Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated director, Lisa Cortés, creates powerful art that shines light on hidden stories. From producing Precious to directing Little Richard: I Am Everything, her work sparks cultural change. Cortés Filmworks is committed to telling complex stories from new perspectives and elevating overlooked talent.
Judith Mizrachy is a New York City-based independent producer. Her credits include The Martha Mitchell Effect (Sundance 2022), released by Netflix and nominated for a 2023 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary, The Booksellers (New York Film Festival 2019), and most recently, Uncropped (DOC NYC Centerpiece 2023).
David Fear is the chief film critic of Rolling Stone and was a critic/editor at Time Out New York from 2004 to 2013. His work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Village Voice, Film Comment, Spin, NY Daily News, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian, among others. He’s a member of […]
Kartiki Gonsalves is an Academy Award-winning director & filmmaker, who made history as the first Indian film director to ever win an Academy Award (for The Elephant Whisperers). She founded Earth Spectrum where she uses storytelling to raise awareness about bio-diversity and culture. Her prime focus is environmental and cultural diversity documenting conservation efforts and […]
J.M. Harper’s directorial debut is As We Speak (Sundance 2024), a documentary about rap lyrics on trial (Paramount+). A multi-hyphenate documentarian, he edited the Emmy-nominated Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Netflix, Sundance 2022); Down a Dark Stairwell (PBS, Criterion Channel); and Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma (New York Times OpDocs), which won Jury Awards at Sundance […]
Carlos A. Gutiérrez is the co-founding executive director of Cinema Tropical, the New York-based nonprofit media arts organization established in 2001, which has become the leading promoter of Latin American cinema in the U.S.
Supporting the indie in documentary and forging pathways forward for authentic, nuanced storytelling in an everchanging content landscape. With deep roots in production, development, and management, Keri Archer Brown oversees and manages ITVS’ various open call funding initiatives and team while also informing content strategy and implementation. In addition, Keri identifies projects and talent for […]
Cultivating new approaches to documentary filmmaking and culture work that center labor, ethics, and community, while constantly challenging the status quo. Hansen Bursic is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, programmer, and founder of Hansen Bursic Film. In both his career as a storyteller and culture worker, his work is dedicated to challenging the status quo with […]
Developing new spaces and opportunities for Indigenous creativity, storytelling, and social justice initiatives to shine within the film industry. Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is a multimedia artist, lawyer, and Indigenous rights activist. Passionate about storytelling, Amber enjoys navigating the intersection of art and law working as a producer, impact producer, and […]
Cultivating and nurturing a multigenerational community of AAPI documentary workers. Cindy Choung is Co-Director of the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc). Alongside fellow Co-Director Pallavi Somusetty, she works to advance A-Doc’s mission to advocate for AAPI documentary filmmakers’ vital presence in the industry. In addition to their work at A-Doc, Cindy is currently Consulting Producer […]