Mirra Bank’s editorial contributions to Gimme Shelter, and to Academy Award winners, Woodstock, and Harlan County USA, were followed by her directorial debut, Yudie, which premiered at the New York Film Festival. She went on to direct groundbreaking documentaries, as well as the feminist fiction feature, Enormous Changes, which premiered at Sundance. Her feature dance […]
Director Alison Klayman tells timely, intimate stories with larger-than-life figures. Her newest film JAGGED (TIFF 2021) about Alanis Morissette’s groundbreaking album Jagged Little Pill premieres Nov 18th on HBO. Other feature films include AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY (Sundance 2012, Special Jury Prize), TAKE YOUR PILLS (SXSW 2018) and THE BRINK (2019).
Samara is a filmmaker, scholar, programmer, mother, and the Executive Director of The Flaherty. Since 1954, the Flaherty Seminar has been committed to showcasing non-commercial non-fiction works alongside expansive conversations, breaking down the barriers between creators, scholars, critics, and the general public. Prior to joining The Flaherty, Samara was Senior Programmer at the Points North […]
Denise A. Greene, Director of Programs, produces Black Public Media’s funding and training programs — 360 Incubator+ (a professional development program paired with a funding pitch session) and BPM’s Open Call (accepting shorts, documentary, and podcast proposals). In addition, Denise serves as the Series Producer for AfroPop:The Ultimate Cultural Exchange and Supervising Producer for Be […]
Valerie Torres is Director of Theatrical Sales and Exhibitor Relations at Shout! Studios. She also manages non-theatrical sales, festivals, and awards for the company’s films. She has previously worked in distribution and marketing roles at A24, Greenwich Entertainment, Kino Lorber, and the Mayor’s Office of Film & Television. She is a proud Brown Girls Doc […]
Beth B is an award-winning director of independent feature-length documentary and narrative films as well as Network Television documentaries. Her films have shown at museums and cinemas worldwide as well as festivals including: The New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, TIFF, SXSW, DOC NYC Film Festival and others.
Jaie Laplante is Executive Director & Co-Director of Programming of Miami Film Festival and oversees the art house cinema Tower Theater Miami. In 2018, he received Spain’s Knight’s Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica for his career work in the exploration of Spanish cinema in the Americas.
Aseem Chhabra is the festival director of the New York Indian Film Festival. Aseem has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, BBC.com, Rediff.com and appeared on NPR, CNN, BBC. He has written biographies of Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Shashi Kapoor. Aseem is the voice of Shadow Puppet […]
Robert John Torres is a film festival programmer based in Los Angeles, CA. He currently programs for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, OUTFEST, Nashville Film Festival, and more. As a curator, he is particularly interested in the experimental canon, non-fiction filmmaking, and world cinema.
Leo Goldsmith is Visiting Assistant Professor of Culture and Media at Eugene Lang College, The New School. He is the author of a forthcoming book on the filmmaker Peter Watkins (Verso), a frequent contributor to 4Columns, and an advisor to the programming team of the New York Film Festival.