Docademia

Akhil Sathyan

Akhil Sathyan is a freelance film co-director from Kerala. Leaving Wipro Technologies where he spent two years as a Project Engineer, Akhil made his desire a reality by joining film industry as a leading co-director. He has assisted six major feature films in Malayalam and more than 20 national advertisement films with leading celebrities and technicians in India. Filmography (As a Director) That’s my boy (2015) - Debut Filmography (As a Co-Director) 1. EnnumEppozhum(2015) 2. OruIndianPranayakadha(2013) 3. PuthiyaTheerangal(2012) 4. LuckyStar(2012) 5. Snehaveedu(2011) 6. KadhaThudarunnu(2010)

Sonia Ahmed

Sonia Ahmed, finished her diploma is Film making from two separate schools in Canada. She was in the entertainment business before taking directing films seriously.

Rita Bras

Rita was born in 1980 in Lisbon, where she studied Cinema. In film school she directed her first film "Here", premiered in festival Doclisboa in 2003. With Claudia Alves, they directed the films "The Occasion" and "The Next Occasion", produced by Filmes do Tejo and RTP2 in 2008, before her feature film "Trésor" about her trip in the region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She worked as a reporter of Lusopress, newspaper and webtv, in Rio de Janeiro in 2010. She illustrated the children's book "The Siri and The Umbrella" from writer Bruna Piantino, published in Belo Horizonte in 2011. Currently she´s studying Anthropology in Rio de Janeiro.

Mahmoud Yossry

Yossry is a 26 year old student at the High Cinema Institute in Cairo, Egypt. After studying movie editing at the Cairo Institute, Yossry began making music videos as well as creating documentary projects. In his third year at the Cinema Institute, he directed his first film A Man, which has screened at festivals around the world. He has won awards for the short, including the Documentary Directing Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival, 2013, the platinum award for documentary films at the Cinerockom Film Festival in Hollywood, California in 2013 and for best short documentary as a first time director at the 17th Egyptian National Film Festival in 2013.

Megan Jones

Kirat Brahma

After exploring different courses in NID like concept development, script writing, character design, composition, SLA, foundation and self- studies Kirat wanted to reflect on his learning through this film. Along with storytelling, he also importance on preproduction and postproduction. A major emphasizes was on the “design” of the film because he learned that a well-designed movie affects the viewer spiritually and with more self-involvement in the story. As a medium Kirat chose to go with traditional animation and with much a simpler form of abstraction over multiple layers of metaphors.

rochak sahu

Rochak Sahu, is an independent film director. Basically he came from a farmer family. He completed an engineering degree and got selected in india's prime film school film and television institute of india(FTII) in direction course. He has recently completed his course and is now working as an independent director. The film " a bohemian musician" is his first documentary experience ever. this film has been selected in various film festivals{ 50+) in the globe, and has won more than 25 awards including 20 for best film , best direction and viewer's choice award. His film has been screened officially in various venues in the USA, China, Pakistan, Australia, Nepal, Palestine, Argentina, Italy and Ukraine. Awards: Chennai independent international film festival 2016 (best social film), All Light international film festival 2015 cochin (best film), Jaipur International Film Festival 2016 (best upcoming film), Bangalore international short film (best Film), Smita patil international film festival (best director)

jalal veisi

Jalal Waysi (born in 1985 in Sanandaj), started film production in 2008, and has a resume of two short films, a seven minute fiction film and a 15 minute documentary.

Alen Kocic

Alen Kocic is 54 years old, from Croatia. He has 28 years of experience in video and photography ( wedding, music video, documentary) and works as a professional videographer, editor, photographer. He is interested in all forms of media. He believes that by blending different forms of art such as audio, visuals, storytelling, etc. you can create a more powerful piece than by using one art form alone. Each project he makes is different, and he has found that each person takes something different out of them. He aims to create films that have something positive to say.

Giovanna Carla Gia Balestra AKA Vulvah van Klitt

Giovanna Carla Balestra was born in Italy and grew up in the lush of Venetian countryside.Precisely in Bassano del Grappa,60 Km from Venice Town. She was educated to inherit the family business in the jewellery industry,became a gemologist, worked as gem dealer and jewellery designer for 15 years in the international market. When in 1998, her niece of 3 yo, had Clitoral Awareness everybody in the family was pretty shocked and Giovanna Carla was accused by her own sister to be a child molester/child predator/"child clitoris instructor" because Asian Art Collector. Not having any history of pedophile behaviour/attraction,Giovanna Carla, at the age of 49,wanted to clear herself from the finger pointing in the family and proceeded to interview,all female members of her own family with this question:"At what age and in which occasion did you have Clitoris Awareness?" Giovanna Carla experienced/discovered the deepest abyss of sexual ignorance in which her own family was leaving,considering the fact that her family was made mainly of females,Giovanna Carla had to take action. Giovanna Carla findings about her own family absent/distorted sexual education,pushed her to interview more women of her own circle of female friends with 2 simple questions:"At what age and in which occasion did you have Clitoris Awareness?" Stories she was collecting,first only verbally,than with a pencil in her hands,than with a camera,were to say the least amazing,inimaginable,unexpected,never heard before.She knew she had material for a fun documentary. Living in Berlin facilitated her mission,infact during October 2013,three different events about sexuality were occurring in town. So after hiring a camera woman and getting accreditation to these 3 events,she put together 1 hours of amazing,never heard before stories about Clitoral Awareness. Clitorissima's message is meant to incourage young mothers to talk to their pre-schooler daughters about Clitoris and Clitoris Awareness at least as much as mothers do with boys. Giovanna Carla thought about using animated art media to integrate her filmed material and went on a quest to find best female animated art artist and she finally met Sara Koppel by viewing her Naked Love film. This is how Clitorissima was born! When in 1998, her niece of 3 yo, had Clitoral Awareness everybody in the family was pretty shocked and Giovanna Carla was accused by her own sister to be a child molester/child predator/"child clitoris instructor" because Asian Erotic Art Collector.

Nishant Dalal & Sanket Chaturvedi

The filmaker was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1977. Studied TV&Film in National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria, and Sciences of Education in Thessaloniki. Published articles on contemporary culture. Member of Greek Directors’ Guild.

Michail Agrafiotis

Michail Agrafiotis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1977. He studied TV&Film at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Bulgaria, and the Sciences of Education in Thessaloniki. He has published articles on contemporary culture, and is a member of the Greek Directors’ Guild.

Sara Khaki

Sara Khaki was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) with her BFA in Film/Video, and the School of Visual Arts (SVA) with her MFA in Social Documentary Films, where she created a Social Documentary and was an Alumni Scholarship Award recipient. While making her most recent documentary film “Facing the Mirror”, Sara worked as an Associate Producer, Cinematographer and Editor on a feature documentary commissioned by Al Jazeera about the behind-the-scenes of the launch of Al Jazeera America in the United States. In the summer of 2013, Sara received the prestigious Marcie Bloom Fellowship, a yearlong program, where she met established filmmakers of the independent film world. In early 2014, Sara became a panelist at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Alumni Scholarship Awards, selecting talented art students to receive the next round of scholarship awards. Sara currently works and lives in New York City. Awards • Honorable Mention at the International Film Awards | Berlin, Germany 2013 • Winner of ‘Ready, Set, Pitch!’ at CAAMFest | San Francisco, CA 2013 • Award of Excellence from the Best Shorts Competition | La Jolla, CA 2012 • Alumni Scholarship Award | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY 2012 • Merit Scholarship Award | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY 2011 Affiliations • MFA Alumni Scholarship Panelist, School of Visual Arts | New York, NY 2014 IFP Marcie Bloom • Fellowship in Film | New York, NY 2014 Interviewed for Student Filmmaker’s Magazine “SVA • Alumni on the Move, Vol. 8, No.2 2013 Producers Institute Transmedia Conference at BAVC | San Francisco, CA 2013 • Young Professional Board Member of Mission: Restore | New York, NY 2012

Sara Durmus

Sara Durmus was born in 1991 in Istanbul. She graduated from Marmara university, department of Cinema TV and Radio in 2015. She worked for severals procets on women rights such as Vicdan, Galata Bankerleri, Kadın Akıllı, Kadın Haklı. She also created a radio program related to this work at the Marmara Radio station. In the final year of her studies, Sara worked on a documentary on the conditions of black immigrant women in Turkish societies.

Senol Com

Seno Com was born in Konya, Turkey. He completed his primary education in Konya and graduated from the Department of Public Administration, Anadolu University in 2001. He completed him Master of Business Administration from Selcuk University in 2004. He is a lecturer in the Faculty of Communication of Selcuk University and a PH.D student in the Graduate School of Social Sciences.

Kihire Kennedy

Kihire Kennedy graduated with an Arts Degree in English Literature and Social Anthropology at Makerere University. This inspired the authorship of his other works that include: an e-book titled a Beautiful Poetic Pen and a radio drama titled Home to Community that was produced by Wiz Arts Media. After writing the SWAPPED film script, he was selected as a finalist to participate in the Maisha Annual Film lab 2010 where he became a Production Manager for the film BLACK HILL and later GUARDIAN ANGEL and SHOP GIRL with Akan Productions. He Produced and Directed SWAPPED in February 2011. In November 2011, he worked as an Assistant Director for the EVERYDAY PEOPLE movie. In early February 2012, he directed Makerere University's 45 minutes student film-BREAKING THE MESH which premiered at the Zanzibar International film festival in 2012. Kihire has directed, produced and edited a couple of shortfilms and documentaries with an American film maker, Tony Angelo, on projects like GOTTO, AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE, ENEMY OF MY ENEMY, and I AM WHO I AM. He was also an Assistant Director on the 2011 prize winning short film-ME&MYSELF. He adapted the Julius Ocwinyo's novel Fate of The Banished for the screen. In 2013, he assisted with directing a short film THE PRESENT. He wrote, directed and produced his latest film HANG OUT which premiered on 16th April, 2013 in Kampala and won an award of Best Actress in supporting role at the Pearl International Film Festival and aired on Africa Magic (M-NET). He has written and directed the short WATCH OVER ME (2013). In 2014, He produced films including Hepatitis the new HIV and other documentaries. In 2015-2016,he produced his feature film NEW INTENTIONS and directed a couple of television series and dramas such as The Hostel drama series,5 at Home, Are you not a Man, and Balikoowa in the City are the films that majorly air on NTV and Cote d’voire respectively.

Jaime Ekkens

Jaime Ekkens was born in South Korea and adopted by American parents in Grand Rapids Michigan. Having received a BFA from Kendall Collage of Art and Design in 2007, she moved to New York City and successfully pursued her MFA in Computer Arts. Ekkens has been a freelance animator, video editor, associate producer for post-production, special effects supervisor and gallery assistant. She has worked in 3D animation, film distribution, public relations and public access television. Other noteworthy internships include VH1's On-Air Graphics department and Venture Brothers. She was an Animation Curator and Motion Graphics artist for Big Screen Plaza, an arts venue in Chelsea for 2 years. Ekkens was a freelance After Effects artist for Prudential Advertising for 3 years. Most recent clients include the video department for the fashion blog Refinery 29. She has served on the Board of Directors of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH for 4 years (2009 - 2013) and continues to work in the motion graphics industry while directing and producing independent short films that screen all over the world.

Lara Jacoski & Patrick Belem

Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem are the duo behind Bem-te-vi Producoes, since 2012. They make projects, mainly documentaries, focusing on the making of independent high quality videos that are able to capture and reproduce ideas, thoughts, emotions and connections between different worlds. They have lived and produced content in Morocco, India, Bolivia, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia. They are currently based in Brazil. Lara Jacoski, who is Brazilian, has been a filmmaker for 7 years. She has Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising. She lived in London for three years embracing the culture, studying cinema and making films for NGO’s, artists and art events. Patrick Belem, is also Brazilian. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and he has also been a filmmaker for 7 years. Patrick is also a photographer and a musician. He has lived in Australia and Argentina meeting people, making art and working on farms in a volunteer basis.

Amanda Neuhouser

Amanda Neuhouser is a filmmaker hailing from Normal, Illinois. She has found success in the past years developing short documentaries geared towards international and domestic women's and children's issues. Her most recent self-bio project landed her a second award from the Girls Impact the World Film Festival at Harvard University. Amanda will graduate from Southern Illinois University in the Spring of 2017.

Kiritin Beyer

Kiritin Beyer, a NY Emmy nominated filmmaker, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her family eventually settled down in Cauterets located in the south of France. After finishing High School, Kiritin moved to Paris where she joined the National Circus School, “L’Ecole National du Cirque Fratellini”. During her time at the Circus, she was exposed to the creative world of fascinating images that would heavily influence her photography career in the future. Besides other creative endeavors Kiritin was apart of during her days living in Paris, she chose photography as her tool of creation. She left Europe to pursue her photography career in America in 2003. Kiritin has shown her works in various galleries, in Paris, New York and Miami. In 2005, she volunteered for the Tsunami Relief in India for six months and came back with several portraits of those who survived the natural disaster. In 2010, she volunteered in Haiti after “the earthquake” and was focusing on rebuilding a school in Carrefour. She returned to New York and established a fundraising program called “The Degand School” representing the families she met while in Haiti. In 2012, She won a fellowship at BRIC in Film. Later that same year Kiritin traveled to East Africa with artist Parris Jaru to film a short titled "Imagination is Creation" focusing on creating mural art in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2014, Kiritin Beyer again collaborating with artist Parris Jaru, traveled to the north and south of India seeking to film the many provenances of natural colors and pigments. Specifically the pigments used for textile design, art and Ayurveda are the main focus of her latest film project titled "A Trail of Pigment".

Mazin M Sherabayani

Mazin Sherabayani, born in Iraqi Kurdistan, is based in London. He holds an M.A. in Film, Television and Screen Media from Birkbeck University, which he earned after completing his B.S. in Digital Media & Cultural Studies, with honors. Mazin is the winner of several awards for short films and documentaries.

Lara Jacoski

Lara Jacoski, who holds an advertising BA and has been an independent filmmaker for about six years, has lived in London for the last three years getting inside in a totally different culture, making films for NGOs, artists, and art events. Patrick Belem, who holds a journalism BA and has been an independent filmmaker/photographer/musician for about 7 years, has lived abroad in Australia and Argentina meeting people, making art, working in farms on a volunteer basis. Both of them have worked in India, Morroco, Bolivia, Peru and their homeland Brazil to produce independent films. They have exhibited their work in Italy, India, Bolivia, London, Cambridge and Brazil. Travelling is the method the duo uses to expand the knowledge of the human beings and human spaces, producing content based on what they see and where live--learning, experiencing, and sharing it all with people.

Suraj Chitre

Having more than 10 years of experience in an Indian film fraternity, Suraj has assisted many successful Indian directors like Milan Lutria, Anurag Basu, Sanjay Khan, Tanuja Chandra, Habib Faizal, Talat Jani, and Jag Mundra, among others. He is currently writing his own project script “Save The Tiger,” an international movie based on the game of golf. Suraj has served as Chief Assistant Director in Indian films like Apartment, Chase, Naughty@40, Raakh, Desires of the Heart (Hollywood film), and TV shows like ‘Karishma’, ‘Lavanya’, ‘Shohrat’, ‘Jannat’, Mtv Series, and many other productions.