Meet Our Guests 2025
PRE-FEST: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 6:00 PM @ THE FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Jennifer Lin — Director, About Face
Journalist-turned-filmmaker, Jennifer Lin spent 31 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer, reporting from China, New York, and D.C. About Face is her third documentary, following Beethoven in Beijing (PBS Great Performances) and Ten Times Better (American Masters). She’s the author of Shanghai Faithful and an oral history based on Beethoven in Beijing.
PRE-FEST: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 6:00 PM @ THE FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Maria Kenney Burchill — Librarian, Schlow Library
Maria Kenney Burchill, MLIS, is Head of Adult Services for Schlow Centre Region Library in State College, PA, where she manages collections and award-winning programming and services for teens and adults. Maria has trained users on databases, web applications, programs, and mobile devices for over a decade. With more than 30 years of library experience, she is the co-author of multiple articles, including a chapter in the recent book, Envisioning the Future of Reference: Trends, Reflections, and Innovations.
PRE-FEST: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 6:00 PM @ CARNEGIE CINEMA
Jacob Wegwerth — Director, One Slice
Jacob Wegwerth, born just outside New York City, raised in the Chicago suburbs in the town of Barrington Illinois, is a student at The Pennsylvania State University. With a passion for filmmaking and a love of cinematography, Jacob is constantly making strides to improve and hone his craft. He also has spent many years acting as a hobby in plays and musicals, this has taught him the value and importance of communication and teamwork, as well as gaining him great public speaking skills. Jacobs future is something he doesn’t know much about but is excited to see what it holds and would love to get more into the industry.
DARIEN REIMOLD and Braeden Ness — Directors, Emanating
Darien Reimold and Braeden Ness have been making short films together for 2.5 years, bouncing creativity and ideas off of each other to work and grow as directors. They innovate and strive to continually improve their products.
Gabrielle Singer — Director, Taking the Reins
Filmmaker Gabrielle “Gabby” Singer was raised in the rural landscapes of Sussex County, New Jersey. She studied film at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania—a setting that ironically mirrored the countryside she came from. After graduating, Gabby returned to her hometown in Sussex County. While she gained experience working on several student short films as a crew member during college, this project marks her directorial debut. Her ultimate career aspiration is to work as a cinematographer on documentary films.
Will Bond — Director, Sunburst
Will Bond is a filmmaker, journalist, and Schreyer Honors scholar in his third year at Penn State. He’s had a lifelong passion for storytelling across different mediums, mostly through nonfiction. He’s worked across the spectrum of production writing, editing, directing, and producing in various capacities. Will is a host of the podcast “Reviewing Who”, alongside his twin brothers. This is his first professional short film.
Joe Liam Ramsay — Director, LADY
Joe Liam Ramsay is a filmmaker, sculptor, and musician from central Pennsylvania. He makes his living as a cook and does art on the side.
Herley Gong — Director, Layers of Ordinary
Herley Gong is a senior film production student at Penn State University.
Marco Falcucci — Director, Collarbone
I’m a recent graduate of Penn State University, double majoring in both Film Production and Computer Science, because I never really wanted a life during college anyway. I like writing and making films, because if I don’t then they’ll be stuck in my head forever.
Jindong Tian — Director, 8 Minutes
Jindong Tian is from the city that never sleep – xi’an, Shannxi, the heart of China. As a film production student at Penn state, the most sincere element is people here, with a contact to the non-profit organization – bridge of hope. A fantastical journey – spending a night in a car, written to a melody. With the cutest people and best wishes captured, love and compassion is what I’m trying to delivery and pass on!
Arda Wuyts — Director, A Night in the Car
Arda Wuyts is a Belgian-Turkish writer and director. He now lives in State College, Pennsylvania where he also received his education at Penn State University and will be in Hollywood in 2026, where he will continue making films in which he explores his wordview through his unique, multicultural background. Dimitrios Manias is a Senior Biobehavioral Health Student at Penn State University with a passion for film and directing in particular, he hopes to continue studying to be a Therapist while staying involved with film in the future.
Lea Bahamonde — Director, The Henhouse State
Leah Bahamonde is a senior Film Production student at Pennsylvania State University. She recently completed Penn State’s Hollywood Program and a TV Development internship at CBS Studios, where she gained hands-on experience in creative development. Currently, she is directing one of Penn State’s senior capstone films, Unstrung, which she also wrote. Bahamonde is passionate about telling stories that explore raw, human emotions and aims to continue creating films with powerful, resonant messages.
Hamilton Lazar — Director, Eaten Alive
Hamilton Lazar (born February 21, 2008) is an Hungarian-American amateur film producer, director, and screenwriter.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 11:30 AM @ UEC THEATRES
Yuliya V. Ladygina — Programming Committee
Penn State assistant professor of Slavic and Global Studies whose research explores Eastern European culture, memory, and exchange. Author of Bridging East and West and completing The Reel Story of Russia’s War against Ukraine. Her work appears in leading journals across film and Slavic studies.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 12:00 PM @ THE FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Grace Hampton — Advisory Board
Artist, educator, and arts leader who has taught across major universities and served at the National Endowment for the Arts. At Penn State, she champions inclusive, community-engaged arts practice.
Sinfree Makoni — Director of African Studies
Zimbabwe-born scholar and Penn State professor of Applied Linguistics; Director of African Studies. Former fellow at University of Michigan; has taught widely across southern Africa. Holds appointments at universities in the U.S. and South Africa.
Yaw Agawu-Kakraba — Professor Spanish and African Studies
Penn State professor of Spanish and African Studies from Ghana. Novelist and scholar; The Restless Crucible won the 2024 African Literature Association Book of the Year. Author of multiple academic books; newest novel The Executioner’s Stepdaughter (2025).
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Reid Davenport — Director, Life After
Documentary filmmaker centering disability from a political lens. His feature I Didn’t See You There won Sundance’s U.S. Documentary Directing Award (2022) and aired on POV. A TED Fellow, his work appears via NPR, PBS, and major outlets. MFA, Stanford.
Catharine Axley
Catharine Axley is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator based in central Pennsylvania. Her most recent film, ATTLA, co-produced by ITVS and Vision Maker Media, aired nationally in 2019 on PBS’ Independent Lens and went on to win awards at the American Indian Film Festival and BendFilm Festival. Her films have screened at major festivals including San Francisco International, DOC NYC, Heartland, Harlem International, and the United Nations Association Film Festival. Before joining Penn State, she taught at the University of Kentucky and Spelman College.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 4:30 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Nick Luciano — DIRECTOR, Te Seguiré a la Oscuridad
Los Angeles–based indie filmmaker from Allentown, PA, creating character-driven comedies and music videos; recent shorts are touring festivals across North America.
Mike Macera — Director, Alice-Heart
South Jersey screenwriter/filmmaker influenced by mumblecore and Philly life. Alice-Heart captures an authentic snapshot of aimless college years and city drift.
Spencer Folmar
Spencer Folmar is an award winning producer, director, and writer. He has been making independent feature films for over 15 years. He is the founder of American Talent Management. His 2017 theatrical debut “Generational Sins” made worldwide news with his new Hard Faith™ genre. His films and entrepreneurial endeavors have been featured in Variety, New York Times, New York Post, Newsweek, LA Times, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, and more. Spencer has written & directed 8 feature films and produced 13 feature films. Spencer’s life motto in art is “Telling Stories That Liberate” and runs the nonprofit Hard Faith Inc.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 7:00 PM @ THE STATE THEATRE
Jesse Short Bull — Director, Free Leonard Peltier
Oglala Lakota storyteller and co-director of Lakota Nation vs. United States and Free Leonard Peltier, exploring history, sovereignty, and justice through Indigenous perspectives.
Shaheen Pasha — Prison Journalism Project
Cofounder and Chief Education Officer of Prison Journalism Project; Associate Teaching Professor at Penn State. A veteran journalist (Reuters, CNNMoney, WSJ), she builds carceral classroom partnerships and serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project.
Pearl Gluck — Co-Founder, Artistic Director
Pearl Gluck, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Centre Film Festival, is a filmmaker whose work explores identity, class, and faith through narrative and documentary film. She is also the Penn State Laureate (2025–26) and an Associate Professor of Film Production at Penn State. Her films have screened at Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, and international festivals. Her feature documentary Divan received a Fulbright to Hungary and premiered at Tribeca; her hybrid film, The Turn Out, won awards for its engagement with human trafficking awareness. Most recently, her short Castles in the Sky (2023) won Best Short at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and her forthcoming Stars and Bars is in post-production. She is also developing A Place with No Men, a feature documentary supported by two Fulbright awards (Poland and Israel), expanding her ongoing work with women’s stories and Jewish history.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 11:30 AM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Greg Feinberg — Director/ Editor, Whatever Dreams May Come
Director/editor for 25 years crafting films on artists and ideas. His work spans PBS, streamers, and social platforms, earning EMMY, Telly, CASE, and Communicator awards.
Melissa Langer — Director, In Excess
Documentary filmmaker exploring intimate, observational stories with visual rigor and emotional depth.
Kevin Hagopian — Advisory Board
Film historian and educator helping shape the festival’s curation and conversations.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 12:00 PM @ THE FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Joan B Landes — Ferree Professor of Early Modern History and Women’s Studies
My interests span European gender, cultural, intellectual, and political history, with a focus on eighteenth-century France; interdisciplinary eighteenth-century studies; the history of modern feminist theory and feminist movements; the history of Enlightenment science and medicine; visual imagery; and French colonialism.
Lior Sternfeld — Programming Committee
Penn State historian whose work examines modern Middle Eastern and Jewish histories, identity, and dissent.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Debra Madsen — Social Worker, Row of Life
Social worker and advocate who married Paralympian Angela Madsen in 2013. Debra became Angela’s closest collaborator, handling logistics and offering steadfast support through record-setting ocean rows and disability advocacy.
Theresa Vescio — Professor of Psychology
Terri Vescio’s research seeks to understand the factors that facilitate and temper the expression of sexism, racism, and heterosexism. Within that context, Terri is interested in the interplay between the stereotypic behaviors of powerful people and the consequences that those behaviors have for the emotions, motivation, and performance of low power women, gay men, and people of color. She also studies the role of hegemonic masculinity (as a personal identity and cultural ideology) in the maintenance of the status quo via political preferences, use and acceptance of sexual violence, preferences to dominate women, acceptance of violence against people of color. She is particularly interested in how subtle and hegemonic processes reinforce and maintain the status quo.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 3:30 PM @ 3 DOTS
Rasa Drane — Programming Committee
Rasa “Ray Dray” Drane, M.Ed, is a playwright, director, choreographer, and higher education administrator. A graduate of Bethune-Cookman University and Penn State, she created Whew Chile! Black Women Working and leads Ray Dray Presents, an “edutainment” company blending performance and advocacy. Her work uplifts creativity, community, and access to opportunity.
Jordan Flaherty — Producer, Space to Breathe
Jordan Flaherty is an award-winning journalist, producer, and author whose work amplifies grassroots movements. His film Powerlands won the 2022 Rigoberta Menchú Grand Prize, and his early reporting on post-Katrina injustice and the Jena Six helped spark national awareness. His first film, Chocolate Babies, is a queer cult classic in the Criterion Collection.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 6:30 PM @ CARNEGIE CINEMA
Ana Pérez-Quiroga — Director, ¿De qué casa eres?
Portuguese visual artist and filmmaker with a PhD in Contemporary Art. Her multidisciplinary practice maps everyday life, identity, gender, and memory across installation, textiles, photography, and film. SPA and Millennium BCP awardee; debut feature supported by ICA and RTP.
Krista Brune — Associate Professor of Portuguese and Spanish
Krista Brune is an associate professor of Portuguese and Spanish and the director of the Global and International Studies program at the Pennsylvania State University. She is the author of Creative Transformations: Travels and Translations of Brazil in the Americas (SUNY Press, 2020) and the co-editor of Listening to Others: Eduardo Coutinho’s Documentary Cinema (SUNY Press, 2024).
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Jack El-Hai — Writer, Nuremberg
Award-winning author whose work bridges history, psychology, and medicine. Books include The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, The Lobotomist, and The Lost Brothers. Contributor to Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian; frequent lecturer at leading universities.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 11:30 AM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Nathaniel Lezra — Director, Roads of Fire
Spanish-American director/producer telling humanist stories beyond mainstream conventions. Credits with MTV, Paramount, and Lionsgate. Roads of Fire won Best Documentary at Santa Barbara (2025) and is set for theatrical release with New Mountain Films.
MELISSA WRIGHT — Professor of Geography and Women’s,
Gender & Sexuality Studies
Dr. Wright is a scholar of social justice movements within Mexico and the Mexico-US borderlands, and in the southern Americas. As a critical geographic scholar with foundations in interdisciplinary feminist, critical race, solidarity, and political economic studies, Dr. Wright examines how social movements that articulate human rights, social justice, and landscape stewardship subvert the necropolitical convergence of anti-immigrant, extractive economies, and racist governance systems that threaten the well-being of the borderlands beyond the human domain. She has authored foundational pieces in studies of feminicidio and the social movements against it in Mexico and beyond, of social justice campaigns against state terror and labor exploitation, and of the formation of solidarity in support of social and ecological diversity in the Mexico-US borderlands. Her current research examines how critical race, ecological, and indigenous movements throughout the borderlands have gained steam through “border thinking” combined with solidarity movements that prioritize the merging of social justice with ecological well-being.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 12:00 PM @ THE FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Arash Azizi — Writer, The Atlantic
Arash Azizi is an Iranian writer, historian, and filmmaker whose work bridges politics, society, and culture. He is the author of The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran’s Global Ambitions. He brings deep insight into the intersection of sports, gender, and political struggle in contemporary Iran.
Ned Toloui-Semnani — Assistant Teaching Professor of Journalism
Neda Toloui-Semnani is an author and multimedia journalist. Her work has received numerous awards, including seven news and documentary EMMYs for her work with “VICE News” and “VICE News Tonight.” She’s currently a story editor with Kaleidoscope, a global podcasting company. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, VICE News, New York Magazine, The Baffler and Roll Call. Her memoir, “They Said They Wanted Revolution: A Memoir of My Parents,” was published in 2021 by Little A. She was formerly core faculty at Goucher College’s MFA program in creative nonfiction.
Neda holds an MSc. in sender and social policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MFA in nonfiction from Goucher College. She has a BA in government and politics from the University of Maryland. She was named a 2018 fellow with the Logan Nonfiction Program and a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA fellow in Nonfiction.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
$eck — Director, So Far All Good
$eck is a Senegalese-rooted, New York–based filmmaker and visual artist whose emotionally resonant, self-shot work blurs cinema and fine art. His debut feature is slated to premiere at Tribeca.
Gustavo Rosa — Producer, So Far All Good
Gustavo Rosa is a Brazilian-born, Boston-raised filmmaker and educator whose work spans narrative and documentary film. His recent projects include The Voyage Out (DOC NYC 2025), Seconds Away (Austin Film Festival 2025), and So Far All Good (Tribeca 2025). He directed Carro (HBO, 2018), which screened at over 80 festivals worldwide, and The Restoration (Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020). Rosa has collaborated on international productions such as the forthcoming Those Who Whistle in the Dark (Turkey) and has worked with companies including A24 and Netflix. As an educator, his students’ films have screened internationally and received multiple Directors Guild of America awards.
Gopal Balachandran — Council Member BOROUGH OF STATE COLLEGE
Professor Gopal Balachandran is an Associate Professor of Clinical Law at Penn State Dickinson Law, where he directs the Criminal Appellate & Post-Conviction Services Clinic. In that role, he supervises students on a variety of post-conviction and appellate matters throughout Pennsylvania. Students have investigated claims of actual innocence and litigated post-conviction cases through collaborations with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Federal Public Defender. Students work on pardon and commutation applications to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons to give individuals a second chance from criminal convictions. In addition, students draft and file briefs in both the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts. In past cases, the clinic has served as amicus counsel for the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the ACLU and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Representative amicus cases include the League of Women Voters v. Degraffenreid, Commonwealth v. Fountain, Commonwealth v. Pacheco.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 4:30 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Miranda Brethour — Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies
Brethour, Visiting Assistant Professor of History/Jewish Studies at Penn State, studies Polish-Jewish relations around the Holocaust and rural responses to persecution; Zwigenberg is a historian of memory, trauma, and atomic legacies.
Ran Zwigenberg— Professor of Asian Studies, History & Jewish Studies
Ran Zwigenberg is Professor of Asian Studies, History & Jewish Studies at Penn State University. His award-winning research examines modern Japanese and European history through the lenses of memory culture, trauma, and heritage. His books include Hiroshima: The Origins of Global Memory Culture and Nuclear Minds: Cold War Psychological Science and the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 6:00 PM @ CARNEGIE CINEMA
Pavli Serenetsky — Director, More Beautiful Perversions
Filmmaker and environmentalist making place-focused cinema, often hand-processing 16mm. Firstness won Outfest’s Grand Jury Prize (2021). Co-founded Purpose Repair Shop; exhibited at MoMA and festivals nationwide.
Josh Weissbach — Director, Frank Stares at Celestials
Experimental filmmaker with screenings at Ann Arbor, Courtisane, and Museum of the Moving Image. Recipient of grants and fellowships from LEF, Interbay, Nohl, and more; works distributed by Light Cone (Paris).
Matt Whitman — Director, Nearer to Thee in a Triptych
Brooklyn-based artist whose 16mm and Super 8 films screen at venues including UnionDocs, Light Field, CROSSROADS, and more; exploring perception, place, and time.
Richard Rodriguez — Director, Ashes from a Phoenix
Born in the year 2000, Richard is a filmmaker and former Facultad de Cine student, known for “Ashes from a Phoenix”, “The Blue from the night” and “Pasion”.
Nolan Brautigam — Director, Sweet Road
My love for going to the movies, along with a middle school class on the 3D software Blender, started my film and animation journey. I’m continuing that journey now learning all aspects of production. I hope to eventually write and fully produce my own feature film concepts sitting in my notes app!
Hank Heimlic — Director, he’s nice, but…
Hank Heimlich is a senior studying Cinema and Television Arts at Elon University from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a lifelong kickboxer, the human to a Cavaton puppy named “Forrest,” and deeply passionate about filmmaking.
Myra Kathiria Rosa — Director, Pura Sangre
Myra Kathiria Rosa is an award-winning Afro-Puerto Rican Pan-African filmmaker, transdisciplinary cultural worker, and autoethnographer from The Bronx whose practice spans poetry, photography, and film. Driven by meliorism—the belief that art can shape an ethical world—she creates work that celebrates the multiplicity of identity and the beauty of survival. In 2018, following Hurricane María, Myra began documenting Afro-Indigenous oral histories in Puerto Rico to honor collective memory. She later received a two-year Mellon Foundation fellowship (2020–2022), deepening her practice in autoethnographic storytelling. In 2022, she founded Race to a Future, a production company dedicated to amplifying the voices of marginalized individuals through digital media. Her second short film, Pura Sangre (2025), developed as part of her Master of Arts at New York University, explores love, diaspora, and healing through an avant-garde lens. Her films have screened in the United States and internationally, including England, Italy, Portugal, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Nigeria. She currently divides her time between New York City and the U.S. South.
Mia Đurkan — Director, Disappearing
My name is Mia Đurkan. I am 14 years old and I live in Kutina. I was born in Pakrac on 23rdJune 2011. I have been a member of the school film group since the fifth grade. The mentor of the film group in our school is technical education teacher, Mr Goran Šporčić. Every year the group makes several successful films (feature, documentary, experimental). Some of them have
Madison Traub — Director, Pity Party
Madison Traub is an indie filmmaker based in Pennsylvania. She graduated from Hofstra University with a B.F.A degree in Filmmaking. During her final semester at Hofstra, she produced four senior thesis films along with writing, directing, and editing Pity Party, her own thesis film. She manages a YouTube channel, FamilyCircusPro, where she posts films and other videos she makes alongside her sisters.
Catharine Axley
Catharine Axley is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator based in central Pennsylvania. Her most recent film, ATTLA, co-produced by ITVS and Vision Maker Media, aired nationally in 2019 on PBS’ Independent Lens and went on to win awards at the American Indian Film Festival and BendFilm Festival. Her films have screened at major festivals including San Francisco International, DOC NYC, Heartland, Harlem International, and the United Nations Association Film Festival. Before joining Penn State, she taught at the University of Kentucky and Spelman College.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 7:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Yuliya V. Ladygina — Programming Committee
Scholar of Eastern Europe contextualizing contemporary cinema and dissent within longer historical arcs.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 11:30 AM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Amanda Erickson — Director, She Cried That Day
San Carlos Apache filmmaker and veteran nonfiction TV producer (Travel Channel, Nat Geo WILD, ID). Her debut feature investigates Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives in New Mexico. A Jackson Wild, Film Independent Doc Lab, and NAMA fellow; teaching artist and BGDM member.
Catharine Axley
Catharine Axley is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator based in central Pennsylvania. Her most recent film, ATTLA, co-produced by ITVS and Vision Maker Media, aired nationally in 2019 on PBS’ Independent Lens and went on to win awards at the American Indian Film Festival and BendFilm Festival. Her films have screened at major festivals including San Francisco International, DOC NYC, Heartland, Harlem International, and the United Nations Association Film Festival. Before joining Penn State, she taught at the University of Kentucky and Spelman College.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 12:00 PM @ FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Lior Sternfeld — Programming Committee
Lior B. Sternfeld is an Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Penn State University and author of Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran (Stanford University Press, 2018). His wor explores the intertwined histories of Jews and Muslims in modern Iran, focusing on questions of nationalism, identity, and belonging in the Middle East.
Boaz Atzili — Holding Liat
Dr. Boaz Atzili is a Professor at the Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security in the School of International Service, American University in Washington, D.C. He studies international security, focusing on territorial conflicts and borders in the Middle East and South Asia. His books include Good Fences Bad Neighbors: Border Fixity and International Conflict, and Triadic Coercion: Israel’s Targeting of States that host Violent Nonstate Actors. Dr. Atzili is the cousin of Aviv Atzili, who is the husband of Liat Atzili, the main subject of Holding Liat movie.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Anita Gabrosek — Editor, Divide
Anita Gabrosek is a film editor, writer, and educator. Some of her editing credits include the feature documentaries Franklin Manor, Cropsey, and Borderline, and the television shows Impractical Jokers and MTV’s Made. Anita is currently editing a feature length documentary about the life of New York City real estate developer Bruce Ratner. She is also an Associate Professor of Practice in postproduction at Cleveland State University’s School of Film & Media Arts.
Chris Ali – Advisory Board
Christopher Ali is the Pioneers Chair of Telecommunications and Professor of Telecommunications at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University. He holds a PhD in Communications Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and his work focuses on broadband and digital equity in rural and remote communities. He is the author of the book Farm Fresh Broadband: The Politics of Rural Connectivity and has been published in the New York Times, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Realtor Magazine, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 4:30 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Dean Ronalds — Director, Zoe
Writer-director of six features and TV, collaborating with talents like Melissa Leo and Tony Todd. Co-wrote/directed #Screamers (Telluride Horror, Torino). Veteran of comedy and genre projects.
Jaspal Binning Materials — Actor, Zoe
JASPAL SINGH BINNING is a British-Indian (Permanent Resident) Actor, Director, Producer and
Creator based in Brooklyn, New York. He can be seen as a Series Regular on the Netflix Series
BROWN NATION, and tested on HELLO, JACK! THE KINDNESS SHOW for APPLE +, NBC’s
AMERICAN AUTO and ABC’s DOWNWARD DOG. He is also a Lead, Director/Exec Producer on
the Amazon Series DOOMSDAY where he won the Best Director Award at the New York
Television Festival and Best of Festival at Catalyst Content Festival and was an official selection
at SeriesFest.
Savita Iyer
Savita Iyer is the senior editor of the Penn Stater Magazine, Penn State’s alumni magazine. A seasoned features journalist of 30 years, her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Vogue India, SELF.com, and Yahoo Lifestyle, among others. Born in Calcutta, India and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Savita has lived in State College since 2012.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 5:00 PM @ WEBSTER’S BOOKSTORE CAFE
Carianne King — Director, Broadway Books: The Tipping Point
Writer-director of comedy shorts and branded content. Trollify was a Vulture “Best Comedy Short of the Month”; Scumbag won the Iron Mule audience award. MFA, Columbia; former creative at Coach.
Elaine Meder-Wilgus
Co-founder of the Central PA Theatre & Dance Fest and owner of Webster’s Bookstore Café. Performer and director with Tempest Productions and The Next Stage, she champions local arts and community.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 7:00 PM @ THE STATE THEATRE
Rasa Drane — Programming Committee
Rasa “Ray Dray” Drane, M.Ed, is a playwright, director, choreographer, and higher education administrator. A graduate of Bethune-Cookman University and Penn State, she created Whew Chile! Black Women Working and leads Ray Dray Presents, an “edutainment” company blending performance and advocacy. Her work uplifts creativity, community, and access to opportunity.
Vince Lawrence — Producer
Producer of timeless tracks by pioneering artists like Marshall Jefferson, Byron Stingly, Ron Hardy, Ten City and Jesse Saunders—creators who helped define house music as we know it. From coining the name Trax Records with its iconic logo to catalizing others to start labels such as Dance Mania, Vince Lawrence’s achievements have become the stuff of legend. His commitment to discovering and nurturing talent has left an indelible mark on the industry, launching the careers of DJs and producers who are now icons in their own right.
Brittany “Red-I” Benton (DJ RediBeats)
Cleveland DJ, producer, and record-shop owner blending hip-hop, house, and Afro-Caribbean beats. Half of FreshProduce; runs Beat Freak showcase, fostering community for emerging producers.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 11:30 AM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Benjamin Kegan — Director, Seconds Away
New York–based filmmaker examining masculinity and the body. Columbia MFA; The First Men premiered at SXSW; Team Taliban earned top Tribeca praise and RIIFF Best Doc Short. His feature doc Expiration Term of Service won Best Documentary at Reel Heart.
Gustavo Rosa
Gustavo Rosa is a Brazilian-born, Boston-raised filmmaker and educator whose work spans narrative and documentary film. His recent projects include The Voyage Out (DOC NYC 2025), Seconds Away (Austin Film Festival 2025), and So Far All Good (Tribeca 2025). He directed Carro (HBO, 2018), which screened at over 80 festivals worldwide, and The Restoration (Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020). Rosa has collaborated on international productions such as the forthcoming Those Who Whistle in the Dark (Turkey) and has worked with companies including A24 and Netflix. As an educator, his students’ films have screened internationally and received multiple Directors Guild of America awards.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 12:00 PM @ FOSTER AUDITORIUM
Rita Walsh — Producer, The Wolves Always Come at Night
Producer working across Australia and the U.S. Credits include Reality, The Assistant, Now, Hear Me Good, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and I Used to Be Normal. Developing new features with Kit Zauhar, Mackie Mallison, and Gabrielle Brady.
Justine Linedemann — Assistant Professor in Community Development and Resilience
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Ayçıl Yeltan — Director, Fidan
Actor, writer, and director trained in Turkey and at CalArts. Her shorts have won multiple awards; debut feature Fidanwon at Antalya’s Golden Orange and continues on the festival circuit with international support.
Merve Şen
Penn State PhD candidate in Comparative Literature and Visual Studies researching health humanities, care ethics, and the hospital as sensory space.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 6:30 PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Grace Hampton — Advisory Board
Artist, educator, and arts leader who has taught across major universities and served at the National Endowment for the Arts. At Penn State, she champions inclusive, community-engaged arts practice.
Zoey Martinson — Writer/Director, The Fisherman
Comedy/genre writer-director. The Fisherman premiered at Venice Biennale, winning UNESCO’s Fellini Medal. Directing credits include Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween, MTV/Paramount+, and A24’s Ziwe; writer on HBO Max’s Betty.
Harris Doran — Director, Poreless
Sundance/Berlin award-winning filmmaker and 2024 Spirit Award nominee (producer, Kokomo City). As writer-director: F^¢K ’€M R!GHT B@¢K (Sundance), 8 Minutes 20 Seconds, and Beauty Mark (Indie “Someone to Watch” shortlist).
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 10:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
A.D. Calvetti — Coyote Road
Pittsburgh director/editor with a penchant for music, woodworking, and longboarding; crafts kinetic, character-forward stories.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 11:30 AM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Cameron S. Mitchell — Director, Disposable Humanity
Award-winning director/cinematographer amplifying disability narratives across commercials and docs (Elsa). Three-time Slamdance selection; Unstoppable programmer/juror and Doc NYC juror. His debut feature, Disposable Humanity, won Slamdance’s Audience Award, tracing Aktion T4 and personal family history.
Cameron S. Mitchell is an award-winning director, cinematographer, and producer whose work champions authentic portrayals of disability and drives change in the film industry. Founder of CSM Productions, his work spans Toyota commercials, the documentary Elsa, and narrative shorts like The Co-Op. A three-time Slamdance official selection and juror for Slamdance Unstoppable and DOC NYC, his debut Disposable Humanity won Slamdance’s Audience Award
Catharine Axley
Catharine Axley is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator based in central Pennsylvania. Her most recent film, ATTLA, co-produced by ITVS and Vision Maker Media, aired nationally in 2019 on PBS’ Independent Lens and went on to win awards at the American Indian Film Festival and BendFilm Festival. Her films have screened at major festivals including San Francisco International, DOC NYC, Heartland, Harlem International, and the United Nations Association Film Festival. Before joining Penn State, she taught at the University of Kentucky and Spelman College.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2:15 PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Friederike Baer — Professor of History, Arts & Humanities
Friederike Baer is Professor of History and Division Head of Arts & Humanities at Penn State Abington, specializing in early American history and German-speaking communities in North America. Her book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War (Oxford UP, 2022) won the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize. She holds a PhD from Brown University and a BA from Boston College and studied in Germany. e Baer
Ricardo Herrera — Historian
Ricardo A. Herrera is a U.S. Army veteran and award-winning historian of early American military history, currently Visiting Professor in the Department of National Security & Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. He is author of Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778 and For Liberty and the Republic: The American Citizen as Soldier, 1775-1861.
Philip Mead — Historian
Philip C. Mead is a historian specializing in the American Revolution. He earned his PhD in American History from Harvard University and served as Chief Historian & Curator at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. His research includes soldiers’ diaries, George Washington’s tent, and early women’s voting in New Jersey.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 4:45PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Afia Serena Nathaniel — Director, Don’t Be Late, Myra
Pakistani-American filmmaker whose debut feature Dukhtar premiered at Toronto and was Pakistan’s Oscar submission. Her Oscar-qualified short Don’t Be Late, Myra transforms personal trauma into urgent cinema about children’s safety and cultural taboos.
Patrick Plaisance — Programming Committee
Patrick Plaisance is a professor and leading scholar of media ethics at Penn State. A former journalist, he explores moral psychology and the ethics of representation in documentary and news. He is the author of Media Ethics: Key Principles for Responsible Practice, which includes a chapter examining truth, power, and moral agency through the lens of Predators.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 7:00PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Arash Azizi — Writer, The Atlantic
Writer-filmmaker spotlighting Iranian women’s sports and resistance in a tense, politically charged narrative.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 10:45 AM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Stanislav Puzdriak — Unfinished Chapter
NYC-based filmmaker and cinematographer with a decade of experience across commercial and independent projects.
Ashley Seering — A Lovely Uncontrollable Thing
Award-winning filmmaker (six regional EMMY nominations), MFA Loyola Marymount; work explores social justice and the human experience. Teaches film at San Jose State.
Alex Djordjevic — BISHOP TUBE CLEAN AND GREEN
Filmmaker/photographer focused on social and environmental issues. PBS credits, festival selections, and exhibits worldwide; adjunct cinematography/film history professor at Drexel.
Wallace McKelvey — River Stories: Walk
Harrisburg journalist-filmmaker and York Dispatch managing editor. His shorts screen nationally; he serves on the LGBT Center board and studies at Penn State.
Phoebe Post The Wayward
Danish-American filmmaker influenced by Dogme 95, centering candid, character-driven stories of women, family, and care.
Rayna McGrath — The Wayward
Rayna McGrath is known for Intruder (2025), Wetlands (2017) and Against All Odds.
Pablo Lopez
Pablo Lopez is a Certified Film Commissioner and Film Production Manager for Centre County, Pennsylvania, with The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. A graduate of Penn State University’s Bellisario School of Film and Video, Pablo is deeply committed to empowering the next generation of filmmakers. He designs and leads film bootcamps, panels, and workforce training programs to cultivate technical skills, business acumen, and professional opportunities for students, emerging filmmakers, and underrepresented voices across Pennsylvania. With a slate of original projects, and a vision to make Happy Valley a filmmaking destination, Pablo Lopez continues to champion creativity, community, and industry growth in the region.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 12:00 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Chithra Jeyaram — Love Chaos Kin
Tamil filmmaker and former physical therapist whose work centers family and resilience. Produced Oscar-qualified Amma’s Pride; directed Foreign Puzzle and Love Chaos Kin; edited Sex Work, It’s Just a Job. NYU adjunct; alum of Visions du Réel, Chicken & Egg, and the Gotham.
Iyer Family
Lakshmi (writer/analyst), Narayanan (engineer), Cecilia/Meghna, Anjali, and Sahana share intersecting stories of identity, adoption, and pop-culture fandom, inviting open conversations about family and care.
Ering McGuff -Pennington — Director, Rosalie
Writer, director, producer, and actor originally from Texas and a graduate of NYU/Tisch. Her award-winning short thriller Rosalie explores motherhood, obsession, and bodily autonomy. She co-founded Ruffled Owl Productions with Adriana Spencer to make bold, thought-provoking films. Erin lives in the Hudson Valley with her family and is finishing a novel.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1:00 PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Jill Campbell — Director, Beyond the Gaze
Longtime collaborators blending vérité intimacy and poetic imagery. Credits include Mr. Chibbs (Peacock) and Seat 20D(First Run Features). Their work screens at Tribeca, DOC NYC, and more.
Gregory Gerhard — Director, Beyond the Gaze
Gregory Gerhard is an independent film producer with a focus on socially conscious and visually striking documentaries. He most recently produced Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue, directed by Jill Campbell, which premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2024 and went on to screen at festivals across the U.S. and internationally. Gregory’s producing work reflects a deep commitment to stories at the intersection of art, culture, and identity. A frequent collaborator with Jill Campbell, he has contributed to projects that explore the lives of groundbreaking figures who shaped media and representation in America. Before producing, Gerhard worked in media strategy and documentary development, where he helped shepherd independent films from early research through post-production. He brings to each project a blend of creative intuition and business acumen, ensuring that bold, independent stories reach wide audiences. Gregory is based in New York and continues to develop documentary and narrative projects that challenge perception and celebrate resilience.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2:15 PM @ UEC THEATRES 12
Chris Ali – Advisory Board
Pioneers Chair of Telecommunications and Professor of Telecommunications at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University. He holds a PhD in Communications Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and his work focuses on broadband and digital equity in rural and remote communities.
ALYZA ENRIQUEZ — Just Kids
Alyza Rodriguez is a Peabody-winning Brooklyn-based filmmaker and photographer whose work explores identity and community. At VICE, they helped shape LGBTQ+ coverage and co-created the acclaimed series Transnational. Her Gender Spectrum Collection advanced trans and non-binary representation in media.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 3:30 PM @ THE ROWLAND THEATRE
Shai Carmeli Pollak — Director, The Sea
Award-winning Israeli filmmaker spanning fiction, documentary, and animation. The Sea (2025) won five Ophirs, including Best Film, and three Jerusalem Film Festival awards. Known for Bil’in My Love and Refugees; created animated works like Journey to the Planet of the Minimiks and series Mikmak.
Pearl Gluck — Co-Founder, Artistic Director
Pearl Gluck, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Centre Film Festival, is a filmmaker whose work explores identity, class, and faith through narrative and documentary film. She is also the Penn State Laureate (2025–26) and an Associate Professor of Film Production at Penn State. Her films have screened at Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, and international festivals. Her feature documentary Divan received a Fulbright to Hungary and premiered at Tribeca; her hybrid film, The Turn Out, won awards for its engagement with human trafficking awareness. Most recently, her short Castles in the Sky (2023) won Best Short at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and her forthcoming Stars and Bars is in post-production. She is also developing A Place with No Men, a feature documentary supported by two Fulbright awards (Poland and Israel), expanding her ongoing work with women’s stories and Jewish history.