Ellie Foumbi is an award-winning Cameroonian-American filmmaker whose debut film, “Our Father, the Devil,” screened at over 50 international film festivals and went on to win 36 prizes. It received universal critical acclaim, including an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Feature and a Gotham Awards Nomination for Best Lead Performance. She’s a BAFTA Breakthrough USA Fellow and was named 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. Ellie holds an MFA in Directing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.

Emily Robinson is a SAG Award-nominated, Special Drama Desk Award- winning actor known for her work in “Eighth Grade,” “The Year Between,” “Private Life,” and Transparent. Her short films, “Virgin Territory” and “Hearsay,” have screened at numerous festivals, such as LA Film Festival, Outfest, and Frameline. Her writing has been celebrated at Raindance, and her debut novel was published in October 2023. Robinson holds a degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University and is represented by Buchwald and Foundation Media Partners.

Glam is a director, production designer, multimedia & performance artist making work in Chicago. Glam spends their time collaborating with their friends making films and music videos, fabricating objects in their studio and building sets. Glam is the founder of Glamhag Productions. Glam makes work about desire, consumerism, gender, sex and food. Channeling their own feelings and desires into this work and examining our everyday performances.

Emily Lape is an award winning filmmaker, artist and actress. Her feature film, Mercy’s Girl, won several festival awards and is available to stream on Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Before Emily moved to Chicago, she studied acting with the world renowned Ivana Chubbuck and held various positions in multiple studio and indie productions during her 8 years in Los Angeles. Emily continues to write and direct with several upcoming productions. 

US-based, Philippine-born Isabel Sandoval has emerged as “one of the most exciting and multitalented filmmakers on the indie scene with a bold approach to cinematic style,” according to The Criterion Collection. Meanwhile, The Museum of Modern Art has recognized her as a “rarity among the young generation of Filipino filmmakers.” She has directed three feature films. Her debut, Señorita, premiered at Locarno. Her critically acclaimed third feature, Lingua Franca, premiered in Venice and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. She starred in the César Award-winning short film Maria Schneider, 1983, directed by Elisabeth Subrin.

Julie Keck is a Chicago-based filmmaker, as well as a consultant on storytelling, strategic partnerships, and impact/outreach. She is a Consulting Producer for the Storytelling initiatives of Nia Tero, a global nonprofit supporting Indigenous land guardianship, and a co-founder of Breaking Light Studio (formerly OTV Studio), an incubator for intersectional artists seeking sustainable careers in the film/tv industry. Julie has produced over two dozen web series and two features, and is the co-author of Social Media Charm School, a guide to film marketing for creative entrepreneurs, with Jess King. She studied psychology at Knox College and earned her Sustainable Innovation MBA from the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business. 

Stephanie Filo, ACE is a three-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning TV/Film Editor and activist based in Los Angeles, CA and Sierra Leone, West Africa. She serves on the board for Girls Empowerment Sierra Leone, a social impact and feminist-based organization for Sierra Leonean girls aged 11-16. She is one of the co-founders of End Ebola Now, an organization created in 2014 to spread accurate information and awareness about the Ebola Virus and its impact through artistic community activism.

Melora Walters is a world class actress best known for her stellar film and television career.  She received her pedigree at the Pratt Institute and also the infamous Actors Studio. 
Melora was cast as a recurring arc in American Gigilo currently filming & starred in the first and second season of PEN15 on HULU recurring as Cathy a very dysfunctional mother to Anna. Melora was praised for her work on LAW & ORDER: SVU.  Prior she wrapped an arc on Brit Marling’s series, THE OA for Netflix. She made an impact in her on the HBO award winning drama BIG LOVE and in addition has been seen in powerful performances in numerous guest star and recurring roles.

Jennifer Reeder was recently named by Bong Joon Ho as a filmmaker to watch in the 2020s. She constructs personal fiction films about relationships, trauma, and coping that borrow from a range of forms including after-school specials and amateur music videos. These films have shown at festivals and museums around the world, including Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, and The Whitney Biennial. PERPETRATOR premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival. Sight and Sounds says of this film: “Assuming the mask of a slasher/superhero film to critique a patriarchal system that feeds on the exploitation of women, Jennifer Reeder’s fifth feature is funny, freaky and full of feeling.” And The Playlist claims that “Jennifer Reeder has cemented her status as a horror doyenne with her fourth feature film.”

Lisa is a world-building director and filmmaker known for eliciting deep performances from actors and telling emotionally powerful stories. She leverages arresting visuals and psychology to excavate true yet unexpected insights into the human condition. Lisa has written and directed two award-winning feature films. Claire in Motion, starring Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), premiered at SXSW in 2016 and was praised by The LA Times as “a quietly affecting psychological mystery.” Small, Beautifully Moving Parts, starring Anna Margaret Hollyman (Gayby) and Andre Holland (Moonlight), premiered at SXSW in 2011. Roger Ebert deemed the film “effortlessly engaging” and it earned Critic’s Pick at Time-Out and New York Magazine. Her short films Hollow and Head Stand have screened at premier festivals including Cannes, Tribeca, and Telluride.

Based between LA & New York, Adelaide’s Annette Davey has worked in both television and film around the world. Since relocating to the US after winning the QANTAS prize at her AFTRS graduation, Annette’s career has flourished. Feature film credits include Adrienne Shelly’s beloved indie rom-com Waitress; Together Together, Pretty Bird, St John of Las Vegas, Lady of the Manor, Swinging Safari, and Poms starring Diane Keaton, Pam Grier and Jackie Weaver. Annette was supervising editor on Apple Cider Vinegar for See Saw & Netflix, which premiered in February 2025, and is currently in post-production on Shiver directed by Claire McCarthy, based on the young adult fantasy bestseller of the same name (with cinematography from fellow alum Denson Baker ACS NZCS). Most recently she edited Merv for Amazon/MGM directed by Jessica Swale with Zoey Deschanel & Charlie Cox.

Christine Swanson, a Detroit native and award-winning filmmaker, earned her MFA in Film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Recognized by CNN as a promising talent, she has worked with HBO Films, Magnolia Pictures, and her own company, Faith Filmworks. Her notable films include Two Seasons, All About You, and Woman Thou Art Loosed, which have garnered multiple awards. In 2015, she received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for For the Love of Ruth. Recently, she directed episodes of Chicago PD and FBI, with her Chicago PD episode being rated the Best of Season 6.

Kate Hackett, ACE is a film editor based in Los Angeles, known for her work on the documentary SALLY for Nat Geo, directed by Cristina Costantini, which chronicles astronaut Dr. Sally Ride’s life and will debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. She has won an Emmy and an ACE Eddie Award for her editing on Netflix’s Cheer and has also edited seasons four and five of Last Chance U and D.B. Cooper, Where Are You?! by Marina Zenovich. Her feature credits include Half The Picture, Open Wide, and Waikiki. A 2018 Sundance Institute Sally Menke Editing Fellow, she is a member of the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild and speaks Spanish.

Cecilia Albertini is an Italian director and writer based in Los Angeles. Her award-winning films have been featured at prestigious festivals like HollyShorts and the LA Shorts Fest, and showcased on platforms such as KCET. Cecilia’s work often highlights strong women facing societal challenges. She holds a BA in Film Studies from Columbia University and an MFA in Film Directing from UCLA. Additionally, she has acted in major Italian television shows and films.

Haroula Rose is a talented Greek American filmmaker and performer based in Chicago and Los Angeles. Her upcoming film, ALL HAPPY FAMILIES, featuring Josh Radnor and produced by Michael Shannon, is set for theatrical release in late 2024. Her debut feature, ONCE UPON A RIVER, received acclaim as one of TIME Magazine’s “Most Anticipated Films,” winning 19 awards at various festivals, including Best Director at the Bend Film Festival. Richard Roeper praised it as a “living prose poem” with exceptional writing and acting. Haroula’s work has been recognized with support from prestigious programs like the Fulbright Fellowship and Sundance Institute. She holds degrees from the University of Chicago and attended USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. As a musician, her songs have appeared in series like HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and AMERICAN HORROR STORY, and she has released multiple albums through her label, Little Bliss.

Laura Moss (they/them) is a filmmaker from NYC.  Their work has screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Rotterdam, and SXSW, and they were one of Indiwire’s 10 LGTBTQ Creators On The Rise in 2023. Their feature debut, ‘BIRTH/REBIRTH premiered in the Midnight section at Sundance 2023. It was distributed theatrically by IFC and Focus/Universal. It was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (Best Screenplay and Best Lead Performance, Judy Reyes). Their short film ‘Fry Day’ premiered at SXSW, was featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick and is currently on the Criterion Channel, paired with the classic satire, ‘Man Bites Dog.’

Deborah Kampmeier is an acclaimed filmmaker and founder of Full Moon Films, established in 1993 to create films by and about women. This spring, she will direct three episodes of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Kampmeier has also directed episodes for Amazon’s “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” and “Outer Range.” Her films include “Virgin,” which received Independent Spirit Award nominations, and “Hounddog,” nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Her third film, “Split,” won Best of Show at the 2016 Female Eye Film Festival. She made her TV directorial debut on “Queen Sugar” in 2019 and has directed episodes of “Clarice” and “Star Trek: Discovery.” Currently, she is developing several projects, including “Holy Whore” and “A Witch in Harlem,” and founded The New Myths Film Fund to support female filmmakers.

Patricia Vidal Delgado is a Sundance Institute FilmTwo Fellow represented by Luber Roklin. Her debut feature, ‘La Leyenda Negra’, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on HBO MAX. The film was a Top 20 Finalist for the Roy W. Dean Grant and received the Frameline Completion Fund in February 2020. It was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards and for Outstanding TV Movie at the GLAAD Media Awards. Patricia has directed short films like ‘Bué Sabi’, ‘Isa’, and ‘Caroline’, which have been showcased at various film festivals worldwide. To date, her films have won 21 awards and received 63 nominations.