Eloise Sherrid is a filmmaker and producer. Inspired by collage, she explores the boundary between fiction and nonfiction storytelling by mixing genres and media. Her projects have been featured by Bad at Sports, DRØME Magazine, and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, and been cited by The Guardian, Hyperallergic, Design Type, and Print Magazine. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Adam Deyoe graduated from Emerson College with a B.F.A. in film production and has directed numerous features including the cult films “Psycho Sleepover” and “Yeti: A Love Story” (parts 1 and 2) for Troma Entertainment, and the action-horror “Dead Season” for the SyFy Network. His latest directorial works have been the zombie-thriller “Decade of the Dead” which wrapped shooting Sept 2021 in Hawaii and the stop motion short film “Davey’s Lullaby” which was made in a makeshift garage studio throughout quarantine.
Before producing and directing his first documentary feature, Me To Play, Jim Bernfield wrote, directed, and produced award-winning films broadcasted and exhibited nationwide, wrote award-winning screen- and teleplays, and created thousands of advertisements for public interests and political campaigns, including the last six Democratic Presidential nominees. He now serves at Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications at the NGO Human Rights First. Jim earned his MFA in film direction at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. He lost his father to Parkinson’s twenty years ago.
Jose Navas was born in Nicaragua and raised in sunny Miami, Florida. He holds a degree in film from Miami University of Arts and Design. He heads the production company FlickHouse Studios. His feature documentary debut was Miami Our City (2016). His narrative short film, El Balsero went on to win multiple awards at film festivals across the nation. Beat Lingo is his latest entry.
Mulan Fu is an award-winning director, animator, and illustrator currently based in New York City and Shanghai. She is the recipient of the BAFTA King Features Scholarship, two National Board of Review Annual Grants, and numerous awards from international film festivals. As a storyteller, Mulan is intrigued by the emotional depth of touching familial stories and the conflicting interactions between humans and technology. Growing up in Asia and studying abroad in Europe and North America, she finds passion in discovering captivating stories along her travels and sharing them with the world through the magical medium of animation.
Steve is a 32 year old substitute teacher by day and stand up comedian by night. He was born with muscular dystrophy and is an advocate for disability awareness. Steve performs stand up in the NJ/NY area, motivational speeches around the country, and can be seen in the Hulu show Ramy.
Brian is a storyteller specializing in documentary films and music. His films capture the intimate human perspective of society’s most pressing contemporary issues, and he strives to educate, inform and entertain audiences while helping them become more aware of the world around them. Malone’s work has been featured nationally on PBS, Netflix, Hulu and other large broadcast platforms, and awards include a 2019 Columbia DuPont Journalism Award for Insight, an investigative news magazine exploring the intersection of gun laws and mental illness, as well as ten Heartland Emmy Awards.
Regan is an actor, director, writer, and theatre artist who lives with paraplegia. Regan creates both original work and adaptations of established works that uplift a disability aesthetic, and she has become a nationally-recognized advocate for inclusive practices in the arts. Professional acting credits include Arena Stage (DC), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Mixed Blood (MN), the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Pasadena Playhouse, The Apothetae (NY), and Phamaly. She is a regular featured contributor for New Mobility Magazine, and has been honored with the Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award, the True West Award for Colorado Theatre Person of the Year, and UC San Diego’s Triton 40 Under 40 Award. – www.reganlinton.com
Founder / Executive Director, New York Latino Film Festival
Calixto Chinchilla is one of the most influential voices in the Latino film and entertainment industry. A thought leader and champion of diversity, he has a long trajectory of leading successful multicultural marketing campaigns, and executing strategies to construct culturally diverse programming, solid content partnerships, strong community programs and persuasive acquisition teams.
In 1999, he founded, in partnership with HBO, the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), the nation’s largest and most important annual gathering of Latino creatives attracting more than 200,000 participants since its inception. The Festival has served as an essential pipeline for Latino and Multicultural artists, in front of and behind the camera, and has premiered the work and supported the careers of John Leguizamo, 50 Cent, Marc Anthony, Gina Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Kerry Washington and more. In 2017, Calixto founded FUTURO, in partnership with Google, an initiative that connects digital thought leaders, social influencers, and brands through a series of programs. Previous participants include Snow Tha Product, Kai Greene, TravQue, AJ “El Kallejero” Ramos, and Coco and Breezy..to name a few.
Calixto has been recognized as the ‘One to Watch’ by Entrepreneur Magazine, and has spoken at Columbia University and The City College of New York’s Graduate Center, just to name a few. Born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, Calixto earned a certificate in Marketing from the City University of New York-Hunter College.
