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Coping, Connection, and Community

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Films

1-800-GOLEM

Talking, Where I'm From

5 Years in 8mm

All the Worlds I Could Lift

Cocotte

Lost At Sea

Flower in the Concrete

Pit

The Last Pancake

The NightMea

Filmmakers

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Kevin Alcantar

Kevin Alcántar (he/they) is a Mexican-American writer, director, and multidisciplinary artist. Kevin’s work explores the interplay between dream and memory, the mundane and the fantastical, and the lengths people will go to for human connection.

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Megan Jones

Megan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker creating stories with social impact. She co-produced No Māori Allowed, directed Six Angry Women, and co-created Black Coast Vanishings. She co-founded Open Closed Doors, a mental health charity.

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Ruby Phelan

Ruby Phelan is a multi-award winning Writer-Director for Film & TV & Author-Illustrator. Her latest short film THE WOMAN IN THE WARDROBE has toured across the globe at countless BIFA qualifying film festivals and partnered with the United Nations.

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Cameron Martin-Campbell

Lauren and Cameron as a collective create accessible works for their community that breaks silence, preserves memory and amplifies community truths through celebrating or exploring black joy, history, art or mental health.

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Ellie Charette

Ellie Charette is a trans award-winning filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada. She does fiction and documentary work relating to identity, the body, and political activism, all with a touch of satire. She is a co-owner of the production house Désolé.

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Honor Price

Honor Price is a BAFTA-nominated London-based animation director known for her distinctive stop motion style, sharp humour, and heartfelt storytelling. Her work, including Sister Midnight and ZUMAN, blends humour and emotion to explore complex themes

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Cody Stickels

Cody crafts character-driven stories that unite audiences. He is a 2025-2026 Chicken & Egg (Egg)celerator Lab cohort member and was selected for the 2024 Film Independent Documentary Story Lab. Cody holds a BFA in Film & TV from New York University.

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Ethan McDowell

Irish-born, London-based producer and founder of AnyOther. Productions, Ethan McDowell is known for balancing creative ambition with precision - delivering bold, cinematic, and emotionally grounded work across film, HETV, and advertising.

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Natalie Remplakowski

Natalie Remplakowski is a producer and creative strategist based between Toronto and New York, whose company Citrine Productions champions bold, auteur-driven filmmaking with international reach.

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David McShane

David’s award-winning films have played at festivals including Cannes, BFI London Film Festival and SXSW London. He was part of the Voices with Impact 2024 cycle and was selected by Saatchi & Saatchi as part of their 'New Creatives' for 2025.

Lauren Gee

Lauren Gee is a Director and Producer committed to storytelling that documents and explores the nuances of Black and global majority communities and subjects.

Stacey Murdoch

Stacey began her career as a BBC researcher in London before returning to New Zealand as a news and current affairs producer. Her credits include the Sundance award-winning documentary Prime Minister and other critically acclaimed documentaries.

Samantha Lee

Sam is a queer Filipino filmmaker who advocates for better representation of women and the LGBTQ+ community in media.

Mentors

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Amanda Klein

Since July 2021, Amanda Klein has been the EVP, Head of TV, Development & Production for Spyglass Media. Klein has held executive positions at Miramax TV, Crackle, Pariah, Kaplan Entertainment, and USA Films/ Focus Features. Klein is currently an Adjunct Professor at USC teaching The Business of Film & TV.

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Melissa Glassman

Melissa heads the scripted division at Mariska Hargitay’s Mighty Entertainment where she co-produced My Mom Jayne. At Pressman Film, Melissa developed various projects and produced the doc Dear Mr. Brody. She began her career as a writer/editor at the teen magazine, YM.

Jurors

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Juan Sosa

Juan Sosa, M.D. is a psychiatrist with sub-specialty training in forensic and addiction psychiatry. Dr. Sosa appreciates the use of various art forms, including film, to highlight and reflect on the impact mental illness has on those diagnosed.

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Michelle Jobes

Dr. Michelle Jobes is a dedicated public servant working in substance use disorder research with an eye and heart always on reducing the stigma of substance use disorders and mental health.

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Perry Voulgaris

Creating, managing, launching and distributing programming in screen-based, immersive and experiential media.​ ​ Favourite film: Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

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Sonya Littlejohn

I'm a poet, writer and community championing active listener who loves movies!​​ ​ Favourite film: The Princess Bride

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Asha Alaji-Sharif

With a passion for creativity, Asha aims to uplift underrepresented communities through storytelling. She is a graphic designer and filmmaker from Atlanta, GA, who has created two documentary shorts through VWI. Her favorite film is Zoolander!

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Jason Eskuzian

A 2023 Voices With Impact grant recipient, Jason Eksuzian is an award-winning director, writer, producer and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California. As both a scripted and unscripted director, Jason has helmed a vast array of projects, from independent short films to commercials and network television shows.

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India Barnardo

India Barnardo has worked in the film industry for 19 years at an array of companies within the animation industry and is currently with Disney. She has always had a passion for storytelling and in her spare time she loves to write, hike and paint.

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Christiane Alfred

Christiane Alfred is a UK-based registered counsellor and psychotherapist with a private practice, Cee The Counsellor, offering therapy to individuals aged 16 and above. Christiane enjoys baking, reading, and have recently taken up knitting.

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Aminata Barry

I work as a sexual assault counsellor and private practice therapist, supporting survivors and individuals navigating diverse mental health concerns. I’m passionate about weaving creativity into healing. I love exploring art and storytelling as tools for connection. My favorite film is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

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Nich Perez

Nich Perez is a Filipino-American filmmaker and educator, blending human connection with storytelling. Through his nonprofit, the Nonprofit Film Collective, he crafts powerful narratives that inspire change. His latest film, letters to eleanore, explores disability, hope, and community.

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Melissa Glassman

Melissa heads the scripted division at Mariska Hargitay’s Mighty Entertainment where she co-produced My Mom Jayne. At Pressman Film, Melissa developed various projects and produced the doc Dear Mr. Brody. She began her career as a writer/editor at the teen magazine, YM.

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Paula Assadourian

Paula is a passionate artist and director hailing from Mexico City with over 10 years of storytelling experience at studios like Pixar Animation Studios, Dreamworks and Sony Pictures Animations.

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Salman Khan

Salman Alam Khan is a filmmaker from Pakistan based in the US working in independent fiction and documentary. His work addresses cultural diversity, human rights & social issues.

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Max Wasserstrom

Max Wasserstrom (he/him) is passionate about developing his writing talents, often working on stories with Davy Stoces. Interested in law, he one day hopes to integrate his passion for academics and the arts to ensure artists receive the recognition they deserve.

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Searit Huluf

Searit Kahsay Huluf, a UCLA-trained screenwriter, has worked at Pixar on Incredibles 2 and Turning Red, directed award-winning shorts including Self on Disney+, earned major festival recognition, and leads international workshops while serving on film festival juries and directing theater.

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Jessica Heidt

Jessica Heidt is an award winning producer and director, currently working at Pixar Animation Studios, where she most recently managed the art department for the upcoming film, Hoppers. She is a TEDx speaker and a fierce advocate for more inclusive onscreen representation.

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Michael Makaroff

Michael Makaroff has an extensive track record of directing music videos, collaborating with Grammy and Juno Award-winning and nominated artists such as Alex Cuba, Jill Barber, Luca Fogale, and Jon & Roy. His commercial portfolio includes projects with renowned companies such as Arc'teryx, BC & Alberta Milk, and P&G.

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Brianna Morton

Brianna Morton is a neuro-affirming therapist and ADHD coach who supports neurodivergent individuals through understanding, self-acceptance, and advocacy. She founded Understanding ADHD and co-hosts Hypercast: An ADHD Podcast. Passionate about representation in storytelling, she especially loves sci-fi and fantasy films. Beaux is a dog and a princess and is definitely helping with the jurying.

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Julie Wadley

Julie's career has been entirely within public services in England. She trained as a nurse in the 1980’s and then moved into social work. Working within residential care, supporting adults with learning difficulties and then fostering and adult services. Recently, Julie started a palliative care social work position. With a youthful outlook, Julie loves a good musical!

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Hae Ji Cho

Hae Ji Cho (she/her) is a two-time recipient of the VWI Film Grant. She dedicates her time studying a variety of art mediums, writing / directing / producing indie films (live-action and animation), and casting / story producing for global marketing campaigns.

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Miryam Charles

Miryam Charles is a Haitian-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal. Her debut feature Cette maison premiered at the Berlinale, screened at AFI Fest, TIFF Top 10, and Sight & Sound’s Best of 2022. Her work has shown internationally in major museums and galleries.

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Saba Lurie

Saba Harouni Lurie is a licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified art therapist, and founder of Take Root Therapy in Los Angeles. She teaches at Loyola Marymount University and specializes in complex trauma. She's a first-generation, queer parent who loves film.

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Kimberly Diggles

Kimberly Diggles (she/her) is a licensed therapist in California. Dr. Diggles facilitates healing within couples, families, and communities impacted by trauma, centering resilience in folks who have been historically marginalized in society. Outside of work Kimberly enjoys running, eating, and traveling--sometimes all at the same time! Her favorite film is "Forrest Gump."

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Carly Stock

Carly is a LPCC in Oakland, California. She approaches therapy from an existential lens and supports adults trying to navigate dread, worry, fear and depression. She's passionate about sustainability, cycling and films! She loves anything by David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai.

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Fu Yang

Fu is a stop-motion filmmaker and partner at the boutique animation studio, Cafe LaBobo. She specializes in mixed media storytelling and crafts each project from concept to final. In one of her past productions, she directed a segment for "Yo Gabba GabbaLand!", streaming on Apple TV+.

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Shenuka Corea

Shenuka Corea is a visual storyteller from Sri Lanka and is the creator of the animated shorts ‘Sweet Oranges’ and ‘The Plastic Horror’. She is currently working on a graphic novel. In her free time, Shenuka enjoys fiber arts and Dungeons and Dragons.

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Leanne Dimant

Leanne, a Northern Canada-raised film director now in the UK, has created films for the Red Cross, Glastonbury Festival, and the V&A Museum. She is currently producing a documentary funded by the BFI Doc Society. Favourite Film: Lady Macbeth.

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Karen Ausejo

Karen Ausejo is a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) with more than 20 years of experience in mental health and counselling. She is currently in private practice as a therapist in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, having previously worked as a clinician and clinical coordinator in prominent public mental health organizations focusing on children, youth, and families.

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Natasha Roop

Natasha is an Indigqueer therapist both Splatsin First Nations and European, and is committed to helping decolonize the field of counselling and to create a healing space for BIPOC individuals to heal from intergenerational trauma.

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Heather Thrasher

Heather is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Family Mediator working in Victoria and surrounding areas of Vancouver Island, BC. Heather has worked directly with families, in various capacities, for the past 18 years and loves the work she does to support change and wellness.

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Stefan Credidio

Stefan is a non-binary, trans masc, trauma-informed, kink-aware, GSRD and neuro-affirming therapist who runs their online holistic counselling private practice in Glasgow, supporting individuals, couples, and polycules.

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Davy Stoces

Davy Stoces is an award winning director and animator from St. Louis. They specialize in traditional 2D animation, and started their career making short films. Now, they are in production for their own original animated pilot. Davy's favorite movie is "Annihilation," or "Speed Racer," depending on the day.

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Louis Conibear

Louis is an integrative counsellor and crisis support worker for a mental health charity that provides immediate support in his local area. He enjoys long-distance running, spending time outdoors and eating out. His favourite films explore identity and relationships.

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Kincaid Walker

Kincaid Walker, a Northwestern graduate based in LA, is an actress, writer, and producer. She has appeared alongside Rosario Dawson, Minnie Driver, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Offerman. Kincaid also created the award-winning digital series Hug it Out and received a writing fellowship from the Ucross Foundation. Favourite film: The Royal Tenenbaums

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Myranda Hulka

Myranda is a an animation director working with the mediums of stop-motion and puppetry with a focus on dark fantasy and horror. The look and feel of the puppets has a big influence on her storytelling process and she tends to experiment mixing these mediums in new ways.

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Julie Colman

Head of Production at Rural Media, I create and support films that amplify underrepresented voices. Coming from a working-class background, I came to filmmaking later in life after a career in admin and raising my family. I value bold, meaningful storytelling. My creative journey has been shaped by lived experience, curiosity and a determination to create space for voices and stories that deserve to be heard.

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Margaret Kroen

Margaret Ann Kroen believes that art has unlimited capacity to bring relief, support and joy to all. She is a social worker with 50 years of clinical and administrative experience in mental health, substance use, and research. Her favorite film is La Belle et la Bête by Jean Cocteau.

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Priscilla Jayne

Priscilla Jayne is an LA-based producer, and USC Stark program alum. Her recent work includes the short THE MUSHROOM MAN, selected for Cate Blanchett’s Proof of Concept Accelerator in 2026, and the short doc UNFOLDING, recipient of the 2024 Voices With Impact grant. Her favorite movie is FURY ROAD.