The birth of a girls’ gymnastics team becomes an inspiring spark of light for a small group of undocumented teenagers living on the margins in Pakistan, where the very act of girls training and competing in gymnastics is considered controversial. This emotionally powerful and lyrical coming-of-age journey follows the girls as they train for the National Women’s Gymnastics Competition while navigating the human rights challenges of being stateless, confronting the economic hardship that surrounds them, and fighting to forge a new place for themselves in society. Directed by Habiba Nosheen and executive produced by Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Free community programming access at the Winn Room has been generously underwritten by a grant from the Auen Foundation.
Mission Forward — A Free Community Panel
Free community programming access at the Winn Room has been generously underwritten by a grant from the Auen Foundation.
Investing in film can be as thrilling as the movies themselves. This panel pulls back the curtain on funding models, market trends, and the balance of risks and rewards in both studio and independent projects. Industry experts will share what investors look for, how data and algorithms shape decisions, and why financing films remains both an art and a business.
Moderator: Steve Alexander
Steve Alexander is a producer and actor best known as executive producer of The Secret Art of Human Flight (Tribeca Film Festival, 2023), in which he also appeared. He and his wife and actress, Idylia Hachi, are founding partners of AHA Productions, where their next project is The Species with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Charlotte Rampling. Alexander is executive producing the upcoming film Nuur (2025), directed by Lula Ali Ismaïl and adapted from Hassan Ghedi Santur's novel, The Youth of God. He is the executive producer of the documentary, My Elephant Odyssey (2025), produced and directed by Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell and Timothy Rodwell. In 2025, he joined the board of The Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair.
Alysha Haran, Producer, Director and COO Chula Vista Entertainment Center, Alysha's career started in theater before moving to LA where she produced commercials and music videos. After a change in plans spared her from the events of 9/11, she spent 17 years serving as a US Navy Officer. A member of the Dramatist Guild with degrees in Directing and Creative Writing, she has been a senior manager for ABC Studios at Walt Disney Television
for the past 5 years.
Carole McGorrian has had a 35-year career in the motion picture industry. Early on, she oversaw budgets and production costs for independent film finance companies. Carole has spent the last 20 plus years as a production representative in the film completion guarantor business with over 100 films to her credit.
Mission Forward — A Free Community Panel
Free community programming access at the Winn Room has been generously underwritten by a grant from the Auen Foundation.
As the industry evolves, so do the standards for working with talent. This panel unpacks the latest SAG-AFTRA best practices, key industry shifts, and the benefits of hiring union members. Learn the differences between union and non-union productions, the protections SAG-AFTRA provides, and how professional actors can elevate a film’s quality and marketability. A must-attend for all guild members, filmmakers and producers navigating today’s filmmaking landscape.
Christine Altan - Moderator, Actor & Filmmaker, CIFF SAG-AFTRA Liaison
Larry Poole, San Diego SAG-AFTRA President
Jordan Jacobo is an Emmy-nominated performer, director and producer who has developed and appeared in various films and series, and currently serves as host of the KPBS digital series, "Jordan Loves.” Beyond filmmaking, Jordan serves on the boards of several arts advocacy organizations, with a focus on helping develop and strengthen a cross-border film economy across Baja and Southern California.
DJ Summitt is the owner and director at Summitt FilmWorks, a motion design and animation studio, as well as Head of Motion at SiriusXM. At over 18 years experience he's been in motion design since before it had a name. By combining broadcast, commercial, and concert art he has developed experiences for Carrie Underwood,the San Diego Padres, Jennifer Lopez, The Masked Singer, Fox5, Pearl Jam, and the Las Vegas Raiders to name just a few. He loves music, horror movies, and tacos but probably not in that order. He is currently the President at The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Pacific Southwest division.
Marianne Bates is an award-winning producer, writer and actor. She has received numerous Emmy nominations and awards. Over the years, Marianne acted while also producing several multiple-day live entertainment events and theatrical productions. After taking a hiatus to raise her children, she came back to the entertainment world to follow her dreams. In 2010 she joined forces with Amalgamated Grommets. She also served as a Board Member for San Diego Media Pros for eight years. She is currently the Treasurer for the The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Pacific Southwest division.
Mission Forward — A Free Community Screening
A vibrant program showcasing the creativity and vision of the next generation of storytellers.
The films included in this showcase are: The Hard Way Home, Us and Them, The Backseat, Constellations of the Sea, Grow Up
A Filmmaker Q&A will immediately follow the screenings.
Free community programming access at the Winn Room has been generously underwritten by a grant from the Auen Foundation.
The Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) welcomes makers and lovers of film from all over the world to the storied seaside village of Coronado, California to celebrate the magical art of visual storytelling. Coronado’s enduring love affair with Hollywood began more than a century ago.