Amanda Willoughby is a multifaceted artist hailing from Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from Memphis College of Art in 2012 she honed a diverse skill set spanning filmmaking, visual arts, and youth mentorship; making an indelible mark on her community. As the Youth Mentor Program Coordinator and Black Creators Forum Producer for Indie Memphis Film Festival, Amanda plays a pivotal role in fostering diversity and inclusivity in the film industry. Her efforts have led to the elevation of underrepresented voices, creating platforms for creators to shine.

Raul Benitez (he/him) is a Latino film programmer in Chicago for over 15 years. For Full Spectrum Features Raul programs the Chicagoland Short Series. Raul also is the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, and the After Dark and shorts programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. Raul also programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the Nightingale Cinema. Raul has been named a Chicago Film gem by New City Chicago for 2015,17,19 and in 2023 Raul was inducted to the Film Gem Hall of Fame. Raul was also named an Esteemed Artist by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and received a DCASE grant for his Chicago/Mexico City Filmmaker exchange program. Raul is on the board of the Chicago Film Society and Chicago Filmmakers.

Gerardo Coello is a Mexican filmmaker based in CDMX and New York City. Gerardo has been the 1st Assistant Director on feature films, such as Shiva Baby, Dating and New York, and Reality. He was an Assistant Director on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Bardo, and served as the 2nd Unit Director on horror film Presencias. He has been a Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Fellow in 2019, and his short film Viaje de Negocios premiered in competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Linh Tran (b.1994) is a Vietnamese filmmaker residing in Chicago, IL. Linh’s narrative works explore memories of childhood and early adulthood. Her short films have been selected by various film festivals worldwide and her debut feature film “Waiting for the Light to Change” took the Narrative Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival.

Megan Leonard is an award-winning Creative Producer and Festival Programmer based in Seattle, WA. She is a Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab alumni, and her projects have premiered at top-tier festivals around the globe, including Sundance, SXSW and Fantasia.

Leonard started working for film festivals in 2010 and currently leads the New American Cinema and ShortsFest teams at the Seattle International Film Festival. She has also programmed for Indie Memphis and DOC NYC, and served on juries at Fantastic Fest, Cleveland International Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortFest.

Karina Dandashi is an Arab-American Muslim filmmaker born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Her films explore nuances in identity through the intersection of family, religion, and culture in Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) and Muslim communities in America. Her work has been featured in numerous Oscar-Qualifying festivals around the U.S. Karina was a 2020 Creative Culture Fellow and a 2021 Sundance Ignite Fellow. She was featured in Marie Claire’s inaugural Creators Issue as one of the “Top 21 Creators to Watch'' in 2022. Her feature film debut, OUT OF WATER, was chosen for the 2023 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab. You can find her latest short film COUSINS on The New Yorker’s Screening Room.