Meet Our Guests 2024
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 12:00pm @ FOSTER AUDITORIUM
sometime, somewhere + LOVE IN THE TIME OF MIGRATION
Ricardo Preve | SOMETIME, SOMEWHERE
Born in 1957 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied in Argentina, Italy, and the US. He earned a degree in Agronomy and Masters in Forestry from Virginia Tech. Since starting his film career in 2001, his films have participated in film festivals around the world and have won international awards. A member of the Argentine Film Academy and Directors Guild of Argentina. His companies Esto del Cine S.R.L. (Argentina) and Ricardo Preve Films LLC (US).
Kevin Hagopian | SOMETIME, SOMEWHERE
Kevin’s been teaching film in college since he was 20 years old- and he’s loved the movies since he was a lot younger than that. He teaches film studies at Penn State, where his research specialties include the Hollywood cinema and the colonial & post-colonial cinemas of the world. He’s very proud to work with the Centre Film Festival team to bring the art, the ideas, and the community of film to Central Pennsylvania.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 6:30pm @ STATE THEATRE
the masterpiece + running on sand
Àlex Lora Cercos | THE MASTERPIECE
Alex Lora (he/him) is a disabled Spanish filmmaker dedicated to exploring the complexities of the human condition through cinema, believing film has the power to reflect and create social change. Alex’s work has garnered significant recognition, including winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2024. Receiving over 100 awards, Alex’s work has been officially selected by some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.
Adar Shafran | RUNNING ON SAND
Born in 1982 in a village in Israel called “Ein Iron”. After producing one of his band’s music videos, the director asked him to produce more projects together, leading to the start of his own company, Firma Films. Begun with Adar’s partner Roni Abramowsky, Firma Films produces feature films, series, shorts, and commercials. Running on Sand will be Adar’s first big project as a director, one that’s exactly his style; A comedy with an important message.
Dr. Wanjiru Kareithi | African Studies + Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies
Dr. Wanjiru Kareithi, a human rights advocate and scholar from Nairobi, Kenya, has over twelve years of experience in advancing the rights of marginalized communities globally, focusing on economic, social, and cultural rights. At Pennsylvania State University, she is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Office of Access and Equity and a dedicated instructor in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program. Her teaching centers on the representation of women in media, art, and popular culture, exploring how these portrayals influence perceptions of gender, identity, and empowerment. Dr. Kareithi holds an LLD from the University of Pretoria, an LLM from the University of Bristol, and an LLB from Kenya, and is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 3:30pm @ CARNEGIE CINEMA
AFTERWARDS + MEDIHA
Linda Istanbulli | Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Arabic
Linda Istanbulli is an Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Arabic at Penn State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California, Berkeley. Linda’s research centers on modern Arab(ic) literatures with an emphasis on how literary practices decenter dominant paradigms and power structures, creating the conditions of possibility for new intellectual, social, and political negotiations. She publishes in both Arabic and English with recent articles appearing in Journal of Arabic Literature, Middle Eastern Literatures, and The Contemporary Levant.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 6:30pm @ THE STATE THEATRE
TATTOOED4LIFE + BYE BYE TIBERIAS
Or Azulay | TATTOOED4LIFE, Cinematographer
Graduate of the School of Audio & Visual Art of Sapir College, with a degree in film studies. I love telling stories through the camera, using light to portray emotion. I aspire to create a unique cinematic language for every narrative I come across, whether a fiction, documentary, video art, commercial, or music video. I aim to create an emotional experience, either by creating a world through scripted stories or revealing new worlds in the documentary field.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2:30pm @ UEC THEATRES 12
terminally ill + CHAPERONE
Devin Murphy | CHAPERONE
Over a seven-year span at Riot Games, Devin produced some of the most viewed live events in the world, including two Emmy-winning esports world championships with viewership over 100MM each. As large-scale events went on hold during Covid, Devin expanded his online media focus by concepting, writing and producing a music video with Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, as well as a creating and producing a Covid-safe online event featuring Y2K, a 2x Platinum music producer with 575MM views on his hit song LaLaLa. Upon relocating to Pahoa, Hawai’i, Devin returned to his roots producing independent film and media, and he has been elated to connect with Zoe and Alison on Chaperone.
Wednesday, NOVEMBER 13, 6:00pm @ STATE THEATRE
CLEO FROM 8:20 TO 2:35 + HIPPO
Mark Rapaport | HIPPO
Mark Rapaport, based in London and NYC, is a filmmaker and founder of the production company Kinematics. Mark graduated from NYU Gallatin in 2016, where he co-produced his first two feature films. Uncaged found a home on Netflix, Pledge was picked up by IFC and Hulu. Mark’s directorial feature debut, Hippo, premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival 2023. He produced upcoming film Josephine starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan.
Wednesday, NOVEMBER 13, 8:00pm @ UEC THEATRES 12
HOLEY + BAD SHABBOS
Bavly Soliman | HOLEY
Bavly Soliman, an Egyptian Film Director, was born in 1993 in Alexandria, Egypt. Bavly has been based in Brooklyn, NYC since 2017 and holds an MFA from Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College. Bavly Soliman is a motivated and passionate Film Director, always looking for new challenges and opportunities. His passion for the arts started at a young age, and he has grown to become a skilled and recognized Film Director.
Markous Soliman | HOLEY
Markous is a 34-year-old software engineer and an aspiring producer. He contributed to the short film Holey (2023) as a line producer, where he also explored his creative side. Merging his technical expertise with a passion for storytelling, Markous is excited to continue his journey in filmmaking.
Daniel Robbins | BAD SHABBOS
NYC-based director who takes exciting concepts and grounds them with authentic performances, surprising humor, and propulsive energy. His breakout film Pledge was a hit at Fantasia Film Festival, selling to IFC Midnight and settling a streaming deal with Hulu. His next two features are Citizen Weiner, picked up by Abso Lutely and Village Roadshow, and Bad Shabbos, which stars an incredible cast and premiered at Tribeca in June.
Kait Plum | MEDIHA + BAD SHABBOS
Skilled in uncovering the emotional core of a story, Kait is a dedicated film editor with over a decade of experience. Her debut feature documentary, Higher Love, garnered recognition at Slamdance Film Festival in 2020. Her recent work on documentary Mediha, attracted attention at major film festivals. She edited narrative comedy Bad Shabbos, which won an Audience Award at 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. She brings heart and depth to every project she takes on.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2:00pm @ UEC THEATRES 12
DON’T PICK UP + RENT FREE
Susannah Nolan | DON’T PICK UP
Playwright and screenwriter. Her first film, How Do You Type A Broken Heart, screened in over 25 festivals. The screenplay for Hotline was selected for the 2020 ABC Discovers Talent Showcase. She adapted her published one-act play Don’t Pick Up (Best Play, American Globe Short Play Festival), into a film directed by Jeremiah Kipp starring Keith David and Kathryn Erbe. Her work was featured in the 2022 NY Women in Film & Television’s Film Festival.
Jacob Roberts | RENT FREE
LA-based filmmaker and actor, graduate of Harvard College, wrote for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and won the Jonathan Levy Award, Jacob tells queer stories from a skewed, often comedic perspective. His short film Half, received Outfest’s Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Award and Austin Film Festival’s Blackmagic Collective Emerging Filmmaker Award. Rent Free is his first feature as a producer and lead actor.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 6:30pm @ state theatre
DOVBUSH
Luzer Twersky | DOVBUSH
Luzer Twersky is an actor and writer originally from Brooklyn, NY who performs on stage and on screen in multiple languages. He is best known for his appearances in the Felix and Meira, which was Canada’s submission to the Oscars, High Maintenance on HBO, and various stage performances around the world. Dovbush is his first film in Ukrainian.
Dr. Yuliya V. Ladygina | UKRAINIAN STUDIES
Assistant professor of Slavic and global and international studies at the PSU. Her research in Eastern European literatures and cultures, focuses on questions of cultural memory and cultural exchange. She is the author of Bridging East and West: Ol’ha Kobylians’ka, Ukraine’s Pioneering Modernist (Toronto UP, 2019), and she is working on her second book, The Reel Story of Russia’s War against Ukraine.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1:30pm @ CARNEGIE CINEMA
HAPPY THANKSGIVING + SUGARCANE
ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby | HAPPY THANKSGIVING
American filmmaker and member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. His films have screened in tribal communities, museums, and film festivals around the world. Happy Thanksgiving screened at the Woodstock Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest, among others. His latest film, The Beguiling, made its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Julian Brave Noisecat | SUGARCANE
Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, and student of Salish art and history. His first documentary, Sugarcane, follows an investigation into abuse and missing children at the Indian residential school NoiseCat’s family was sent to near Williams Lake, British Columbia. A proud member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen and descendant of the Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie, he is concurrently finishing his first book, We Survived the Night.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 6:30pm @ ROWLAND THEATRE
we should eat + 3.400kg + we strangers
Shaina Feinberg | WE SHOULD EAT
Shaina Feinberg (she/they) is an award-winning American filmmaker and writer. She’s been on This American Life, and her short doc, A Brief History of Hating My Face (2023), was commissioned by The New York Times. Along with being a New York Times writer the past five years, Shaina’s third book, Work, is due out in December 2024. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two children.
Lexi Perkel | WE SHOULD EAT
NYC based actor and performing artist. Her 2024 highlights are the world premieres of Shaina Feinberg’s We Should Eat, and indie feature Mabel, directed by Nicholas Ma. Best known for her featured role in Netflix’s John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch, including her musical number Pay Attention! with David Byrne. TV credits include AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhereand and TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
Chris Manley | WE SHOULD EAT
Writer, performer, editor and clown. He played John Benno in The First Bad Man at Lincoln Center, nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award, worked with Cirque du Soleil, performed at Ars Nova, The Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. He is in national commercials, films and plays the dog in the music video for MGMT’s Mother Nature (2023). He has edited films commissioned by the New York Times, IFC, PBS and more.
James Codoyannis | WE STRANGERS
James Codoyannis is a film and video editor residing in New York City. He earned his B.F.A. in Film & TV production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His narrative film credits include We Strangers, Minor Premise, and We’re Still Together, all official selections at major film festivals. James also has documentary film credits and has edited the short films Lucia: Before and After and Troll, among others.
saturday, NOVEMBER 16, 12:00pm @ rowland THEATRE
MADE IN PA: LOCAL, IN SHORT
Stephen Seliy | SCHLUMPY FUNK MOVIE
Croatian-American, he has been involved in filmmaking and photography for more than forty years. He has authored a 21st Century Grant for a 1.5 million dollars project for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He has degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts from the Community College of Allegheny County. Since 2014 he has worked in Eastern Africa and the Balkans on refugee issues. Seliy is a principal in Silver Lake Films.
Michael Sheridan | ABSTRACT NARRATIVE
Award-winning filmmaker who started making movies when he was in high school. He spent some time in film school, has written and directed more than a dozen short films, and has acted and worked on crews for many others. He has also worked for more than 20 years in journalism, and has won two New York Emmy Awards for his work producing short documentaries.
Wallace McKelvey | MANIFESTO
Award-winning Harrisburg-based journalist and filmmaker. His homegrown films have been screened nationally. His first feature, River City Stories, is a love letter to his hometown. A longtime investigative reporter, he’s covered the criminal justice system and environmental issues. He leads a team of watchdog journalists as The York Dispatch’s managing editor, serves as board co-chair for the LGBT Center of Central PA, and attends grad school at Penn State University.
Tony Buba | 40° 24.2983’N 79° 58.251’W
Received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Centre Film Festival. In 2023, Tony was selected by the Carnegie Museum of Art to inaugurate their film program and was commissioned to do two pieces for The Carnegie. Currently working on a new feature documentary titled Becoming Benjamin Lay as well as working on Thunder Over Braddock and An Un Remarkable Life, projects he hopes to complete sometime before he leaves this planet.
Scott Lentz | TERRA LUNA
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he developed a love of movies and filmmaking, making outrageous videos with friends in their backyards. He attended Penn State Berks County where he founded the Film Club. Scott has won awards for his cinematic accomplishments. He organizes the Lancaster Film and TV network and is on the board of directors for the Red Rose Film Festival. Scott works to grow the film industry in Lancaster.
Scott Danzig SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER
A software engineer and photography enthusiast, first embraced his passion for filmmaking in 2010. Scott continues to produce his own creative works, competing in film festivals, always experimenting and reaching for the next level. He is a community leader, engaging local filmmakers, assisting crews, and mentoring.
Jeremy Byers | TYLER SLIPPY: FOREVER 27
Born in Altoona, PA and started his production company at the age of 16 when he produced and directed his first feature film. Since then, his films have been recognized internationally by festivals and received numerous accolades.
Saturday, NOVEMBER 16, 2:00pm @ rowland THEATRE
THROUGH THE STORM + RODEO GIRLS
Kévin Noguès | RODEO GIRLS
Director of documentary and fiction films. After studying Modern Literature, he made several critically acclaimed short fiction films. His film, Uuquchiing, won the Critics’ Prize at the Trouville Festival. His style is atmospheric, focused on the body, and highly sensory. His preferred themes include adolescence and transmission. He enjoys offering an intimate and fresh perspective on changes affecting our societies through the eyes of those who experience them.
Justine Morvan | RODEO GIRLS
Writer and director of documentary and fiction films for the past four years. Her academic background in political science has nurtured her desire to explore the complexity of contemporary societies through sensitive and honest films. Her favorite themes include transmission, heritage, and the weight of traditions, with the underlying question of the individual and their place. Rodeo Girls is the first collaboration between Justine and Kévin Noguès.
saturday, NOVEMBER 16, 4:00pm @ rowland THEATRE
every 85 minutes + driver
Jason Aaron Goldberg | EVERY 85 MINUTES
JAG is a film and theatre artist with a focus on humanity in his storytelling. His feature film The Three Es, following a wounded warrior family as they struggle with the arrival of their wounded son, won multiple “Best of the Fest” awards and is on Amazon. His plays have been presented and developed by prestigious organizations like New York Theatre Workshop, Pasadena Playhouse, and many more.
Nesa Azimi | DRIVER
Director, producer, and editor in New York City. She started out at The Maysles Documentary Center before becoming producer for Rain Media, PBS FRONTLINE, FAULT LINES on Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and the Ciné Institute of Haiti. She helped produce three FRONTLINE films that received Emmy Awards. Former fellow with the Sundance Institute, NYSCA/NYFA, the Firelight Documentary Lab, and the Points North Institute. Driver is her first feature film.
saturday, NOVEMBER 16, 7:00pm @ rowland THEATRE
cut me if you can + on a narrow range + seeds
Anthony Lalor | CUT ME IF YOU CAN
Anthony Lalor is an actor with a background in theatre. Anthony played a role in the Oxygen TV series My Crazy Love in 2014 before playing a starring role in the 2024 short horror-comedy film Cut Me if You Can.
Phoebe Post | ON A NARROW RANGE
Working in both Europe and the United States, Phoebe is a fiction writer and director who is passionate about bringing an honest image of women onto the screen.
sunday, NOVEMBER 17, 10:30Am @ STATE THEATRE
A RUNNER’S HIGH + IT WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR YOU + THREE (EXTRA) ORDINARY WOMEN
Cameron Wilson | A RUNNER’S HIGH
Asian American born, raised, and residing in the mountains of North Carolina. Cameron’s storytelling family helped nurture his creativity, which turned into a career when he attended film school to pursue his filmmaking passion. Cameron has become an award-winning director and pursues real stories inspired by, on, or about real people, with dreams of one day directing his very own feature film and having it shown on silver screens around the world.
Cionin Lorenzo | THREE (EXTRA) ORDINARY WOMEN
Two-time Imagen Award winning, Latina filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY. Senior Video Producer at the Brooklyn Museum. A television production veteran with 20+ years’ experience. Director of two short documentaries on Shakira, a Field Director on MTV Cribs, and was Showrunner on two Peacock/T+ unscripted series. Developing and consulting on climate change, disabilities, and the arts content.
Pearlette Ramos | THREE (EXTRA) ORDINARY WOMEN
Dr. Pearlette J. Ramos is a lawyer, social justice advocate, and first-time filmmaker. Her passion for social justice and women’s empowerment has taken her from working in rape crisis centers and coalitions against domestic violence, to serving as the Washington Department of Social and Health Services senior director of the office of justice and civil rights, to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro where her debut film, Three (Extra)Ordinary Women, takes place.
Geoff Brugler, Founder | Appalachian Outdoors
From Lewistown, PA and graduated from Penn State in 1972. Opened Appalachian Outdoor House in State College, PA in 1974, known as Appalachian Outdoors on South Allen Street, downtown. We are celebrating our 50th year in business in 2024. Active skier, hiker and mountain biker and has done a lot of mountaineering and backcountry skiing in several countries. Enjoys XC skiing, biking, fishing, sporting clays, travel, golf and cooking.
sunday, NOVEMBER 17, 1:30Pm @ STATE THEATRE
GARDENER OF THE GALAXY + A BODY CALLED LIFE + HOME
Nick Natalicchio | Gardener of the Galaxy
Nick Natalicchio is an award-winning filmmaker, professor, and author. He made his directorial debut in 2019 with the short documentary film, THE TIDES THAT BIND, which has screened at over 25 festivals around the world and won numerous awards. His follow-up short documentary film, WATCHING THE WILDS, enjoyed an equally successful festival run and also won numerous awards. He co-authored the book, TELEVISION SHOW TRENDS, which was published in 2023 by McFarland. Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Nick currently resides in Ambler, PA, and teaches in the Department of Cinema & Television at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Benny Fredman | Home
Director & Producer at Red Films LTD, known for the short Leak (2012) and the feature Suicide (2014), showcased at Sitges and Jerusalem Film Festivals and distributed by Netflix. TV shows include Suspect (2015), a miniseries on Channel 10, and Everything is Judgeable (2015) on IBA. His feature, Home (2023), was nominated for 9 Ophir Academy Awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, and won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Alex Djordjevic | Gardener of the Galaxy
Alex Djordjevic has worked as a cinematographer, producer, and photographer, with a focus mainly on social and environmental issues. His video work has been broadcast nationally on PBS, selected for numerous film festivals, and his photography has been exhibited nationally and abroad. Alongside his multimedia work, Alex is an adjunct professor of cinematography and film history at Drexel University.
sunday, NOVEMBER 17, 3:30Pm @ STATE THEATRE
SHORT AND PROUD
Rani Crowe | Safety State
Filmmaker and theater artist. Her feature and television screenplays have received awards and readings by film festivals. She’s collaborated on a dance/theater creation in French and English, and a dance/theater/music production of the Stravinsky/ Kurt Vonnegut version of A Soldier’s Tale. She has a book chapter on Crafting the Pilot’s The Works of Shonda Rhimes, the first book in a new Screen Storytellers series, and currently teaches at Ball State University.
Ashley Seering | PRIDE OF TEXAS
Award-winning filmmaker originally from Illinois. She holds an MFA in Film and Television Production from LMU and a BA in Mass Communications from SIUE. Her films have screened at festivals all over the world, and she is a six-time regional EMMY nominee. Her work explores social justice and historical themes. She taught at Sam Houston State University and Penn State before teaching film production at San Jose State University.
Katie White | ILY, BYE
Emmy Award-winning producer. Credits include Best Summer Ever (Hulu), a NYT “Critic’s Pick,” and the Emmy-nominated Bridesman, Grindr’s first narrative series that premiered at Outfest and earned a Tribeca X nomination. Her documentary, Sylvie of the Sunshine State, won the George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award. Sundance and Gotham alum and a frequent champion of innovative directors, she has served as an at-large member of the Producers Union and chair of membership at the Documentary Producers Alliance.