and as 2nd assistant director on Gray’s Jack & Diane. He has also produced a web series called WASP starring Sophie von Haselberg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309714984-SDR209GZKAC59BV2L1Y6/IMG_8683_EDIT.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Ruth Du, Director / Producer Ruth is a director and producer who gravitates towards relationship-based stories with a genre twist. She constantly pushes diverse representation, in front and behind the screen and believes that the filmmaker’s greatest gift is an audience. Du received a B.F.A. at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and subsequently worked multiple production positions in New York City. Her extensive experience ultimately led her to produce feature film The Archer which premiered at SXSW 2017. Her directorial credits include digital series Seeking and TV movie Your Baby Is Mine. Du was the Executive Director of the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program, working closely with Lena Waithe to produce five festival selected short films. She is a 2020 Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and just completed her short film Yugen, starring Christine Ko (Tigertail, Dave). Most recently, she wrapped principal photography on feature film A Dangerous Thing starring Erica Tazel (Justified) and Natasha Marc (Timeless). She currently resides in Los Angeles and enjoys singing and dance competition shows in her spare time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310282194-WOSMZ29YJM99TP1O7KQ4/Copy+of+SATISFACTION+POSTERS+NO+WORDS.png Films Shortlist 2021 Steven Chester Prince, Producer Before joining TPSC Films in 2012, Steve teamed up with Brian Oliver and the Thompson family to create Cross Creek Pictures. During his time as Vice President of Development, CCP financed and produced BLACK SWAN, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, with THE IDES OF MARCH next in the pipeline. As President of TPSC Films, Steve was a producer on THE QUIET ONES, co-produced A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, wrote and directed DIVINE ACCESS, and executive produced JOSIE in conjunction with The Coalition Group. Steve plays a pivotal role in locating and developing new projects and guiding the strategic direction of TPSC Films. Besides finding new talented voices in filmmaking, through his decade-long relationships with sales agencies and distributors, Steve thrives on finding the best distribution strategies for his films. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310117135-9S7NID85W0VMSDIRJUIZ/AlexBurunova+Headshot+2018+copy.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Alex Burunova, Writer / Director Alex is a Los Angeles based writer-director whose films premiered at over 60 International Festivals and garnered numerous Best Director and Best Film awards. Her recent projects include a digital pilot for A&E and a Netflix documentary feature, ENTER THE ANIME, which was shot in Tokyo and was released last fall. Alex holds a degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts and is a well versed traveler and explorer, having lived and worked in Moscow, Tokyo, Belarus and Spain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310849292-BCU7TKYSES5N5EY2HDNO/stampede_notext.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Camille Gatin, Producer Camille's feature debut, The Girl With All The Gifts, has earned her a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut, as well as a win with the BIFA Breakthrough Producer Award and an Empire Award nomination for Best British Film. The film was directed by Colm McCarthy and written by Mike Carey, and stars Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Anamaria Marinca, introducing 12 year old Sennia Nanua. The feature was financed by the BFI, Creative England and Altitude and was released in the UK by Warner Bros. The world premiere took place on opening night at the Locarno International Film Festival. Locarno International Film Festival - Opening Night Toronto International Film Festival - Midnight Madness Busan International Film Festival Sitges - Winner Best Actress for Sennia Nanua Frightfest - Surprise Screening Austin Fantastic Fest - Winner Best Horror Director for Colm McCarthy In 2014, Camille produced the second season of Endeavour for ITV, the reboot of Inspector Morse, which consists of 4 x 90 minute films, directed by Kristoffer Nyholm (The Killing), Giuseppe Capotondi (Venice film festival winner La Doppia Ora), Andy Wilson (Ripper Street) and Geoff Sax (White Noise). Camille Gatin's feature, Shadow Dancer, directed by Oscar winning director James Marsh, and written by Tom Bradby, starring Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, was released by Paramount in the UK in summer 2012. Shadow Dancer premiered at Sundance 2012 and is out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival 2012. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310590745-FKP6VBJD48EK5D6XYTZ1/Sontenish+Myers+Headshot+2017.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Sontenish Myers, Writer / Director Sontenish is a Jamaican-American writer-director based in Harlem, NY. She is a graduate of NYU's Graduate Film program where she’s now an adjunct professor. Her most recent short film, Cross My Heart, has screened all over the world. It was awarded the Alexis Award for Best Emerging Student Filmmaker at Palm Springs International Shortfest for the short. Cross My Heart was also included in Refinery29's list of The Most Exciting Woman-Directed Films at the 2018 Palm Springs Shortfest. Cross My Heart won the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at Hamptons International Film Festival for its “outstanding performances from its two young leads and a nuanced directorial approach.” Sontenish's feature film, Stampede, was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Screenwriting Lab, 2021 Sundance Directing Lab, 2021 Sundance Producing Lab, 2019 HIFF Screenwriting Lab, Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and IFP Week 2019. It is also a selected script on the Black List, and a recipient of SFFILM’s Rainin Grant, the Filmmakers First Fund and the Tribeca All Access Grant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620311050392-NUNYBCSUZP2WN4E5O4GT/The+Abandoned+Representation+.png Films Shortlist 2021 Oliver Ridge, Producer Filmmaker Oliver Ridge grew up on the south coast of England before moving London to attend Drama Centre. Upon graduation, Ridge moved to Los Angeles and produced his debut feature ‘The Neighbor’. After producing several independent films and documentaries Ridge was a recipient of the BAFTA LA Newcomer award and inducted as a full member of BAFTA in 2019. Ridge is currently in Vancouver producing ‘Corner Office’ alongside Anonymous Content- the film stars Jon Hamm and is slated for release spring 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310893126-VHYSNN13XYW1TIAZMVIW/Director+for+The+Abandoned+Still+Photo+Leigha+Kingsley.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Leigha Kingsley, Writer / Director Leigha is a writer, director, producer and actress. After graduating from the two-year Meisner training at the prestigious “Baron Brown Studio,” she booked the feature film “SEMI-PRO” starring Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson, the TV Series “CRIMINAL MINDS” and several other films and television shows. She began writing and directing to help create stronger female roles and female driven stories. Leigha co-wrote her first one hour drama pilot “CYCLE 14” which became a FINALIST for SUNDANCE and THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL. In addition, she created and co-wrote her first feature, the female driven thriller/horror film “THE ABANDONED” which became a TOP 10 FINALIST for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck/HBO's PROJECT GREEENLIGHT. In addition she wrote and starred in "SPLITTING THE SYNAPSE," directed by Matt O'Leary (Brick, Lone Ranger). She just recently shot a Proof of Concept for THE ABANDONED which can be seen in this submission. Leigha is producing feature films alongside her producing partner, Jessica Kemejuk. Their first film they Co-Executive Produced, “THE NEIGHBOR” stars William Fichtner, Jessica McNamee and Michael Rosenbaum and was written and directed by Aaron Harvey, co-founder of Annapurna Pictures. The film was also produced by Robert Ogden Barnum (Lawless, American Ultra, All is Lost.) "THE NEIGHBOR" premiered at the Rhode Island Film Festival, an Academy Awards qualifying festival, where it won the lucrative award for Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. In addition to these projects, Leigha currently has a female driven one hour Television show she created that is currently in development with Space Pilot Media. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620311287372-UUEV5HQ1AJMW9W124L02/TLL+Still+Image.jpeg Films Shortlist 2021 Leah Chen Baker, Producer Leah is an MFA candidate in Filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her writing and directing work has been awarded by AT&T, WIFTA and selected at Oscar-qualifying festivals. She is the 2020 recipient of The Robert Oberman, Gregory Pickert and Media Services Producing Award and a member of the Producers Guild of America. Her credits include the award-winning short, YOUTH (SXSW) and feature, HER COMPOSITION (Austin Film Festival). Previously, Leah was a production manager for shows on History, HGTV, A&E and MTV and served on the Board of Directors for Women in Film Dallas. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago in Economics and Cinema and Media Studies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620311208978-4FGMQBDZ8TW46OFC2VAY/Headshot_Color.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Farida Zahran, Writer / Director Farida is an Egyptian writer/director based in Brooklyn, working across film and TV. She is currently a staff writer on RAMY (A24 & Hulu). Her last short film, YOUTH, premiered at SXSW in 2019 and screened at festivals worldwide. It received an Oscar-qualifying award at Palm Springs ShortFest, was awarded the IFP Student Film Award at the 2019 Gotham Awards, and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. Farida was also selected for the 2019 NYFF Artist Academy and served on the jury for the 2020 edition of the Palm Springs ShortFest. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch's Graduate Film Program. Farida is currently in development on her debut feature as well as a dark comedy musical that she is set to direct in 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620434347241-LJABH2UZWUQVBL468Y3L/TRV_BOCETO_01.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Jessie Fisk, Producer Feline Films is a Dublin based Production Company run by Nathalie Biancheri and Jessie Fisk. Feline Films aims to produce innovative and thought provoking feature films and documentaries which support diversity in both subject matter and talent. The company’s first fiction feature will be, WOLF, developed at Le Group Ouest’s 'Less Is More' script lab. WOLF was awarded development funding from the Women In Film Lottery Fund in 2017. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620434228114-W9LINIAST4Z805970IW0/bio.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Sheila Pye, Writer / Director Sheila was born in Millgrove, Canada in 1978 and studied painting and photography before doing her Master´s degree at Concordia University in film production. As a writer, director and producer she has completed 11 award winning short films, including “The Red Virgin” starring Maribel Verdu (Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) many of which screened at Toronto and Locarno Film Festivals. She maintains an active art practice working in photography and video art. Her work has been exhibited and collected internationally and is in the permanent collections of museums such as the Smithsonian Institute. She is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre´s director´s lab and is currently based in Madrid where she founded the production company Luna 1 dedicated to female-driven projects. www.nickandsheila.com www.theredvirgin.com www.luna1.es https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620312933795-E8LUIUHEMB7RXBZDJD3Q/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+10.54.47+AM.png Films Shortlist 2021 Romy Waller, Producer Romy started her career in music video and multi-cam production over 11 years ago, and since has worked within advertising, animation, television and film. Previously she has worked at Unanimous Entertainment as a Development Associate on films such as ‘The Childhood of a Leader’ which went on to win multiple awards at Venice Film Festival. Romy has also been funded by the BFI, Barbican and the BBC for her narrative work. One of her most recent films screened at the Barbican as part of ‘The Smalls’ Festival, along with another project premiering at the BFI Southbank which went on to be broadcasted on BBC4. Over the past year and a half Romy has been a Scripted Development Producer within Warner Music Entertainment, the new creative production arm to the Warner Music Group. Her focus within the company is to develop both scripted and documentary feature films with music as a central theme. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620312710349-VPIO8UU2RNNM5R1DMFKK/Isla+Ure+headshot.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Isla Ure, Writer / Director Isra writes and directs for both theatre and the screen and her work has gained recognition from the British Film Institute, Papatango, Sherman Theatre, BAFTA Rocliffe, and Toronto Independent Film Awards. She has two short films being released this year: BFI funded Reprise and Genera Films funded Canvey Island. Her debut short film Passengers gained a BFI Future Film nomination and her micro-budget feature Halcyon Heights won best feature at the International Film Festival of Wales and came in the top three at TIFA. Her feature screenplay The Tides was recently shortlisted for the 2020 BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing prize, and was also a semi-finalist in Ava DuVernay’s ‘Diverse Voices’ and Final Draft’s ‘Big Break’ screenwriting contests. She recently won the iFilmThings and Final Draft short screenplay competition with The Conversation and is currently funded by Ffilm Cymru to develop her feature film R.A.G.E. She was 1 of 5 selected for the New Welsh Playwright programme with the Sherman Theatre (Best Regional Theatre 2018) in 2018 and her full-length play Observations of a Sparrow went on to read at Theatre 503. It also came in the top 1.5% of plays read in the Papatango playwriting competition and is currently long listed for the Traverse Playwriting award. Darkling Sky, her first full-length play was the top 5 in the Bread & Roses Playwriting competition and the top 12 at Bristol Old Vic Open Session, 2018. Her short play NEON was performed alongside Ruth Jones’ work at The Other Room theatre. Isla is also a John Brabourne award winner and is represented for theatre, film and TV by Nicky Lund at David Higham Associates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313680371-9YY1MMV6BVO0ND09TQ2L/group+picture_v3.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Anand Ramayya, Producer Indo-Canadian filmmaker and producer Anand Ramayya founded Karma Film Inc. in 2001 to focus on original content from original voices. Combining a passion for humanist, inclusive stories Karma has built an impressive track record with over 75 hours of completed content and 40 awards including 6 Geminis/Canadian Screen Awards (Canada’s Emmy) which include 2 Canada Awards for excellence in diverse content. Karma projects range from live action feature films to animation and documentary. Notable projects include “Wapos Bay” the ground-breaking indigenous stop-motion animation which premiered at Sundance and following a successful series run went onto win Best TV Movie at the Kidscreen Summit in New York, International doc “Cosmic Current” winner of the Gemini Canada Award, Interactive feature doc “Who Killed Gandhi?” nominated for 2 CSA’s and included in the Best in Canada Showcase at MIPDOC, Theatrical feature film “Brotherhood” starring Jake Manley(The Order, Midway) winner of the 2020 CSA for Best Visual Effects (SPIN VFX) and most recently Shadow of Dumont official selection at ImagineNATIVE 2020. Ramayya is currently in pre-production on feature dramedy INDIANS IN COWTOWN with Agam Darshi (Colossal, The Good Doctor) for Telefilm Canada, Level Film, Sasktel Max Equity and Superchannel slated for production in January 2021. Notable development projects include feature documentary THE ART OF DANCE with Kevin Fitzgerald (Freestyle : The Art of Rhyme - HBO documentary award winner) – Bell Media / Crave Original Commission & Mongrel Media, Animated feature TRUTH ABOUT MONSTERS with Anita Doron (Oscar nominee for THE BREADWINNER) – Mongrel Media. The Boyfriend w/ Director Ashim Ahluwalia (Miss Lovely – Cannes 2012). Ramayya is an alumni of CFC, TAP, NSI and a recipient of the 2020 Trailblazer Award presented by Reelworld. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313441284-RMZYF4GN1FL2RZS31H56/anita+biopic3.png Films Shortlist 2021 Anita Doron, Writer / Director Born into a family of mountaineering engineers in Transcarpathia, Anita Doron made her very first film at age twelve. The environmental protest piece raised the ire of the Soviet bureaucracy and taught her the power of visual storytelling. Since then, her movies have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW and at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The Lesser Blessed, which she wrote and directed, received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Anita is a Senior TED Fellow, an initiative bringing together international visionaries – scientists, artists, activists, entrepreneurs, journalists and inventors – to collaborate across disciplines to create positive change around the world. As part of her fellowship, Anita has created a memory-based experience at the 2014 TED Salon in Berlin, and, in 2016, a creative workshop for TED Fellows in Monterey, California. Through the support of the Guggenheim Foundation, she is collaborating on a sci-fi graphic novel with Senior TED Fellow Jessica Green. With Suleiman Bakhit, another TED Fellow and 2016 WEF Young Global Leader, Anita is working to prevent violent extremism through stories of heroism inspired by mythology and narratives of hope and tolerance. Most recently Anita wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated "The Breadwinner", an adaptation of a novel by Deborah Ellis, executive produced by Angelina Jolie and produced by Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions. Anita won a Canadian Screen Award and was nominated for an Annie Award and a Humanitas Prize for her work on the film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314094224-JGWFSOPOZC0IYX7L9O18/5M7A8565.JPG Films Shortlist 2021 Nerenda Eid, Producer Nerenda has been at the helm of commercial productions with top industry leaders for over a decade, with a focus on branded, digital and multi-platform entertainment. From producing commercials, brand activation and experiential, Nerenda has been the producer behind several award-winning campaigns, and remains as a go-to producer for global agencies and brands alike. She is known for her forward-thinking approach and extensive network, having worked with clients including Moncler, GE, Nike, Givenchy, P&G and MGM Resorts. She has applied her expertise, eye for talent and attention to detail in her approach to independent narrative and now documentary film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313904484-NHABG4VKCEYVXRCKHQ39/Fiz.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Fiz Olajide, Writer / Director Fiz is a New York based filmmaker, directing and producing documentary films independently and for global brands. Her films combine both composed and observational techniques, always striving to preserve the emotion of a lived encounter. Equal parts vérité and cinematic, her work is informed by a love of still photography - each frame should tell a complete story. A careful curation of beautifully considered visuals and intuitive storytelling has driven the creative thinking on collaborations with the likes of Google, Uber and Brand USA, across a variety of film projects and garnered recognition from SXSW, New York Film Festival, DOC NYC, Vimeo Staff Picks, among many others. Fiz has filmed across continents in countries from Amsterdam and Hong Kong to Russia and Colombia, and has brought stories to life that cover wrongful conviction, drag king culture and domestic violence. In an era of great social division, her ultimate mission as a Black female filmmaker is to create art that gives real dimension to our ideals, and to amplify and uplift undiscovered voices and experiences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314451530-9OWK91UXONR6ZBMLF81Z/WeAreEachOthersCoverPage_03.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Michelle Lang, Producer A graduate of Northwestern University’s acting program with a concentration in business, Michelle is a talented actress and an incredibly savvy producer of feature films such as Fatman, starring Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins, and Marianne Jean-Baptist and the award-winning film Lost on Purpose starring Jane Kaczmarek, C. Thomas Howell, and Dale Dickey. In addition, her production company, RBL STUDIOS, recently produced the hit TV show, Everyone is Doing Great, starring James Lafferty, Stephen Colletti, and Alexandra Park, now streaming on HULU. As an actress, Michelle is most known for her role as Linda Lee, Bruce Lee's wife, in the 50 episode television series The Legend of Bruce Lee. Her credits also include Small Town Crime where she acted alongside Academy Award® Nominee John Hawkes as “Tina,” an ex-girlfriend of Hawkes’ character, Strangely in Love where she stars alongside Golden Globe Nominee® Amanda Plummer and stunts in Vampires Suck, Date Movie, and Deadliest Warrior. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314261212-KP6QUTSOEVD27LBNZ6D5/MorganLariah_08.jpg Films Shortlist 2021 Morgan Lariah, Writer / Director Morgan graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Antioch University Los Angeles with a BA in Film Studies. Her thesis film from Antioch, Colony One, which she directed, was one of three short films selected to take part in the prestigious showcase on campus. Always seeking roles that are challenging and enriching married, with a deep desire to help shift the way women are often portrayed in the media, Lariah began to write and produce her own works in 2011. Her first short film, 2-Star, premiered at the East End Film Festival in London and went on to screen at festivals around the world. 5th Passenger, which features beloved sci-fi actors from The Shape of Water, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, marks her first feature film as co-writer, producer and actress. The 5th Passenger screenplay made it to the second round in the 2012 Austin Film Festival and won Best Feature Screenplay, 2nd Runner-up at the 2012 Fantastic Planet Film Festival. 5th Passenger had a limited theatrical run in Los Angeles and was picked up for distribution by Epic Pictures. Her script, Full Take, was a semi-finalist for the 2017 Sundance/YouTube New Voices lab. The teaser trailer Lariah created for Full Take was an official selection of the 2018 Women in Film Mini Upfronts program and screened at Netflix with sixteen other female filmmakers. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-finalist-2021 daily 0.75 2021-09-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620304554381-SLO2CBHO0SCIT3Y854NJ/Cain+and+Abel+still.png Films Finalist 2021 Elizabeth Woodward, Producer Elizabeth Woodward is an independent producer from New York City and founder of Willa Productions. Current projects include ON THE DIVIDE about three people whose lives intersect at the last abortion clinic on the US/Mexico (Tribeca 2021), The Othrs and Vice Studios’ YOU RESEMBLE ME, and ANOTHER BODY a film about deepfake image based abuse. Past projects Netflix’s THE GREAT HACK (Oscars shortlist, Primetime Emmy nominee, BAFTA nominee, IDA nominee, Cinema Eye winner, Sundance premiere), HBO’s hit documentary series THE VOW: A NXIVM STORY; AFTERWARD (Executive Produced by Abigail Disney); PERSUASION MACHINES (Sundance New Frontier) a VR experience narrated by will.i.am, PBS American Masters’ BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY, and a film with Fareed Zakaria by the CNN Documentary Unit. Her projects have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, AFI Docs and Sheffield Doc Fest and have been supported by Film Independent, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Institute, Bertha Foundation, Artemis Rising, Field of Vision, Level Forward, The Gotham, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of the Documentary Peer Group at the Television Academy (Emmys), the Documentary Producers Alliance, and the Young Professionals Group at the Council on Foreign Relations, and was selected for Berlinale Talents 2021. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and received a masters with distinction from the University of Cambridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1629053198738-YDSX953K2MYN0L6H7ROZ/Dina-new.jpeg Films Finalist 2021 Dina Amer, Writer / Director Dina Amer is a filmmaker and investigative journalist. Growing up between the US and Egypt, her work has focused on sharing nuanced, intimate and humanized stories in the Middle East with a global audience. She experienced Egypt’s revolution on the frontlines for three years producing Academy Award-nominated and three-time Emmy-winning documentary THE SQUARE, the story of revolutionary Egypt beyond the news headlines. Dina has produced several documentaries for CNN and PBS. Her work has been published in The New York Times, CNN and the Huffington Post. She produced and was the correspondent on several films for VICE, including BLACK MARKET, during which she uncovered the human trafficking of Syrian refugees, and explored the underground economy of illegal Egypt-Gaza tunnels. Her directorial debut YOU RESEMBLE ME is an intimate lens into radicalization that explores the mirrored lives of a would-be suicide bomber and her surviving sister. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306549827-M5P4W8U9X1ZPVIKSHAIN/Key+Image+FERAL.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Emma Comley, Producer Emma is an LA-based producer with over 25 years of experience in the industry. In 2012, she co-founded Blonde to Black Pictures in London - their progressive and diverse slate of films includes titles like Buttercup Bill, Set The Thames On Fire, and Two For Joy - all garnering festival plaudits and achieving worldwide distribution. She was the former Head of Production and Executive Producer at Flynn Productions - where she produced videos for the likes of Foo Fighters and Jay-Z, while boasting commercial credits for leading brands including Nike, NTC, Smirnoff, and Nokia. She has recently formed production outfit Hooligan Dreamers Productions with producing partners Jaime King and Sola Fasheun - with a focus on developing and producing stories for both screen and television with a fearless and sensitive approach that speaks a truth not always voiced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306400615-CH6CT52TQ7C2WW8KHH9O/Nihaarika+Negi+Headshot2.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Nihaarika Negi, Writer / Director Nihaarika is an International multi-award winning actor, an immersive theatre-maker and an independent filmmaker from India. Lying at the intersection of performance, magical realism and contemporary folktale - she tells stories that allow us to reclaim those parts of ourselves we try so hard to erase. Stories that capture our imaginative potential for healing and change. Through this, she seeks to make space for diverse female-identifying South-Asian voices in a sustainable international context. She holds an MA in Physical Performance and Actor-Training (University of Exeter, UK), where she has trained under master practitioner Phillip Zarrilli in the psychophysical acting methodology - which uses principles of meditative martial arts practices to train artists, create work and direct ensembles. Her work in film and theatre has been described as ‘revelatory and thoroughly riveting’ (Laurence Kardish, MOMA) and work ‘that stands at the cusp of what could be an artistic breakthrough for Indian theatre’ (The Hindu). An alum of Berlinale Talents 2021 and winner of the XR Market Award at NewImage Festival (Paris), her work has been supported by Sundance Institute + Women In Film, FACE Foundation (US), IFFR’s Cinemart, Venice Film Festival Development Labs and Gap Financing Market (Italy), French Ministry of Culture -CNC, UK Arts Council, Roundhouse Theatre, SPILL Festival (UK), Serendipity Arts Festival and NFDC Film Labs (India). Her films have been screened at New York Indian Film Festival, Austin Indie Meme Festival (US), London Asian Film Festival (UK), Mumbai Film Festival (India), Women Make Waves Film Festival (Taiwan); and broadcast on platforms like Channel 4 (UK), Disney+’s Star Gold & Hotstar (India) and Amazon Prime (US/UK). She holds an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program (University of Southern California, US), where she’s worked at places like MACRO, Amblin Partners, Bona Fide Productions and IFFLA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620307253916-AD81J2NWN6KP4G5797SC/Poster.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Don Handfield, Timothy Linh Bui and Tony Bui, Producers Handfield produced THE FOUNDER starring Michael Keaton and KILL THE MESSENGER starring two-time Academy Award nominated actor Jeremy Renner. He is currently producing SWITCHED ON at Focus Features with Marc Platt (LA LA LAND, CHICAGO 7) and GRAVE HILL with CJ Entertainment (PARASITE). Handfield is the co-creator and Executive Producer of the History Channel series KNIGHTFALL and wrote and directed the Saturn Award-winning film TOUCHBACK starring Kurt Russell. Handfield’s comic THE RIFT was optioned by Steven Spielberg and produced as the season finale of the Amazing Stories reboot on Apple +, for which Handfield also wrote the teleplay. He is a partner and board member of Scout Comics & Entertainment and teaches TV Writing in the Professional Program at UCLA. Tim co-wrote and co-produced THREE SEASONS, starring Harvey Keitel and is a triple award winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Tim followed up with his directorial debut on GREEN DRAGON, the film world premiered at Sundance in Dramatic Competition and is the recipient of the Humanitas Prize Award. Bui went on to make such films as the Spirit Award Nominee OWL AND THE SPARROW, INSIDE OUT, POWDER BLUE, starring Jessica Biel, Eddie Redmayne and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, THE THROWAWAYS for Sony Crackle, starring James Caan and Kevin Dillon. Tony's films include Yellow Lotus, Three Seasons, Green Dragon and The Throwaways and has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and received the Grand Jury and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He is also a recipient of the Humanitas Prize. Tony is a graduate of the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting and Directing Labs. Tony has written and developed projects for NBC, Warner Bros and HBO, and is currently adapting Lac Su's memoir I Love Yous Are for White People into a feature film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620306906432-6UD9FVEXQTXOIBFWXCF3/Tricia_Lee.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Tricia Lee, Director Recognized as one of Hollywood’s top new writers, Tricia Lee has been named on the 2020 Black List, CAPE List, Young & Hungry List, Athena List and BitchList. GOOD CHANCE, her feature script being produced by Janet Yang (The Joy Luck Club) was a semifinalist in The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, grand prize winner Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, top 14 finalist Universal Studios Writer's Program, winner Cinequest Best Feature Screenplay, winner WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Features, and selected for the prestigious Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop. Currently, she is attached to direct a feature produced by Viola Davis’ company JuVee Productions and will be directing a William Hung (American Idol) biopic which she also wrote and is being produced by Don Handfield (The Founder), Tony and Tim Bui (won Sundance Grand Jury Prize & Audience Choice Award). Lee has directed 3 award-winning features including BLOOD HUNTERS, which sold to Hulu and was presented in Cannes by Frontieres and SILENT RETREAT, which was theatrically released across Canada and sold to NBC Universal’s Chiller Network. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314525101-F8PD5PHPLO67BF7JDS5S/Layla_3.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Oliver Sunley, Producer A founding parter of C24 Films Ltd, Oliver has produced a large body of UK and European productions that have reached over 100 festival screenings including Austin, Sarajevo and New Orleans. A London Film School graduate, he is an alumnus of Edinburgh Talents (2019), Berlinale Talents (2020) and a current member of BFI Network x BAFTA Crew. Having produced a large body of films which have screened at BAFTA and Oscar Qualifying festivals, he is currently developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND with the support of the BFI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620333349709-H37OG5AHIOXLM8YEPABG/CelineCotran_Director_Photo.jpeg Films Finalist 2021 Celine Cotran, Writer / Director Celine is an award-winning British-Lebanese writer and director with a slate of female- driven, children’s and young adult projects for Film and TV. She is currently developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND, a coming-of-age drama exploring UK migrant culture. With early development funding from the BFI, the project is being mentored by Will Clarke (Altitude Film Entertainment) and was selected as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival Talents 2019 and Berlinale Talents 2020. The project was developed from her most recent short, LAYLA, which is currently on a strong festival run having won and been nominated for awards at a number of Academy Qualifying festivals. Her children’s drama, THE TIME TREE, was funded by the Doha Film Institute and made in association with the Academy-award winning Trademark Films. Premiering at Sarajevo Film Festival, it is now available online through Omeleto, receiving over 280K views. THE EDGE OF HOME, funded as part of Club London’s Film Emerging Creative scheme 2019, is a documentary exploring the lives of refugees in London. Recently completed, the film is about to begin its festival run. Celine’s TV projects include children’s animation, MICE OF THE UNDERGROUND and YA comedy/drama, FIRST BLOOD. A London Film School graduate, she is part of Directors UK Access and Inclusion committee and will be shadowing BAFTA winning director Andy De Emmony on ITV’s THE LARKINS. Her favourite filmmakers are Guillermo Del Toro, Billy Wilder, and Agnes Varda. She is represented by Katie Langridge at Knight Hall Agency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309563040-605GPKTKWWBZ1FY0M730/Slide2.jpeg Films Finalist 2021 Sam Levy, Producer Sam first gained recognition with Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy - voted one of the “Best 25 Films of the 21st Century” by The New York Times. He went on to shoot three films for Noah Baumbach: Frances Ha, Mistress America and While We’re Young. His recent films include Lady Bird - nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture - as well as two projects for director Spike Jonze: Changers and Untitled Frank Ocean Project. Sam produced and photographed Mayday, Karen Cinorre’s feature. The film was shot in Croatia and world premieres at Sundance 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620309373878-SVQD1PKN9LUSB22VEEFL/Guishard_Headshot.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Tamika R. Guishard, Writer / Director Tamika’s first-generation American born of Kittitian & Nevisian heritage in East New York, Brooklyn. With the mind of a Park Ranger, heart of a teacher and soul of a dancer, she taught middle school before completing NYU Graduate Film. She believes in powerfully fusing education and cinema, collaborating with school districts, Tribeca, and on Leech Lake Reservation for “films that help”. Her forthcoming feature, "Rhythm in Blues” is supported by Rooftop Filmmakers Fund, Digital Bolex’s Women Cinematographers Grant, and NYSCA. Recognized by Oscar-qualifying festivals, its proofs of concept were shot, directed, written, and co-produced by its Black women’s team. Tamika’s an inaugural fellow with Athena Film Festival's LA Writers Lab, Residency Unlimited, and one of two non-Canadians with Black Women Film Canada! at TIFF. Profiled in Shadow and Act's and her alma mater Phillips Andover, as a trailblazer, she’s won the Governor's Office's "Celebrate Equality NY”. Tamika’s ideated social justice new media content for NYC youth employment, and interactive curricula for Ghetto Film School with WarnerMedia & AT&T as a certified Minority and Women-owned business enterprise. The first Black Communications professor at Adelphi University, and Director of Communications & Development for Mastery Transcript Consortium, a movement to holistically value the whole child, she shot her most recent short at Lower Manhattan’s African Burial Ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310849292-BCU7TKYSES5N5EY2HDNO/stampede_notext.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Camille Gatin, Producer Camille's feature debut, The Girl With All The Gifts, has earned her a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut, as well as a win with the BIFA Breakthrough Producer Award and an Empire Award nomination for Best British Film. The film was directed by Colm McCarthy and written by Mike Carey, and stars Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Anamaria Marinca, introducing 12 year old Sennia Nanua. The feature was financed by the BFI, Creative England and Altitude and was released in the UK by Warner Bros. The world premiere took place on opening night at the Locarno International Film Festival. Locarno International Film Festival - Opening Night Toronto International Film Festival - Midnight Madness Busan International Film Festival Sitges - Winner Best Actress for Sennia Nanua Frightfest - Surprise Screening Austin Fantastic Fest - Winner Best Horror Director for Colm McCarthy In 2014, Camille produced the second season of Endeavour for ITV, the reboot of Inspector Morse, which consists of 4 x 90 minute films, directed by Kristoffer Nyholm (The Killing), Giuseppe Capotondi (Venice film festival winner La Doppia Ora), Andy Wilson (Ripper Street) and Geoff Sax (White Noise). Camille Gatin's feature, Shadow Dancer, directed by Oscar winning director James Marsh, and written by Tom Bradby, starring Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, was released by Paramount in the UK in summer 2012. Shadow Dancer premiered at Sundance 2012 and is out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival 2012. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620310590745-FKP6VBJD48EK5D6XYTZ1/Sontenish+Myers+Headshot+2017.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Sontenish Myers, Writer / Director Sontenish is a Jamaican-American writer-director based in Harlem, NY. She is a graduate of NYU's Graduate Film program where she’s now an adjunct professor. Her most recent short film, Cross My Heart, has screened all over the world. It was awarded the Alexis Award for Best Emerging Student Filmmaker at Palm Springs International Shortfest for the short. Cross My Heart was also included in Refinery29's list of The Most Exciting Woman-Directed Films at the 2018 Palm Springs Shortfest. Cross My Heart won the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at Hamptons International Film Festival for its “outstanding performances from its two young leads and a nuanced directorial approach.” Sontenish's feature film, Stampede, was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Screenwriting Lab, 2021 Sundance Directing Lab, 2021 Sundance Producing Lab, 2019 HIFF Screenwriting Lab, Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and IFP Week 2019. It is also a selected script on the Black List, and a recipient of SFFILM’s Rainin Grant, the Filmmakers First Fund and the Tribeca All Access Grant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620311287372-UUEV5HQ1AJMW9W124L02/TLL+Still+Image.jpeg Films Finalist 2021 Leah Chen Baker, Producer Leah is an MFA candidate in Filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her writing and directing work has been awarded by AT&T, WIFTA and selected at Oscar-qualifying festivals. She is the 2020 recipient of The Robert Oberman, Gregory Pickert and Media Services Producing Award and a member of the Producers Guild of America. Her credits include the award-winning short, YOUTH (SXSW) and feature, HER COMPOSITION (Austin Film Festival). Previously, Leah was a production manager for shows on History, HGTV, A&E and MTV and served on the Board of Directors for Women in Film Dallas. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago in Economics and Cinema and Media Studies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620311208978-4FGMQBDZ8TW46OFC2VAY/Headshot_Color.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Farida Zahran, Writer / Director Farida is an Egyptian writer/director based in Brooklyn, working across film and TV. She is currently a staff writer on RAMY (A24 & Hulu). Her last short film, YOUTH, premiered at SXSW in 2019 and screened at festivals worldwide. It received an Oscar-qualifying award at Palm Springs ShortFest, was awarded the IFP Student Film Award at the 2019 Gotham Awards, and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. Farida was also selected for the 2019 NYFF Artist Academy and served on the jury for the 2020 edition of the Palm Springs ShortFest. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch's Graduate Film Program. Farida is currently in development on her debut feature as well as a dark comedy musical that she is set to direct in 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620312933795-E8LUIUHEMB7RXBZDJD3Q/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+10.54.47+AM.png Films Finalist 2021 Romy Waller, Producer Romy started her career in music video and multi-cam production over 11 years ago, and since has worked within advertising, animation, television and film. Previously she has worked at Unanimous Entertainment as a Development Associate on films such as ‘The Childhood of a Leader’ which went on to win multiple awards at Venice Film Festival. Romy has also been funded by the BFI, Barbican and the BBC for her narrative work. One of her most recent films screened at the Barbican as part of ‘The Smalls’ Festival, along with another project premiering at the BFI Southbank which went on to be broadcasted on BBC4. Over the past year and a half Romy has been a Scripted Development Producer within Warner Music Entertainment, the new creative production arm to the Warner Music Group. Her focus within the company is to develop both scripted and documentary feature films with music as a central theme. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620312710349-VPIO8UU2RNNM5R1DMFKK/Isla+Ure+headshot.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Isla Ure, Writer / Director Isra writes and directs for both theatre and the screen and her work has gained recognition from the British Film Institute, Papatango, Sherman Theatre, BAFTA Rocliffe, and Toronto Independent Film Awards. She has two short films being released this year: BFI funded Reprise and Genera Films funded Canvey Island. Her debut short film Passengers gained a BFI Future Film nomination and her micro-budget feature Halcyon Heights won best feature at the International Film Festival of Wales and came in the top three at TIFA. Her feature screenplay The Tides was recently shortlisted for the 2020 BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing prize, and was also a semi-finalist in Ava DuVernay’s ‘Diverse Voices’ and Final Draft’s ‘Big Break’ screenwriting contests. She recently won the iFilmThings and Final Draft short screenplay competition with The Conversation and is currently funded by Ffilm Cymru to develop her feature film R.A.G.E. She was 1 of 5 selected for the New Welsh Playwright programme with the Sherman Theatre (Best Regional Theatre 2018) in 2018 and her full-length play Observations of a Sparrow went on to read at Theatre 503. It also came in the top 1.5% of plays read in the Papatango playwriting competition and is currently long listed for the Traverse Playwriting award. Darkling Sky, her first full-length play was the top 5 in the Bread & Roses Playwriting competition and the top 12 at Bristol Old Vic Open Session, 2018. Her short play NEON was performed alongside Ruth Jones’ work at The Other Room theatre. Isla is also a John Brabourne award winner and is represented for theatre, film and TV by Nicky Lund at David Higham Associates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313680371-9YY1MMV6BVO0ND09TQ2L/group+picture_v3.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Anand Ramayya, Producer Indo-Canadian filmmaker and producer Anand Ramayya founded Karma Film Inc. in 2001 to focus on original content from original voices. Combining a passion for humanist, inclusive stories Karma has built an impressive track record with over 75 hours of completed content and 40 awards including 6 Geminis/Canadian Screen Awards (Canada’s Emmy) which include 2 Canada Awards for excellence in diverse content. Karma projects range from live action feature films to animation and documentary. Notable projects include “Wapos Bay” the ground-breaking indigenous stop-motion animation which premiered at Sundance and following a successful series run went onto win Best TV Movie at the Kidscreen Summit in New York, International doc “Cosmic Current” winner of the Gemini Canada Award, Interactive feature doc “Who Killed Gandhi?” nominated for 2 CSA’s and included in the Best in Canada Showcase at MIPDOC, Theatrical feature film “Brotherhood” starring Jake Manley(The Order, Midway) winner of the 2020 CSA for Best Visual Effects (SPIN VFX) and most recently Shadow of Dumont official selection at ImagineNATIVE 2020. Ramayya is currently in pre-production on feature dramedy INDIANS IN COWTOWN with Agam Darshi (Colossal, The Good Doctor) for Telefilm Canada, Level Film, Sasktel Max Equity and Superchannel slated for production in January 2021. Notable development projects include feature documentary THE ART OF DANCE with Kevin Fitzgerald (Freestyle : The Art of Rhyme - HBO documentary award winner) – Bell Media / Crave Original Commission & Mongrel Media, Animated feature TRUTH ABOUT MONSTERS with Anita Doron (Oscar nominee for THE BREADWINNER) – Mongrel Media. The Boyfriend w/ Director Ashim Ahluwalia (Miss Lovely – Cannes 2012). Ramayya is an alumni of CFC, TAP, NSI and a recipient of the 2020 Trailblazer Award presented by Reelworld. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313441284-RMZYF4GN1FL2RZS31H56/anita+biopic3.png Films Finalist 2021 Anita Doron, Writer / Director Born into a family of mountaineering engineers in Transcarpathia, Anita Doron made her very first film at age twelve. The environmental protest piece raised the ire of the Soviet bureaucracy and taught her the power of visual storytelling. Since then, her movies have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW and at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The Lesser Blessed, which she wrote and directed, received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Anita is a Senior TED Fellow, an initiative bringing together international visionaries – scientists, artists, activists, entrepreneurs, journalists and inventors – to collaborate across disciplines to create positive change around the world. As part of her fellowship, Anita has created a memory-based experience at the 2014 TED Salon in Berlin, and, in 2016, a creative workshop for TED Fellows in Monterey, California. Through the support of the Guggenheim Foundation, she is collaborating on a sci-fi graphic novel with Senior TED Fellow Jessica Green. With Suleiman Bakhit, another TED Fellow and 2016 WEF Young Global Leader, Anita is working to prevent violent extremism through stories of heroism inspired by mythology and narratives of hope and tolerance. Most recently Anita wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated "The Breadwinner", an adaptation of a novel by Deborah Ellis, executive produced by Angelina Jolie and produced by Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions. Anita won a Canadian Screen Award and was nominated for an Annie Award and a Humanitas Prize for her work on the film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620314094224-JGWFSOPOZC0IYX7L9O18/5M7A8565.JPG Films Finalist 2021 Nerenda Eid, Producer Nerenda has been at the helm of commercial productions with top industry leaders for over a decade, with a focus on branded, digital and multi-platform entertainment. From producing commercials, brand activation and experiential, Nerenda has been the producer behind several award-winning campaigns, and remains as a go-to producer for global agencies and brands alike. She is known for her forward-thinking approach and extensive network, having worked with clients including Moncler, GE, Nike, Givenchy, P&G and MGM Resorts. She has applied her expertise, eye for talent and attention to detail in her approach to independent narrative and now documentary film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620313904484-NHABG4VKCEYVXRCKHQ39/Fiz.jpg Films Finalist 2021 Fiz Olajide, Writer / Director Fiz is a New York based filmmaker, directing and producing documentary films independently and for global brands. Her films combine both composed and observational techniques, always striving to preserve the emotion of a lived encounter. Equal parts vérité and cinematic, her work is informed by a love of still photography - each frame should tell a complete story. A careful curation of beautifully considered visuals and intuitive storytelling has driven the creative thinking on collaborations with the likes of Google, Uber and Brand USA, across a variety of film projects and garnered recognition from SXSW, New York Film Festival, DOC NYC, Vimeo Staff Picks, among many others. Fiz has filmed across continents in countries from Amsterdam and Hong Kong to Russia and Colombia, and has brought stories to life that cover wrongful conviction, drag king culture and domestic violence. In an era of great social division, her ultimate mission as a Black female filmmaker is to create art that gives real dimension to our ideals, and to amplify and uplift undiscovered voices and experiences. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/membership daily 0.75 2025-12-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/02eba91e-9619-407b-9fd6-5f438a53ae02/0N5A7032.jpg Membership - Make it stand out BTTL Cohort at Cannes Film Festival 2025 | Photo credit: Jolly D Photography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/71ea4a8e-9fe3-443c-a7f3-c7db193fd4ce/0N5A5990.jpg Membership - Make it stand out Kristen Stewart at Cannes Film Festival 2025 | Photo credit: Jolly D Photography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2477d9de-5852-44d9-a78f-91e4982dc178/VB2_1058_5n3lyNxZ_20240519065948.png Membership - Make it stand out Eva Longoria at Cannes Film Festival 2024 | Photo credit: Jolly D Photography https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-shortlist-2022 daily 0.75 2022-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/462beb58-55e5-4301-925c-34fab20b97c1/Still+image+-+NYAQ.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Valerie Steinberg, Producer Valerie is a film producer based in Los Angeles. She is the lead producer of the feature film KARMALINK (dir. Jake Wachtel), a Cambodian “Buddhist sci-fi” that opened Venice Film Critics’ Week 2021. She is also an Executive Producer of WAR PONY (dir. Riley Keough, Gina Gammell), which is having its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard). Valerie's award-winning short film producing credits include HAIR WOLF (dir. Mariama Diallo; Sundance award winner, Criterion Channel), COFFEE SHOP NAMES (dir. Deepak Sethi; Tribeca X 2021, HBO Max), BLOCKS (dir. Bridget Moloney; Sundance 2020), FRY DAY (dir. Laura Moss; SXSW, Tribeca award winner, Criterion Channel), and THE NEW NANNY (dir. Bridget Moloney; Hulu). She is developing a slate of feature films including NOT YOUR AVERAGE QUEEN (dir. Rochée Jeffrey), and she is EP of upcoming feature films including A24’s THE INSPECTION and SILVER STAR (dir. Ruben Amar). She is an alum of the Sundance x WIF Financing Intensive, Rotterdam Lab, Berlinale Talents, Venice Biennale College Cinema, Gotham Week, Film Independent Producing Lab, and Tribeca All Access. Valerie earned her BA in Philosophy and Chinese at Yale University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e034e0f4-7b7f-47ff-8eae-e2ab4133cc42/Director+Headshot+-+Rochee+Jeffrey.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Rochée Jeffrey, Writer/Director Rochée is a graduate of Howard University and a writer/director/performer who hails originally from Jamaica. As a television writer, her credits include Golden Globe-nominated comedy series SMILF (Showtime), Woke (Hulu), Bigger (BET+), Santa Inc. (HBO Max) and co-executive producer of Grown-ish (Freeform). On the film side, her award-winning, Oscar-qualifying short film Suitable was a finalist in the American Black Film Festival HBO Competition and premiered on HBO in February 2019. Rochée also wrote and directed Mr. Talented, a short film which premiered as a part of the 2018 Project Involve Showcase at the Directors Guild of America. She was one of 7 directors selected for the 2018/2019 Viacom Emerging Directors Program. She was a 2019 IFP-Blackhouse Multicultural Producers Lab Fellow, sponsored by HBO, and one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 2019 Screenwriters To Watch. Her feature directorial debut Not Your Average Queen was selected for the 2021 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and the 2021 WIF/Sundance Financing Intensive. She serves as a producer and writer on the feature film Throw it Back and Make it Clap For Trudy Jones starring Tiffany Haddish (produced by Paul Feig/Feigco). She has an adult animated series executive produced by Lizzo set up at Tomorrow Studios and Apple TV+. She also has a narrative comedy podcast greenlit by Audible and produced by Broadway Video. Rochée recently directed an independent television pilot starring David Arquette. She’s represented by UTA and Rain Management Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e03051ea-bb54-43a7-a445-1265a8890841/Still+Image+-+Brides.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Nicky Bentham, Producer Nicky has twenty years’ experience in the screen industries, having studied film production in her native Australia she then worked in independent production before eventually developing her own projects and establishing Neon Films in London. The company develops and produces forgotten and untold stories from the margins, reframing them in the mainstream spotlight for international audiences. Her most recent production, THE DUKE, stars Academy Awards winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren and was directed by Roger Michell. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival to five star reviews before screening at Telluride ahead of its cinema release by Pathe/Warner Bros in the U.K (where it reached the top spot in its week of release) and Sony Pictures Classics in the U.S. Nicky recently completed post on the feature documentary WHO KILLED THE KLF? A co-production with Fulwell 73, also set for simultaneous theatrical and streaming release in 2022. Other feature producing credits include Duncan Jones’ multi award-winning sci-fi MOON starring Sam Rockwell, THE SILENT STORM starring Andrea Riseborough and Damian Lewis which was executive produced by Barbara Broccoli, the children’s dance film YOU CAN TUTU (acquired by Netflix) and the BAFTA nominated theatrical feature documentary TAKING LIBERTIES. Nicky is the co-chair of the Pact Film Producers’ Group and co-founder of the campaigning organisation Raising Films. She is currently developing original film and TV projects with a range of partners including the BFI, Screen Scotland, Netflix and Paramount Plus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/49a5655e-b635-402b-8806-ce78d2f10b95/Director+Headshot+-+NADIA+FALL.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Nadia Fall, Director Nadia is the artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, and was an associate director at the National Theatre in London from 2015 to 2018. Prior to this she spent many years as assistant and protégé of acclaimed stage and film director, Sir Nicholas Hytner. Her work for the National includes “Three Sisters” (in a new version by Inua Ellams), “Home” (also as writer), “The Suicide”, “Our Country’s Good”, “Dara”, “Chewing Gum Dreams” (created by Michaela Coel), “Hymn” and “The Doctor’s Dilemma”. Other work includes an adaptation of “King Hedley II” and “The Village” at Stratford East; “Talking Heads” at The Bridge; “Hir” and “Disgraced” at Bush; “Way Upstream” at Chichester; “Hobson’s Choice” at Regent’s; and “The Maids” and “Oliver Twist” at the Lyric Hammersmith. In 2018 she completed her debut short film, “Bush” with Neon Films and Film4. In 2020 she filmed “No Masks”, a Sky original drama based on the stories of key workers from the community and their fight against the coronavirus, starring Russell Tovey, Anya Chalotra and Eamonn Walker. Fall also filmed her production of Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads” (“The Outside Dog”), for BBC One, starring Rochenda Sandall. In 2020, Fall was named as a Sky Arts ambassador. Nadia is represented by Rose Cobbe at United Agents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e8e2958d-0921-4588-adb7-ac7af873febd/Still+Image+-+Old+Haunts.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Mynette Louie, Producer Mynette Louie is a Spirit Award-winning, Emmy and Critics Choice-nominated producer whose credits include Heidi Ewing’s Sundance 2020-winning, Spirit Award-nominated I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics); Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ Tribeca 2019-winning, Gotham-nominated Swallow (IFC Films); Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour’s Black Box (Amazon Studios/Blumhouse); Jennifer Fox’s Emmy, Golden Globe, and Spirit Award-nominated The Tale (Sundance 2018, HBO); Martha Stephens & Aaron Katz’s Spirit Award-winning Land Ho! (Sundance 2014, Sony Pictures Classics); Tze Chun’s Children of Invention (Sundance 2009); and Andrew Bujalski’s Mutual Appreciation (SXSW 2005). As the first head of film fund Gamechanger Films, Mynette greenlit and oversaw ten films which collectively garnered nine Spirit Award nominations and one win, including Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation (SXSW 2015, Drafthouse/Netflix), Christina Choe’s Sundance 2018-winning, Spirit Award-nominated Nancy (Goldwyn), Sarah Adina Smith’s Buster’s Mal Heart (TIFF 2016, Well Go/Netflix), So Yong Kim’s Spirit Award-nominated Lovesong (Sundance 2016, Strand/Netflix), Lauren Wolkstein & Christopher Radcliff’s The Strange Ones (SXSW 2017, Vertical), and Natalia Garagiola’s Venice Critics Week 2017 winner Hunting Season (Netflix). Mynette is also an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the graduate film program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She is on Film Independent’s Board of Directors and a member of the executive and diversity committees in the Producers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She was named one of Business Insider’s “12 Movie Producers at the Top of Their Game to Watch in 2020 and Beyond,” Ted Hope’s “21 Brave Thinkers of Truly Free Film,” and Indiewire’s “100 Filmmakers to Follow on Twitter.” She won the Piaget Producers Award at the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards. A native New Yorker, Mynette graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University, where she studied Chinese literature and film.Independent Spirit Awards. A native New Yorker, Mynette graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University, where she studied Chinese literature and film. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3833a6ad-3982-4fce-bbf0-53e421835364/Director+Headshot+-+Kyoko+Miyake.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Kyoko Miyake, Writer/Director Kyoko is a Peabody award winning filmmaker. Her documentary film, Tokyo Idols, premiered in World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix. Brakeless was supported by BBC / ITVS / IKON / NHK / DR and won the Peabody Award 2014 after airing to great acclaim on BBC and PBS. Kyoko’s first feature-length documentary, My Atomic Aunt (aka Beyond the Wave) was coproduced by broadcasters including BBC, NHK and WDR and supported by Sundance Documentary Fund. It has been screened at festivals across the world, winning Gold Plaque at Chicago International Film Festival. Hackney Lullabies won the Berlin Today Award 2011 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Kyoko’s projects have been selected for prestigious grants, project markets and workshops including Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation for their L’Atelier section, Cinema du Monde from CNC in France, Film Wast in Sweden, Bucheon South Korea, Hong Kong and Udine’s film project markets. Kyoko has served as a jury member for Hot Docs -North America’s leading documentary film festival - and Sheffield Doc Fest - UK’s leading documentary festival. She has been selected for Berlinale Talent Campus, Ties That Bind, Japanese government’s Artists Grant, Talent Campus Tokyo, Crossing Borders, Documentary Campus, and Pola Art Foundation Grant among others. Born and raised in Japan, Kyoko moved to UK to study history of English witchcraft at Oxford as a Swire Centenary Scholar, having studied English history at Tokyo University. While studying and working for British and Japanese media, she picked up a camera to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker and started to make short films on her own. She is based in NY. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c1a7e137-e708-4b50-a2b3-7ccffdad4d00/Still+Image+-+LLW.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Kenny Reynolds, Producer Kenneth Renaldo Reynolds began his producing career as Production Manager and Producer for the New Jersey-based Sound Off Productions. While there, he worked as both a Production Manager and Producer on a wide array of live broadcasts, including The Rolling Stones return to Hyde Park in London. Kenny returned home to New Orleans in 2013, and served as a producer on the award-winning pilot, Shepherd. His next project, narrative feature Lost Bayou, was selected as a 2018 IFP Narrative Lab Project and made its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Kenneth was also a member of the 2020 Sundance Creative Producer’s Lab. Other recent projects include the feature Tiger Style! (winner of 4 out of 7 prizes US Works In Progress Festival in Wroclaw, Poland), and Pearl and Henry, a short film premiering at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and BET as part of 8:46 Films. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/bece1053-a223-47e2-9037-4dcb1b7d7cbb/Director+Headshot+-+Samantha+Aldana.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Samantha Aldana, Writer/Director Samantha Aldana is an award-winning Belizean-American director and writer based in Los Angeles. She is most inspired by stories that use genre elements to explore the human condition and is heavily influenced by the magical realism/storytelling traditions of her unique multicultural upbringing in South Mississippi and the Caribbean. Her first feature film, SHAPELESS, was selected as a 2020 fellow of the IFP Narrative Lab and premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was recently released by XYZ Films. Samantha is the recipient of the Belize Film Commissioner’s Emerging Storyteller Feature Film Award for her in-development feature LITTLE LYING WILD. This film was also selected to participate in the Tribeca Film Institute Network, the Emerging Voices Program at the New Orleans Film Fest and most recently was an alum of Tribeca's Writing in Unreal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d4f69d50-a953-408c-b5fb-35c39792269b/Still+Image+-+CK.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Bizimana Jean, Producer Bizimana is the film’s primary field producer and is the founder/producer of the peace and reconciliation photo workshops. He is also a photographer/videographer for Reuters in East Africa based in Kigali, Rwanda, a project coordinator with Through the Eyes of Children/Camera Kids, and a GroundTruth Film Fellow. In April 2021, he was named a Social Justice Fellow with Magnum Foundation. It is through his eyes that the CAMERA KIDS story is told.developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND with the support of the BFI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6b211270-475e-4087-80fa-efd26dbee91f/Director+Headshot+-+Beth+Murphy.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Beth Murphy, Writer/Director Beth is the founder of Principle Pictures, a media and impact company dedicated to storytelling for social impact. Beth is director/producer/executive producer for more than 20 documentaries, including six award-winning feature films (BEYOND BELIEF, THE LIST, WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS, DAWNLAND, PEACEMAKER, SON OF FUKUSHIMA, AFGHAN DREAMERS), news reports, podcasts, and photo series. Her work premiers at top-tier festivals globally and can be found across national and international media outlets, including MTV Films/Paramount+, PBS (FRONTLINE, POV, Independent Lens and NewsHour), The New York Times Op-Docs, TIME, History Channel, The Sundance Channel, Discovery Networks, Lifetime, ABC News, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, The Washington Post, PRI The World, NHK, Canal Vie, and many others. Through targeted impact campaigns, Beth raises awareness and promotes action for issues that demand social change. An impact campaign with her film WHAT TOMOROW BRINGS succeeded in building a women’s college in rural Afghanistan and lowering rates of child marriage in a Bangledeshi community. Another with BEYOND BELIEF helped to build the first women’s center in Afghanistan. Inspired by the fact that in the year 2000 there were virtually no resources available to young women diagnosed with breast cancer, Beth wrote Fighting For Our Future (McGraw Hill, 2002), a companion book to her Lifetime TV documentary with the same title. The book was heralded by the Library Journal as doing the cancer community “a vital service.” Her honors include: Emmy Award, World Press Photo Award, Overseas Press Club Award, Scripps Howard Award, National Headliner Award, Webby Award, RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, AWRT’s Gracie Allen Award, One Shared World International Outreach Award, and Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. She earned a Master’s in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/798ea85c-4db4-4c1e-9f2e-c2176f920e90/Still+Image+-+DOE.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Jack Tarling and Pietro Greppi, Producers Jack Tarling produced GOD'S OWN COUNTRY which won awards at Berlin, Sundance, Edinburgh, Galway, Stockholm, Chicago, and many more, followed by 4 BIFA wins and a BAFTA nomination. He produced sci-fi horror AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS which was Critics Pick in the New York Times and won several awards on the genre circuit. Both films have been acquired by Netflix for multiple territories. Jack has also line produced several other feature films for the BFI, BBC Films, and others, and his short film ASSESSMENT won the Film London Best of Boroughs Jury Prize and was shortlisted for a BAFTA in 2010. Pietro Greppi is a British-Italian producer focused on stories of outsiders from visionary talent, often featuring LGBTQ+ and female leads and cross-cultural perspectives. His producing credits include Peter Strickland's new film, Flux Gourmet, Andrew Steggall's BFI-funded debut, Departure, and Sarah Clift’s BAFTA-longlisted comedy short The Birth of Valerie Venus. He also executive-produced three recent debuts: Camille Griffin’s Silent Night, starring Keira Knightley; Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart, funded by Microwave; and Eliza Schroeder’s Love Sarah, starring Celia Imrie. His company, Lunapark Pictures, received a BFI Vision Award in 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b6a1af53-e7cf-4932-b1b8-fe510cee2a33/Director+Headshot+-+Fateme+Ahmadi.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Fateme Ahmadi, Writer/Director Fateme is a writer-director who graduated from the London Film School. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talents and Edinburgh Talent Lab. Her short film “Bitter Sea” was a British Independent Film Awards nominee, and her latest short, “Leila’s Blues,” premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival as a part of Tunisia Factory. Fateme was one of the Film London Lodestars in 2019 and a John Brabourne Award recipient in 2020. She was also an associate producer on “Coup 53,” a feature documentary directed by Taghi Amirani and edited by Walter Murch. Fateme’s first feature, “Daughter of Eden,” is currently in development with the BFI Film Fund. Fateme is represented by Kelly Knatchbull at Sayle Screen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c5d91428-b252-4bed-b211-7e06787aaf7e/1.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Producer Miriam has always made films that celebrate everyday heroes whether it was a rat killer in Mumbai (The Rat Race), children choosing music over violence in an area known for gang warfare (Lyari Notes) or the unsung heroes of Indian cinema (Stuntmen of Bollywood). Now, she turns the spotlight on the valiant survivors of child sexual violence as they emerge `From the shadows’. Miriam’s films have premiered at IDFA Amsterdam, where they were nominated for awards, won the Mipdoc Coproduction challenge at Cannes, and was nominated for the youth jury award at Sheffield. They have been broadcast on channels like Arte, National Geographic Channel, and Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/60d19919-7866-42e7-b275-d186dfdb9e62/Director+Headshot+-+Miriam+Chandy.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Writer/Director/Producer With a background in filmmaking and journalism, Miriam makes films that celebrate everyday heroes. She shoots for years to capture intimate accounts of real people whose stories we do not notice whether a rat killer in Mumbai (The Rat Race), children choosing music over violence in an area known for gang warfare (Lyari Notes) or the unsung heroes of Indian cinema (Stuntmen of Bollywood). Now she turns the spotlight on the valiant survivors of child sexual violence as they emerge `From the shadows’. The film has been chosen for 8 international forums in Portugal, Korea, India, Israel, USA, France and Geneva. Miriam is one of 18 fellows selected from South Asia and the Middle East for the Global Media Makers Fellowship (2019-2020) with From the Shadows by Film Independent (USA) and the US State Department for a 6 week residency in Los Angeles followed by a year round mentorship program. Nominated in 2020 and 2021 for the Chicken&Egg Award as well as the IDA-Netflix Emerging Filmmaker Award. Her previous films have premiered at IDFA Amsterdam, where they were nominated for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists – EDA award, won the Mipdoc Coproduction challenge at Cannes, and was nominated for the youth jury award at Sheffield (UK). In India her films have had theatrical releases and been the opening film of the Artists Cinema Package at the Kochi Biennale, won the top awards at the Kerala Film Festival as well as the Indian Documentary Producers Association. They have been broadcast internationally on channels like Arte, National Geographic Channel, Al Jazeera, BBC world and Netflix. Miriam has served as a Jury member at the Kashish Film Festival 2020 the biggest LGBTQ festival in South Asia, the International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards USA and the IDPA https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0c4a9352-6d13-4caa-b4a1-84fe1a4a29b6/Still+Image+2+-+IIHTL.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Fran Borgia, Producer Fran was born in 1980 in southern Spain and is based in Singapore since 2004. Borgia is the founder of Akanga Film Asia. He was the producer and editor for "HERE" (2009), Ho Tzu Nyen's first feature film that was presented at the 41st Directors' Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2009; and for the medium-length film, "Earth", presented at the 66th Venice Film Festival 2009. Since then he has produced noteworthy feature films such as "Sandcastle" (2010), Boo Junfeng's first feature film that premiered at the 49th Cannes Critics' Week in 2010; "Disappearing Landscape" by Vladimir Todorovic, which premiered at the 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013, and "Mister John" by Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor, a UK-Ireland-Singapore co-production, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013. In 2015, he produced K Rajagopal's segment for the omnibus feature "7 Letters" (2015). In 2016, he co-produced Lav Diaz's "A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery" (2016), which won the Silver Bear Prize for "a feature film that opens new perspectives" at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. In the same year, he also produced two films that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival: Boo Junfeng's "Apprentice" (2016) at Un Certain Regard and K. Rajagopal's "A Yellow Bird" (2016) at International Critics' Week. In 2017, he produced Liao Jiekai's segment for the omnibus feature "667" that screened at 22nd Busan International Film Festival. In 2018, he produced Yeo Siew Hua's "A Land Imagined" (2018), that won the Pardo d'oro (Golden Leopard) at the 71st Locarno Film Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0cc706b7-1daf-4871-95fe-da969ec2f3b4/Director+Headshot+-+Ash+Mayfair.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Ash Mayfair, Writer/Director Ash was born in Vietnam and educated in the UK and the US. She received an MFA in filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The screenplay for her first feature, The Third Wife, was a recipient of the Spike Lee Film Production Award in 2014. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 and won the NETPAC Jury Award. The Third Wife has since garnered more than 20 awards worldwide, screened at over 70 film festivals and received distribution in 30 territories. In 2020, The Third Wife earned three Spirits Awards Nomination including the Someone To Watch nomination for Ash Mayfair. Ash Mayfair’s project in development, Skin of Youth, is about an all-consuming love story between a transgender singer and a dog-cage fighter set in the 1990s Saigon, Vietnam. The project has participated in the South-East Asia Fiction Film Lab 2019, Asian Film Market at Busan 2019, Talents Tokyo 2019, Berlinale Co-Production Market 2020 and Cannes La Fabrique 2020. Skin of Youth is also one of the four winners of the NYU Purple List for the best unproduced screenplays written by graduates in 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/662633ad-e655-42d0-aa2e-c2a5d6ed95a9/Still+Image+-+LTBUW.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Jack Tarling, Producer UK producer Jack Tarling has produced two feature films, GOD'S OWN COUNTRY and AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, and line produced several more films for other companies including one with BBC Films and two which were financed by the BFI and premiered in Venice. Prior to features Jack’s background in short films included ASSESSMENT which was short listed for a BAFTA. Romantic drama GOD'S OWN COUNTRY won prizes in 2017 at Sundance, Berlin, Edinburgh, Galway, Chicago, Dinard and many more festivals before winning the Empire Award for Best British Film, the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film, Best Motion Picture at the Satellite Awards, 4 British Independent Film Awards including Best Film, and a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS is a sci-fi horror film directed by Johnny Kevorkian (The Disappeared) and starring David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter) which had its world premiere at Cinepocalypse Film Festival in 2018, where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. It was Critics Pick in the New York Times upon release, and was acquired by Netflix in a multi-territory deal. Jack has produced content for Disney/Hulu and worked for a year with Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019. Jack previously supported development and business affairs across the film and TV slate for Ridley Scott's company Scott Free. Jack is the co-founder of the Mother Tongues Development Award (run in partnership with Curzon) which supports the development of UK-set films, by UK-based talent, in which the story dialogue is in a language other than English. Jack is a graduate of Berlinale Talents, Torino Filmlab Extended, Rotterdam Cinemart, Think. Shoot. Distribute. Save Our Scripts (with The Bureau) Film London Micro Market and many other labs and holds a First Class BA (Hons.) Degree in Media Production from Northumbria University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3481f7a8-3b4c-45e0-b66e-922d899b3730/Director+Headshot+-+Rebekah+Fortune.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Rebekah Fortune, Director Having not being diagnosed with Autism until she was in her 30's Rebekah struggled to fit in whilst she was growing up. She always felt on the periphery of any group and used her vivid imagination and creativity to enable her to process her emotions. Rebekah set up production company Seahorse Films in 2011 with longtime collaborator and writer Peter Machen to develop a slate of films that combine creativity with commerciality, and that actively encourages more opportunities for women and disabled artists both in front and behind the camera. In 2017 Rebekah’s micro-budget debut feature “Just Charlie” was released to critical acclaim, receiving many awards including The Audience Award at Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival Ecrans Junior Award, it has appeared in festivals worldwide and was nominated for 2 BIFA’s. Just Charlie secured international distribution in the USA, Canada, China, Taiwan, and Theatrical Release extensively in Europe. Just Charlie was ***** rated on Sky Cinema where it had its UK premiere. Rebekah's short film Her Majesty about a woman with Dementia and her young carer has already won the Audience Award at Academy Award qualifying Hollyshorts and the XX Award at BAFTA qualifying Underwire Film Festival, with further selections for Academy Award qualifying LA Shorts festival and BAFTA qualifying Norwich FF. She has further short films also currently touring BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying festivals. Rebekah has mentored for BFI Network, appeared as a panellist at numerous film festivals, is a member of Cinesisters and Directors UK where she was selected for the “Inspire” programme and sits on the access and inclusion committee. Additionally Rebekah works extensively with young actors with Disabilities preparing them for careers both in front of and behind camera. Rebekah is represented by Ellen Gallagher at Casarotto Ramsay Associates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0776521f-f4f1-4b5d-b5fa-3dcefb426255/Still+Image+-+Phantom.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Courtney Moorehead Balaker, Producer Courtney Balaker is an award-winning writer, director and producer. Her critically-acclaimed work most recently includes Little Pink House, starring Academy Award nominated Catherine Keener and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn. Her films have received awards from such festivals as Vail Film Festival, Provincetown Film Festival, as well as a congressional screening on Capitol Hill. Her script was selected for the prestigious Athena List. Courtney served as a producer on America in Primetime, an award-winning four-hour PBS documentary series that examines the creative process behind primetime’s most iconic and groundbreaking shows. The series features interviews with Ron Howard, James L. Brooks, Sarah Jessica Parker, Larry David, Norman Lear, Alec Baldwin, David Lynch, Jon Hamm, Danny DeVito, Mary Tyler Moore, and Dick Van Dyke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0f27df3f-c500-4739-a721-9e3106c32667/Director+Headshot+-+Jennifer+Noonan.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Jennifer Noonan, Writer / Director / Producer Based in Los Angeles, Jennifer feels passionately that Story has the power to inspire, to uplift and to unite humanity. Her screenplays have received accolades from the Nicholl, The WGA Disability List, The Black List, Athena Film Festival, Women in Film, Tribeca Film Festival, Oaxaca International Film Festival, New York Women in Film, and TV, WIST and more. Her directing projects have received several accolades from Sundance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d55f0df3-b126-436a-aa0f-e0f0549ae7bc/Still+Image+-+Lucia.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Conor Barry and John Lang, Producers Conor Barry is an Irish producer working in Dublin based Savage Productions. Presently, under Screen Ireland’s POV scheme, he is producing Antonia Campbell Hughes directorial debut – IT IS IN US ALL, which recently wrapped during covid. Most recently, he produced Lee Cronin’s debut feature THE HOLE IN THE GROUND starring Seana Kerslake, sold by Bankside, and selected at Sundance 2019, and is being distributed by A24. As coproducer, Sacha Polack’s DIRTY GOD, was also selected at Sundance 2019. He produced PILGRIMAGE (Brendan Muldowney) featuring the Tom Holland, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Punisher), screened at the Tribeca and Edinburgh Film Festivals, and has been distributed by Universal for most territories, RLJ Entertainment in the US and Studio Canal in the UK. He also produced Rebecca Daly’s latest film – GOOD FAVOUR, premiered at TIFF 2017, and as coproducer, Volker Schlondorff’s – RETURN TO MONTAUK, which was selected in Competition at Berlinale 2017. John Lang is an American producer working in Los Angeles. He is the founder of SuperBloom Films, a company focused on the development and execution of director/creator-driven films and series. Projects he has produced and developed have been distributed around the world by companies such as Universal, HBO, Hulu, Blumhouse, and Netflix. They have also premiered and won awards at festivals across the globe including Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Locarno and AFI Fest. His recent work as a producer includes SPREE (Sundance 2020), directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko, starring Joe Kerry, BEST SELLER, directed by Nora Kirkpatrick and starring Beth Grant, MERCY BLACK, directed by Owen Egerton and starring Daniella Pineda, and LUCKY (SXSW ’17) directed by John Carroll Lynch and starring Harry Dean Stanton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/dfd0f0a7-277d-4fc1-ba51-ce46fb5f7ecd/Director+Headshot+-+Alexandra+McGuinness+colour.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Alexandra McGuinness, Writer/Director Alexandra was born in Dublin, Ireland. She graduated from the London Film School in 2010; her graduation film - SHE OWNS EVERYTHING; based on a short story by Anne Enright was chosen to represent her graduating class. Her debut feature film LOTUS EATERS about a group of young Londoners getting lost in a world of drugs, parties, and frivolity premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and later showed at Mill Valley and the London Film Festival, Galway Film Festival among others, before being released theatrically by Pathe, Curzon and Phase 4. She has directed commercials, short films, and music videos for artists and brands such as The Voice, Clinique, Sony, Universal records, Chanel & Samsung. She was named a director to watch by Variety and featured on the cover of the magazine. Alexandra created, wrote and directed the pop musical web series RIDERS, for online channel Super Deluxe. RIDERS had over 3 million views on YouTube and Facebook. RIDERS was bought by SUNDANCE NOW and developed as a half-hour show. Alexandra’s second feature film SHE’S MISSING starred Eiza Gonzalez, Lucy Fry and Josh Hartnett, SHE’S MISSING; about a rodeo queen who goes missing and her best friend who embarks on a search across the desert for her uncovering violence and secrets along the way, premiered at Edinburgh Film Festival, it was released theatrically in December 2019 by Vertical. Alexandra lives between Dublin and Los Angeles with her husband and three sons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/11708e34-9086-4a1a-920b-9519aa21d07a/Still+Image+-+Cabbie.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Tiernan Hanby, Producer Tiernan, a London-based producer with experience of shooting features across Europe is currently in post with the film SUMMIT FEVER, a mountain climbing adventure film shot in some of the most inaccessible locales in the Alps. His previous films incl. the Gary Oldman starring COURIER the WWII fighter pilot epic MISSION OF HONOUR and the BAFTA-nominated short THE KARMAN LINE starring Olivia Colman. He also has 15 years of experience producing commercials and music videos for artists including Little Mix, and Moby. Currently working through a slate of films put together during lockdown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ecdaed89-b79c-4d68-ba76-79c2f4b96ddd/Kat_Mag.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Katrin Magrowitz, Writer/Director Kat is a graduate from the London Film School where she wrote five shorts, directed four of them and produced three. Her drama short “The Crossing” premiered at the Curzon Cinema in Soho in conjunction with the UK premiere of von Donnersmark's Oscar film “The Lives of Other”'. Her graduation film “The Embrace” backed by German film board, premiered at the Krakow Film festival and was bought by German TV station WDR for ARTE TV in Germany, France and Austria. Her Stasi thriller ANNA K. was developed with support from German film board. Kat is currently in pre-production of British action heist comedy “Cabbie” Kat has taught film directing at CityLit and for Skillset. She also set up and run ‘The Director’s Lab’ for Rada and DirectorsUK, a monthly workshop for professional film directors. 2016 Diplom Female producer in film, Filmonomics, Birds Eye View, UK 2005 - 2009 MA Film making, London Film School, London, UK 2011 TALENT Berlinale, Berlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/85c6ac6c-76ae-4050-a308-0648eb0aa118/BIH_POSTER_credit+CampXRay.png Films Shortlist 2022 Ellen Pittleman, Producer Veteran film studio executive, producer, director, talent manager, and teacher Ellen Pittleman is responsible for the development, production, and distribution of over 25 feature films, more than five series, and various specials throughout her 25+-year entertainment career. Initially a successful producer and director, she transitioned to the executive ranks in a variety of emerging and established entertainment companies including 10+ years as an SVP at Paramount Pictures, leading the studio’s foray into original local-language production. Receiving a Peabody Award while still in college and Ace Awards when she began her career, she continued to make notable contributions to the projects she took on and worked with filmmakers ranging from Martin Scorsese and Jonathon Demme to first- time filmmakers like Steve Buscemi. With a keen visual eye, a nuanced understanding of storytelling, and an innate business sense, she works with a variety of clients at her entertainment consultancy Hybrid Entertainment while pursuing her slate of original, entertaining, and important projects. BRINGING IT HOME is a project that spoke to her due to its revelatory nature about a not often discussed issue affecting women today. The notion of gender-specific implications of war is an idea that hasn’t been broadly explored in Film. Impressed with Sabine El Gemayel’s documentary GENERATION ZAPPED, the two decided to collaborate on BRINGING IT HOME. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/de20b96e-eed7-4a46-9e79-d18027630f8a/Director+Headshot+-+Sabine+El+Gemayel.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Sabine El Gemayel, Writer/Director Traumatic events from her childhood during the Persian revolution and the Lebanese wars shaped Sabine El Gemayel's personal interests and storytelling. She brings social issues to light with a particular focus on the socio-political differences between the Middle East and the United States advocating for peace and dialog in a world of conflict. Her goal is to shine light on the condition of women in conflicting zones and how conscious leadership can empower communities. Her passion for filmmaking brought her to Los Angeles, where she resides since 1994. El Gemayel successfully marked her feature debut as a writer-director with NILOOFAR an award-winning feature film produced by Jean Bréhat (Days of Glory, Out of the law, and The Insult, all nominated for Best Foreign Film by the Academy) and Fereshteh Taerpour. It competed in prestigious film festivals such as Berlinale 59th, Cannes Junior, Dubai IFF, and AFI to name a few. Her award-winning feature documentary GENERATION ZAPPED about the invisible repercussion of wireless technology has been distributed worldwide but most importantly had a tremendous impact on raising awareness about Radio Frequencies. She also edited award-winning feature films such as 1982, the Lebanese submission to the 2020 Oscars, directed by Oualid Mouaness and produced by Alix Madigan. El Gemayel was awarded screenwriting fellowships from Hedgebrook in 2019 for her screenplay BRINGING IT HOME where she had the honor to work with acclaimed screenwriters Robin Swicord and Jane Anderson. DreamAgo offered her a fellowship for THE THREE OF US, 2009 and BRINGING IT HOME, 2012. Currently, El Gemayel has two compelling screenplays ready for production and a documentary project in development. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f53ce0e4-5337-4a5f-87a9-153005f60c34/Still+Image+-+OTRTH.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Elizabeth Woodward, Producer Elizabeth Woodward is an American film producer and founder of Willa Productions. Woodward co-produced The Great Hack and Persuasion Machines, a virtual reality experience which explored how household devices collect personal data on their users.Persuasion Machines was narrated by will.i.am. Both The Great Hack and Persuasion Machines premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Woodward founded Willa Productions, a film production company, to support bold stories by innovative filmmakers.Through Willa Productions, Woodward produced You Resemble Me, a film that explores radicalization in Europe, which premiered at the 78th Venice Film Festival in the Venice Days section. She also produced On The Divide, a film that documents the lives of three latinx people in south Texas who find themselves in the gray area of the abortion debate, which at the Tribeca Film Festival. Woodward is also producing Another Body, a documentary that will explore the world of deepfake image based abuse which was selected for the Hot Docs 2021 Selected Projects and received the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund Award. Woodward was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Media list in 2021 for her work, and in the Doc NYV 40 Under 40 list 2021. She was selected for Berlinale Talents and the Impact Partners Producers Fellowship. Her projects have been selected for various film festivals, shortlisted for Academy Awards, nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, BAFTA Award, an IDA award and won a Cinema Eye Award. Her films have been supported by Sundance Institute, Tribeca Institute Chicken and Egg, Film Independent, Impact Partners, Field of Vision, Level Forward, Perspective Fund, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1620308507550-DX9IF59ZEUCNUBDE0OLV/Directors+Press+shot.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Daisy Squires, Lou Marillier, Sophia Seymour, Co-Directors Isosceles Productions was formed by co-directors - Sophia Seymour (Italian speaker), Daisy Squires and Lou Marillier - combining their experience in feature films, broadcast TV and journalism to make On the Road to Hades. They gained access to this story by spending four years filming their first award-winning documentary Teranga (The Guardian/BBC Africa Eye) in Campania. The directors formed strong bonds with the different communities, often ending up in the Land of Fires. They were struck by the cinematic dystopian landscape, the complex humanitarian issues and the ticking environmental time bomb. Daisy Squires is an award winning documentary filmmaker and producer based in London. With 7 years experience in producing TV documentaries working in countries all over the world from Syria to Venezuela, her recent work includes BBC series 'Exodus' which won a Bafta and an Emmy. Sophia Seymour is a British journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Naples and London working for the likes of the Guardian, BBC and CNN. She is the founder of Looking for Lila, an independent local production company in Naples and is currently at The National Film and Television School. Lou Marillier is a journalist and documentary director whose favourite projects are those that require meaningful relationships with contributors over time, and who has experience working on sensitive stories in often high-risk countries, such as Venezuela or the DRC. Together they form a trans-european team that works between the UK, Italy and France. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0d8557e6-f323-42fa-8502-bd59576900f1/Screen+Shot+2022-04-15+at+9.52.00+AM.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Anna Griffin and Alastair Clark, Producers Anna Griffin is a BIFA nominated producer and Screen Star of Tomorrow. With Wellington Films she produced Matt Palmer’s debut, CALIBRE (Netflix), alongside Al Clark and Co-Produced Hope Dickson Leach’s THE LEVELLING (TIFF, LFF), produced by Rachel Robey. Other projects include Benjamin Wigley’s debut feature documentary, PAA JOE & THE LION, which premiered at SXSW and played Sheffield Doc/Fest. In 2020 Anna left Wellington to focus on her own company, Griffin Pictures, with support from the BFI’s Vision Award and has projects in development with BFI, Film4 and Okre. In 2021 Anna joined forces with BAFTA winning writer, Jolyon Rubinstein, and launched the company, Jolly Griffin, focussing on television production. They are working with Expectation and Balloon Entertainment on the company’s first two projects. Alastair Clark co-founded Wellington Films in 2000 with producing partner Rachel Robey. In 2018, Wellington was named by Screen International as one of the top 50 independent film production companies in the UK. Producing credits include Matt Palmer’s debut feature, CALIBRE, on global release as a Netflix Original Film. It won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film, going on to be nominated for a record-equalling five BAFTA Scotland Awards. His BAFTA nominated debut feature, LONDON TO BRIGHTON earned them the Best Achievement in Production award at the 2006 British Independent Film Awards and a nomination at the London Critics Circle Film Awards for British Film Producers of the Year. It has since been named by TimeOut London as one of the top 100 British films of all time. Other producing credits include Simon Ellis’ AS DEAD AS IT GETS for interactive mobile platform Whatifi; Justin Molotnikov’s CRYING WITH LAUGHTER (SXSW 2009, Best Film - BAFTA Scotland Awards 2009); and Muayad Alayan’s A HOUSE IN JERUSALEM, currently in post-production. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/22b212fe-73ab-4c87-aa7a-39948f80987b/Director+Headshot+-+Sandra+Goldbacher.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Sandra Goldbacher, Director For her first feature, THE GOVERNESS, starring Minnie Driver, Sandra was nominated for a best newcomer BAFTA and won both the Audience Award and Special Debut at Karlovyvary. Her second feature, ME WITHOUT YOU, starring Michelle Williams, was also BAFTA nominated. Her BBC1 adaptation of the Noel Streatfeild novel BALLET SHOES, starring Emma Watson, won Best Director at the Rome TV Festival. Recent credits include directing THE ACCIDENT by Jack Thorne for Channel 4 and Hulu, and ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE for Amazon, starring Bill Nighy. She is set to direct the upcoming drama about Jimmy Savile, THE RECKONING, for BBC1. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/df1a3681-0135-4e73-b304-9855f2d44205/Still+Image+-+PRND.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Anna Hall, Executive Producer Anna has been making films for over 20 years. She's been nominated for 4 BAFTAS and is the only woman ever to be nominated in two consecutive years for the BAFTA CRAFT Best Factual Director Award. She's best known for her 17 year enquiry into gang grooming and broke the Child Sexual Abuse story in 2004 with her first feature length doc 'Edge of the City' for Channel 4. Since then she's made a further two films on the subject for Channel 4 and won the hugely prestigious Women in Film & TV Best Factual award and the RTS Journalism Award for "The Hunt for Britain's Sex Gangs" in 2013. She has gone on to make films about forced marriage and honour based abuse; domestic violence and coercive control. In the last year she has directed Torn Apart and The Family Secret for Channel 4, and A Day in a Life of Coronavirus Britain which was filmed in a day and transmitted 3 days later! In 2021 she won the Women in Film & TV Best Producer Award. Anna is Creative Director & Executive Producer of Candour Productions and sees the company as fulfilling her life-long dream of providing a home for film-makers in the north of England. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/74ccfcc3-8331-4454-9a32-e262f3595f1c/Director+Headshot+-+Rebecca+Coxon.jpeg Films Shortlist 2022 Rebecca Coxon, Director/Producer Rebecca is a shooting Director/Producer with experience across BAFTA-nominated BBC One, Two, Three and Channel 4 observational and current affairs documentaries in the UK and abroad. Experienced working with vulnerable contributors in sensitive environments; particularly young people affected by abuse, victims and perpetrators of crime and those with mental health issues. Rebecca has worked closely with various police forces, ambulances, hospitals and social services around the UK. Experienced, creative shooter with FS7, C300, XF305. Skilled at negotiating difficult access. Strong casting and development skills with keen journalistic and editorial eye. Rebecca's debut film for Channel 4 received a 5 star review in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/13/britains-child-drug-runners-review-devastating-tales-of-modern-slavery and in 2020 she was the winner of the ‘Debut Director’ award at the TV Foundation New Voice Awards 2020. In 2016, she was one of Edinburgh Television Festival's ‘Ones to Watch’ and have previously pitched, won and directed two funded commissions at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2014 and 2018. For the last 18 months she has been filming, producing and directing a 1-hour documentary for BBC One's Current Affair's strand, Panorama, that follows people through the criminal justice process after reporting rape. She's also been filming a 5-part series about midwives in Yorkshire for BBC Two. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/61ec5300-a592-4ea3-8a36-406030cfa0be/The+Pill+Cover.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Neil Champagne, Producer Working as a producer and the head of development for tinygiant, Neil is an integral part of both the commercial and scripted divisions of the company. Neil has over a decade of producing experience and oversees creative workflow in both departments. In 2020, Neil and tinygiant produced the Netflix feature Ali and the Ratu Ratu Queens with Indonesian production company Palari Films. The project went on to be nominated for best picture at the Indonesian International Film Festival. Additionally, Neil’s feature project The Gate was selected as a finalist in the 2020 Whistler Film Festival power pitch competition. Prior to joining the tinygiant team, Neil worked and produced alongside veteran executive producer Robert C. Cooper on the series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for BBC America and co-produced the series Unspeakable for CBC/Sundance Channel (New York Times Best Series of 2019). His other notable TV credits include FX’s Fargo, Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience and Netflix’s Blackstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e8941cee-b2af-4af8-915d-52be652482aa/Director+Headshot+-+Jenn+Shaw.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Jenn Shaw, Writer/Director Jenn is an award-winning NYC writer/director and alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her bold and cinematic filmmaking has both distinctive humor and dramatic instinct. As a former ESPN producer, her career was cultivated by many years of working with the NBA, WNBA, NFL and MLB leagues. Her passion for creating strong character-driven sports and coming-of-age stories is evidenced in her directorial campaigns for brands including Facebook, Capital One, KIA, USAA, Complex, Pizza Hut, and Verizon; as well as in her narrative shorts and documentary films. She has directed several short films exhibiting at major festivals including Pan African Film Festival, Hollyshorts, Edmonton International, and two appearances at the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival (2017, 2020). Her ESPN film $15 Kicks was executive produced by legendary director Spike Lee, and it earned her a selection in the 2017 Shoot Magazine’s New Director DGA Showcase and a Black Reel Award. In the past three years, she has directed three episodes of NFL Football Town and a documentary film called The Superbowl That Wasn’t for the NFL Network. Shaw is also an alumna of the Fox Network’s Diversity Writers Program and participated in Gotham’s 2020 Episodic Program with her pilot and series Afro. Recently, she finished two short films I Won The Lottery (Wavelength FIlms) and Charlie and the Hunt starring Marvel’s first deaf superhero Lauren Ridloff (Eternals, Walking Dead) which was the winner of the 2021’s Women in Media CAMERAderie Showcase. Those films are both in the 2022 film festival circuit. Currently, she is an executive producer and director on an upcoming series with Vice and Religion of Sports. Shaw is managed by Anonymous Content and repped by Sola Fasehun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/05a72bd3-1c76-427b-a8be-643709364063/Sarah+Raising+Flag+Drawing.png Films Shortlist 2022 Nicole Teeny, Producer Nicole Teeny is a queer Lebanese-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her Slamdance award-winning debut documentary BIBLE QUIZ garnered played theatrically nationwide, was on Netflix, and on Sundance Channel in 20 countries, and was selected for the US State Department’s “American Film Showcase”. It was critically acclaimed and garned over 10 festival awards including Audience Award, Best Documentary, and Emerging Director awards. L.A.Times said it was “smart, funny, and disarming.” and San Francisco Bay Guardian said it is “a film that people will remember for years to come.” Her other work has been on HuffPost, Bloomberg Video, NowThis, and featured in textbooks, and exhibited widely including at the Viennale and in hundreds of museums and film festivals worldwide. Her short documentary UNITY MOSQUE is currently on the film festival circuit (including InsideOut, Cleveland International, Hamptons International, Seattle International, and more) and for it she has been awarded best director awards. Nicole’s short script PUBLIC POOL was workshopped at the Berlinale and won 6 screenwriting awards. Nicole’s work has been supported and a part of organizations like International Documentary Association (IDA Enterprise), Tribeca, Berlinale, LEF Foundation, and been an artist in residence at VCCA, Arts Kibbutz, Brush Creek Arts Foundation. When not making films she can be found running long-distance trails around the world or designing activist art through her alias Nasty Ribbons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/889c9ea7-eb4a-4523-80c6-d55673c33d1a/Director+Headshot+-+Nicole+Teeny.png Films Shortlist 2022 Nicole Teeny, Director / Producer Nicole Teeny is a queer Lebanese-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her Slamdance award-winning debut documentary BIBLE QUIZ garnered played theatrically nationwide, was on Netflix, and on Sundance Channel in 20 countries, and was selected for the US State Department’s “American Film Showcase”. It was critically acclaimed and garned over 10 festival awards including Audience Award, Best Documentary, and Emerging Director awards. L.A.Times said it was “smart, funny, and disarming.” and San Francisco Bay Guardian said it is “a film that people will remember for years to come.” Her other work has been on HuffPost, Bloomberg Video, NowThis, and featured in textbooks, and exhibited widely including at the Viennale and in hundreds of museums and film festivals worldwide. Her short documentary UNITY MOSQUE is currently on the film festival circuit (including InsideOut, Cleveland International, Hamptons International, Seattle International, and more) and for it she has been awarded best director awards. Nicole’s short script PUBLIC POOL was workshopped at the Berlinale and won 6 screenwriting awards. Nicole’s work has been supported and a part of organizations like International Documentary Association (IDA Enterprise), Tribeca, Berlinale, LEF Foundation, and been an artist in residence at VCCA, Arts Kibbutz, Brush Creek Arts Foundation. When not making films she can be found running long-distance trails around the world or designing activist art through her alias Nasty Ribbons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/cc374020-b4b1-4bfd-a810-45804650c9a0/Screen+Shot+2022-04-15+at+10.28.09+AM.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Oliver Ridge, Producer Oliver is a British born filmmaker now residing in the USA. Oliver has produced multiple independent films and documentaries winning awards along the way. He was a recipient of the BAFTA LA Newcomer award, and his documentary ‘Valerie,’ won best documentary short at the American documentary film festival. Valerie was also in consideration for the Oscars 2020. Oliver’s current projects include producing Jon Hamm’s new film, CORNER OFFICE, alongside Anonymous Content; SHRIVER, starring Kate Hudson and Michael Shannon and his first foreign language project. A gay rights film in Pakistan called JOYLAND which he produced with Oscar nominee Ramin Bahrani. In addition, this past fall he directed and produced a new Television series called WHISK(E)Y in Kentucky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/4938994c-13ff-4cfd-9095-d6e4c4722e26/Director+Headshots+-+Leigha+and+Sarah.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Leigha Kingsley, Sarah Moshman, Co-Directors Leigha Kingsley is an actress, writer, producer and director in Los Angeles. She is originally from Kentucky which is where her fascination with women in the distilling industry began. As an actress, she has worked on films with Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Riley Keough, Kristen Wiig and guest starred on shows like CRIMINAL MINDS. Most recently she shot OYAKODON, which was directed by Emmy nominated and this year’s Critics Choice Award nominated director Roxy Shih. Leigha began writing to help create stronger female roles and female driven stories. Leigha’s feature film and television scripts have been finalists for; SUNDANCE, HBO Project Greenlight, New York Television Festival, shortlisted with Breaking Through The Lens, and most recently her one-hour television drama based on true stories of women in America in the early twentieth- century is currently in development. Leigha also Co-Executive Produced the feature film THE NEIGHBOR, starring William Fichtner which was purchased by Starz, and most recently Executive-Produced the television series WHISK(E)Y. Sarah Moshman is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and TEDx speaker whose work has been featured on Netflix, PBS, Upworthy, Marie Claire, CNN, and Good Morning America. Sarah has directed and produced 3 feature-length documentaries: The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things (2014), Losing Sight of Shore (2017) and NEVERTHELESS (2020). Sarah is dedicated to telling stories that uplift, inform and inspire as well as showcase strong female role models on screen. Prior to focusing on documentaries Sarah worked as a field producer on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars for 10 seasons as well as shows on NBC, MTV, Lifetime, Bravo and the Food Network. She also directs branded content for EllenTube, Tastemade, Mattel, AT&T and more. Sarah is an inspiring public speaker and an adjunct professor in documentary film, passionate about empowering the next generation of storytellers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b74979ea-390e-488d-bf91-0b9ca1571398/Still+Image+-+WeArePat.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Caryn Capotosto and Lauren Greenfield, Producers Caryn Capotosto is an award-winning documentary producer known for WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, a feature documentary about Mister Rogers that won a 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary as well as a Producers Guild Award and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Documentary. She received a 2016 News and Documentary Emmy Award for her role as co-producer on BEST OF ENEMIES and she was associate producer on the Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning documentary, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013). Other projects include FEELS GOOD MAN, which won a Special Jury Award at Sundance 2020 (Producer), SHANGRI-LA, a music doc series for Showtime (Co-Executive Producer 2019) and the Emmy-nominated Netflix series UGLY DELICIOUS and BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER (Executive Producer 2019-2020). Lauren Greenfield, Executive Producer - Named by The New York Times as “America’s foremost visual chronicler of the plutocracy,” Emmy-award-winning filmmaker/photographer Lauren Greenfield is a two-time Directors’ Guild and Writers’ Guild award nominee known for the groundbreaking work she has created on consumerism, youth culture and gender for the past 25 years. Her documentary films Thin, The Queen of Versailles, Generation Wealth and The Kingmaker, and photography from her monographs, Fast Forward, Girl Culture, Thin and Generation Wealth have been screened, published, and exhibited around the world, as well as collected by cultural institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), J. Paul Getty Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Smithsonian, and the International Center of Photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/798f4547-ce03-434f-ab15-e3367dab8e12/Director+Headshot+-+Ro+Haber.jpg Films Shortlist 2022 Ro Haber, Writer/Director Ro Haber is an aesthetically-minded Writer/Director who works at the intersections of doc, narrative and new media. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch, they were a 2018 Sundance Momentum Fellow and New Frontier Lab fellow. They were selected for the Universal Pictures Directing Lab, AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, Film Independent’s Episodic Lab and Project Involve, Outfest’s Screenwriting Lab, and were a shadowing director on FX’s Pose. They were featured on The Alice Initiative’s 2018 list of directors ready to helm studio films, Indiewire’s 8 Best Trans Directors Working Today, and have been a fellow at Yaddo and MacDowell Artist Residencies. They recently served as an advisor for Sundance’s first ever Trans Possibilities Lab. They won a Webby, New Orleans Film Festival, and LA Film Festival awards and were nominated for a GLAAD award for their series, New Deep South. Their series Braddock, PA (Topic) gained critical attention from The New York Times and The New Yorker. They directed short documentaries Stonewall Forever for Stink Studios and Celestial for Tribeca Studios. Recently, they directed the finale for the Gotham-nominated FX x Killer Films series, Pride. They are directing a hybrid documentary EPed by Lauren Greenfield, Caroline Libresco and produced by Caryn Capotosto entitled We Are Pat about the 90s SNL cult figure Pat. They are attached to direct Amasia Entertainment’s trans coming-of-age film, Handsome and their film Shell.ai, a modern feminist horror retelling of the Frankenstein story from the perspective of a female technologist, is being produced by Seaview. They and their collaborators won an SFFILM Rainin Grant for the project they are attached to direct, Since I Laid My Burden Down by Brontez Purnell and Savannah Knoop. They are currently a Sundance Art of Practice Fellow, and recently won a MacArthur Grant for their project, We Are Pat. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/contact-filmmakers daily 0.75 2022-05-15 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/films-finalist-2022 daily 0.75 2022-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d4f69d50-a953-408c-b5fb-35c39792269b/Still+Image+-+CK.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Bizimana Jean, Producer Bizimana is the film’s primary field producer and is the founder/producer of the peace and reconciliation photo workshops. He is also a photographer/videographer for Reuters in East Africa based in Kigali, Rwanda, a project coordinator with Through the Eyes of Children/Camera Kids, and a GroundTruth Film Fellow. In April 2021, he was named a Social Justice Fellow with Magnum Foundation. It is through his eyes that the CAMERA KIDS story is told.developing LAYLA IN DREAMLAND with the support of the BFI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0c4a9352-6d13-4caa-b4a1-84fe1a4a29b6/Still+Image+2+-+IIHTL.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Fran Borgia, Producer Fran was born in 1980 in southern Spain and is based in Singapore since 2004. Borgia is the founder of Akanga Film Asia. He was the producer and editor for "HERE" (2009), Ho Tzu Nyen's first feature film that was presented at the 41st Directors' Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2009; and for the medium-length film, "Earth", presented at the 66th Venice Film Festival 2009. Since then he has produced noteworthy feature films such as "Sandcastle" (2010), Boo Junfeng's first feature film that premiered at the 49th Cannes Critics' Week in 2010; "Disappearing Landscape" by Vladimir Todorovic, which premiered at the 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013, and "Mister John" by Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor, a UK-Ireland-Singapore co-production, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013. In 2015, he produced K Rajagopal's segment for the omnibus feature "7 Letters" (2015). In 2016, he co-produced Lav Diaz's "A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery" (2016), which won the Silver Bear Prize for "a feature film that opens new perspectives" at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. In the same year, he also produced two films that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival: Boo Junfeng's "Apprentice" (2016) at Un Certain Regard and K. Rajagopal's "A Yellow Bird" (2016) at International Critics' Week. In 2017, he produced Liao Jiekai's segment for the omnibus feature "667" that screened at 22nd Busan International Film Festival. In 2018, he produced Yeo Siew Hua's "A Land Imagined" (2018), that won the Pardo d'oro (Golden Leopard) at the 71st Locarno Film Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/662633ad-e655-42d0-aa2e-c2a5d6ed95a9/Still+Image+-+LTBUW.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Jack Tarling, Producer UK producer Jack Tarling has produced two feature films, GOD'S OWN COUNTRY and AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, and line produced several more films for other companies including one with BBC Films and two which were financed by the BFI and premiered in Venice. Prior to features Jack’s background in short films included ASSESSMENT which was short listed for a BAFTA. Romantic drama GOD'S OWN COUNTRY won prizes in 2017 at Sundance, Berlin, Edinburgh, Galway, Chicago, Dinard and many more festivals before winning the Empire Award for Best British Film, the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film, Best Motion Picture at the Satellite Awards, 4 British Independent Film Awards including Best Film, and a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS is a sci-fi horror film directed by Johnny Kevorkian (The Disappeared) and starring David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter) which had its world premiere at Cinepocalypse Film Festival in 2018, where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. It was Critics Pick in the New York Times upon release, and was acquired by Netflix in a multi-territory deal. Jack has produced content for Disney/Hulu and worked for a year with Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019. Jack previously supported development and business affairs across the film and TV slate for Ridley Scott's company Scott Free. Jack is the co-founder of the Mother Tongues Development Award (run in partnership with Curzon) which supports the development of UK-set films, by UK-based talent, in which the story dialogue is in a language other than English. Jack is a graduate of Berlinale Talents, Torino Filmlab Extended, Rotterdam Cinemart, Think. Shoot. Distribute. Save Our Scripts (with The Bureau) Film London Micro Market and many other labs and holds a First Class BA (Hons.) Degree in Media Production from Northumbria University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c1a7e137-e708-4b50-a2b3-7ccffdad4d00/Still+Image+-+LLW.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Kenny Reynolds, Producer Kenneth Renaldo Reynolds began his producing career as Production Manager and Producer for the New Jersey-based Sound Off Productions. While there, he worked as both a Production Manager and Producer on a wide array of live broadcasts, including The Rolling Stones return to Hyde Park in London. Kenny returned home to New Orleans in 2013, and served as a producer on the award-winning pilot, Shepherd. His next project, narrative feature Lost Bayou, was selected as a 2018 IFP Narrative Lab Project and made its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Kenneth was also a member of the 2020 Sundance Creative Producer’s Lab. Other recent projects include the feature Tiger Style! (winner of 4 out of 7 prizes US Works In Progress Festival in Wroclaw, Poland), and Pearl and Henry, a short film premiering at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and BET as part of 8:46 Films. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/462beb58-55e5-4301-925c-34fab20b97c1/Still+image+-+NYAQ.jpeg Films Finalist 2022 Valerie Steinberg, Producer Valerie is a film producer based in Los Angeles. She is the lead producer of the feature film KARMALINK (dir. Jake Wachtel), a Cambodian “Buddhist sci-fi” that opened Venice Film Critics’ Week 2021. She is also an Executive Producer of WAR PONY (dir. Riley Keough, Gina Gammell), which is having its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard). Valerie's award-winning short film producing credits include HAIR WOLF (dir. Mariama Diallo; Sundance award winner, Criterion Channel), COFFEE SHOP NAMES (dir. Deepak Sethi; Tribeca X 2021, HBO Max), BLOCKS (dir. Bridget Moloney; Sundance 2020), FRY DAY (dir. Laura Moss; SXSW, Tribeca award winner, Criterion Channel), and THE NEW NANNY (dir. Bridget Moloney; Hulu). She is developing a slate of feature films including NOT YOUR AVERAGE QUEEN (dir. Rochée Jeffrey), and she is EP of upcoming feature films including A24’s THE INSPECTION and SILVER STAR (dir. Ruben Amar). She is an alum of the Sundance x WIF Financing Intensive, Rotterdam Lab, Berlinale Talents, Venice Biennale College Cinema, Gotham Week, Film Independent Producing Lab, and Tribeca All Access. Valerie earned her BA in Philosophy and Chinese at Yale University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6b211270-475e-4087-80fa-efd26dbee91f/Director+Headshot+-+Beth+Murphy.jpeg Films Finalist 2022 Beth Murphy, Writer/Director Beth is the founder of Principle Pictures, a media and impact company dedicated to storytelling for social impact. Beth is director/producer/executive producer for more than 20 documentaries, including six award-winning feature films (BEYOND BELIEF, THE LIST, WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS, DAWNLAND, PEACEMAKER, SON OF FUKUSHIMA, AFGHAN DREAMERS), news reports, podcasts, and photo series. Her work premiers at top-tier festivals globally and can be found across national and international media outlets, including MTV Films/Paramount+, PBS (FRONTLINE, POV, Independent Lens and NewsHour), The New York Times Op-Docs, TIME, History Channel, The Sundance Channel, Discovery Networks, Lifetime, ABC News, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, The Washington Post, PRI The World, NHK, Canal Vie, and many others. Through targeted impact campaigns, Beth raises awareness and promotes action for issues that demand social change. An impact campaign with her film WHAT TOMOROW BRINGS succeeded in building a women’s college in rural Afghanistan and lowering rates of child marriage in a Bangledeshi community. Another with BEYOND BELIEF helped to build the first women’s center in Afghanistan. Inspired by the fact that in the year 2000 there were virtually no resources available to young women diagnosed with breast cancer, Beth wrote Fighting For Our Future (McGraw Hill, 2002), a companion book to her Lifetime TV documentary with the same title. The book was heralded by the Library Journal as doing the cancer community “a vital service.” Her honors include: Emmy Award, World Press Photo Award, Overseas Press Club Award, Scripps Howard Award, National Headliner Award, Webby Award, RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, AWRT’s Gracie Allen Award, One Shared World International Outreach Award, and Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. She earned a Master’s in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0cc706b7-1daf-4871-95fe-da969ec2f3b4/Director+Headshot+-+Ash+Mayfair.jpeg Films Finalist 2022 Ash Mayfair, Writer/Director Ash was born in Vietnam and educated in the UK and the US. She received an MFA in filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The screenplay for her first feature, The Third Wife, was a recipient of the Spike Lee Film Production Award in 2014. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 and won the NETPAC Jury Award. The Third Wife has since garnered more than 20 awards worldwide, screened at over 70 film festivals and received distribution in 30 territories. In 2020, The Third Wife earned three Spirits Awards Nomination including the Someone To Watch nomination for Ash Mayfair. Ash Mayfair’s project in development, Skin of Youth, is about an all-consuming love story between a transgender singer and a dog-cage fighter set in the 1990s Saigon, Vietnam. The project has participated in the South-East Asia Fiction Film Lab 2019, Asian Film Market at Busan 2019, Talents Tokyo 2019, Berlinale Co-Production Market 2020 and Cannes La Fabrique 2020. Skin of Youth is also one of the four winners of the NYU Purple List for the best unproduced screenplays written by graduates in 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3481f7a8-3b4c-45e0-b66e-922d899b3730/Director+Headshot+-+Rebekah+Fortune.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Rebekah Fortune, Director Having not being diagnosed with Autism until she was in her 30's Rebekah struggled to fit in whilst she was growing up. She always felt on the periphery of any group and used her vivid imagination and creativity to enable her to process her emotions. Rebekah set up production company Seahorse Films in 2011 with longtime collaborator and writer Peter Machen to develop a slate of films that combine creativity with commerciality, and that actively encourages more opportunities for women and disabled artists both in front and behind the camera. In 2017 Rebekah’s micro-budget debut feature “Just Charlie” was released to critical acclaim, receiving many awards including The Audience Award at Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival Ecrans Junior Award, it has appeared in festivals worldwide and was nominated for 2 BIFA’s. Just Charlie secured international distribution in the USA, Canada, China, Taiwan, and Theatrical Release extensively in Europe. Just Charlie was ***** rated on Sky Cinema where it had its UK premiere. Rebekah's short film Her Majesty about a woman with Dementia and her young carer has already won the Audience Award at Academy Award qualifying Hollyshorts and the XX Award at BAFTA qualifying Underwire Film Festival, with further selections for Academy Award qualifying LA Shorts festival and BAFTA qualifying Norwich FF. She has further short films also currently touring BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying festivals. Rebekah has mentored for BFI Network, appeared as a panellist at numerous film festivals, is a member of Cinesisters and Directors UK where she was selected for the “Inspire” programme and sits on the access and inclusion committee. Additionally Rebekah works extensively with young actors with Disabilities preparing them for careers both in front of and behind camera. Rebekah is represented by Ellen Gallagher at Casarotto Ramsay Associates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/bece1053-a223-47e2-9037-4dcb1b7d7cbb/Director+Headshot+-+Samantha+Aldana.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Samantha Aldana, Writer/Director Samantha Aldana is an award-winning Belizean-American director and writer based in Los Angeles. She is most inspired by stories that use genre elements to explore the human condition and is heavily influenced by the magical realism/storytelling traditions of her unique multicultural upbringing in South Mississippi and the Caribbean. Her first feature film, SHAPELESS, was selected as a 2020 fellow of the IFP Narrative Lab and premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was recently released by XYZ Films. Samantha is the recipient of the Belize Film Commissioner’s Emerging Storyteller Feature Film Award for her in-development feature LITTLE LYING WILD. This film was also selected to participate in the Tribeca Film Institute Network, the Emerging Voices Program at the New Orleans Film Fest and most recently was an alum of Tribeca's Writing in Unreal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e034e0f4-7b7f-47ff-8eae-e2ab4133cc42/Director+Headshot+-+Rochee+Jeffrey.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Rochée Jeffrey, Writer/Director Rochée is a graduate of Howard University and a writer/director/performer who hails originally from Jamaica. As a television writer, her credits include Golden Globe-nominated comedy series SMILF (Showtime), Woke (Hulu), Bigger (BET+), Santa Inc. (HBO Max) and co-executive producer of Grown-ish (Freeform). On the film side, her award-winning, Oscar-qualifying short film Suitable was a finalist in the American Black Film Festival HBO Competition and premiered on HBO in February 2019. Rochée also wrote and directed Mr. Talented, a short film which premiered as a part of the 2018 Project Involve Showcase at the Directors Guild of America. She was one of 7 directors selected for the 2018/2019 Viacom Emerging Directors Program. She was a 2019 IFP-Blackhouse Multicultural Producers Lab Fellow, sponsored by HBO, and one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 2019 Screenwriters To Watch. Her feature directorial debut Not Your Average Queen was selected for the 2021 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and the 2021 WIF/Sundance Financing Intensive. She serves as a producer and writer on the feature film Throw it Back and Make it Clap For Trudy Jones starring Tiffany Haddish (produced by Paul Feig/Feigco). She has an adult animated series executive produced by Lizzo set up at Tomorrow Studios and Apple TV+. She also has a narrative comedy podcast greenlit by Audible and produced by Broadway Video. Rochée recently directed an independent television pilot starring David Arquette. She’s represented by UTA and Rain Management Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e8e2958d-0921-4588-adb7-ac7af873febd/Still+Image+-+Old+Haunts.jpg Films Finalist 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0776521f-f4f1-4b5d-b5fa-3dcefb426255/Still+Image+-+Phantom.jpg Films Finalist 2022 - Make it stand out Jennifer Noonan, Writer / Director / Producer Based in Los Angeles, Jennifer feels passionately that Story has the power to inspire, to uplift and to unite humanity. Her screenplays have received accolades from the Nicholl, The WGA Disability List, The Black List, Athena Film Festival, Women in Film, Tribeca Film Festival, Oaxaca International Film Festival, New York Women in Film, and TV, WIST and more. Her directing projects have received several accolades from Sundance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3833a6ad-3982-4fce-bbf0-53e421835364/Director+Headshot+-+Kyoko+Miyake.jpeg Films Finalist 2022 Kyoko Miyake, Writer/Director Kyoko is a Peabody award winning filmmaker. Her documentary film, Tokyo Idols, premiered in World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix. Brakeless was supported by BBC / ITVS / IKON / NHK / DR and won the Peabody Award 2014 after airing to great acclaim on BBC and PBS. Kyoko’s first feature-length documentary, My Atomic Aunt (aka Beyond the Wave) was coproduced by broadcasters including BBC, NHK and WDR and supported by Sundance Documentary Fund. It has been screened at festivals across the world, winning Gold Plaque at Chicago International Film Festival. Hackney Lullabies won the Berlin Today Award 2011 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Kyoko’s projects have been selected for prestigious grants, project markets and workshops including Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation for their L’Atelier section, Cinema du Monde from CNC in France, Film Wast in Sweden, Bucheon South Korea, Hong Kong and Udine’s film project markets. Kyoko has served as a jury member for Hot Docs -North America’s leading documentary film festival - and Sheffield Doc Fest - UK’s leading documentary festival. She has been selected for Berlinale Talent Campus, Ties That Bind, Japanese government’s Artists Grant, Talent Campus Tokyo, Crossing Borders, Documentary Campus, and Pola Art Foundation Grant among others. Born and raised in Japan, Kyoko moved to UK to study history of English witchcraft at Oxford as a Swire Centenary Scholar, having studied English history at Tokyo University. While studying and working for British and Japanese media, she picked up a camera to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker and started to make short films on her own. She is based in NY. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0f27df3f-c500-4739-a721-9e3106c32667/Director+Headshot+-+Jennifer+Noonan.jpeg Films Finalist 2022 - Make it stand out Jennifer Noonan, Writer / Director / Producer Based in Los Angeles, Jennifer feels passionately that Story has the power to inspire, to uplift and to unite humanity. Her screenplays have received accolades from the Nicholl, The WGA Disability List, The Black List, Athena Film Festival, Women in Film, Tribeca Film Festival, Oaxaca International Film Festival, New York Women in Film, and TV, WIST and more. Her directing projects have received several accolades from Sundance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/61ec5300-a592-4ea3-8a36-406030cfa0be/The+Pill+Cover.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Neil Champagne, Producer Working as a producer and the head of development for tinygiant, Neil is an integral part of both the commercial and scripted divisions of the company. Neil has over a decade of producing experience and oversees creative workflow in both departments. In 2020, Neil and tinygiant produced the Netflix feature Ali and the Ratu Ratu Queens with Indonesian production company Palari Films. The project went on to be nominated for best picture at the Indonesian International Film Festival. Additionally, Neil’s feature project The Gate was selected as a finalist in the 2020 Whistler Film Festival power pitch competition. Prior to joining the tinygiant team, Neil worked and produced alongside veteran executive producer Robert C. Cooper on the series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for BBC America and co-produced the series Unspeakable for CBC/Sundance Channel (New York Times Best Series of 2019). His other notable TV credits include FX’s Fargo, Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience and Netflix’s Blackstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e8941cee-b2af-4af8-915d-52be652482aa/Director+Headshot+-+Jenn+Shaw.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Jenn Shaw, Writer/Director Jenn is an award-winning NYC writer/director and alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her bold and cinematic filmmaking has both distinctive humor and dramatic instinct. As a former ESPN producer, her career was cultivated by many years of working with the NBA, WNBA, NFL and MLB leagues. Her passion for creating strong character-driven sports and coming-of-age stories is evidenced in her directorial campaigns for brands including Facebook, Capital One, KIA, USAA, Complex, Pizza Hut, and Verizon; as well as in her narrative shorts and documentary films. She has directed several short films exhibiting at major festivals including Pan African Film Festival, Hollyshorts, Edmonton International, and two appearances at the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival (2017, 2020). Her ESPN film $15 Kicks was executive produced by legendary director Spike Lee, and it earned her a selection in the 2017 Shoot Magazine’s New Director DGA Showcase and a Black Reel Award. In the past three years, she has directed three episodes of NFL Football Town and a documentary film called The Superbowl That Wasn’t for the NFL Network. Shaw is also an alumna of the Fox Network’s Diversity Writers Program and participated in Gotham’s 2020 Episodic Program with her pilot and series Afro. Recently, she finished two short films I Won The Lottery (Wavelength FIlms) and Charlie and the Hunt starring Marvel’s first deaf superhero Lauren Ridloff (Eternals, Walking Dead) which was the winner of the 2021’s Women in Media CAMERAderie Showcase. Those films are both in the 2022 film festival circuit. Currently, she is an executive producer and director on an upcoming series with Vice and Religion of Sports. Shaw is managed by Anonymous Content and repped by Sola Fasehun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/05a72bd3-1c76-427b-a8be-643709364063/Sarah+Raising+Flag+Drawing.png Films Finalist 2022 Nicole Teeny, Producer Nicole Teeny is a queer Lebanese-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her Slamdance award-winning debut documentary BIBLE QUIZ garnered played theatrically nationwide, was on Netflix, and on Sundance Channel in 20 countries, and was selected for the US State Department’s “American Film Showcase”. It was critically acclaimed and garned over 10 festival awards including Audience Award, Best Documentary, and Emerging Director awards. L.A.Times said it was “smart, funny, and disarming.” and San Francisco Bay Guardian said it is “a film that people will remember for years to come.” Her other work has been on HuffPost, Bloomberg Video, NowThis, and featured in textbooks, and exhibited widely including at the Viennale and in hundreds of museums and film festivals worldwide. Her short documentary UNITY MOSQUE is currently on the film festival circuit (including InsideOut, Cleveland International, Hamptons International, Seattle International, and more) and for it she has been awarded best director awards. Nicole’s short script PUBLIC POOL was workshopped at the Berlinale and won 6 screenwriting awards. Nicole’s work has been supported and a part of organizations like International Documentary Association (IDA Enterprise), Tribeca, Berlinale, LEF Foundation, and been an artist in residence at VCCA, Arts Kibbutz, Brush Creek Arts Foundation. When not making films she can be found running long-distance trails around the world or designing activist art through her alias Nasty Ribbons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/889c9ea7-eb4a-4523-80c6-d55673c33d1a/Director+Headshot+-+Nicole+Teeny.png Films Finalist 2022 Nicole Teeny, Director / Producer Nicole Teeny is a queer Lebanese-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her Slamdance award-winning debut documentary BIBLE QUIZ garnered played theatrically nationwide, was on Netflix, and on Sundance Channel in 20 countries, and was selected for the US State Department’s “American Film Showcase”. It was critically acclaimed and garned over 10 festival awards including Audience Award, Best Documentary, and Emerging Director awards. L.A.Times said it was “smart, funny, and disarming.” and San Francisco Bay Guardian said it is “a film that people will remember for years to come.” Her other work has been on HuffPost, Bloomberg Video, NowThis, and featured in textbooks, and exhibited widely including at the Viennale and in hundreds of museums and film festivals worldwide. Her short documentary UNITY MOSQUE is currently on the film festival circuit (including InsideOut, Cleveland International, Hamptons International, Seattle International, and more) and for it she has been awarded best director awards. Nicole’s short script PUBLIC POOL was workshopped at the Berlinale and won 6 screenwriting awards. Nicole’s work has been supported and a part of organizations like International Documentary Association (IDA Enterprise), Tribeca, Berlinale, LEF Foundation, and been an artist in residence at VCCA, Arts Kibbutz, Brush Creek Arts Foundation. When not making films she can be found running long-distance trails around the world or designing activist art through her alias Nasty Ribbons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b74979ea-390e-488d-bf91-0b9ca1571398/Still+Image+-+WeArePat.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Caryn Capotosto and Lauren Greenfield, Producers Caryn Capotosto is an award-winning documentary producer known for WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, a feature documentary about Mister Rogers that won a 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary as well as a Producers Guild Award and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Documentary. She received a 2016 News and Documentary Emmy Award for her role as co-producer on BEST OF ENEMIES and she was associate producer on the Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning documentary, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013). Other projects include FEELS GOOD MAN, which won a Special Jury Award at Sundance 2020 (Producer), SHANGRI-LA, a music doc series for Showtime (Co-Executive Producer 2019) and the Emmy-nominated Netflix series UGLY DELICIOUS and BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER (Executive Producer 2019-2020). Lauren Greenfield, Executive Producer - Named by The New York Times as “America’s foremost visual chronicler of the plutocracy,” Emmy-award-winning filmmaker/photographer Lauren Greenfield is a two-time Directors’ Guild and Writers’ Guild award nominee known for the groundbreaking work she has created on consumerism, youth culture and gender for the past 25 years. Her documentary films Thin, The Queen of Versailles, Generation Wealth and The Kingmaker, and photography from her monographs, Fast Forward, Girl Culture, Thin and Generation Wealth have been screened, published, and exhibited around the world, as well as collected by cultural institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), J. Paul Getty Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Smithsonian, and the International Center of Photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/798f4547-ce03-434f-ab15-e3367dab8e12/Director+Headshot+-+Ro+Haber.jpg Films Finalist 2022 Ro Haber, Writer/Director Ro Haber is an aesthetically-minded Writer/Director who works at the intersections of doc, narrative and new media. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch, they were a 2018 Sundance Momentum Fellow and New Frontier Lab fellow. They were selected for the Universal Pictures Directing Lab, AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, Film Independent’s Episodic Lab and Project Involve, Outfest’s Screenwriting Lab, and were a shadowing director on FX’s Pose. They were featured on The Alice Initiative’s 2018 list of directors ready to helm studio films, Indiewire’s 8 Best Trans Directors Working Today, and have been a fellow at Yaddo and MacDowell Artist Residencies. They recently served as an advisor for Sundance’s first ever Trans Possibilities Lab. They won a Webby, New Orleans Film Festival, and LA Film Festival awards and were nominated for a GLAAD award for their series, New Deep South. Their series Braddock, PA (Topic) gained critical attention from The New York Times and The New Yorker. They directed short documentaries Stonewall Forever for Stink Studios and Celestial for Tribeca Studios. Recently, they directed the finale for the Gotham-nominated FX x Killer Films series, Pride. They are directing a hybrid documentary EPed by Lauren Greenfield, Caroline Libresco and produced by Caryn Capotosto entitled We Are Pat about the 90s SNL cult figure Pat. They are attached to direct Amasia Entertainment’s trans coming-of-age film, Handsome and their film Shell.ai, a modern feminist horror retelling of the Frankenstein story from the perspective of a female technologist, is being produced by Seaview. They and their collaborators won an SFFILM Rainin Grant for the project they are attached to direct, Since I Laid My Burden Down by Brontez Purnell and Savannah Knoop. They are currently a Sundance Art of Practice Fellow, and recently won a MacArthur Grant for their project, We Are Pat. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/action-grant-finalists-2023 daily 0.75 2024-02-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/5c6f2d88-408f-49ce-9768-998f7d6988af/Screen+Shot+2023-10-06+at+10.57.10+PM.png Action Grant Finalists 2023 Teddy Leifer, Producer Teddy Leifer is an Academy Award nominee and founder of Rise Films. A five-time Emmy® winner, his credits include The Invisible War (Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner), The Interrupters (Emmy® winner), Icarus (Oscar® winner), Knuckle (Sundance world premiere), Dreamcatcher (Sundance winner), We Are Together (Tribeca winner), Rough Aunties (Sundance winner), The Human Factor (Telluride world premiere), Mayor (Emmy® winner) and The Art of Political Murder. Teddy’s latest feature, All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, is the only film ever to have won both the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival – where it premiered in 2022. The film received BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Best Documentary. His other recent productions include George Carlin’s American Dream, a two-parter for HBO directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio which won the 2022 Emmy® for Outstanding Documentary and Once Upon A Time In Londongrad, a timely political thriller about 14 mysterious UK deaths with alleged Russia links for Sky Documentaries, Peacock, and NBC Universal. He just wrapped production on a feature-length finale of the multi-award-winning Plebs, following a five-season run as the most-watched comedy in ITV2’s history. Teddy was recently listed in the “100 most innovative and influential people in British creative and media industries” by the Guardian newspaper. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and BAFTA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/55e1ca48-b766-4c46-a8c3-5bf0b7b56b25/Gabriela_Osio_Vanden_bw.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Gabriela Osio Vanden, Director Gabriela Osio Vanden is an award-winning Venezuelan-Canadian Director and cinematographer based in Toronto. She brings a background in painting and dance to her images which have premiered at major festivals, including TIFF, Camerimage, SXSW, IDFA, Sheffield DocFest, and True/False. She is a HotDocs 2022 Fellow. Her student thesis film The Rambler was awarded an internship with Phedon Papamichael ASC GSC whom she shadowed on Alexander Payne’s Downsizing. Gabriela has a BFA in Film Production from York University. Her latest film Nuisance Bear premiered at TIFF and played at over 120 Film Festivals. It won multiple awards, most notably a Critics Choice Award and Outstanding Non-Fiction Short at Cinema Eye Honors. In 2023 Nuisance Bear was shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e03051ea-bb54-43a7-a445-1265a8890841/Still+Image+-+Brides.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Nicky Bentham, Producer Nicky Bentham is founder and producer at London based Neon Films. Recently she produced the thriller LOCKED IN with Gaumont UK and Netflix, directed by Nour Wazzi. Last year saw the release of THE DUKE, starring Academy Award winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren directed by Roger Michell, which premiered at Venice and then Telluride. 2022 also saw the release of the music feature documentary WHO KILLED THE KLF? a co-production with Fulwell 73, released through Picturehouses and Sky Cinema. Other feature producing credits include Duncan Jones’ multi award-winning sci-fi MOON starring Sam Rockwell, THE SILENT STORM starring Andrea Riseborough and Damian Lewis which was executive produced by Barbara Broccoli, the children’s dance film YOU CAN TUTU acquired by Netflix and the BAFTA nominated theatrical documentary TAKING LIBERTIES. Nicky is the co-chair of Pact’s Film Producers' Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d1884718-1dce-4804-a80a-0c242f0f00a5/Nadia_Fall.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Nadia Fall, Director Nadia Fall is the artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, and was an associate director at the National Theatre from 2015 to 2018. Prior to this she spent many years as assistant and protégé of acclaimed theatre and film director, Sir Nicholas Hytner. Her work includes an adaptation of “King Hedley II” and “The Village” at Stratford East; “Three Sisters” (in a new version by Inua Ellams), “Home” (also as writer), “The Suicide”, “Our Country’s Good”, “Dara”, “Chewing Gum Dreams” (created by Michaela Coel), “Hymn” and ““The Doctor’s Dilemma” at the National; “Talking Heads” at The Bridge; “Hir” and “Disgraced” at Bush; “Way Upstream” at Chichester; “Hobson’s Choice” at Regent’s; and “The Maids” and “Oliver Twist” at the Lyric Hammersmith. In 2018 she completed her debut short film, “Bush” with Neon Films and Film4. In 2020 she filmed “No Masks”, a Sky original drama based on the stories of key workers from the community and their fight against the coronavirus, starring Russell Tovey, Anya Chalotra and Eamonn Walker. Fall also filmed her production of Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads” (“The Outside Dog”), for BBC One, starring Rochenda Sandall. In 2020, Fall was named as a Sky Arts ambassador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/983bc83c-0044-459b-a8e1-fb4e00902626/Screen+Shot+2023-10-06+at+11.23.08+PM.png Action Grant Finalists 2023 Anand Ramayya, Producer Combining a passion for inclusive stories and original voices, KarmaFilm founder Anand Ramayya has built an impressive, twenty-year track record as a BIPOC and equity seeking producer with over 80 hours of content notably WAPOS BAY & DONKEYHEAD receiving over 35 awards including five Geminis (two Canada Awards for excellence in diversity), a Canadian Screen Award (six nominations), and a Kidscreen Award. Ramayya is past president of the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Association, an alumni of NSI, Strategic Partners and the CFC. In 2020 Ramayya was also honoured with the Reelworld TRAILBLAZER AWARD and the CMPA Indiescreen 2022 Established Producer Award. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ebb96341-0ab0-44e5-a3dd-5ee460b85f7e/Maya_Bastian.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Maya Bastian, Writer/Director Maya Bastian is an award-winning Tamil Canadian filmmaker & artist with roots in conflict journalism. Her work has been supported by HBO, Netflix, UN IOM, Edinburgh Fringe, Colombo Art Biennale and multiple film festivals around the world. Her most recent short film TIGRESS was nominated for a 2020 CEC AWARD and was supported by CBC, NETFLIX and the CANADIAN FILM CENTER, and participated in CANNES COURT METRAGE 2021. Tigress premiered at FESTIVAL DE NOUVEAU CINEMA. She is in development on her first feature ‘THE DEVIL’S TEARS’ with FAE PICTURES (Cannes Director’s Fortnight ‘In Flames’), JAR PICTURES (A Suitable Boy) and KARMA FILMS (Donkeyhead). Her comedy series in development will be at the TIFF 2023 Series Accelerator, and she is currently co-writing and directing a paranormal mystery series set in 1970's Southeast Asia with REFLECTOR ENTERTAINMENT and BANDAI NAMCO. Her work frequently explores the trauma related to displacement and migration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1b6edc8c-2831-40e2-8d88-fe6aac97993e/Screen+Shot+2023-10-07+at+12.19.53+AM.png Action Grant Finalists 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/cc735dcc-ddf6-479d-84c9-2388714bcd5d/Tricia_Lee.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Tricia Lee, Writer/Director Tricia Lee is an accomplished AAPI female filmmaker whose ability to blend heart-warming and heart-breaking stories with uplifting humor has earned her recognition on the Black List x3: 2020 (GOOD CHANCE), 2021 (IDOL) and 2023 (AMERICAN DREAMS). As a fellow of the SONY Diverse TV Writers Program, Tricia creates from a Canadian perspective, exploring themes of belonging, voicelessness, and shared humanity through the lens of the American Dream. Her feature script, GOOD CHANCE has received numerous accolades, including being a top 50 finalist in The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, winning the grand prize in Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, a top 14 finalist Universal Studios Writers Program, on the CAPE List, being selected for the prestigious Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop and The Writers Lab (supported by Meryl Streep & Nicole Kidman). A CDDP Commerical Director finalist, Tricia's impressive directing credits include working with top talent such as Eva Longoria (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), Simu Liu (Marvel's SHANG-CHI), Ingrid Rogers (BOSCH), and Rachel Hilson (THIS IS US). She has written a pilot for and will be a showrunner of the animated anthology A BANQUET FOR HUNGRY GHOSTS produced by 108 Media. Lee has directed 3 award-winning features including BLOOD HUNTERS, which sold to Hulu and was presented in Cannes by Frontieres and SILENT RETREAT, which was theatrically released across Canada and sold to NBC Universal’s Chiller Network and Shudder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/af9bfdc0-cdd7-4fdf-b2ca-84ffa772c63f/Screen+Shot+2023-10-07+at+12.28.49+AM.png Action Grant Finalists 2023 Camila Savala, Producer Born and raised in Peru, Camila Zavala is a Los Angeles-based producer and writer with an MFA from Columbia University’s School of Theatre, Film & Television. She is a 2019 Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow for the feature film Malpelo. Camila’s work spans a range of fiction, TV, branded content and theatre plays. As a filmmaker she has been honored to win several awards and has been selected in various film festivals around the world including the Tribeca Film Festival, Palm Springs International Shortfest and Telluride Film Festival. Her last film project as a creative producer and writer “The Catch” received the Katherina Otto-Bernstein Production Grant and the Bertha Tamayo Grant during the production stage and was awarded the Richard Brick Fund for special distinction in Line Producing. In addition to her experience in film, TV and theater, Camila has over ten years’ experience as the production manager of PLAY | Storytelling, a creative production company based in Lima, Peru dedicated to helping brands connect with their consumer through stories. She has created content for brands such as Samsung, Intel, Sura, Cadbury, Unilever among others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/5826d475-27f1-4b1d-93aa-b35283c9e355/Victoria_Rivera.jpg Action Grant Finalists 2023 Victoria Rivera, Writer/Director Victoria Rivera is a Colombian-American writer/director based in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University with a MFA in Film in 2020 and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine the same year. Her short film Lucia (2021) won Best Short Film at Premios Macondo, the Colombian National Film Awards and was a Student Academy Awards Finalist. Her short film Night Swim (2019) won the Jury Award for Best Student Film at Palm Springs Shortfest, and was an official selection at Tribeca Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. The Directors Guild of America, of which she is now a proud member, awarded her short film Verde (2018) the Student Film Award. Most recently, Victoria directed The Longest Breath (2021), a short film for Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween series. She is currently in development of her first feature film, Malpelo, an Academy Nicholl Fellowship Semi-Finalist and Sloan Screenwriting Grantee, with the generous support of organizations such as the Sundance Institute, Gotham, CineQuaNon Lab and Film Independent, through their various Artist Development Programs and Fast Track Market. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/terms daily 0.75 2025-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1579691667580-9G8FX8SPGP1SNVIK6Y59/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Terms https://breakingthroughthelens.org/patron-membership daily 0.75 2025-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e628db43-6fba-4286-83f9-6b371be56703/1-VIP+Invitations2.png Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c2a35b4b-c76c-481d-8796-eef541c609e9/VB2_0649_ExuWQvKF_20240519071131.JPG Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2db8daac-16c0-4a90-babd-04b8455f4177/DSC_6436.jpeg Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0eff1d3a-9aa2-442f-b452-259a4086c0c1/3-Investor+Dinners.png Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b99db5ca-5993-4997-b035-63147812b84a/2-VirtualResources.png Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/cb1aa630-4450-48f4-9caa-61c94c068226/VB2_0901_dfnDZ9v7_20240519071744.JPG Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/da2bcabe-5678-4605-9c1c-9efc50688ff5/06.jpg Patron Membership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/fiscal-sponsorship daily 0.75 2025-04-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/4783e274-8e47-43f6-a0c3-1fc2bf0b7a85/Screenshot+2024-09-05+at+6.57.49%E2%80%AFPM.png Fiscal Sponsorship - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/622213ba-b63d-45b5-8f2b-f25f8a5f1ad0/BTTL_Logo_Membership.png Fiscal Sponsorship - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/fiscal-sponsorship-faq daily 0.75 2024-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/89fe43ac-b0a9-43e4-9273-b020c0819fb9/Screenshot+2024-09-05+at+6.56.49%E2%80%AFPM.jpg Fiscal Sponsorship FAQs - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/622213ba-b63d-45b5-8f2b-f25f8a5f1ad0/BTTL_Logo_Membership.png Fiscal Sponsorship FAQs - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/patron-membership-inquire daily 0.75 2024-09-06 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-goodchance daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Good Chance) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d76814fe-2c84-42a8-ac78-94b50cf7ff8a/GC+Top.jpeg Donate (Good Chance) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/00cd1342-bdf9-4be9-8670-1734e9082b7c/Tricia_Lee.jpeg Donate (Good Chance) - Make it stand out TRICIA LEE: Writer / Director / Producer Tricia Lee is an accomplished AAPI female filmmaker whose ability to blend heart-warming and heart-breaking stories with uplifting humor has earned her recognition on the Black List x3: 2020 (GOOD CHANCE), 2021 (IDOL) and 2023 (AMERICAN DREAMS). As a fellow of the SONY Diverse TV Writers Program, Tricia creates from a Canadian perspective, exploring themes of belonging, voicelessness, and shared humanity through the lens of the American Dream. Her feature script, GOOD CHANCE has received numerous accolades, including being a top 50 finalist in The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, winning the grand prize in Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, a top 14 finalist Universal Studios Writers Program, on the CAPE List, being selected for the prestigious Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop and The Writers Lab (supported by Meryl Streep & Nicole Kidman). A CDDP Commerical Director finalist, Tricia's impressive directing credits include working with top talent such as Eva Longoria (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), Simu Liu (Marvel's SHANG-CHI), Ingrid Rogers (BOSCH), and Rachel Hilson (THIS IS US). She wrote an episode of TALES FROM THE VOID, based on Reddit /nosleep on ScreamboxTV. Lee has directed 3 award-winning features including BLOOD HUNTERS, which sold to Hulu and was presented in Cannes by Frontieres and SILENT RETREAT, which was theatrically released across Canada and sold to NBC Universal’s Chiller Network and Shudder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/eefb20b7-fae1-44f5-b5d2-7d5b9125f582/Screenshot+2024-09-18+at+10.03.13%E2%80%AFPM.png Donate (Good Chance) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/action-grant-shortlist-2025 daily 0.75 2025-05-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ab7a825e-6589-44b3-a483-7e7725dde793/Image_ProdigalSon.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 SIMONE LING | Producer (she/her) Moving between Los Angeles and London, Simone Ling has a particular interest in working with diverse voices behind and in front of the camera. Narrative feature producing credits include Spirit Award nominated MOSQUITA Y MARI and Queer Palm and Camera d’Or nominated THEY, an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Recent short work include award-winning MOVING OUT, Outfest Audience Award winner MY LUNCH WITH SUKI, and Tribeca X Immersive Award winner EMERGING RADIANCE. A member of the Producers Guild of America, MPEG/IATSE, and BAFTA/LA, Simone is Deputy Chair for BAFTA’s Learning, Inclusion and Talent (DEI&A) Committee, spearheads intersectional outreach for the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Programs and is an Advisor for Sundance Co//ab’s producing and writing courses. In addition to curating and consulting for labs and festivals worldwide, including Tribeca’s International program and Mexico’s Cine Qua Non, she is a fellow of TAP (TransAtlantic Partners Producing Lab), TFI Network, Film Independent Fast Track and a Rainin Development Grant Fellow. A Fulbright Scholar, she holds Masters degrees from the University of Oxford and Stanford University, and is a Senior Lecturer in story and development at AFI, The American Film Institute’s Conservatory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/23c71ac9-24fa-4489-b0b3-e4f85f877ce5/Director_MGEvangelista.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 M.G. EVANGELISTA | Writer, Director (they/them) M.G. EVANGELISTA was born in Manila and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Receiving a 2023 United States Artists Fellowship in Film, Evangelista joined a distinguished list of filmmakers whose past recipients include Barry Jenkins, Dee Rees, Lee Isaac Chung, and Kelly Reichardt. A current DWW AFI Fellow with their horror short proof of concept ANINO, they are also in development on their debut narrative feature, BURNING WELL, that received the 2020 Tribeca All Access Grant, a 2021 WIF x Sundance Finance Intensive Fellowship, an ARRAY + Google production grant, and the 2024 SFFILM Rainin Development Grant. The feature, having just gone through Film Independent's 2024 Screenwriting Lab, is based on their short film FRAN THIS SUMMER, an LGBTQ love story that won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest and screened at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2022, the film participated in the Torino Feature Film Lab and the Film Fatales: Trans Stories Fellowship. Playing with cinematic language and subverting narrative tropes, Evangelista delights in capturing people and places with poetry and pop. Featured on Amazon, Hulu, at the Brooklyn Museum, and in i-D Magazine, their body of work includes VR dramedy WATER MELTS, supported by Tribeca and Google, LA GLORIA, a Project Involve produced short, and an HBO Ibero-American Award Finalist and the award-winning documentary THEY CALL ME SUKI, about legendary AAPI activist Suki Terada Ports. A DGA and AICP's Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP), Evangelista has helmed commercials for Jeep, Gucci, and The Asian American Foundation. Their latest short documentary TO DANCE AGAIN carefully explored how the AAPI Elders of Monterey Park moved beyond the shooting tragedy of January 2023. Receiving their MFA in Directing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, they go by the nickname Grace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6c9fae0a-ce84-4656-b694-3382625ae230/Image_Cottagecore.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 PETER PHOK | Producer (he/him) Peter Phok is an award-winning film producer, behind Ti West’s X, PEARL, and MAXXXINE. He has also produced Ti West’s revenge western, IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE, starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta, with Blumhouse Productions. In 2012, Phok joined producers Eli Roth and Jacob Jaffke for West’s THE SACRAMENT, which world premiered at Venice International Film Festival and released through Magnolia Pictures. Phok began his career as Associate Producer on West’s first feature, THE ROOST. Shortly thereafter he co-produced West’s TRIGGER MAN with indie horror icon Larry Fessenden, joining Fessenden’s production company, Glass Eye Pix. Phok has also served as an IFP/Gotham Narrative Lab Mentor since 2008 and is a member of Film Independent and the Producer’s Guild of America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6a0b95d7-57a3-42b8-a1e7-83eba0967e1b/Director_SonjaO%27Hara.jpeg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 SONJA O’HARA | Writer, Director (she/her) Sonja O’Hara is an Emmy-nominated queer writer, director and actor who was selected as a “Filmmaker To Watch” by Independent Magazine. Past recipients include Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins. O’Hara’s debut feature Root Letter (TUBI) stars Danny Ramirez and received the ReFrame Award. She is set to direct Harvey Keitel, and Rita Moreno in her upcoming psychological thriller, Theirs. O’Hara created the Webby-winning Shudder limited series Doomsday, which was described by Indiewire as, “Part Midsommar, part Yellowjackets, promising salvation in the sexiest and scariest way possible.” O’Hara is a Film Independent Fellow, and a proud member of the Film Fatales. She is represented by VERVE Talent & Literary Agency and Gotham Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/af3831c4-9ec6-4cd7-a2e0-c60dbdef9823/Image_CowOfQueens.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 CARL EFFENSON | Producer (he/him) Carl Effenson is an award-winning producer whose credits include Dee Rees’ MUDBOUND. The film starring Carey Mulligan, Mary J Blige, Jason Clarke, and Garrett Hedlund was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, was the recipient of the Humanitas Prize and Robert Altman Award at the 2018 Independent Spirit Awards in addition to being the Washington Post and LA Times' Best Picture of the Year. Other producing efforts include HIDE AWAY starring Josh Lucas and James Cromwell, a Grand Jury prize winner for its cinematography at SXSW and acclaimed director Joe Dante's BURYING THE AX starring Anton Yelchin, Alexandra Daddario, and Ashley Greene. His film MENDING THE LINE starring SAG, BAFTA & Golden Globe winning actor Brian Cox, Sinqua Walls, and Wes Studi was recently released worldwide by Sony Pictures in 2023 to positive reviews and explores the therapeutic power of fly fishing for a marine with PTSD. The film debuted on Netflix in March 2024, reaching #1 on the Netflix US Top Ten. He is currently in post-production as an executive producer on BOB TREVINO LIKES IT starring Euphoria breakout Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo. The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW film festival winning both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award to rave reviews. Carl’s films have premiered at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the world including Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Venice, and London. He resides in Austin, Texas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/883fd49e-3ee8-4ebe-a92b-4f637eb0dfff/Director_KateMarks.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 KATE MARKS | Writer, Director (she/her) Kate Marks is a writer/director who comes from a long line of tricksters and grew up listening to tall tales. Her short films have screened at Tribeca, Slamdance, Edinburgh, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Cleveland, New Orleans, PBS, HBO, and more. Back in the fourth grade, her teacher encouraged her to play the flute and she politely chose the trombone. She continues to reverse expectations in her work THE COW OF QUEENS (Academy Nicholl Winner), PEARL WAS HERE (69 million YouTube views), MANIC (NYTVF Best Drama), 7 DAY GIG (Barbara Boyle Award), MIRACLE MAKER (Queens World Best Short), and HOMEBODY (Beutner Award). Kate’s fellowships include HBO Access, New York Foundation of the Arts, Jerome Foundation, Film Independent Screenwriting Lab, Fast Track, and Project Involve. At HBO, she shadowed Tim Van Patten on three episodes of PERRY MASON and Scott Ellis on one episode of DIVORCE. After graduating from Brown, she spent nine years writing and directing plays in NYC where The New York Times named her a “superb director.” But she fell in love with filmmaking and ran off to get her MFA in film directing at CalArts. She is currently in development with her features THE COW OF QUEENS with producer Carl Effenson and GO BACK TO BED with producers Laura Rister, Krista Parris, and Shweta Katyal. She is neurodivergent and her writing often centers the struggles of oddballs and misfits. As a director, her leadership style is informed by her work as a teaching-artist, organizer, and mom. She enjoys giving fellow New Yorkers the random high-five and is deeply motivated by her love of community and the desire to collaborate and connect across difference. Additionally, she is a reckless dancer, a stilt-walker, and a witch (but don’t tell anyone). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/4444d4d3-21ca-4ace-a228-d46620ad5557/Image_TheDeadZone.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 NICOLE DOCTA | Producer (she/her) Nicole Docta is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has focused her career on producing socially provoking BIPOC stories and managing their impact campaigns. She offers her unique viewpoint as a transracial Korean-American adoptee raised in the Midwest. Nicole last worked as a producer on the Emmy Award-winning BELLY OF THE BEAST (HRWFF 2020) and duPont Award-winner THROUGH THE NIGHT (Tribeca 2020) which aired on PBS’ Independent Lens and POV. Not only does Nicole work to improve outcomes for the communities in her films, she strives to enhance the documentary industry. Nicole served as the Special Initiatives Producer at Firelight Media co-curating the Beyond Resilience Series and helping to implement new artist programs to support BIPOC filmmakers. She currently volunteers for A-Doc and is on the DPA’s Equity and Inclusion committee. Nicole is also a USC CPD NextGen Creative Fellow, one of DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40, a PGA Create alum, Sundance Producer Fellow, and Impact Partners Producer Fellow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/42b92035-bc2f-4039-8a88-26c9947f7f6f/Director_EmilyThomas.png Action Grant Shortlist 2025 EMILY THOMAS | Director, Producer (she/her) Emily Thomas is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and founder of Lemon Tree Productions. Her work is rooted in intimately documenting the human experience to bring light to pressing social justice and environmental issues with nuance, visual evidence, emotion and hope. Her award-winning films have been featured on PBS, the New Yorker, Vimeo Staff Picks and screened at SF Film Fest, Big Sky, Hot Springs, and D.C. Environmental Film Fest. She recently directed LAST DAYS AT PARADISE HIGH which premiered with The New Yorker and aired on PBS and VOA. It screened at SFFilm, Hot Docs and several other festivals. She recently produced THE GREAT THIRST: WILLIAM MULHOLLAND for PBS and directed Betty Kilby’s story for the docuseries, STORIES OF A GENERATION on Netflix. As a DP, she has worked on films for VICE, The New Yorker, CBS, The Guardian, PBS, VOA, and Frontline. Prior to Lemon Tree she was a journalist reporting on crime, politics and breaking news for VICE and The Huffington Post, and was a human rights investigator at the Human Rights Center and Storyful. She is winner of Fast Company's World Changing Idea Awards and a PGA Create Fellow. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and lives in Baltimore, MD. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e43376cc-3871-4997-81ba-1d4f7b8a0032/Image2_InCaseOfApocalypse_notext.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 GABRIEL MAYERS | Producer (she/her) Gabriel is the Head of Film at Killer Films and a firm believer in developing and sharing local narratives with global audiences. She works with early career filmmakers as well as veterans to support and usher original and unique stories to production. Gabriel feels by producing narratives while keeping local audiences in mind, stories can be amplified to greater communities. She is drawn to this work because she feels storytelling helps audiences build social empathy and develops the inroads toward societal change. She now uses her financial knowledge and production and development experience to further the renaissance of the most original and diverse narratives in cinema. Her first feature A DIFFERENT MAN written and directed by Aaron Schimberg premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and competed at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival where Sebastian Stan won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. It will be released by A24 Fall of 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/355a1d1f-ed38-4b91-bdd5-85028fee6220/Director_OliviaPeace.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 OLIVIA PEACE | Writer, Director (they/them) Olivia Peace is a non-binary director from Detroit, Michigan living in Los Angeles. Their series, "Against Reality," is a surreal psychedelic autobiography about learning to lucid dream. Part 1 of “Against Reality” premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win Gold at the 2022 student Academy Awards. Olivia's debut feature film, TAHARA, premiered to rave reviews at the 2020 Slamdance Film festival and went on screen at TIFF Next Fest and won awards around the world. TAHARA was acquired by Film Movement and opened in theaters June 2022, becoming a New York Times Critic’s Pick and topping Best Movies of 2022 Lists. Their work has been championed by grants and fellowships from the Sundance Institute, SFFilm, Adobe, The Academy, and GLAAD. Their upcoming film, In Case of Apocalypse, is a creation myth set in the city of Detroit. Their work has been supported by fellowships at the Sundance Institute, Adobe, The Academy, and GLAAD. Links to their work can be found below: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a36de9ac-91c9-41b1-a22a-9f07dd3355c3/Image2_LesHijabeuses.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 CAMILLA HALL | Executive Producer (she/her) Camilla Hall is an award-winning documentary film Director and Executive Producer. She is a co-founder of the Los Angeles and London-based Lady & Bird Films, alongside Rita Baghdadi and Jennifer Tiexiera. Camilla has directed award-winning independent films as well as commissioned films/series with Discovery, HBO Max Europe, Sky, BBC, and Arte. She has produced alongside Ryan Murphy, Maya Rudolph, and Natasha Lyonne and shown films at festivals around the world including Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW. The latest film she executive produced is Black Barbie: A Documentary, which premiered at SXSW and sold to Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b401c718-e93f-4f0a-88b6-c4c0863db00d/Erin-Rita-Camilla-collage.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 ERIN SAYDER | Co-Director, Producer, Cinematographer (she/her) Erin Sayder is a Turkish-American-British filmmaker, born and based in London. She is the Co-Producer of the feature documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (Sundance 2024), and has worked on acclaimed documentaries like BAFTA-nominated QUEENS OF RAP, ERIC CLAPTON: A LIFE IN 12 BARS (TIFF 2017) and CHASING CHAPLIN (Telluride 2021). She has produced 5 short films on the topics of family relationships, the immigration crisis and modern slavery. She is currently in production on her directorial debut feature documentary. RITA BAGHDADI | Co-Director / Producer / Cinematographer (she/her) Rita Baghdadi is an Emmy award-winning Moroccan-American director known for the intimacy of her cinematic, character-driven films. Her film SIRENS premiered at Sundance in 2022 and won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. It was praised as “smartly crafted,” “deeply moving” and “a bold rebellion.” Recently, her film FINDING THE LIGHT premiered on Disney+. Rita’s previous films include MY COUNTRY NO MORE (Independent Lens, winner of Best Feature at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival) and CITY RISING (Emmy award for Best Social Issue Film). Rita is a 2024 Concordia Fellow, a 2023 Sundance Momentum Fellow and DOC NYC’s ‘40 under 40’ class of 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/9b0f67d0-4b84-47e9-babc-899b37d51d07/Image3_LuxNoctis.JPG Action Grant Shortlist 2025 VALERIE STEINBERG | Producer (she/her) Named one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch in 2023, Valerie Steinberg is a producer based in Los Angeles. Her feature film producing credits include “Karmalink,” a Cambodian sci-fi that opened Venice Film Critics’ Week, executive produced by XYZ Films. She is Executive Producer of “War Pony” (dir. Riley Keough/Gina Gammell), winner of the Caméra D’Or at Cannes 2022, as well as Executive Producer of A24’s “The Inspection,” world premiere TIFF 2022, Golden Globe and Indie Spirit nominee. Valerie also served as EP of Disney's “Bite Size Halloween” series, streaming on Hulu, overseeing budgets and production globally with 20th Digital Studio. With her slate of films in development, Valerie has taken part in film training programs and labs around the world, including Breaking Through the Lens projects “Not Your Average Queen” and “Little Lying Wild,” as well as Berlinale Talents (2024, 2021), Sundance x Women in Film Financing Intensive (2021), Frontières (2024), Rotterdam Lab (2021), Venice Biennale College Cinema (2020), Gotham Week (2020), Film Independent Producing Lab (2019), Tribeca All Access (2019), and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (2018). She mentors for SXSW, Soho House, NYU, Columbia, and Yale, and has served on the jury at Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs ShortFest, Sun Valley Film Festival, and SeriesFest. Valerie has a proven track record of discovering and breaking new talent, as evidenced by her award-winning short films – distributed on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and Hulu – including “Hair Wolf” (dir. Mariama Diallo, Sundance winner 2018), “Fry Day” (dir. Laura Moss; SXSW, Tribeca winner 2017), “The Breakthrough” (SXSW 2023), “Neo-Dome” (SXSW 2024 Audience Award winner), “Coffee Shop Names” (dir. Deepak Sethi; Soho House winner, streaming on Max), and “Blocks” (dir. Bridget Moloney; Sundance, SXSW, AFI DWW). Valerie graduated from Yale University with a degree in Philosophy and Chinese. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a4cd4e2f-3e10-4a73-a408-ebfd7f88df07/Director_DamianaAcun%CC%83a_HiRes.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 DAMIANA ACUÑA | Writer, Director (she/her) Born and raised in the countryside in the state of Morelos, Mexico, Damiana holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Her short film Lux Noctis won the Oscar®-qualifying Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Florida Film Festival and was considered for the 2023 Academy Awards Best Live Action Short Film category. Her visual poem Aurum, shot with her phone during the pandemic, premiered on Pantaya and Dish Latino and her most recent short film Campos de Oro was commissioned by the National Basketball Association and won first place at the Films For Fans initiative against eight male directors. She was selected by HBO and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for the Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program and participated in Cine Qua Non’s Script Revision Lab and Storylines Lab in 2023 with the support of The Academy and Tribeca. Damiana has also directed national and international commercials for major brands such as Walmart, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola and is represented in the US by Sharon Horgan's Merman. She currently works as a mentor of the Youth Cinema Project teaching film to students from underrepresented communities in Los Angeles. Lux Noctis will be her debut feature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1045c7ea-bef7-4d77-908d-a8b9c37eafa8/Image2_MYOU.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 VERONIQUE ZERDOUN | Producer (she/her) With a Master's degree in Cultural Management after a Master's degree in comparative literature, Veronique began her career at UGC in the marketing department of theatrical film distribution. She became a producer at IMA Films and then created her own production company "Attention moteur" in 2000, where she produced, films such as “Nos enfants chéris” by Benoit Cohen which attracted more than 380,000 tickets in France. She then worked as a producer at Libris Films and later at the Alliance de Production Cinématographique (APC). She joined the Tabo Tabo Films team in 2013 where she develops films and series projects. She has been running the company since 2020, and has produced four fictional films for cinema in the last three years. Most recently, she produced the film “La Voie Royale” by Frederic Mermoud which premiere at the Locarno International Film Fest in 2023 and was nominated for a Cesar Award. GUILLAUME MALANDRIN | Producer (he/him) Altitude 100 Production is a Brussels based production house founded by Guillaume Malandrin in 2012. Dedicated to create auteur films with strong European potential, we are particularly interested in projects by directors with authentic, cinematographic and artistic vision. Guillaume Malandrin produced several feature films such as, in 2004 Aaltra by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, in 2010 Kill me please by Olias Barco. He essentially produced feature, as In Syria in 2017 and The Wall in 2023 directed by Philippe Van Leeuw, and also in 2023 Bye Bye Tiberias a documentary by Lina Soualem https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/97c93c8e-0b73-4f77-85f5-ba3979dc7d5b/Director_IsabelleMecattaf.JPG Action Grant Shortlist 2025 ISABELLE MECATTAF | Writer, Director, Producer (she/her) Isabelle is a French-Lebanese Filmmaker based in New York City. She studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds an MFA in Filmmaking from NYU Tisch. Isabelle has worked on projects in Beirut, New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Titles include Sweet Thing by Alexandre Rockwell (Crystal Bear at Berlinale 2020, Critics’ Choice at Tribeca Film Festival 2021), Plaisir by Molly Gillis (SXSW 2021 premiere, Aspen Shortsfest 2021 Youth Jury Award), Ebb & Flow by Nay Tabbara (Tribeca 2024 Winner, palm Springs, Nashville), and more. Her most recent short film Beity (2021) was officially selected to TIFF, Aspen, and Hollyshorts (where it won an award) - among others. It was purchased by The New Yorker and is now streaming on their platform. Isabelle is developing her first feature film titled May You Outlive Us. The script was selected to the TIFF Filmmaker's lab in 2022, where it won the Every Story People's Fellowship. It was a winner of the BlackList-inspired NYU purple List in 2023, an official selection of the NYU Production Lab Slate in 2023 and a Black Family Grant Finalist in 2023. The film is a French-Lebanese-Belgian co- production set to shoot in 2025 in Lebanon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/8bf4545f-99f0-4af3-8140-4a0063923650/Image_PermaRed.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 LYNN-WOOD FIELDS | Producer (she/her) Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and educator, Lynn-Wood Fields graduated with her MFA in digital filmmaking from the University of Montana. Her work has since gone on to screen at over 50 film festivals and venues globally including “Are We There Yet” screening at the Indie Memphis Film Festival, 2016; Western History Association Conference, 2015; Frozen River Film Festival, 2014. Her current projects include the television series “Perma Red” in pre-production, “House Calls”, premiering on PBS in 2022, “Social Impact” with the Institute for Family, “Snqweyɫmistn” a documentary on Salish forever foster homes, and “Return to the Blanket.” Lynn-Wood considers herself a film advocate for Montana. She owns Montana Film Tax Credits which has consulted on $20MM of credit transfers and Media Training Center which focuses on training Montana filmmakers. She is also the president of the Montana Media Coalition(MCM) which is working on legislation around the MEDIA Act (Montana Economic Development Industry Advancement) that focuses on tax credits and cap raises. She is passionate about working with AccelerateMT to connect Montanans to film and media rapid training courses for them to economically benefit from this industry through workforce development. ELSA RAMO AND TIFFANY BOYLE | Producers (she/her) Elsa Ramo and Tiffany Boyle founded Vested Interest with the goal to discover, develop, and produce unique filmmaking voices and stories. Credits include JOYLAND, which won the 2023 Spirit Award for Best International Feature, was short-listed for the 2023 Oscar’s International Feature category, and was Cannes 2022’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner; Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER, starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish, executive produced by Martin Scorsese; CHICK FIGHT, starring Malin Akerman and Bella Thorne; and Mayim Bialik’s feature directorial and writing debut AS THEY MADE US, starring Dustin Hoffman, Simon Helberg, and Dianna Agron. Upcoming they have BORDERLAND, starring Felicity Jones and Mark Strong, and SWEET SUE. Stuart Arbury has worked with Elsa & Tiffany for over five years. Prior to this Stuart served executive posts at Captivate Entertainment (THE BOURNE IDENTITY franchise) and Dimension Films, overseeing MTV’s SCREAM TV series. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/de07d978-b6eb-4f29-9467-075c70edf0e5/Director_Elle-Maija+Tailfeathers.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 ELLE-MÁIJÁ TAILFEATHERS | Director (she/her) Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is a writer, director, producer and actor. She is a member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe, Blackfoot Confederacy) as well as Sámi from Norway. Tailfeathers made her feature co-directorial debut with THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD WAS BROKE OPEN, which won several awards including Best Canadian Feature Film from Toronto and Vancouver Film Critics Associations. Her feature documentary KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE MEANING EMPATHY explores addiction and recovery in the Kainai First Nation and premiered at Hot Docs 2021, receiving multiple accolades. Her short documentary "Bihttos" was included in the 2015 TIFF Top Ten Shorts and was commissioned for the imagineNATIVE Embargo Collective. It won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short at the Seattle International Film Festival. Tailfeathers is also a member of several film academies and organizations, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a996b711-db87-4a53-97b3-88b4740b591a/Image2_PurpleCotton.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 APOORVA CHARAN | Producer (she/her) Apoorva Charan is an LA based producer who was born in India, raised in Northern California, and started her career as a digital producer in Singapore. Her producorial feature debut, JOYLAND premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (2022) and won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, the Queer Palm, and Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards (2023). The film was Pakistan's entry to the 95th Academy Awards, was the first film from Pakistan to make the shortlist, and has screened at festivals around the world including Sundance, TIFF, and BFI London Film Festival. An alumnus of Columbia University's MFA Film program, Charan has produced multiple award- winning short films including LONELY BLUE NIGHT which won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at AFI Fest 2020 and is available to stream on HBO Max, 空间 DISTANCE which won Film Pipeline's Best Film Award in 2020, and INTERIORS which premiered at TIFF in September 2018. She has also served on the jury for Palm Springs Short Film Festival. Charan was a 2019 Project Involve Creative Producing fellow, a 2020 Film Independent Creative Producing Lab fellow, a 2021 Women in Film Emerging Producers fellow, a 2022 Sundance Creative Producing Lab fellow, a 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough, a 2024 Gotham-Cannes Producers Network fellow and has worked in development at Big Beach, Walt Disney Studios' live action department and at Blue Harp. She has also taught at Columbia University as an Adjunct Professor for the School of the Arts. Through her film and tv production company, All Caps, Charan aims to produce unique narratives for a global audience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/baa27596-ed1b-4000-a2ec-d1dcd3107c4a/Director_JasminTenucci.jpg Action Grant Shortlist 2025 JASMIN TENUCCI | Writer, Director (she/her) Jasmin Tenucci is a writer and director based in São Paulo, Brazil. Her directing work includes the short film AUGUST SKY, which won the Special Mention at Cannes 2021 Official Selection, and four episodes of the Brazilian television series SHOP TUDO (Glaz Entretenimento/Fall 2023). Her screenwriting work includes co-developing and writing on Netflix's upcoming VALENTINA's 12 SIGNS (2024) and Globo’s AS FIVE (2020). She has also adapted the novel HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET for Oscar-nominated director Bing Liu and the Brazilian novel THE PEDIATRICIAN for Anonymous Content Brazil. In parallel, she has been an ongoing script consultant in several feature projects in Brazil and teaches screenwriting workshops in underrepresented communities in her city, São Paulo. Tenucci served as editor on JOYLAND (2022), which won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes in 2022 and Best International Film at the Spirit Awards in 2023; NICE TALKING TO YOU (2018) TIFF and Palms Springs; produced DARLING (2019), which won Best Short Film at The Venice Film Festival and SJAUMST (2017) which won the xxxx. Tenucci holds a BA in Film from São Paulo University and an MFA in Writing and Directing from Columbia University Film School, where she also taught filmmaking in the film undergraduate program. She is currently developing two feature films that she will direct: PURPLE COTTON, which participated in Cannes Focus Co-Pro 2023, the Nouveau Festival Market 2023 and won the Arte Kino Award, as well as THE SMALLEST WHALE IN THE WORLD, which won the 2017 Columbia Alfred P. Sloan Development Grant and the Sloan TIFF Pitch Award 2023. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-pocket-dream daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Pocket Dream) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/154315d2-9cbb-4214-a3a9-c12c3071c99c/Saul_Leiter_01.jpeg Donate (Pocket Dream) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f4254e34-060b-44b4-a836-d7e935442852/Julia_Sam_Headshots.jpg Donate (Pocket Dream) - Make it stand out JULIA BAYLIS & SAM GUEST | Writer / Directors (she/her) Julia Baylis and Sam Guest wrote and directed the short film WIGGLE ROOM which premiered at Sundance in 2021 and was acquired by Searchlight Pictures. Their lead actress also won the Special Jury Prize at the festival. In addition to currently writing a feature for a filmmaker set in the underground poker world of Los Angeles, they also have a production company, Anarene Films, through which they often produce work for other emerging filmmakers. They produced the short film WALK OF SHAME which premiered at Sundance in 2022. They are currently in prep on their directorial debut, POCKET DREAM. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c0dd8585-5a0c-4596-8e2e-5ad5ea74378d/tumblr_pxdzkpn1px1yrgd82o1_1280.jpeg Donate (Pocket Dream) - Make it stand out ANI SCHROETER | Producer (she/her) Ani is a New York based producer and filmmaker. Recent credits include Kit Zauhar's second feature, THIS CLOSENESS, which premiered at SXSW 2023, and BETWEEN THE TEMPLES, starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, which premiered in-competition at Sundance 2024. She just wrapped shooting BUNNYLOVR starring Katarina Zhu, Rachel Sennott and Austin Amelio. Additional credits include the short film WIGGLE ROOM (co-producer), directed by Sam Guest and Julia Baylis which was acquired by Searchlight after premiering at Sundance 2021, the short film GOOD GRIEF (line producer) directed by Nastasya Popov which premiered at Palm Springs 2021, and GIANTS BEING LONELY (1st Assistant Director) which was nominated for the Orizzonti Competition (Horizons) at the 2019 Venice Biennale. Working independently, Ani has produced countless other short films, music videos, commercials and campaigns for brands such as Expedia, Nike, A24, Universal Kathryn M. Moseley | Producer (she/her) Kathryn is an entrepreneur and filmmaker living in Southern California. After graduating Cum Laude from Pepperdine University with a degree in Economics, Kathryn worked for Price Waterhouse before turning her attention to social change and storytelling. Kathryn is the founder of One Two Twenty Entertainment whose mission is to seek out diverse filmmakers and brilliant stories. GIA RIGOLI | Producer (she/her) Gia is a Los Angeles-based Mexican-American film producer who made her producing debut at the age of 20 with the feature film, Rock Steady Row. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and won both the Narrative Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best Narrative Film. Gia holds a BFA in Creative Producing from Chapman University and was mentored by Michael Apted. Her senior thesis film was a Student Academy Award Finalist. Gia has been recognized for her talent by various film industry programs including Berlinale Talents, Project Involve Producing Fellowship, Sony Pictures Entertainment Fellowship, NALIP Producer’s Incubator Lab, PGA Create, and Rotterdam Producing Lab Fellowship. She is currently an inaugural fellow of Film Independent's Imaginar Producer's Residency. She founded Discordia, a production company, in 2020 with her frequent collaborators. Their work has received support from Locarno, Film Independent, The Gotham, Tribeca, PGA, and SFFilm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/8a875d34-da57-4ce4-aaf6-a37a0b74e835/rosegallery-william-eggleston-sumner-mississippi-young-man-in-chair-ca.-1970.jpg Donate (Pocket Dream) - Make it stand out PROJECT DESCRIPTION / ARTIST STATEMENT: Theo is a young, ambitious 23 year old who moved to New York with his long time girlfriend Andi and dreams of success. After three months of struggling to make ends meet as cater-waiters, they finally find themselves on their last dime, facing the imminent reality of moving home. Until, Theo meets Margaret, a 35 year old self-proclaimed writer and socialite on the balcony of a fancy gala uptown. In an effort to avoid scandal, she hires Theo to drive her out to the wealthy enclave of eastern Long Island the following day. Although soon after arriving, Theo finds himself trapped, forced to navigate his ideas of the “American dream,” which are slowly being turned upside down as Margaret pulls him further from Andi and any reality he’s ever known. Pocket Dream is a doomed fable - a twisted love story with a dose of pulp, ambition and a window into the dark side of the American Dream. As first-time filmmakers, we choose to work within a genre where we could showcase our unique point of view while still maintaining the commercial elements that already appeal to large audiences. We set out to make a personal story that is wholly contemporary, examining the American Dream as it stands today, oscillating between a fervent determination and a cunning manipulation. Can the pursuit of your dream be morally right? Or does the chase to succeed pull you further from the core of one’s self? These are questions we want to leave our viewers as they journey with Theo through the hardships of making it in America today. Artistically, we discovered film as outsiders, both studying art our whole lives with Sam attending college for photography and Julia, fashion. We first started making small art films together, creating worlds that were an exploration of wonder, play and joy. We believe in the freedom to make your own rules, and we apply this philosophy in every aspect of our work, especially when it comes to selecting collaborators. By hiring first-time actors and working with new talent in our key creative positions, we embrace the power of authenticity and originality. Our collaboration was truly solidified when we began writing together. It is through the writing that our films are born, and the process of crafting Pocket Dream took over a year. Through our collaboration we aim to rewrite the history of film as a ‘hierarchical, one man driven medium” and believe the true essence of storytelling starts with collaboration between us and reverberates outward into every aspect of filmmaking. With a focus on character-driven narratives, casting is everything. We take a hands-on approach, personally finding most of our cast and building lasting relationships with our actors. For us, casting isn't just about finding the right fit—it’s about enabling our actors to have agency over their roles and a sense of ownership over their characters. This creates a deeper connection to the material and helps us discover the actors who are truly in sync with the story we’re trying to tell. As we began our pre-production process, it has been imperative to create a safe and creative space for every member of the team to feel like this was their film as well. One of the many ways we have created this ethos around Pocket Dream is by following the MFN model (Most Favored Nations) - everyone from the Producers to the Production Assistants are paid the same amount. This creates a unified crew with shared creative intentions and no financial discrepancies. Our film is led by a team of seven female producers and we wanted that number to be reflected in the below the line team as well. As we have started to build our crew, it has been a priority for us to ensure equal representation between both men and women on set. Most of our departments, including G&E, Sound, Wardrobe and HMU are all led by women. The industry is always shifting and evolving but as first time filmmakers entering into the film world, our intention is to set the stage for the standards we should all be pushing for when it comes to representation both behind and in front of the camera. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-perma-red daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Perma Red) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7338b0fe-c23c-409e-ac9d-cefa6471c1dd/Salish+wide.jpg Donate (Perma Red) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c830b65a-d8db-430e-8b5c-8ee0ee3add84/PERMA+RED+2.jpg Donate (Perma Red) - Make it stand out PROJECT DESCRIPTION / ARTIST STATEMENT: PERMA RED is based on the novel by Debra Magpie Earling. The colonization of Native Americans and subsequent installation of government-run Boarding schools throughout the late 1800’s to mid 1900’s is one of the most devastating acts upon the Indigenous people of the United States, and its consequences have rippled through history to this day. This is the true story of one who fought back. -- Writer's approach (by Wenonah Wilms) Debra Magpie Earling’s book touched and inspired me from the first page. This story is about the heartbreaking journey of one of her own family members, and I know it was extremely important and cathartic for her to write it. I traveled to Montana where I met people that remembered Louise, drove the roads she walked and experienced the immense beauty of her world. I am honored to have met Debra and have her blessing to adapt her novel. It’s an incredible piece of work and her emotional connection and portrayal of her characters is something I aspire to and work for throughout the project. I also had the immense pleasure and fortune to meet Johnny Arlee, a Salish elder who attended the same school as our protagonist. Johnny has been a tireless champion and supporter of this project through his time and energy, and he’s a beautiful protector of the Salish language and culture. This could not be possible without his help as well as the help of many others along the way. This project is a true love of community, culture and pride. Through this process I’ve learned to love Louise, fear for her safety, admire her bravery and hope for her future. But most of all I want to give her a voice because Louise represents so many young people that never had one. Perma Red is very personal and profound for every single Native American in history. It’s a shared past, a shared trauma and a shared healing and an insight to the origin of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of today. Lousie’s stories are the stories of many. My own lovely, kind and brilliant Dakota grandmother survived a boarding school and I want to tell this story for her. Set in 1940’s Montana, a Native American teenager witnesses the murder of her friend at the hands of a missionary nun, and plots to seek justice and revenge before her little sister is forced to attend the same school. PERMA RED is at its core a dark, dramatic, coming-of-age story about a young woman that desires to live in two worlds but will pay the price of admission to both. We will follow eighteen year-old Louise White Elk, who is mixed-race Salish through the complex and dangerous decisions that a rebellious teenager makes against the backdrop of a time and place that doesn’t value independent, headstrong and outspoken Native American women. It’s about a girl taking control of her body, her sexuality, her freedom, and her future. Louise White Elk Half Salish, Half White “This was the darkest name they had called her. A confession of a sin that could never wash clean, a sin no blood could lift, no story could hide. Perma, Perma Red, Permanent." Louise is a runner, a fighter and a protector, especially when it comes to her little sister, Florence. Louise had a nickname: Perma Red. The Salish elders that knew her back then still call her that. A name that had multiple meanings depending on who you asked. She hated the moniker but lived up to it in every way. Rebellious, calculating, reckless and promiscuous, Louise uses what the Creator gave her without shame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/633093eb-a88d-4bcb-854f-ee9b023b2b80/Screenshot+2024-11-20+at+3.39.55%E2%80%AFPM.png Donate (Perma Red) - Make it stand out LYNN-WOOD FIELDS | Producer (she/her) Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and educator, Lynn-Wood Fields graduated with her MFA in digital filmmaking from the University of Montana. Her work has since gone on to screen at over 50 film festivals and venues globally including “Are We There Yet” screening at the Indie Memphis Film Festival, 2016; Western History Association Conference, 2015; Frozen River Film Festival, 2014. Her current projects include the television series “Perma Red” in pre-production, “House Calls”, premiering on PBS in 2022, “Social Impact” with the Institute for Family, “Snqweyɫmistn” a documentary on Salish forever foster homes, and “Return to the Blanket.” Lynn-Wood considers herself a film advocate for Montana. She owns Montana Film Tax Credits which has consulted on $20MM of credit transfers and Media Training Center which focuses on training Montana filmmakers. She is also the president of the Montana Media Coalition(MCM) which is working on legislation around the MEDIA Act (Montana Economic Development Industry Advancement) that focuses on tax credits and cap raises. She is passionate about working with AccelerateMT to connect Montanans to film and media rapid training courses for them to economically benefit from this industry through workforce development. ELSA RAMO AND TIFFANY BOYLE | Producers (she/her) Elsa Ramo and Tiffany Boyle founded Vested Interest with the goal to discover, develop, and produce unique filmmaking voices and stories. Credits include JOYLAND, which won the 2023 Spirit Award for Best International Feature, was short-listed for the 2023 Oscar’s International Feature category, and was Cannes 2022’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner; Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER, starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish, executive produced by Martin Scorsese; CHICK FIGHT, starring Malin Akerman and Bella Thorne; and Mayim Bialik’s feature directorial and writing debut AS THEY MADE US, starring Dustin Hoffman, Simon Helberg, and Dianna Agron. Upcoming they have BORDERLAND, starring Felicity Jones and Mark Strong, and SWEET SUE. Stuart Arbury has worked with Elsa & Tiffany for over five years. 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002 Janus Victoria https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/098aaada-7f82-434d-96f5-902d6d7a2fa5/DIS-1+-+Janus+Victoria.JPG News - 002 Janus Victoria - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/0a26ffee-447d-4784-b839-49a18f04b299/DIS-3+-+Janus+Victoria.jpg News - 002 Janus Victoria - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/sundance-2025 daily 0.75 2025-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Sundance 2025 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/00172bec-0620-48fa-8c13-9ee45963d53c/Brides+Screenings.png Sundance 2025 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/action-grant-finalist-2025 daily 0.75 2025-05-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/4444d4d3-21ca-4ace-a228-d46620ad5557/Image_TheDeadZone.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 JOHN TONER | Producer (he/him) John Toner is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Lemon Tree Productions, a Baltimore-based production company using film and strategic storytelling to drive social change. With a background in equity-based policy and a deep understanding of the American South, John has led community innovations to combat racial injustice through the United Nations and spearheaded youth diversion and homelessness initiatives in Charleston and Kentucky. He has contributed to acclaimed films for Frontline and The New Yorker, and works at the intersection of advocacy and artistry to help individuals, nonprofits, and companies turn audiences into champions for a more just future using visual storytelling. Over the past 15 years, he has built global impact campaigns, launched sustainability startups, taught communications strategies at New York University, and shaped narratives that have transformed industries and advanced human rights. NICOLE DOCTA | Producer (she/her) Nicole Docta is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has focused her career on producing socially provoking BIPOC stories and managing their impact campaigns. She offers her unique viewpoint as a transracial Korean-American adoptee raised in the Midwest. Nicole last worked as a producer on the Emmy Award-winning BELLY OF THE BEAST (HRWFF 2020) and duPont Award-winner THROUGH THE NIGHT (Tribeca 2020) which aired on PBS’ Independent Lens and POV. Not only does Nicole work to improve outcomes for the communities in her films, she strives to enhance the documentary industry. Nicole served as the Special Initiatives Producer at Firelight Media co-curating the Beyond Resilience Series and helping to implement new artist programs to support BIPOC filmmakers. She currently volunteers for A-Doc and is on the DPA’s Equity and Inclusion committee. Nicole is also a USC CPD NextGen Creative Fellow, one of DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40, a PGA Create alum, Sundance Producer Fellow, and Impact Partners Producer Fellow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/42b92035-bc2f-4039-8a88-26c9947f7f6f/Director_EmilyThomas.png Action Grant Finalist 2025 EMILY THOMAS | Director, Producer (she/her) Emily Thomas is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and founder of Lemon Tree Productions. Her work is rooted in intimately documenting the human experience to bring light to pressing social justice and environmental issues with nuance, visual evidence, emotion and hope. Her award-winning films have been featured on PBS, the New Yorker, Vimeo Staff Picks and screened at SF Film Fest, Big Sky, Hot Springs, and D.C. Environmental Film Fest. She recently directed LAST DAYS AT PARADISE HIGH which premiered with The New Yorker and aired on PBS and VOA. It screened at SFFilm, Hot Docs and several other festivals. She recently produced THE GREAT THIRST: WILLIAM MULHOLLAND for PBS and directed Betty Kilby’s story for the docuseries, STORIES OF A GENERATION on Netflix. As a DP, she has worked on films for VICE, The New Yorker, CBS, The Guardian, PBS, VOA, and Frontline. Prior to Lemon Tree she was a journalist reporting on crime, politics and breaking news for VICE and The Huffington Post, and was a human rights investigator at the Human Rights Center and Storyful. She is winner of Fast Company's World Changing Idea Awards and a PGA Create Fellow. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and lives in Baltimore, MD. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e43376cc-3871-4997-81ba-1d4f7b8a0032/Image2_InCaseOfApocalypse_notext.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 GABRIEL MAYERS | Producer (she/her) Gabriel is a producer and a firm believer in developing and sharing local narratives with global audiences. Previously serving as the Head of Film at Killer Films, she works with early career filmmakers as well as veterans to support and usher original and unique stories to production. Gabriel feels by producing narratives while keeping local audiences in mind, stories can be amplified to greater communities. She is drawn to this work because she feels storytelling helps audiences build social empathy and develops the inroads toward societal change. She now uses her financial knowledge and production and development experience to further the renaissance of the most original and diverse narratives in cinema. Her features, A DIFFERENT MAN and MAD BILLS TO PAY were both featured in the 2024 and 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, New Directors/New Films, and the Karlovy Vary Film Festival respectively. A DIFFERENT MAN won the 2024 Gotham Award for Best Feature and Sebastian Stan won the Berlinale Silver Bear and Golden Globe for his performance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/355a1d1f-ed38-4b91-bdd5-85028fee6220/Director_OliviaPeace.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 OLIVIA PEACE | Writer, Director (they/them) Olivia Peace is a non-binary director from Detroit, Michigan living in Los Angeles. Their series, "Against Reality," is a surreal psychedelic autobiography about learning to lucid dream. Part 1 of “Against Reality” premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win Gold at the 2022 student Academy Awards. Olivia's debut feature film, TAHARA, premiered to rave reviews at the 2020 Slamdance Film festival and went on screen at TIFF Next Fest and won awards around the world. TAHARA was acquired by Film Movement and opened in theaters June 2022, becoming a New York Times Critic’s Pick and topping Best Movies of 2022 Lists. Their work has been championed by grants and fellowships from the Sundance Institute, SFFilm, Adobe, The Academy, and GLAAD. Their upcoming film, In Case of Apocalypse, is a creation myth set in the city of Detroit. Their work has been supported by fellowships at the Sundance Institute, Adobe, The Academy, and GLAAD. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a36de9ac-91c9-41b1-a22a-9f07dd3355c3/Image2_LesHijabeuses.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 CAMILLA HALL | Executive Producer (she/her) Camilla Hall is an award-winning documentary film Director and Executive Producer. She is a co-founder of the Los Angeles and London-based Lady & Bird Films, alongside Rita Baghdadi and Jennifer Tiexiera. Camilla has directed award-winning independent films as well as commissioned films/series with Discovery, HBO Max Europe, Sky, BBC, and Arte. She has produced alongside Ryan Murphy, Maya Rudolph, and Natasha Lyonne and shown films at festivals around the world including Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW. The latest film she executive produced is Black Barbie: A Documentary, which premiered at SXSW and sold to Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b401c718-e93f-4f0a-88b6-c4c0863db00d/Erin-Rita-Camilla-collage.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 ERIN SAYDER | Co-Director, Producer, Cinematographer (she/her) Erin Sayder is a Turkish-American-British filmmaker, born and based in London. She is the Co-Producer of the feature documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (Sundance 2024), and has worked on acclaimed documentaries like BAFTA-nominated QUEENS OF RAP, ERIC CLAPTON: A LIFE IN 12 BARS (TIFF 2017) and CHASING CHAPLIN (Telluride 2021). She has produced 5 short films on the topics of family relationships, the immigration crisis and modern slavery. She is currently in production on her directorial debut feature documentary. RITA BAGHDADI | Co-Director / Producer / Cinematographer (she/her) Rita Baghdadi is an Emmy award-winning Moroccan-American director known for the intimacy of her cinematic, character-driven films. Her film SIRENS premiered at Sundance in 2022 and won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. It was praised as “smartly crafted,” “deeply moving” and “a bold rebellion.” Recently, her film FINDING THE LIGHT premiered on Disney+. Rita’s previous films include MY COUNTRY NO MORE (Independent Lens, winner of Best Feature at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival) and CITY RISING (Emmy award for Best Social Issue Film). Rita is a 2024 Concordia Fellow, a 2023 Sundance Momentum Fellow and DOC NYC’s ‘40 under 40’ class of 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/9b0f67d0-4b84-47e9-babc-899b37d51d07/Image3_LuxNoctis.JPG Action Grant Finalist 2025 JAVIER SEPULVEDA | Producer Javier Sepúlveda is a producer and actor, co-founder of Maligno Gorehouse, a production company dedicated to developing, producing, and financing horror films with global appeal. He played a pivotal role in the success of projects like Huesera, which earned multiple awards at prestigious festivals such as Tribeca and Sitges, and won four Ariel Awards following its 2023 release. Javier also produced Párvulos, showcased at renowned festivals including Fantasia Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Sitges. Currently, he has two films in post-production, No Me Sigas and Tus Dos Muertos, both set for world premieres and commercial releases in 2025. Additionally, he served as executive producer for Todos los Incendios, which garnered recognition at festivals like Locarno and Morelia. EDUARDO LECUONA | Producer Eduardo Lecuona, Mexican-American producer and director from Mexico City, co-founded the production company Maligno Gorehouse – dedicated to creating a new generation of horror cinema by fostering the new voices of the genre. He's executive producer of the award-winning Mexican horror film Huesera (Dir. Michelle Garza Cervera) and producer of the zombie film Párvulos. As a director, 2025 will see the release of his new short film Lucrecia & the Witches, a musical based in the drag queen scene of Guadalajara, which won the 2024 FOCINE short film regional grant; and his paranormal directorial feature debut No Me Sigas, which he co-directed with his sister, Ximena Garcia Lecuona. NICOLÁS CELIS | Producer Nicolás Celis, founder of Pimienta Films, produces human stories with high artistic quality and social impact. With more than 17 years of experience in film and television production, Pimienta Films is recognized as one of the most important production companies in Mexico and Latin America. Over his career, Nicolás has produced more than 30 films, collaborating with renowned Mexican directors Amat Escalante, Alfonso Cuarón and Tatiana Huezo as well as on international co- productions with directors such as Jacques Audiard and Diego Lerman, among others. Among his projects is Roma, which received more than 200 awards, including the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, four BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globes, and three Academy Awards®. Nicolás also produced Tatiana Huezo’s first fiction film, Prayers for the Stolen, which received a special mention in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, and was shortlisted to represent Mexico in the Academy Awards®. Nicolás has served on the jury for International Film Festivals such as Shanghai, Tbilisi, Sofia, and Thessaloniki and is a member of the Mexican and American Academies of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producer’s Guild of America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/a4cd4e2f-3e10-4a73-a408-ebfd7f88df07/Director_DamianaAcun%CC%83a_HiRes.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 DAMIANA ACUÑA | Writer, Director (she/her) Born and raised in the countryside in the state of Morelos, Mexico, Damiana holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Her short film Lux Noctis won the Oscar®-qualifying Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Florida Film Festival and was considered for the 2023 Academy Awards Best Live Action Short Film category. Her visual poem Aurum, shot with her phone during the pandemic, premiered on Pantaya and Dish Latino and her most recent short film Campos de Oro was commissioned by the National Basketball Association and won first place at the Films For Fans initiative against eight male directors. She was selected by HBO and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for the Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program and participated in Cine Qua Non’s Script Revision Lab and Storylines Lab in 2023 with the support of The Academy and Tribeca. Damiana has also directed national and international commercials for major brands such as Walmart, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola and is represented in the US by Sharon Horgan's Merman. She currently works as a mentor of the Youth Cinema Project teaching film to students from underrepresented communities in Los Angeles. Lux Noctis will be her debut feature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1045c7ea-bef7-4d77-908d-a8b9c37eafa8/Image2_MYOU.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2025 VERONIQUE ZERDOUN | Producer (she/her) With a Master's degree in Cultural Management after a Master's degree in comparative literature, Veronique began her career at UGC in the marketing department of theatrical film distribution. She became a producer at IMA Films and then created her own production company "Attention moteur" in 2000, where she produced, films such as “Nos enfants chéris” by Benoit Cohen which attracted more than 380,000 tickets in France. She then worked as a producer at Libris Films and later at the Alliance de Production Cinématographique (APC). She joined the Tabo Tabo Films team in 2013 where she develops films and series projects. She has been running the company since 2020, and has produced four fictional films for cinema in the last three years. Most recently, she produced the film “La Voie Royale” by Frederic Mermoud which premiere at the Locarno International Film Fest in 2023 and was nominated for a Cesar Award. GUILLAUME MALANDRIN | Producer (he/him) Altitude 100 Production is a Brussels based production house founded by Guillaume Malandrin in 2012. Dedicated to create auteur films with strong European potential, we are particularly interested in projects by directors with authentic, cinematographic and artistic vision. Guillaume Malandrin produced several feature films such as, in 2004 Aaltra by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, in 2010 Kill me please by Olias Barco. He essentially produced feature, as In Syria in 2017 and The Wall in 2023 directed by Philippe Van Leeuw, and also in 2023 Bye Bye Tiberias a documentary by Lina Soualem https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/97c93c8e-0b73-4f77-85f5-ba3979dc7d5b/Director_IsabelleMecattaf.JPG Action Grant Finalist 2025 ISABELLE MECATTAF | Writer, Director, Producer (she/her) Isabelle is a French-Lebanese Filmmaker based in New York City. She studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds an MFA in Filmmaking from NYU Tisch. Isabelle has worked on projects in Beirut, New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Titles include Sweet Thing by Alexandre Rockwell (Crystal Bear at Berlinale 2020, Critics’ Choice at Tribeca Film Festival 2021), Plaisir by Molly Gillis (SXSW 2021 premiere, Aspen Shortsfest 2021 Youth Jury Award), Ebb & Flow by Nay Tabbara (Tribeca 2024 Winner, palm Springs, Nashville), and more. Her most recent short film Beity (2021) was officially selected to TIFF, Aspen, and Hollyshorts (where it won an award) - among others. It was purchased by The New Yorker and is now streaming on their platform. Isabelle is developing her first feature film titled May You Outlive Us. The script was selected to the TIFF Filmmaker's lab in 2022, where it won the Every Story People's Fellowship. It was a winner of the BlackList-inspired NYU purple List in 2023, an official selection of the NYU Production Lab Slate in 2023 and a Black Family Grant Finalist in 2023. The film is a French-Lebanese-Belgian co- production set to shoot in 2025 in Lebanon. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/workshops daily 0.75 2025-09-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/db9f1a0f-1fca-4b10-86f8-88588d22ea5e/Jasmin+Morrison.jpg 2025 Workshops - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f3b6a568-3075-4c78-a8e9-fd313c9b06cb/SashaD_2023.jpg 2025 Workshops - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/49729cf6-0733-4882-8735-d734939c1573/Thanos+Headshot.jpg 2025 Workshops - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/impact-impact daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://breakingthroughthelens.org/workshops-members daily 0.75 2025-09-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/db9f1a0f-1fca-4b10-86f8-88588d22ea5e/Jasmin+Morrison.jpg Workshops (MEMBERS) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f3b6a568-3075-4c78-a8e9-fd313c9b06cb/SashaD_2023.jpg Workshops (MEMBERS) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/49729cf6-0733-4882-8735-d734939c1573/Thanos+Headshot.jpg Workshops (MEMBERS) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-003-sundance daily 0.75 2025-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - 003 Sundance - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2277e7cb-836d-4d00-8a41-7de018d766ca/493684661_1186040340198466_2008566233330640983_n.jpg News - 003 Sundance - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/511cd993-11ac-45e6-9b0f-b416440488d3/494200027_1186040336865133_2298811023259521717_n.jpg News - 003 Sundance - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-004-lilly daily 0.75 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - 004 Lilly - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3793c590-6018-4036-8058-b7d630807a64/rachel-feldman-with-pat-clarkson-on-set-spotlight-lc.png News - 004 Lilly - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/18c47b2d-57ac-4e9b-89d7-32e406a7980a/Lilly.webp News - 004 Lilly - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-005-satisfaction daily 0.75 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - 005 Satisfaction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f5678e84-4de8-4270-bf99-9a32b48e2aa0/A004C0017_231029_CQF5.%5B000488-000740%5D.DNG_1.1.2Mmm+copy+2+-+Alex+Burunova.jpeg News - 005 Satisfaction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/469af90c-7d25-45c7-b269-9212897331cf/IMG_8127+-+Alex+Burunova.JPG News - 005 Satisfaction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-006-kristen-stewart daily 0.75 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - 006 Kristen Stewart - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747688721-EFU9VSP5DQH884EA4LEG/VB2_0204_It4tfxFH.JPG News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758748099900-AYEKPI9SBDQYME08MF60/FILMMAKERS+GROUP+SHOT.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758748025426-Z4P5FSDIX1WF5SUJGL1G/0N5A7057.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747711410-MG0VHLBYJWIWFQ4CNSL6/VB1_0223_HIuFC09u.JPG News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747735699-VRKN8P4OIZJ0QM3E5LLU/VB1_0980_73uFxhj8.JPG News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758748156738-2DQ88H6SY6GZE1NSV3GF/0N5A6992.jpg News - 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006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747900519-CQOWLHC49S4DWWPNWOSX/0N5A7155.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747956646-AU28R7C9EKYQZVE6NM1L/0N5A5702.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758748015317-6WBV2HC4IUSJAWY2USYB/0N5A7062.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747701046-GWIOHYEH4C3BIV617SEH/VB2_0036_J9A8Im2H.JPG News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758748135643-CT1KWCFQ6TEOLX8NNCPN/0N5A7012.jpg News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1758747706157-Q0SW0C4EW8UI73WHE0AB/VB1_0135_sbZ1ZgTn.JPG News - 006 Kristen Stewart https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-007-gus-van-sant daily 0.75 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - 007 Gus Van Sant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/59a286ca-4b4d-4a5d-9c21-60f7411ea785/Dead-Mans-Wire-01.jpg News - 007 Gus Van Sant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/55a7af9b-e8eb-43bd-9122-6b5bb16546d6/DMW-Venice.jpg News - 007 Gus Van Sant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b2878ad2-7229-4ff8-bd1a-fee4451328fa/_R5_6992.jpg News - 007 Gus Van Sant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-beforeido daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Before I Do) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/175a9b62-72f5-414e-be6b-d6086dc55d66/Still+2025-11-02+200825_1.539.1.jpeg Donate (Before I Do) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/3b24c3b5-0436-4b7e-87f0-9fa38f69a65d/IMG_8572.jpeg Donate (Before I Do) - Make it stand out GARY JAFFE | Writer / Director (he/him) Originally from Austin TX, Gary is a Brooklyn-based award-winning writer/ director of film and theatre. He was a 2020 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellow for his feature screenplay OUR LAST SUMMER, which was also selected for Film Independent FastTrack 2021, Gotham/IFP Week 2020, and Inside Out Film Finance Forum 2020. His three short films SUNSET (2017), NEXT LEVEL SHIT (2019), and LAST SUMMER WITH UNCLE IRA (2020) have all had award-winning international festival runs -- including premieres at the Palm Springs International Shortfest, the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Outfest. His most recent short film 5 PLAYER GAME (2025) is about to hit the festival circuit! Gary is also working with director/producer Justine Raczkiewicz on MUSIC OF CHANGES, a film about queer experimental composer John Cage. His theatre work has appeared on stages around the country, including his plays DIASPORA TX and SONG TO THE MOON and the musical AT FIRST SIGHT. In Austin, he received the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Director of a Comedy and the Austin Critics’ Table Award for Best Drama. Gary received his BA in Theatre from Yale University. In all Gary’s work, he makes space for a more complex and nuanced understanding of modern queer life, queer love, queer dreams, and queer self-acceptance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/eb9e291f-f287-4e62-aeaa-62985a66fc1c/Still+2025-11-02+200825_1.284.1.jpeg Donate (Before I Do) - Make it stand out EMILY MCCANN LESSER | Producer (she/her) Emily McCann Lesser is a producer born, raised, and based in NYC. Her work has premiered at Sundance, SXSW, and TriBeCa, and been distributed by Netflix, HBO, IFC Films, and more. Projects in development at her company Monarch Kaleidoscope have received support from the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, The Gotham, and Cinereach. She produced the SXSW 2025 audience award winning feature film FANTASY LIFE that will be released later this year by Greenwich Entertainment, and her latest collaboration with Charlie Kaufman—his short film HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST starring Jessie Buckley and lensed by Golden Frog winner Michal Dymek—recently world premiered at Venice 2025. Emily's previous work includes FAREWELL AMOR (Sundance 2020 Producers Award), RULE OF TWO WALLS (Tribeca 2023 Special Jury Prize for Human Rights and Artistic Expression), and the first season of the HBO variety show RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS (2018 Peabody Award). Emily’s mission is to create work with heart that sparks meaningful conversations about our shared humanity and offers strong market appeal. With a focus on storytelling that transcends borders, she is committed to producing work that engages, challenges, and inspires audiences worldwide, told by diverse writers and directors who bring unique visions and a passion for telling powerful, entertaining, and deeply personal stories. TOM WALLIS | Producer (he/him) Tom Wallis started his producing career in broadcast news where he found himself as an assistant line producer on Australia’s #1 breakfast show SUNRISE before moving to NYC. After finding his feet in the city and working in production, he launched his own company BAD ON PAPER PRODUCTIONS with partner Sarah Mather of Pinky Promise Films. Their first feature CORPUS (Dir. Corrin Evans) is an indie horror in production in New York (where he met the fabulous Emily McCann Lesser!). Tom holds a BA and a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Macquarie University and is about to finish a Masters in Screen Business at the Australian Film Television & Radio School. His MO (and company mandate) is to create commercially viable queer films across all genres, making the films and representation he wishes he could’ve seen growing up in the suburbs of Sydney. His recent credits include: HOWL (Berlinale 2025 & Melbourne International FF 2025); INFINIT3 (Melbourne International FF 2025); WILD DOG (SXSW Sydney 2025); and TAPPED (Mardi Gras Film Festival 2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b13fa3a0-7fff-4311-abbf-c9fe53fada4f/Still+2025-11-02+200825_1.762.1.jpeg Donate (Before I Do) - Make it stand out JOE PIRRO | Executive Producer (he/him) Joe Pirro produced Andrew Ahn’s THE WEDDING BANQUET starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where he won the Sundance Institute - Amazon MGM Studios Producers Award for Fiction. The film was released theatrically in April in the U.S. by Bleecker Street. His other recent credits include Ahn’s DRIVEWAYS (Berlin ’19), Mike Ott’s MCVEIGH (Tribeca ’24), and Minhal Baig’s WE GROWN NOW (Toronto, ’23) which was released in 2024 by Sony Pictures Classics and was nominated for three Film Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature. Other credits include Kitty Green’s CASTING JONBENET and THE ASSISTANT, Amman Abbasi’s DAYVEON, Rhys Ernst’s ADAM, and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN which premiered at Cannes in 2017. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-1972 daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (1972) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/5e4c5a3d-bc9c-4940-ac8d-3d6835827cd3/1972+image+1.jpg Donate (1972) - Make it stand out 1972, A film by Marissa Chibás https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2ad9b986-30e1-47c6-aa3c-168bf7c144af/Marissa+Chiba%CC%81s+Preston+Headshot.jpg Donate (1972) - Make it stand out MARISSA CHIBÁS | Writer / Director (she/her) Marissa Chibás is an award winning Cuban American writer/director who creates multi-platform work that traverse film and live audience experiences, reclaims the mythic, and celebrates immigrant stories. In 2022 she became a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow for her screenplay 1972 which was selected for the 2024 Gotham Week’s Project Market, the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List, was an Athena Awards finalist, and she received an inaugural Sundance/Gold House Artist Accelerator grant. Her proof of concept short, 72, premiered at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, won an Excellence in Drama award at the Hispanic International Film Festival and the Best Cast award at Diversity in Cannes. Her films have screened at; Miami Film Festival, Anthology Film Archive, The Segal Center, NFMLA, Fabrica de Arte in Havana, among others. Marissa’s path ranges from; performing on Broadway, to coaching professional wrestlers in the WWE, to becoming a #1 new release on Amazon for her book Mythic Imagination and the Actor, to winning awards as a filmmaker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/8fe951e7-68b6-45a1-b708-31ba23b7c68b/1972+image+3.jpg Donate (1972) - Make it stand out LIZ CARDENAS | Producer (she/her) Nominated for the Producer Award at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, LIZ CARDENAS is a 2022 Indie Spirit Award Winner for Best First Feature for 7 DAYS (Tribeca 2021 | Cinedigm), which she produced for Duplass Brothers Productions. She was also nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2019 Indie Spirits for Augustine Frizzell's NEVER GOIN’ BACK (Sundance 2018 | A24) starring Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone and Kyle Mooney, which she produced with Sailor Bear. A former reporter for The Dallas Morning News, Liz was selected by The Gotham to participate in the 2023 Cannes Producers Network at the Marche du Film at the Festival de Cannes, was one of four producers to receive the inaugural 2022 Dear Producer Award + Grant and was included in the 2019 LATINXT. Other notable producing credits include Alex Lehmann's ACIDIMAN (Tribeca 2022 | Brainstorm Media) starring Academy Award nominated actor Thomas Haden Church and Dianna Agron; MATERNA (Utopia), which took home Best Cinematography and Best Actress awards at Tribeca 2020; JULES OF LIGHT & DARK (Wolfe Releasing), the 2019 Outfest Best US Narrative Feature winner; and David Lowery's A GHOST STORY (Sundance 2017 | A24). Liz is based in Los Angeles and Dallas, where she grew up with her Hispanic father who immigrated to the US from Mexico City and Irish-American mother from the East Coast. RUI XU | Producer (he/him) An award-winning independent film producer and Project Management Professional (PMP®), Rui Xu is dedicated to raising and supporting audacious voices of underrepresented groups through the medium of filmmaking. With an early career in the music industry as a award-winning sound engineer and designer, Xu transitioned to theater and film production after establishing her startup, which has a history of producing and managing off-Broadway shows and films in China. Her work has received recognition at major film festivals. Notable accolades include the Deuxième Prix at Cinéfondation for 'Hieu' at Cannes Film Festival in 2019, and the Special Mention FEDIC for Best Short Film for 'Finis Terrae' the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Her first feature, 'Way Out Ahead of Us,' won Best Narrative Feature at the 2022 New Hampshire Film Festival. Xu is presently involved in multiple projects, including '1972,' a feature film written by Marissa Chibas, selected in the Sundance Screenwriters Intensive. Xu is one of the producers of 'Uncle Hiep's Café' written by Richard Van, a feature film project that won the SFFilm Rainin Grant at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and was selected in the Film Independent Fast Track. Xu holds master's degrees in Creative Producing from the California Institute of the Arts and Music Technology from New York University. Currently, she serves as a faculty member at CalArts, a producer at CalArts Center for New Performance. Xu is a fellow of Film Independent Project Involve in 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/37579c77-235b-4328-afa7-7f9a7885d63d/1972+image+2.jpg Donate (1972) - Make it stand out Fundraising Goals: We are currently seeking funds in order to shoot more days and to have a more robust post-production. We are also in need of funds for marketing and publicity. 1972 is a character-driven film partially based on the writer-director's own experience against the backdrop of the post-Cuban Revolution era. The story portrays two generations of a Cuban immigrant family, each with different ideologies and desires for their future life. An immigrant story of family and assimilation, there is no better time to make this film than the present. Our story centers on a mother and daughter who are in conflict until, thankfully, they find reconciliation. Our film is about a family, living in a time much like our own, overcoming all the odds put against them by forces out of their control, and finding that their love for each other is greater than anything that may try to keep them apart. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/news-bttl-sundance-2026 daily 0.75 2026-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/7f97963f-7769-49f2-9955-79bda4a9affa/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2f3a7a9f-0d92-462e-8e56-4de45e039c55/Olivia+Wilde_approved.jpeg News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/5229d8a7-3a31-49c0-92b4-8af47afd127b/Sophie+Mas+.jpg News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ba95b196-77a9-44b2-ad72-83fef9b97064/Saba+Zerehi.jpg News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/2c83fc86-e207-45ba-9cff-d2cad86ab353/Sara+Bernstein+Headshot.png News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/f48fc9e8-461a-4209-8787-c1e8aefa8a6b/Liz+Cardenas_Moderator.jpg News - BTTL Sundance 2026 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-last-train-home daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Last Train Home) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/dab7e892-8d03-412e-bdff-b35cdaca38a0/Last+Train+Home+Master+Still+2.png Donate (Last Train Home) - Make it stand out Last Train Home, Directed by Jessi Gutch | (Image is for mood reference only) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/9149f5e0-3634-459c-9e26-b110832f8cd9/2024+Headshot+1-+Jessi+Gutch+-+credit+BAFTA+Jamie+Simonds.jpeg Donate (Last Train Home) - Make it stand out JESSI GUTCH | Writer/Director (she/they) Jessi Gutch is an award winning filmmaker who is interested in telling reflexive stories that occupy the space between fiction and non-fiction. Her work touches on themes of grief, mortality, psychogeography, nostalgia, compassion, and community, always trying to imagine something more radical and unknowing. She is a nominated artist for this year’s Arts Foundation Awards Fellowship and in 2024 was an artist-in residence at Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage. Her debut documentary feature, Blue Has No Borders, premiered in the International First Feature Competition at Sheffield DocFest 2025, and was BIFA longlisted for the Debut Documentary Director award. Living with a rare incurable ovarian cancer called Sertoli-Leydig means a career and a life lived in the moment. But Jessi continues to envision a longer term future nonetheless and so is in financed development of her debut narrative feature My Cells are Trying to Kill Me with BFI/Delaval Film, and pre-production on short drama Last Train Home – previous winner of The Pitch Fund’s Best Drama Prize and finalist in Primetime’s Empower Fund. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6ac796f2-d44e-4781-9c05-4b478ca28331/Last+Train+Home+Daffodils+Dead+Day.jpg Donate (Last Train Home) - Make it stand out CAT MARSHALL | Producer (she/her) Cat Marshall is a Yorkshire based producer working in film and high-end tv. She was Associate Producer on the feature film adaption of the hit west end musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021, Amazon Studios) directed by Jonathan Butterell, which was nominated for the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film in 2022. She most recently produced Mars for Mercury Studios, a short film from an original idea by multi-instrumentalist Yungblud, written by the award-winning Chris Bush and directed by Abel Rubinstein. Mars was longlisted for the BIFA Short Best film in 2022 and premiered at London Film Festival the same year, with its North American premiere at Tribeca 2023. Other producing credits include Liam Williams’ comedy short The Coaches (directed by Jonathan Schey) for Sky Arts in 2017; and documentary short My Mad Spirit Woman written and directed by Jessi Gutch for Sheffield DocFest, 2022. Previously Cat was with the multi award-winning production company Warp Films for over nine years, working in production across their slate. Highlights include Shane Meadows’ The Virtues (Channel 4) and This Is England ’90 (Channel 4); The Last Panthers (Sky Atlantic); and feature films YARDIE (StudioCanal) ’71, (StudioCanal) and Ghost Stories (Lionsgate). She is currently developing her own slate of film and tv projects and was chosen as one of the BFI’s Insight Emerging Producers in 2023. Previously Cat has been chosen for: Edinburgh Talent Lab Connects 2022, BAFTA Connect, Screen Yorkshire Flex 2021, Women in Film and TV Mentoring 2020. Alongside producing, Cat co-runs Transforming Film, with trainer Nim Ralph, providing consultancy, training and advocacy around trans identity and experience for the screen industries. www.transformingfilm.com VICTORIA EMSLIE | Producer (she/her) Victoria Emslie is a British Actor and Producer, known for her work on Downton Abbey, The Theory Of Everything, The Frankenstein Chronicles, The Danish Girl, 12 Monkeys and Grace. She is the founder and CEO of Primetime, a global visibility platform helping the Entertainment Industry find and hire more women and non-binary folk working behind the camera (above and below the line). In 2023, she launched a fund for underrepresented filmmakers at Cannes Film Festival. Recent Producing credits include short film Truckload, directed by Aella Jordan-Edge, starring Jodie Whittaker and Joe Dempsie which will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2025; Jessi Gutch’s short film Last Train Home, and executive producing on Emma Moffat’s Scope starring Antonia Thomas and Samantha Spiro. Victoria has won and been nominated for numerous awards including the inaugural Shaker of the Year award and Entrepreneur of Excellence at the National Diversity Awards 2024. Primetime was also selected as EFM Startups in Berlinale in 2021. She also sits on BAFTA’s Disability Advisory group, is a full voting member. Primetime is also listed as a resource in the BFI Diversity Standards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/6a279025-346f-436f-9338-d2cf46a49a2d/Last+Train+Home+Layla+View+from+Bed+2.jpeg Donate (Last Train Home) - Make it stand out Project Goals: Cinema almost entirely shies away from the natural process of dying, often reducing it to a final gasp or violence. This ties into a wider fear of bodies which age, wither, metastasise, deform and don’t conform to ableist ideas around what constitutes normal. And so, ultimately, the reason we want to make this film now is because of the lack of depictions of, specifically, the dying process itself, in the nuanced, complex, beautiful, messy, layered way that it deserves. Conversations around death in the US/UK are taboo and platforming this conversation so that people can approach death with empowerment is crucial. More than half of the UK (58%) say talking about death, dying and bereavement is the ‘elephant in the room’ (Co-op study, 2023). In a US study that asked participants to rank their willingness to talk about various taboos, from money to sex to religion, death was ranked last at 32 percent. Whilst I never want to deny the sadness and pain of death, I also want to imbue it with spirituality, magic, and hope - because my lived experience is that all these things can coexist. More people urgently need to understand that a keener sense of mortality actually enriches our lives and the fragile world that we are all interconnected with. With the rise in AI, and a global economic system that sees us as cogs in a machine, it has never been more urgent to understand why it matters that our knowledge of time being finite is precious. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/action-grant-finalist-2026 daily 0.75 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/ffcc4dcf-a0d9-4736-8b1d-a398001db05c/HeroImage.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 SHANNON SUN-HIGGINSON| Producer (she/her) Shannon Sun-Higginson is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer and director whose work spans feature films, episodic television, and investigative nonfiction. Her films and series have premiered at SXSW and Sundance and have aired on HBO Max, Hulu, PBS, Discovery, Travel Channel, and CNN. She began her career in nonfiction television, contributing to No Reservations and Parts Unknown, before directing her first feature, GTFO, which was funded on Kickstarter and premiered at SXSW. GTFO has been recognized for its nuanced exploration of gender and gaming culture. She later executive produced The Witmans, a long-term investigative feature, and produced the critically acclaimed series Philly DA. In 2021 she was selected for the Sundance Producers Intensive. Shannon is the co-founder of Shoes Off Media, an Asian women–led production company, and continues to create work that centers power, voice, and social justice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d3311851-0dc3-4a84-bd2c-f208875e652f/Brittany_Ferrell.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 BRITTANY FERRELL | Director (she/her) Brittany Ferrell is a Black queer mother, registered nurse, trained birth worker, public health scholar, and activist. She began organizing after the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a journey documented in the 2017 Sundance film Whose Streets?, where she appears as a main protagonist. Her commitment to the health, wellness, and dignity of Black people grounds her current work in maternal–infant health and reproductive justice. Since beginning her filmmaking journey in 2019, Brittany has completed multiple labs and fellowships that have strengthened her storytelling practice, including FilmShop, Firelight Media’s Groundwork Regional Lab, the Sundance x WIF Intensive, Firelight’s Martha’s Vineyard Filmmaker Residency, and the Brown Girls Doc Mafia Black Directors Fellowship, where she was mentored by Yance Ford. Her experience as both a nurse and a subject in Whose Streets? revealed filmmaking as a form of communication and a vehicle for nuanced truth-telling. Inspired by her years in labor and delivery and her advocacy in the St. Louis community, Brittany stepped away from her nursing career in 2019 to direct her first documentary, I Brought You Into This World. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/23ee9076-613f-4a43-927e-5a14546710f3/Camino_HeroImage.jpeg Action Grant Finalist 2026 JADE RISSER | Producer (she/her) Jade Risser is a Los Angeles and London based producer with over a decade of experience spanning independent cinema, new media, music industry and commercial production. Recognition for her narrative short work including,Try For You, premiered at the 48 Hour Film Project, was selected for screening at the Directors Guild of America and was named a Vimeo Staff Pick. Lullaby premiered at LA Shorts Fest, while Lonely Mary premiered at the Santa Monica Film Festival and received the Outstanding Achievement Award at Indie Shorts Fest for Romantic Comedy. Now focused on independent film, Jade brings a unique blend of creative intuition and production expertise to her work. She is committed to producing ambitious stories like Camino that blend cinematic artistry with commercial strategy and resonate with audiences worldwide. SOFIA KUNZ| Producer (she/her) Sofia Kunz is an Argentine filmmaker. Inspired by her diverse upbringing in Argentina & California. Her shorts, “Kaleidoscope” premiered at Cannes Court Métrage while “Undecided” premiered at Ischia Film Festival and Catalina Film Festival. She is passion about Latinx representation in film and the overlooked conversations that are oftentimes the sweetest, most human moments in life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/b8033576-b00a-46b1-b56e-c79accb1bd68/Annabella+Fazio.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 ANNABELLA FAZIO | Writer, Director (she/her) Annabella Fazio is an emerging writer and director. As an avid traveler who has lived on multiple continents, Annabella is focused on elevating the modern experience of women and AFAB people all over the world and dreams of starting a documentary production company. She has co-written and starred in “Kaleidoscope” premiering at Cannes Court Metrage 2021. Other films she’s worked on have premiered at Oscar Qualifying festivals such as Hollyshorts and Catalina Film Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/84ef23b0-1456-4968-afc2-cd2ba13ddde2/ExodusStories_HeroImage.jpeg Action Grant Finalist 2026 ALESSANDRA PASQUINO | Producer (she/her) Alessandra is a Los Angeles–based Emmy Award–winning producer and director and cofounder of GroundStorm Media, an independent production company dedicated to human-interest storytelling and the democratization of art and culture through film and digital projects. Her work bridges ethnographic filmmaking, music documentaries, and experimental shorts, blending artistic experimentation with social engagement. In 2025, Alessandra received a Los Angeles Emmy Award for The Cheech, a PBS Artbound documentary on Cheech Marin’s groundbreaking Chicano art collection. She also produced the feature documentary on singer-songwriter Janis Ian, which premiered at DOC NYC (2024), had a theatrical run, and aired on PBS’s American Masters. Distributed by Greenwich Entertainment, it now streams on Apple TV, Hulu, and Amazon. Additional producing credits include Bad Reputation (Sundance, on Joan Jett) and international segments for the IMAX documentary Superpower Dogs. Her earlier work includes Bitter Honey, an ethnographic feature on polygamy in Bali, and a series of short films on trauma and mental illness in Java developed with a UCLA anthropologist. She also served as media producer on Gregory Colbert’s Nomadic Museum of Ashes and Snow, which toured globally to over ten million visitors. Alessandra began her documentary career in post-production with Oliver Stone on his HBO trilogy about Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat (Comandante, Looking for Fidel, Persona Non Grata), shaping her belief in the political and cultural power of nonfiction storytelling. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from London, where her work was featured in the New Contemporaries Show at the ICA. Her independent directing includes Thirst (International Ethnographic Film Festival; Best Cinematography, Nevada City) and The Apron and The Robe, a rapid experimental study of minority integration in Los Angeles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/9dacd451-70c5-40e0-b142-f24e13c3a39c/ILSE_FERNANDEZ+DIRECTOR+EXODUS+STORIES.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 ILSE FERNANDEZ | Director (she/her) Ilse Fernandez is a Colombian-born U.S. immigrant, documentary filmmaker, and docuseries showrunner with over 25 years of experience. Her work focuses on urgent social issues including immigration, addiction, and women’s rights, as well as arts, culture, and music. She has produced and directed over 200 hours of docuseries and long-form documentaries for ABC, NBC, Vice, MTV, Netflix, Discovery, A&E, National Geographic, and The History Channel. Ilse began addressing pressing social issues as a director and story producer on five seasons of A&E’s “Intervention”, including the 2009 Emmy Award–winning season. Her “Rachel” episode was nominated for both an Emmy and a Producers Guild Award. As showrunner on Viceland’s groundbreaking series “Cyberwar”, she explored global digital conflicts, from NSA whistleblowers to Anonymous hackers. On Spotify’s “Music Happens Here” series, she served as both director and showrunner, finding innovative ways to bring music genres to life-from Pink Floyd to A$AP Mob. The series won three Clio Awards. In 2018, she founded Viva Vida Productions, dedicated exclusively to creating documentary films, series, podcasts, and non-fiction branded content. Her first feature film “Exodus Stories,” intimately follows three Central American immigrants on their perilous caravan journey to the U.S., just as the promise of asylum-the beacon of hope they risk everything for--is unraveling. The film was awarded the prestigious 2024 Latino Film Institute/Amazon MGM Studios Works in Progress grant, the 2023 PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund, the 2024-25 Firelight Impact Campaign Fund, the 2021 IDA Logan Elevate Grant, the 2019 SFFilm/Catapult Documentary Fellowship grant, and received both the 2019 LPB Current Issues Fund and 2020 LPB Public Media Content Fund grants. Ilse is also a Logan Non-Fiction Fellow and Women in Film Fellow. She is currently executive producing and producing the companion podcast Exodus Stories: From the Darién to Dream, part of a multi-platform impact strategy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/89102486-a752-4a56-bc6e-35d7c5d3fdaf/FireInUs_HeroImage_composite.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 REBECCA WOLFF | Producer (she/her) Rebecca Wolff is an award-winning producer who runs Grasp the Nettle Films, a CE50 company (Creative England’s award to the top 50 creative companies in the UK), specialising in genre films and documentaries. In 2024 she was nominated as BIFA Breakthrough Producer. She has produced many short films funded by BFI Network, Creative England, The Guardian and other schemes, developing regional and diverse talent relationships. Her debut fiction feature as a lead producer alongside Jude Goldrei, THE SEVERED SUN (written and directed by Dean Puckett and funded by Screen Cornwall, Onsight and HH5), premiered at Fantastic Fest in Autumn 2024 and was released in the US in May 2025 by Dark Sky Films, it is set for a UK release in October 2025. She produced acclaimed feature documentary GRAND THEFT HAMLET alongside fellow producer Julia Ton, which premiered at SXSW March 2024 and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature, before a long festival run and a theatrical release in the UK and the US by MUBI, as well as streaming worldwide. It won two BIFAs and was longlisted for a BAFTA. She was named Film London Lodestar for Producing 2025. Her documentary OUR LAND (funded by BFI Doc Society, Ecotricity and Lush) premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest 2025 and is represented by Impronta Films for International Sales and Met Film for UK and Ireland distribution. Her BFI Doc Society, Screen Scotland funded feature SUPER NATURE, is just about to premiere in the Grierson Competition Strand at BFI LFF in October 2025 and is represented by Autlook Filmsales. ED OWLES | Producer (he/him) Ed co-founded and runs Postcode Films, an award-winning non-fiction production company focusing on creatively made social issue documentary. Ed is a 2024 Ji.hlava Emerging Producer, 2022 Film Independent Fellow and Sundance DFP Grantee. In 2023 he produced BFI Doc Society/Sundance/France TV/Whickers supported ‘Red Herring’ (dir. Kit Vincent) which was BIFA nominated and screened at IDFA, True/False, Sheffield Docfest and Thessaloniki. He’s previously directed two feature docs, ‘The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers’ (2014), described by The Hollywood Reporter as “tremendously vivid and expertly entertaining” and H is for Harry (2018, co-dir Jaime Taylor), available on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/55d8b847-60a8-4042-9612-bc6c8ac9a311/SSFYOUNG_DIRECTOR_headshot+exp.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 SAN SAN F YOUNG | Director (she/her) San San F Young: A Scottish / Hong Kong Chinese Producer Director of creative documentaries, San has a love for filmmaking that pushes form and boundaries. A former current affairs reporter followed by years of crewing in feature fiction for studios like Working Title, Vertigo and Ealing, her focus is now combining real world stories with the cinematic. Her work is commissioned by channels including BBC3, Al Jazeera and VICE and has won two One World Media Awards, A Foreign Press Association award, and has been selected for various markets, festivals and schemes. Member of BAFTA Crew, Brown Girls Doc Mafia and a BEATS (British East Asians in Theatre and Screen) Fellow, and an National Film and Television School, UK Directing Alum, San is a constant advocate for greater diversity in both the storytellers we celebrate and the stories we tell. Hong Kong Mixtape, 2023, a Screen Scotland and BFI Doc Society supported film, was her debut feature-length documentary. Her second feature length THE OTHER PREPPERS and immersive installation THE FIRE IN US with Rebecca Wolff and Grasp the Nettle Films, is so far supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute and funders, Uncertain Kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/aad4ea01-3f0d-439b-b703-5700e2a620c4/Minuit_Machine_-_Contradictions.png Action Grant Finalist 2026 ASHER GOLDSTEIN | Producer (he/him) Asher Goldstein is a Los Angeles based producer whose work spans acclaimed independent features and studio releases. He produced Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12 , which won both the Audience and Jury Prizes at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival and received recognition from the National Board of Review. Goldstein later produced Warner Bros.’ Just Mercy, adapted from civil rights leader Bryan Stevenson’s New York Times bestselling memoir, and the film received four NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Motion Picture. In addition to producing, Goldstein has packaged, structured distribution for, or overseen production on more than 50 independent features, with projects including Green Room among his credited work. He is a recipient of the 2020 Cinereach Producers Award, and he graduated with honors from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. CARLOS LÓPEZ ESTRADA | Producer (he/him) Carlos López Estrada is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker from Mexico City. His debut film, "BLINDSPOTTING," premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance 2018. Distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment, the film earned Carlos a nomination from the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film. Carlos's third film, “DISNEY'S RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON," was a nominee for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards in 2021. In television, he has directed an episode of FX and Marvel’s "LEGION," and is developing an original comedy series titled "SMUGGLERS" at FX. As a producer, he champions emerging talent through his company Antigravity Academy. Their first produced film, "DÌDI (弟弟)," premiered at Sundance '24, where it won the audience award and sold to Focus Features. "DÌDI (弟弟)" also won the 2025 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. VALERIE BUSH | Producer (she/her) Valerie Bush is an LA based Producer and Head of Production at Antigravity Academy, the production company founded by filmmaker Carlos López Estrada. She most recently produced Dìdi (弟弟), written and directed by Sean Wang, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and won both the Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble, before being acquired by Focus Features and released theatrically in July 2024. Valerie also worked on Fremont, credited as an associate producer by the film’s distributor (Music Box Films), and Antigravity notes she served as the film’s line producer. Antigravity further states that Fremont debuted at Sundance 2023 and won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Beyond features, Valerie leads Antigravity’s Screenwriters Camp and oversees the company’s short film program in partnership with the Dolby Institute. She began her career producing commercials and music videos, and her resume lists a BS in Television, Film & New Media Production from San Diego State University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/c29848a2-2e4d-4b60-9e6a-a3876b0456ae/Alexandra+Qin+headshot+square.jpg Action Grant Finalist 2026 ALEXANDRA QIN| Writer, Director (she/her) Alexandra Qin is a French Filipino Chinese writer-director born and raised in Paris and based in New York. Her first short film, THIRSTYGIRL, was an official selection of Sundance ‘24 among 50 other festivals worldwide. Her first screenplay, the THIRSTYGIRL feature, was selected for the 2025 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs, the 2024 Black List Projects Lab, the 2024 CAPE List, and received the 2024 Gotham Week Honors. She was named one of Vimeo’s 10 Breakout Creators of 2024. Before working in film, she had a decade-long career as a software engineer, a prison reform activist, and an international public speaker. She is the founder of Emergent Works, a nonprofit that teaches formerly incarcerated people digital literacy and coding skills, and she is the cofounder of Justice4Caesar, the collective that freed Ornell Caesar from Rikers Island after he was unjustly incarcerated in 2021. She is represented by Atlas Artists and UTA. https://breakingthroughthelens.org/donate-brother daily 0.75 2026-04-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/e97c1085-89ed-4d59-9ee5-0f3ab4e26b02/BTTL_LOGO_WHITE_SIDE.png Donate (Brother) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/18248bcb-a50e-4faf-8fd6-5ad420a96b54/Brother_BTTL_Banner.jpg Donate (Brother) - Make it stand out Brother, Directed by Cassidy Batiz | Copyright Cassidy Batiz https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/589a5fb0-66d3-4b59-951a-0ecc3af08f09/CassidyBatiz+-+Headshot.jpg Donate (Brother) - Make it stand out CASSIDY BATIZ | Writer/Director (she/her) Cassidy is a director, writer, and editor from Dallas, Texas, based in Brooklyn, New York. She recently graduated with an MFA in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she was awarded the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Scholarship and the W.T.C. Johnson scholarship to attend. Her narrative short BIG LOT has screened at festivals nationally and was nominated for a Best Screenplay Award. She is the recipient of the Alan Landsburg Documentary Production Award for her forthcoming short documentary, METAL DAD, and winner of the Black Family Thesis Prize for her short film screenplay, BROTHER. She was recently a fellow at the NYU Production Lab Feature Film Development Studio and a winner of the 2025 Purple List Screenplay Award with her Texas-set feature script, SWEETWATER. As an editor, Cassidy has worked for The New York Times and for independent documentary filmmakers. Cassidy obtained a BFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, with a minor in Creative Writing. Her photographs have appeared in Phaidon, Vice, and Radius Books, among others. While at RISD, she was awarded the Photography Departmental Award of Excellence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/d36b856f-7870-4ba9-b2c1-1ba455508006/Brother_Key+Publicity+Still+1.jpg Donate (Brother) - Make it stand out DEVIN CAREY | Producer (she/her) Devin is a New York based producer currently pursuing her MFA in Film Producing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, having earned her MBA from the Stern School of Business in 2025 through the university’s dual degree program. She is the 2025 recipient of the Media Services Award for excellence in Producing and currently serves as a Creative Development Fellow at NYU’s Production Lab. Her film, HEN PARTY, was awarded in the categories of producing, acting and production design at The First Run Film Festival. Prior to graduate school, Devin enjoyed a successful career in advertising where she produced global campaigns for fashion and beauty clients. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California. NATALIE REMPLAKOWSKI | Producer (she/her) Natalie is a Polish-Canadian filmmaker and producer whose company, Citrine Productions, champions bold, auteur-driven storytelling with international reach. Her approach blends creative incubation with entrepreneurial execution, partnering closely with vision-led storytellers to develop and realize distinctive projects from development through release. In 2026, Citrine Productions will premiere the feature film, Seahorse, at SXSW in the Narrative Feature Competition. The film marks the debut feature of writer, director, and star Aisha Evelyna, and was produced with the support of Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program. Seahorse also stars Ruth Goodwin, Brett Donahue, and Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). A graduate of NYU Tisch’s Graduate Film Program, Natalie has produced award-winning work recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and has been a producer on films that have been showcased at leading international festivals including Cannes, Venice, TIFF, Sundance, and the New York Film Festival among others. Prior to NYU, Natalie worked as an Associate Producer at Scythia Films in Toronto under producer Daniel Bekerman (The Apprentice). She holds a BFA with Honours in Acting from York University. NICHOLE MCMINN | Producer (she/her) Nichole is a New York based filmmaker originally from the rural Appalachias of East Tennessee. She is a graduate film candidate at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and is currently working on her thesis. Before grad school, she worked professionally as a prop master, art director, and production designer. She art directed critically acclaimed films such as Jane Schoenbrun’s “We’re All Going To The World’s Fair” and Raven Jackson’s “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”. Since her time at NYU, Nichole has won the Black Family Prize for her screenplay "Fire On The Mountain, Chicken F’r Dinner", which is currently in post production. Her documentary short “Keepsake”, about a crematorium in East Tennessee, premiered at DOC NYC in 2024 and New Orleans Film Festival in 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ca00a1bb2cf79eb60cd68c7/1d605dfc-6528-40b7-a8c3-8e7407a02b97/Brother_Key+Publicity+Still+3.jpg Donate (Brother) - Make it stand out Project Goals: We are seeking to raise approximately $25,000 USD to stabilize the project financially and bring Brother through completion, festival submission, and initial distribution. These funds will be used to recoup a portion of production expenses, finance post-production and f inishing, festival distribution and launch costs. Fiscal sponsorship will allow us to receive tax-deductible contributions and access a wider pool of supporters as we move the project toward completion. The film has completed principal photography and is now entering a structured and accelerated post-production phase, with all key creative collaborators confirmed. We are thrilled to share that acclaimed editor Simone Smith (Mile End Kicks, Firecrackers, I Like Movies) has officially joined the project and will lead the editorial process through delivery of a final festival screener. Post-production will begin with an assembly cut targeting an estimated eighteen-minute runtime, to be delivered by April 2026. Immediately following picture lock, the film will move into finishing. A three-week music process will begin with spotting and composition, followed by sound design and mixing. In parallel, a freelance VFX artist will complete a small number of key shots, including minor corrective work, within a dedicated two-week VFX window. As sound and VFX are underway, the team will finalize main title assets and end credits in preparation for the online edit. The color grade will take place over two weeks, after which all picture and audio elements will be conformed and packaged to meet final delivery specifications. Running alongside the final stages of post-production, we will complete the project’s festival-facing materials, including poster design, marketing stills, and a full electronic press kit with synopsis, director’s statement, and key cast and crew bios. We will begin the festival submission process in May, initially targeting fall festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the New York Film Festival, then early 2027 festivals such as Sundance and SXSW. If accepted into TIFF or the New York Film Festival, the f ilm would celebrate its world premiere in Fall 2026. If selected for Sundance or SXSW, the premiere would take place in early 2027. The film is intended to function as a proof-of-ability, supporting Cassidy’s transition into feature filmmaking and building momentum toward the financing and production of her debut feature, Sweetwater. More broadly, Brother is part of an ongoing effort to build sustainable creative pathways for women and gender-marginalized filmmakers whose work is already artistically accomplished but too often constrained by limited access to capital. Fiscal sponsorship is essential not only to finishing the film, but to ensuring it reaches audiences, industry decision-makers, and future funders in a way that creates lasting impact.