(She/Her/Hers)

Bianca Beyrouti is a Bay Area born-and-bred indie filmmaker with a decade’s worth of credits - most notably the narrative feature Bring Me an Avocado and the award-winning PBS documentary series Independent Lens. In addition to her role as an Associate Producer at Actual Films, she serves on the Board of Directors with the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI).

(They/Them/Theirs)

Imani Outen is a nonbinary filmmaker born and raised in Southern California. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz (2018) they debuted their short film Gender Pronoun PSA at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival in 2020 to highlight the importance of expanding one's understanding of gender. While working in the Bay Area, Imani is developing projects including a historical account of Black representation throughout American cinema and its impact on social landscapes today.

(She/Her)

Thao is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television. She started her career as a digital media and interactive content producer in Silicon Valley before moving to Switzerland where she worked on European co-productions and was Senior Program Curator and Head of Film Operations at Zurich Film Festival. Curiosity and a strong interest in the convergence of technology and entertainment compelled her to return to the Bay Area, where she grew up and is rediscovering.

(She/Her/Ella)

Dawn Valadez, is a queer, Xicana, feminista, filmmaker, social worker, artist, youth advocate, resource wrangler, and impact strategist. Dawn Produced/ Co-directed THE PUSHOUTS (2018) and Directed/Produced GOING ON 13 (2008) and is a consulting producer on a number of projects. She’s been awarded numerous honors and was a recipient of the 2020 See It, Be It Filmmaker Fellowship from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and the Media. Dawn is the Director of Youth and Emerging Media Maker Fellows at BAVC Media.

(She/Her/Hers)

Jennifer Crystal Chien is a documentary filmmaker with a focus on personal storytelling from underrepresented communities. She has produced and directed several documentaries focused on stories from the Chinese, Guyana, Polish, and Turkish immigrant communities, which screened at film festivals nationally. Previously, she worked as a Production Manager for films for PBS broadcast and appearing at Sundance Film Festival, including The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution and Freedom Summer. She is a recipient of the Center for Cultural Innovation’s Investing in Artists grant for artistic innovation. In 2017, she co-founded Re-Present Media, a grassroots nonprofit advocating for personal storytelling in documentary film and nonfiction media. She has an MFA in Social Documentary Film from the School of Visual Arts.

(She/Her)

Angie Morales is an Afro-Colombian editor and documentary media maker from Modesto, California. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Film and Digital Media and is now based in Oakland. Angie leads independent work in videography, portrait photography, and other mixed media projects. She feels most inspired to document stories within queer, black, and brown immigrant communities. Vibrant and lively aesthetics displayed in her work are ways she commemorates her heritage and personal style.

(She/They)

Lex Sloan is the Executive Director at The Roxie Theater in San Francisco. She graduated with an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University and a BA in Social Change Media from Western Washington University. She is an accomplished filmmaker producing the web series DYKE CENTRAL and co-directing BEAKMAN & JOK. Sloan is a member LGBTQ+ community and is committed to ensuring that queer stories are preserved and shared through the power of cinema.

(She/Her/Hers)

Paula Smith Arrigoni is a Bay Area native and the Executive Director of BAVC Media. She has executive produced several feature and short films, and she formerly worked for organizations such as Youth Speaks and Nonprofit Finance Fund. Paula has launched and led the operations of several initiatives, including the Brave New Voices Network Initiative, a multi-year field-building program for grassroots spoken word organizations.