Filmmakers + Screenwriters - Coronado Film Festival

300

Liam Abbott

Liam, from Toronto, Canada, is the Creative Director at SnowBrains, where he combines his passions for skiing and filmmaking. A lifelong skier since age three, he has been an instructor, racer, and now contributes to the industry through creative media. He earned his B.F.A. in Film Production from Chapman University, directing documentaries such as Yama and Feeding Alaska, which screened at numerous festivals. Liam continues producing content that challenges traditional film and media.

A Friend Of Dorothy

Lee Knight

Lee Knight is an actor, writer, and director with credits spanning stage and screen. He recently appeared as Rosencrantz opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Hamlet (2024), as well as in Vigil 2 (BBC1), The Stolen Girl (Disney+), and Talamasca (ABC+). His writing includes the sitcom pilot The Gym and the short play No More Doughnuts. He has also directed comedy sketches, a radio play (The Art of Suffering), and his debut short film, A Friend of Dorothy.

A Good Day Will Come

A Guest In My Country

John Gray is a New York based writer-director-producer. He has had a long career

writing and directing films and television, including creating the long running hit CBS
series, GHOST WHISPERER. Gray has written and directed several studio and
independent feature films, including the award winning WHITE IRISH DRINKERS,
which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Gray’s acclaimed short films have played
and are currently playing in film festivals all over the world.

A Woman Is Many Things

Alone Together

Tobin Carter

A fourth generation San Diegan, Tobin Carter is an international award winning writer, director, and producer. A recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, Alone Together was his thesis film. Since graduating, Tobin has started his own production company, C-ME Productions. When he’s not making films, Tobin can be found training animals, showing dogs, talking about TV shows, or traveling with his family.

American Solitaire

Aaron Davidman

Aaron Davidman is a filmmaker, actor and playwright. He is drawn to stories of cultural complexity that challenge our assumptions of the “other”. His film, WRESTLING JERUSALEM, based on his stage play about Israel/Palestine that toured internationally from 2014-2019, can be seen on APPLE TV+ and Amazon Prime. AMERICAN SOLITAIRE is his first feature as a director. More at aarondavidman.com.

As Tough As Ice

Murphy McFarlane

A 2025 graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School with ties to San Diego, Murphy McFarlane is a documentary filmmaker and post-production editor specializing in climate advocacy and complex human stories. The first to complete Newhouse's new cinematography curriculum, her work has earned recognition from Hearst, ACP, WHNPA, and the Alexia. Her recent documentary "As Tough As Ice" explores the dedication and passion of young girls empowered through hockey, drawing from Murphy's own experience as a hockey player.

At Home

Matisse Filotto

Matisse Filotto is a filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada, and a film student at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. His work often explores themes of identity, belonging, and the unspoken complexities within family life. His short film Chez Moi, produced in Lithuania, reflects his interest in deeply personal storytelling. Inspired by films like Moonlight, Matisse aims to create intimate works that give voice to quiet, overlooked perspectives.

Back To The Closet

Gerald B. Fillmore

Gerald is a British-Spanish actor, writer, and filmmaker known in Spain for films such as Unfortunate Stories and Llegaron de Noche, as well as hit TV shows including Reyes de la Noche, Gym Tony, and Amazon Prime’s Little Coincidences. His award-winning short films Hold For Applause and For Pete’s Sake have screened at over 200 festivals worldwide. In 2023, Columbia-Sony Pictures released Tequila Repasado, co-written with Emmy Award winner Judd Pillot.

Beneath The Undercurrent

Beyond Silence

Marnie Blok

Marnie Blok is an actress and award-winning screenwriter whose final acting role was in Frailer (TIFF 2014). She has written acclaimed features including Jackie (TIFF 2012), Kenau, Open Seas, and the Swedish drama Simon and the Oaks. Blok also created and wrote celebrated series such as Line 32, Máxima, and Ramses. Her series Childhood Dreams was selected for CANNESERIES 2022 and won Best Series at the 2024 New York Festival. Beyond Silence marks her directorial debut.

Beyond the Crown

Ashley Bratcher

Ashley Bratcher is a writer, producer, and award-winning actress committed to telling untold stories of extraordinary women. Her latest script, Beyond the Crown, is a 1970s drama inspired by the true story of a Canadian teenager who rose from trauma to the international pageant stage with the help of a mentor determined to redefine beauty. The film explores the hidden struggles behind the glamour, offering a moving story of courage, resilience, and identity.

Big Feelings

Hannah Sloan

Hannah Sloan is an actress, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. Originally from San Diego, she is of Dutch, Indonesian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Sicilian heritage. A graduate of USC, she began her career in animation casting before pursuing her passion for storytelling full time. Known for her comedic spirit, she loves making people laugh and is an avid reader, having completed over 128 books this year.

Bike Short

Bloomers

Kory Louko

Kory Louko is a queer and disabled writer, director, and comedian who creates absurd comedies exploring platonic love, queer family-building, and the humor in living with OCD. Raised in a community of farmers and Subaru lesbians, her script Bloomers was named a Second Rounder at the 2025 Austin Film Festival. She holds an MFA in Television and Screenwriting from Stephens College and is a graduate of the WGA East’s Support Staff Basic Training Program.

Budō

Alexander Toma, Amanda Aagard

Amanda has her background in theater and textile design. After studying at Gothenburg Art
School and at Gothenburg's Film Worker School, she started her career working with costume
and makeup design for commercials and dramas. After a change in departments she is now
focusing on balancing stop motion set design with commercial work and her own short film
productions at AMSAGA.
Alexander comes from the technical aspect of filmmaking. Having studied “Screen & Media” at
Sydney Film School, working full time as a DoP and editor at two different production companies
and now working as a freelance director and editor. Together with Amanda they are running the
production company AMSAGA based in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a focus on short films.
“BUDŌ” is Alexander's fifth short film, and his first animation.

Building On The Edge

Bio for Bruce Borowsky:

Bruce has been an award-winning filmmaker for over 30 years, specializing in documentaries, as well as corporate videos. He's lived in Boulder since 1990, and currently serves as the Boulder County Film Commissioner. Bruce received his MFA from San Francisco State University, and worked as a full-time assistant to renowned adventure photographer Galen Rowell.

Bio for Mike Scalisi:
Mike is an award-winning filmmaker of everything from commercials to broadcast television to shorts and feature-length films. Mike was the editor on the feature documentary “The Cove”, which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary and the Sundance Audience Choice Award, as well as over 40 other awards at film festivals around the world.

Butterfly on a Wheel

Cake with the Cream

Brendan Giang

Brendan Giang is a filmmaker drawn to the intersection of art, technology, and social impact. His work explores how storytelling can spark dialogue on issues like climate and mental health. From securing locations on zero budget to leading collaborative teams through seemingly impossible obstacles, he embraces constraints as fuel for creativity, continually seeking stories that blend imagination, innovation, and purpose.

Campwidow

Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green

Laura Green is an award-winning documentary director and editor. She is currently directing Matter of Mind, a series about neurodegenerative disease broadcasting on PBS's Independent Lens. Her editing work has screened at festivals such as Tribeca and Hot Docs. She is an associate professor at San Francisco State University.

Anna Moot-Levin is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, and editor with a passion for stories about health and healthcare. Her debut documentary, The Providers, aired on PBS’s Independent Lens in 2019. She is currently directing Matter of Mind, a documentary series about people living with neurodegenerative disease.

Cattywampus

Jono Chanin

Jono Chanin is a screenwriter and director currently developing his debut feature with Secret Engine and co-writing with Alex Scharfman (Death of a Unicorn). He has written for 21st Century Fox, Temple Hill, and Material Pictures, and has directed award-winning shorts and commercials. A graduate of Columbia University in philosophy and NYU in filmmaking, Jono brings a sharp, thoughtful perspective to his storytelling.

Chasers

Erin Brown Thomas

Erin Brown Thomas is a writer, director, and producer whose latest short, Chasers—a bold, single-continuous-shot film—world premiered at Sundance 2025 and LA-premiered at Slamdance, the first narrative ever accepted into both. Known for visually heightened “traumedies,” she explores identity, vulnerability, and reframing trauma with emotional impact. A Nicholl semifinalist and co-founder of Salute Your Shorts Film Festival, Erin champions emerging voices while satirizing social imbalances and the perils of unchecked ambition.

Cold Hands

Sergio Checa

A director, actor, and screenwriter from Alicante, he has created projects including El Nazareno (2024), Tenetis (2024)—both selected at Goya-qualifying festivals—and Te doy mi voz (2024). As a screenwriter, his film Dios te salve, María (2023) earned over 20 awards. Looking ahead to 2025, he is developing new works including Frío en las manos and Calcetines, further expanding his creative repertoire.

Come In

Jaci Ella Kim

Jaci Ella Kim is an emerging filmmaker and freshman at USC’s top-ranked School of Cinematic Arts, where she studies Film & Television Production along with the business of entertainment. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is passionate about exploring both the creative and industry sides of filmmaking. Her first short film, Come In, marked her debut as a director and storyteller.

Crane

Aiden Keltner

Aiden Keltner, a San Diego and Los Angeles based filmmaker, is a two time Emmy Award recipient (NATAS PSW), a recipient of the Voices with Impact 2024 Production Grant and the William Male Foundation Grant. His films have screened at Atlanta Film Festival, Indy Shorts International Film Festival, LA Shorts Fest and NFFTY, as well as been distributed on PBS' website.

Crate Diggers

Kelly Blackard

Seattle-based screenwriter Kelly Blackard has been telling stories since childhood—starting with dad jokes and growing into female-driven dramedies. Her work has appeared in satirical outlets like Reductress and The Needling. Her debut feature Noble Rot was a semifinalist for The Writers Lab International 2025, and her writing has also been recognized by the Austin Film Festival. She recently completed an MFA in Screenwriting at Stephens College.

Culinary Art School in Tijuana

Alejandro Tamayo

Alejandro Tamayo is a seasoned multimedia journalist and former educator from San Diego, California. He specializes in photography, videography and documentary storytelling from both sides of the border. Tamayo has covered major events like the Migrant Caravan in Tijuana, the Orlando nightclub shooting, and Haitian crossings in Tapachula. An 11-time Emmy winner who mentors emerging visual journalists across genres and platforms.

Deepfaking Sam Altman

Adam Bhala Lough

Adam Bhala Lough is a Punjabi-American filmmaker whose career has always lived at the edge of culture. Most recently, Adam co-directed HBO’s Telemarketers with EP's Josh & Benny Safdie and Danny McBride, a series that became HBO’s most-watched docuseries at the time and earned Emmy, Critics Choice, and Cinema Eye honors. In 2025, he premiered Deepfaking Sam Altman at SXSW, a comedy-doc about AI executive-produced by Kevin Hart and Vox Studios.

Farsi with Maman

Omid Iranikhah

Omid Iranikhah (oh-MEED ee-RAH-nekuh) is an Iranian-American writer/director whose work delves into the complexities of the Iranian diaspora experience. A recipient of the Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting and a semifinalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowships, his work blends humor, intimacy, and cultural specificity to tell stories that resonate beyond their immediate communities.

Feral Mountains

Terry Podnar

Terry Podnar found his love of scriptwriting when he wrote and filmed numerous independent films at an early age. However, Terry was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2021. To fill a void in his life, he returned to his passion of scriptwriting. Since then, he has written six award-winning feature length screenplays. Several of Terry's feature scripts are highly ranked on Coverfly's The Red List. One of Terry's scripts, Broken Worlds, has been optioned to Pollack Films. Terry is currently working on a script/biopic about his struggles with cancer.

Fitted Sheet

Celia Beasley

Celia Beasley is a French-American filmmaker based in Seattle. She studied photography in New York and worked in television in Paris before moving to Seattle, where she has spent two decades editing independent films and TV. Her credits include the episodic series Penelope (created by Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass), which premiered at Sundance 2024 and now streams on Netflix. Fitted Sheet marks her directorial debut

Flavor Of The Month

Nathan Xia

Nathan Xia is a Chinese American actor, filmmaker, and alternative artist from San Diego, California. Xia's innate fascination with misunderstood people inspires him to tell stories driven by deeply emotional performances from complex characters. His films often explore themes of mental health, coming-of-age, and the Asian American experience through a vibrant and comedic personal lens.

Focal Point

Forevergreen

Jeremy Spears

JEREMY SPEARS is an Annie Award Winning Story Artist and has helped create beloved characters and stories for films such as Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia, Moana, and Frozen. In his free time, he creates unique wooden sculptures in his Whittle Woodshop. His latest passion project is directing the independent animated short film “Forevergreen.”

Forevergreen

FOREVER

Georgie

Jennie Butler

Jennie is a documentary filmmaker based between Los Angeles and New York. She spent over four years at NowThis producing character-driven short documentaries before going freelance in 2021, collaborating with Radical Media, Topic Studios, Condé Nast, and Amazon Studios. Her award-winning short Georgie screened at major festivals including DOC NYC, Palm Springs, and Aspen, and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2025. She also associate produced the Netflix feature documentary Tell Them You Love Me.

God Dam

Abigail Hill

Abigail Hill is a stop-motion filmmaker from New Jersey. Growing up, she spent lots of time hiking and camping, instilling in her a love of nature and its creatures which inspired the idea for God Dam. She found her second home in the stop-motion studio at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she recently graduated with a BFA in Animation and a focus in storytelling.

Grind

Mark Apicella

Mark Apicella is a five-time Emmy (11 noms), Edward Murrow, and Peabody award-winning documentary editor/producer. As a writer/director, his feature screenplay, American Delinquent, placed in the top 15% in the Nicholl Fellowship and he has received grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for Science on Film, the Moving Picture Institute, and the Story Incubator Lab. He holds an MFA in Production from USC and a BS in Economics from Wharton.

Gus Doesn't Serve Calamari

Isaac Svensson

Long Beach-based filmmaker Isaac Svensson blends passion for storytelling with a heart for local business. His company 7SUN MEDIA – video production, marketing & branding – balances artistry with service, earning him formal recognition from the LA County, Long Beach City and the California State Senate. Inspired by creative heroes like Ira Glass and David Lynch, Isaac’s storytelling doesn’t prescribe—it provokes reflection. His work explores empathy, mental health, and the tension between individuality and community.

Hafu

Josh Wolff

A Chicago-based filmmaker, Josh received an MFA in Cinema from DePaul University. Spanning a career of over 20 years working in theater and film, he has written, produced, and directed several award-winning short films and pilots screening in over 20 film festivals across North America as well as on the prestigious short film channel Omeleto. He is currently Director of Film Programs at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest, IL, and adjunct faculty at DePaul University.

Halfway Haunted

Hands Wrapped

Reef Applebaum

Reef Applebaum is a 17-year-old multi-sport athlete and award-winning student filmmaker from Laguna Beach, CA. A competitive surfer, snowboarder, and boxer, Reef combines athletic discipline with a passion for cinematic storytelling. His short films, which explore themes of youth and resilience, have been showcased at multiple film festivals. As he pursues film school, Reef is building a portfolio that highlights his unique blend of creativity and authenticity.

Handwoven

Dasha Levin

Dasha Levin is an award-winning Mexican American documentary filmmaker from San Diego, California. A graduate of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with a degree in Documentary Filmmaking, Levin focuses on stories of social issues, underrepresented communities, LGBTQ+ rights, environmentalism, and equality. His films have screened at Academy Award–qualifying festivals, earning honors such as the nexGEN Filmmaker Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival and Best Student Documentary at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes.

Happy Snaps

Tyro Heath

Tyro is a writer, director and photographer. Her latest short, ‘Happy Snaps’, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2024. Known for her soulful, evocative style and for working with first-time screen performers, her films explore relatable stories about family, youth, love and loss. She is currently developing her debut feature, a father-daughter movie.

Heroic Sabin Howard Sculpts the National WWI Memoria

Traci Lynn Slatton

Traci L. Slatton is a filmmaker and novelist whose novel IMMORTAL, published around the world, was a bestseller in Italy, Russia, and Brazil. Her short film THE SCULPTOR’S WIFE garnered more than 20 film festival accolades. HEROIC: Sabin Howard Sculpts the National WWI Memorial is her first documentary feature. She attended Yale and Columbia. She currently lives in Utah, working on books and films and hiking with her husband Sabin and their German Shepherd Zena.

Hitchhiker

Lilianna and Mo

Lilianna is one of the directors of "Hitchhiker", driven by a passion for storytelling and an inclination for creative leadership. Raised in small-town Indiana, she grew up watching the “Boomerang” channel for cartoons every morning and had artistic encouragement — especially from her dad, whose memory continues to inspire her work. Through "Hitchhiker", Lilianna hopes to tell a story of grief that resonates with anyone who has also felt like their world is falling apart, and ultimately finds the courage to embrace acceptance.
Mo is the other director of "Hitchhiker", and is an artist who loves to draw pictures and make things move! Growing up in Flint, MI and making their way to Chicago where they are now based, Mo is fascinated by people and loves to tell stories and enrich themself with new perspectives. Creating "Hitchhiker" was the most strenuous project they have ever experienced, and they would do it all over again in a heartbeat. They sincerely hope anyone suffering through any type of grief is able to push forward, and hopes that their film brings as much light to the viewer as it did to them.

Hoofs on Skates

MEILŪNAS

Born in 1985, grew up interested in Maths, graduated from VGTU (Vilnius) with BA degree in Engineering and IT. After that, had been specializing as 3D animator, created sound and visual design for theatre and film productions. With main self-learnt interest in stop motion, started working as an animator and then as director, releasing the first short film "Woods" in 2015 and winning the National Award for Best Short Film. In 2020 he made another stop motion short “Matilda and the Spare Head”. Now working at his own stop motion studio in Vilnius.

Houston, We Have a Crush

Omer Ben Shachar

Omer Ben-Shachar is an award winning writer-director. His debut short, Tree #3, won a Student Academy Award, Urbanworld’s Best Young Creator Award and Palm Springs’ Audience Award, among others. His recent short, ’Single Residence Occupancy’ won Imagine Entertainment & Adobe ShortFest and Atlanta Film Festival’s Academy Award-Qualifying Jury Award. An AFI Conservatory grad, he went on to participate in several prestigious programs, including Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab and Project Involve, Warner Bros. TV Directors’ Workshop, and Paramount’s Viewfinder Program.

Hurikan

Jan Saska

Jan Saska is a Czech animation director and comics author. His FAMU graduation film Happy End, a dark comedy about death, premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2016, screened worldwide, won over 25 awards, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Oscars. His latest short, Hurikán, is based on his original comic character. Alongside collaborators Marek Pokorný and Vojtěch Kiss, he is part of True Lovers, an artistic group dedicated to comics and animation.

Hustle and Run

Jonny Madderson and Jono Stevens

Jonny Madderson and Jono Stevens are internationally award-winning filmmakers and co-founders of JustSo, a certified B Corp. Through their company they make documentaries and series for global organisations including Channel 4, Red Bull, Netflix, Disney, LEGO, and the Olympics. Pioneers in digital storytelling, their breakout project was the Black Cab Sessions, the hit YouTube music series that redefined intimate live performance for the online era. They champion upbeat, human storytelling with a soft spot for tales of underdogs and overlooked potential. They both brought dogs into their lives around the same time - Jonny a whippet, Jono a whippet-cross - and that shared, heart-melting (and slightly bonkers) love sparked the idea for Hustle and Run.

Inside, The Valley Sings

Interloper

Kerry ONeill

Kerry O’Neill is an award-winning writer, director, and actor whose credits include Netflix’s Murderville and Amazon’s hit Jury Duty. Drawing on her improvisational comedy background, she creates work that is experiential and authentic. Named a 2023 Vimeo Breakout Creator and AFI Directing Workshop for Women+ fellow, she won a Film Independent Spirit Award, AFI Award, and Peabody in 2024. Kerry is developing a dark comedy series with Oscar winner Sian Heder and a feature based on her short Interloper.

Is It True

Hayden Goldman

Hayden Goldman is a visionary director whose detachment from conventional reality allows her to push the boundaries of storytelling, creating bold and innovative narratives.Through her films, she challenges perspectives, fosters connection, and redefines what’s possible in cinema. At her core, she carries the boundless curiosity of a child in a candy store, constantly hunting for the next creative challenge that will satisfy her artistic sweet tooth and leave a lasting impact on audiences

It's a Christmas Miracle, Charlie Brown

Tom Radovich

A veteran of working on the front lines of video stores when they still existed, Tom Radovich is a screenwriter who has worked for Blumhouse Productions as an office PA and Kingdom Story Company as a consulting writer. He writes a variety of spec and adapted projects in the genres of horror, comedy, thriller, action, biopic, and drama. He currently lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and Siberian Husky.

Just Like a Boy

Bahar Pars

Bahar Pars is a critically acclaimed Iranian/Swedish director and actress. Her distinct
vision is manifested in her short film trilogy which received great international success and
official selections and awards at festivals such as Sundance and Clermont-Ferrand. Bahar
Pars recently directed NOSEJOB, which premiered at Göteborg Film Festival 2025. JUST
LIKE A BOY is an exploration of diaspora and exile, inspired by her own experience as a
young girl in Iran.

Kirby in Limbo

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is a screenwriter who seeks to find hope in dark situations. He is one of the writers of the upcoming feature film Gingerbread Men, which will hit theaters this Christmas. His work has won the Grand Prize at the Dallas International Film Festival, first place at The Southern California Screenplay Competition, and "Best of Fest Screenplay" at The Cordillera International Film Festival. When he isn't writing, Jamie is a nationally touring stand-up comedian.

Land Of The Mustashes

Rutanya Alda

Rutanya Alda is an award-winning actress and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member with over 100 screen credits, including films by De Palma, Peckinpah, Romero, Kazan, Frank Perry, and Michael Cimino. She is perhaps best known for her work in The Deer Hunter (Oscar for Best Picture, 1979), Mommie Dearest, and Amityville II. Rutanya also authored The Mommie Dearest Diary. She currently resides in New York City.

Lifeboat

Bill Baber

Bill Baber is a co-writer and producer of Lifeboat with Mason Mendoza. Bill first read the graphic novel at ComicCon 2023 and was deeply moved by Mason’s story. Bill helped produce more than a dozen indy films including The Conversation (2025), The Monkey (2023), Better (2023), Sound of the Surf (2022), and Remotely Working (2020).
Bill’s also a recovering lawyer and politician having served twenty years in local government in San Diego County.

Lisa Dahl Blessed By Grace

Eric Wolfinger

Eric Wolfinger is a James Beard Award–winning photographer and filmmaker known for capturing the soul of food and those who make it. A former baker at Tartine, he brings firsthand culinary experience to his visual storytelling. He has contributed to over 30 cookbooks and directed acclaimed food documentaries including Dashi Journey and Full Circle. Most recently, he contributed to the bestseller Does This Taste Funny? by Stephen and Evie Colbert.

Little Adults

Mercedes Garcia

Mercedes Garcia is an award-winning writer, director, and producer recognized by the California State Legislature for her contributions to the cinematic arts. Her films center on intimate, character-driven stories that highlight resilience, identity, and the quiet struggles of everyday life. Mercedes is also the co-founder of Stray Cats Productions, a company dedicated to telling gritty, human stories with honesty and heart.

Little Ancestor

Lonely

Bobby Bosko Grubic

Bobby B. Grubic is a Croatian-American, multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, writer, composer, and environmental advocate. His recent credits include the Indonesian–Croatian fantasy romance Sore: Istri dari Masa Depan, which has garnered over 3 million cinema admissions in Indonesia, alongside award-winning shorts like Final Stop and Lonely. He blends European sensibility with American production values. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins, he also advises on media convergence, AI, and marketing.

Love Eternal

Dominic Czarnota

Dominic Czarnota is a director based in Los Angeles specializing in visual storytelling. He works on both narrative and documentary films, as well as music videos, with an emphasis on combining storytelling with an emotional visual style that stays with you long after the film has ended. Dominic is currently working on a feature based off his short film, LOVE ETERNAL, and preparing to shoot his next short film.

Madam Ram

Isabelle Davis

Isabelle moved South Carolina to Los Angeles to obtain her MFA in Writing for the Screen from Loyola Marymount University. Her experiences growing up as the oldest of seven siblings and playing sports all of her life inspire her coming-of-age-at-every-age, character-driven stories. She currently writes for Sports Illustrated's NFL and college football sections.

Maestra

Susan Polk

Susan is an East Coast-based screenwriter with roots in the Deep South and the Southwest. Having started her creative life as an actor, as a screenwriter she enjoys writing with the actor’s voice in mind. Embracing genres of drama and dramedy, her screenplays are character-driven, delving into themes of love, family, and womanhood/motherhood. Her screenplays have been recognized by the Nicholl Fellowships, the PAGE Awards, and Stowe Story Labs among many other competitions and festivals.

Magic Hour

Jackie Christy

Jacqueline Christy is an award-winning writer/director, and founder of Access Theater. She has an MFA from the NYU Graduate Film Program and has received grants from the NYC Womens Fund, NY State Council on the Arts and the Sloan Foundation. Magic Hour (Santa Barbara, Miami, Hamptons Film Festivals) - her first feature film starring Miriam Shor, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Austin Pendleton - has won multiple audience awards and earned Christy an Emerging Director Award.

Main Man

John de Menil

John is an LA-based director and cinematographer, originally from New York City. A graduate of NYU Tisch and the American Film Institute, he has directed and shot branded content for major fashion, beauty, and gaming clients. His work includes the features A Thousand Junkies and Late Bloomers, and shorts that have screened at Sundance and SXSW. His 2020 short Nominated was featured on Funny or Die, earning the comment: “This isn’t funny at all but… interesting.”

May I Put You On Hold

Ash Blodgett

Ash Blodgett is an award-winning director passionate about telling stories that spotlight modern social issues through the lens of comedy. Her short films have screened at major festivals such as the Santa Barbara, Catalina, Sedona, and SIDEWALK Film Festivals. Her 2023 short Good Grief won Best Cinematography at the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival, earning a $60K Panavision film grant, and she was named Best Female Director at the 2024 Central Coast International Film Festival.

Mismatch

Luna Lee

Luna Lee is an animator currently studying at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television as MFA student. Luna is also an artist who studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA before her MFA study. Luna’s first short animation, MISMATCH was written and directed from Luna’s personal experience as a female Asian US Army Veteran.

Ms. Rossi 3 Ms. Rossi Meets the Mob

An award winning writer, director, and producer who brings over thirty years of

experience to the set, Pat started his career in Chicago working in front of the camera.
Since taking over behind the camera duties, he takes pride in his on-set relationships and
communication with actors. His actors have received stage and screen nominations and
awards.
With his writing, directing, and producing, Pat has earned a reputation for
developing and creating unique and wonderful stories.

Ostrich

Marie Kenov

Born in Basel in 1990, Marie Kenov is a Lucerne-based graphic designer, illustrator, and animator. She holds degrees in poster design from the National Academy of Art in Sofia and in animation from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her graduation film Sweet Nothing (co-directed with Joana Fischer) screened at Annecy, Sundance, and Palm Springs. Ostrich is her first short film since graduation.

Ovary

Perfect Revenge

Carleigh Foutch

Ever since she was young, Carleigh dreamed of having a stable and predictable career, so naturally she decided to become a writer. When she realized that telling a story was really just a vehicle for fart jokes and getting two people to kiss, she was off to the races. Carleigh writes hilarious and heartfelt stories focused on the many facets of bisexuality, womanhood, female friendship, and falling in love, which she believes is one of the most exciting things we can do.

Precursor

Steve Brown

Steve Brown, a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, holds dual degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Arizona. In 2023, he transitioned from corporate copywriting (for popular brands such as Nintendo and Kaplan Test Prep) to pursue his passion for film and TV. Today, he dedicates his time entirely to screenwriting and maintains a focus on mysterious, cerebral, sci-fi storytelling.

Promised Belt

Jelizaveta Aleksandrova

Jelizaveta Aleksandrova (21) is a filmmaker from Vilnius, Lithuania, currently studying Entertainment Production with a focus on Film Communication. With a lifelong balance of sport and art, she has trained in karate for 15 years, representing Lithuania internationally, while also studying acting in one of the country’s oldest theatre studios. At university she discovered directing, creating several short and documentary films. In 2025 her film Promised Belt won Best Film and Best Screenplay at Summer Media Studio workshop.

Ramfy The Pangolin in My Bedroom

Will Clothier

Will Clothier is a Bristol-based wildlife filmmaker passionate about telling hopeful conservation stories. His work focuses on the deep connections between people and the natural world, with a particular emphasis on Africa’s endangered species. His latest film, Ramfy: The Pangolin in My Bedroom, follows the remarkable journey of an orphaned pangolin in South Africa. Will’s earlier student short, Pete the Pond, was also selected at Coronado in 2021.

Retirement Plan

John Kelly

John Kelly is a filmmaker specialising in animation. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London, and lives and works in Dublin, Ireland. His film RETIREMENT PLAN Won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards in the Animated Short Competition at SXSW 2025. He’s currently developing a feature-length animated documentary, alongside too many other things.

Richard Neutra's Maslon House

Scott Goldstein and Dave Yakir

Scott Goldstein and Dave Yakir are brothers-in-law and co-director/ producers working in Chicago and the greater Palm Springs area. Together they have created several award-winning shorts as well as commercial and social media work. Both have accomplished solo careers but they came together to form Streeterville Productions to pursue passion projects, promote friends and paint outside the lines of their everyday work. They are very proud to present their first documentary, Richard Neutra’s Maslon House.

Rising Above Ashes

Romchyk

Alexis Bicât

Alexis Bicât is an award winning, critically acclaimed, back-to-back nationwide theatrically released short filmmaker returning to the industry with the multi-award-winning Romchyk. He is a member of BAFTA Connect and Directors UK and has recently been signed by SMA Talent in the UK. While honing his directing craft in high end TV, he is constantly on the lookout for maverick producers bold enough to make a slate of three indie features at ascending budget levels.

Second Chance

India Mitchell

India has made student films since the fifth grade, with a focus on the endeavor to keep kids safe and well. Her documentary "Guiding Light", on the Polly Klaas tragedy, received 55 awards, including the Grand Prize at the California K-12 film festival in 2024, and it screened at nearly 300 film festivals around the world. India released "Second Chance", at age 14 and while in her first year of high school in Petaluma, California.

Seems Like Love

Shanti Rides Shotgun

Charles Frank

Charles Frank is an Emmy-nominated, Oscar-qualified director and co-founder of Voyager & Leap Year. His work has reached millions of people online, been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, and his most recent film, "Shanti Rides Shotgun," had its world premiere at SXSW, winning Best Documentary Short at Palm Springs. His debut feature documentary, “Somewhere With No Bridges” (First Run Features), was celebrated as "a celebration of life like you’ve never seen." Charles has brought his unique sensibilities to commercial projects for Jack Daniel’s, McDonald's, DICK’s Sporting Goods, and many others.

Snipped

Alexander Saul

Alexander Saul (b. 1997) is a Copenhagen-based director and Super16 student (Class #14). His award-winning shorts LOVESICK (2024) andSNIPPED (2025) blend realism and absurdity while exploring identity, belonging, and the human struggle for place. Alongside his filmmaking, he serves as a PsykInfo ambassador, advocating for mental health awareness and representation through public talks and outreach.

Soul Bird

Tobias Kampmann

Tobias Kampmann is a writer and director of acclaimed shorts including Soul Bird (2025) and Guardian Angel (2021), with extensive experience as 1st AD on TV series Hvor Ligger Løkken. Their work spans producing, directing, and writing since 2000. Recognized with multiple awards such as Cannes Lions Gold, Clio Gold, and Creative Circle Gold, and official selections at Amsterdam, Coronado Island, Odense, and New York film festivals.

Spit It Out

Ray Sisters

The RAY SISTERS are co-directors and sisters Austin & Westin Ray. They grew up on an aquaculture farm on the Californian/Mexican border. Their films and commercial work have won awards at the Directors Guild of America, Austin Film Festival, Savannah Film Festival, Moët Chandon, TellyAwards, and HBO. Also a composer, Austin's music scores have premiered at Telluride Film Festival and won a Student Academy Award.

Stalking The Bogeyman

Markus Potter

Markus Potter is a theatre and film director whose work includes Stalking the Bogeyman (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, New York Times Critics’ Pick), Church & State (Off-Broadway, New World Stages), and Why You Beasting?(Time Out NY Critics’ Pick). His short film Stalking the Bogeyman has won multiple festival awards, including Best in Show at Rochester. He is Artistic Director and Associate Professor at the University of Kansas and Founding Artistic Director of NewYorkRep.

Starting Line

Brenton Bender grew up in San Diego after his family relocated from the East

Coast, shaped by his father’s Midwest roots and his mother’s SoCal beach community.
Movie trips with his dad sparked an early love for storytelling, later compelled by the
sudden loss of his grandfather while at Arizona State University. After graduating in
2019, he directed commercials and enrolled at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, creating
films that explore family, loss, and belonging.

Stone Garden, Homeward Dawn, and Ripple

Alysha Haran

Alysha Haran is a filmmaker and former U.S. Navy officer who blends artistic and military experience into award-winning storytelling. Her shorts have screened globally, earning honors like Best Director (Stone Garden, Idyllwild) and Best Magical Realism (Stone Garden, Simi Film Fest). From 2020–2025, she worked at Disney Television Studios as Senior Manager of Health and Safety. She now serves as COO of the Chula Vista Entertainment Complex, overseeing development and production.

Sugar

Susana

Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante

Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante are the filmmaking duo THUMPER. Their debut short, Viaje de Negocios, premiered at Sundance 2024 and earned a 2025 Ariel Awards nomination. Their second film, SUSANA, premiered at Sundance 2025 and won top awards at Provincetown, Hollyshorts, Palm Springs ShortFest, and Desertscape. Their documentary short hello beautiful please follow back was a Vimeo Staff Pick. They are currently in post-production on their third short, Albatross.

Tears To A Glassy Eye

Jack Kenny

Jack Kenny is an award-winning writer/producer/director. With over 30 years of production experience in the Film/Television industry ranging from feature films, documentaries, animation to commercials. Jack is also the writer/director of two feature films “Town Diary” and Tears To A Glass Eye” and the creator of the “Dudley the Dinosaur” cartoon character. The “Dudley” PSA series has aired over one million times in the U.S.

Teddy On The Edge

The Big Everything

Salvador Paskowitz

Salvador Paskowitz is a director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his original screenplay Age of Adaline. He is currently developing several feature films, including Imagine, Streamline, and A Smart Girl, which he will direct. His work spans film, TV, and interactive media, blending cinematic craft with exploratory storytelling. Based in Los Angeles, he lives with his wife Kristin and their two daughters, Halo and Emma.

The Companions

José María Flores

José María thrives alongside renowned figures in the film and creative industry. His work, «La Fièvre,» gathers numerous national and international accolades, earning him a spot among Forbes’ 2022 list of the 50 most talented Spaniards globally, alongside luminaries like Almodóvar and Trueba. His direction captivates not just for the narrative but for its ability to touch the subconscious. Flores has proven to be part of the new generation of creators making Spanish cinema more visible internationally.

The Errand

Hayley Marie Norman

BIO- Hayley Marie Norman is an actor, writer, director, and filmmaker with decades of experience. She recurred on NBC’s Kenan and Peacock’s AP Bio, with additional credits including Dollface, Top Five, New Girl, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and Hancock. Roger Ebert praised her in Fired Up as “the most intriguing member of the cast.” Her directorial debut The Errand (2024) is a festival award-winner. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she continues to create across mediums.

The Everglades Beneath the Surface

Mac Stone

Mac Stone is a National Geographic Explorer and photographer whose images and films reveal the hidden stories of wetlands and wilderness. Rooted in the swamps and Everglades of his native Florida, he works globally to show the ties between people and nature. An author, speaker, and senior fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, Stone uses storytelling to inspire conservation.

The Heart of Texas

Gregory Kasunich

Gregory JM Kasunich is a Los Angeles–based filmmaker and creator of several award-winning short films including The Heart of Texas which has screened at festivals worldwide, and long-listed for the 2024 Oscars. He has directed national campaigns for major brands and his work spans narrative films, commercials, and photography, all marked by a cinematic style and a focus on emotionally resonant storytelling.

The Ladder

Emilio Miguel Torres

Emilio Miguel Torres is an award-winning Latino filmmaker based in Phoenix, Arizona. An NYU Tisch School of the Arts film school graduate, he now directs commercials and narrative projects. After screening his debut feature at the Phoenix Film Festival, Torres took home the Copper Wing Award for 2025 Arizona Filmmaker of the Year. Recently, he was selected as a 2025 BendFilm: Basecamp Fellow to develop his next feature film.

The Last Indian War

Michael Graf

Emmy Award winner, Michael Graf, was named one of the ISA’s “Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch” and was the inaugural writer in residence at the University of Wisconsin Institute For Discovery. He’s been shortlisted for the Nicholl Fellowship and won top screenwriting honors at film festivals in Paris, LA, Nassau and Park City.

The Pantone Guy

Patrick Creadon

Patrick Creadon is an acclaimed American documentary director. His feature directorial debut Wordplay was a breakout hit at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Creadon specializes in stories about unsung heroes, craftspeople, and innovators in American history. His other notable directing credits include: I.O.U.S.A. (2008), If You Build It (2013), ESPN’s 30 for 30: Catholics vs. Convicts (2018), and Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story (2019).

The Rake and The Recluse

Jenn LeBlanc

Jenn LeBlanc is a Colorado girl in a Hollywood world. A prolific photographer and beloved novelist of ten wildly original, diverse, and inclusive romance novels she recently received her MFA in TV and screenwriting. Jenn completed the adaptation for the first book of her award-winning time travel romance, The Rake and The Recluse, as a pilot for a limited series with possibilities.

The Second Sunday of May

Nepal Arslan

Nepal Arslan is a Turkish-American filmmaker based in San Diego and a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts on a full-ride scholarship. He has written and directed award-winning films recognized at Oscar-qualifying festivals and directed 40+ commercials. A TEDx speaker and former Director of Video Production at KCOMM, he now teaches digital media and broadcast journalism, mentoring over 100 students annually.

The Singers

Sam Davis

Sam Davis is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker with a foundation in cinematography. He produced and shot the Oscar-winning short film Period. End of Sentence and the Oscar-nominated Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. He earned an Emmy nomination for the short documentary Long Line of Ladies and recently shot Sean Wang’s Sundance and Indie Spirit Award-winning feature Dìdi.

The War Between

Deborah Correa

Deborah Correa is a Colombian-American director and producer whose work spans narrative and documentary film, television, and podcasts. A graduate of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, her storytelling is shaped by a bi-cultural upbringing in California and Medellín. Her feature debut, The War Between, premiered to sold-out audiences, reimagining Civil War and Western genres through an intimate, character-driven lens, earning acclaim from Film Threat and strong festival buzz.

Trapped

Sam and David

Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz are Oscar-nominated writer-director-producers based in NYC and LA. Brothers who grew up making films together, their shorts include Flounder (Clermont-Ferrand 2022), A Lien (EP Adam McKay, 97th Oscars nominee), and Trapped (SXSW 2024 Special Jury Prize, Palm Springs Best US Short). Their work has screened at top festivals worldwide and been featured by Vimeo, Short of the Week, and Director’s Notes.

Uncle Berry Bit It

Mimi Gaudet

Ever since she popped out, Mimi has channeled her curiosity through a creative lens. She aims to share heartfelt stories in quirky packaging that give people a place to feel and be seen. After earning a B.F.A. in Film Production Directing from Chapman University, she has been working on sets, acting, developing scripts, designing treatments, and more. All because there’s nothing quite like the magic of stories to bring people together.

Undeletable

Chris and Ben Blaine

Chris and Ben Blaine are icons of the UK indy film scene who came to prominence with a string of acclaimed short films including HALLO PANDA, FREE SPEECH, DEATH OF THE REVOLUTION and 0507. Their debut feature, a “f***ed up fairytale” called NINA FOREVER premiered at SXSW before going on to win a BIFA amongst many other awards, prompting Variety to say it “shows the Blaines as talents not just to watch but also to promote.” Whilst developing their next feature project they continue to make short films most recently including WOLF and UNDELETABLE.

Unholy

Daisy Friedman

Daisy Friedman is a writer and director based in New York City, exploring themes of tradition, intimacy, embodiment, and disability. Her short film Unholy (2024) premiered at Sundance 2025 and screened at SXSW. As You Are (2023) won multiple awards and screened at major film festivals. Daisy has been featured in Deadline, Variety, and Out Magazine. She’s a 2025-2026 UFO Filmmaker Lab participant and received the 2023 Colin Higgins Youth Foundation Grant.

VOICES The Danny Gans Story

Andrew Davies Gans

Andrew Davies Gans is a Los Angeles-based producer, director, and writer. After an injury ended his professional baseball career, he shifted to storytelling. His producing credits include Pink Skies Ahead (SXSW) and Changing The Game (Tribeca), working with talents like Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael Shannon, and Ewan McGregor. With VOICES, Andrew makes his directorial debut, transitioning into writing and directing both documentary and narrative films.

WAN

Victor Monigote

Victor Monigote, self-taught multidisciplinary artist, cartoonist, musician and actor. Trained as a director working for more than 20 years alongside great film and advertising directors. With great experience in art direction (nominated for the Goya awards for «Mortadelo y Filemón contra Jimmy el cachondo»), his first film as a director was “La Gallina Turuleca” (winner of the Goya and Platinum awards for best animated film). WAN is a personal project made by his Animation Studio Ottom Ideas.

Warm Soda

Ethan Satsky

Ethan Satsky is a screenwriter and animator with a serious love for heartfelt comedy. His newest project, Warm Soda, is an animated short about growing up, love, and boyhood. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ethan recently graduated from Laguna College of Art & Design with a degree in Experimental Animation and a minor in Creative Writing, where he focused on blending narrative humor with visual storytelling, all while spending his summers in beautiful Coronado Island!

We're Not The Same

Claire de Vries

Claire de Vries is an emerging writer-director exploring identity, female subjectivity, and emotional interiority through a visually restrained yet psychologically charged lens. A graduate of the University of Michigan and former President of M-agination Films, her shorts have screened at Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, Trinity Film Festival, and Toronto International Women’s Film Festival. With creative experience at HBO Max, Panoramic Media, and Atlantic Pictures, she brings a multidimensional approach to telling emotionally truthful, character-driven stories.

Weeki Wachee

Bixby Elliot

Bixby Elliot is a writer for theater, film, and television and just wrapped as staff writer on Peacock’s FIVE STAR WEEKEND (starring Jennifer Garner.) His plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London and more. His short film THE YELLOW SPONGE IS THE DISH SPONGE has picked up multiple awards including the Grand Prize at the Oscar Qualifying, Rhode Island Film Festival. MFA playwriting program at Columbia University.

What It's Like To Be Okay

Noah Bean

Noah Bean is a director and actor who has developed projects with Amazon Studios, RadicalMedia, Walden Media, and more. He shadowed on LOST, Damages, and Mr. Mercedes. His directorial debut, What It’s Like To Okay, won Best U.S. Short at the WACO Independent Film Festival. As an actor, he’s known for series like Damages, Nikita, 12 Monkeys, The Endgame, and Amazon’s Ballard.

Where We Left Off

Hunter Nickless

Hunter Nickless, a US-Canadian filmmaker, began acting at 8 and directed his first award-winning short at 12. Across five shorts, including GONE (a SLIFF selection), he has earned over 100 accolades. Hunter is currently studying film production at a performing arts high school, and his newest film, Where We Left Off, continues his festival journey.

You & Me

Lilly Lion

Lilly Lion is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles by way of Southern, Oregon. Lion was a Women in Film Scholarship recipient at the American Film Institute Conservatory, where she recently graduated with an MFA in Directing. Her work has screened at festivals around the world, including Tallgrass Film Festival, Aesthetica, and Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival. Lion is drawn to stories about class divide, male gaze, and how female sexuality and self-image can be informed by both.

Meet the Filmmakers and Screenwriters