DIRECTORS

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Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon & Bruno Romy: THE FAIRY
Husband-and-wife team Dominique and Fiona studied movement and theatre in Paris with Jacques LeCoq and toured worldwide with their visual comedy shows. In the nineties, they began making shorts and in 2005 released their first feature, L’Iceberg. Bruno was born in 1958 and lives in Caen, France (Alexandria’s Sister City). Before making films he was a math teacher, a supermarket manager, a clown, and a theatre technician. Another of the trio’s films, Rumba, screened at our 2009 Festival.
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Francisco Álvarez: ATROZ (AWFUL)
Francisco writes, directs and produces shorts and feature-length films, as well as music videos and animations. Film festivals around the world have screened his award-winning films. Francisco lives in Burgos, Spain where he is the chairman of the film association Dafne Cinema.
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Antonio Azios: TAILOR MADE IN AMERICA: THE LIFE OF GEORGE DE PARIS
Tony is a journalist and MFA candidate at American University, where he studies documentary film production. He has reported or filmed in Ecuador, South Korea, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the United States.
In Attendance

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Lucas Belvaux: RAPT
Lucas is a Belgian actor and film director. His directing credits include the award-winning Trilogie consisting of three films with interlocking stories and characters, each of which filmed in a different genre. He also appeared as an actor in Merry Christmas (2005). __________________________________________________
Corey Bodoh-Creed: GIL’S BROTHER
Winner of the prestigious Thomas Bush award, Corey has written, directed, produced, and photographed music videos, commercials, and several shorts that have screened around the world. Born in Washington, D.C., he earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and Master’s from the University of Southern California’s film program. 
In Attendance
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Caroline Bottaro: JOUEUSE (QUEEN TO PLAY)
Born in 1969 to a German mother and Italian father, Caroline makes her home in Paris. Before “Queen to Play,” she directed two short films, “Longue Distance” and “La Mère,” and co-wrote many scripts, in particular for Jean-Pierre Améris. 

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Danann Breathnach: A LOVE STORY…IN MILK
Danann is an award winning director/producer. His short film Dark.Bright.Red. is also a multi award winner and is distributed by Shorts International worldwide. He was a presenter of the Irish science show, Scope, for three years and is currently working with the Travel Channel, RTE and BBC 3.
Producer Thembisa Cochrane In Attendance
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Marcelo Bukin: DREAMING NICARAGUA
IDA Award-winning director Marcelo Bukin has created films that have screened at more than 100 film festivals, broadcast internationally and received numerous prizes. He studied Film Direction in Spain and Technical Architecture in Argentine. His latest film, Dreaming Nicaragua, received the Grand Prize D’Or at FIPA in France.
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Keir Burrows: AIR
A director and writer, Keir recently won a best director award at the Colorado Film Festival. He was born and grew up in South Africa. He has since lived in France, India, Australia and New Zealand, finally settling in England with his wife and producing partner, Dieudonnée. He is currently looking for backers for his first feature film. 
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James Carleton and Rob Tritton: VOICES FROM MARIEL
As a managing partner of NFocus Visual Communications, Jim has produced, directed, and edited feature length and short narratives, documentaries, broadcast, commercial work, stories of humanitarian efforts, and live-event productions. Rob has been a producer at NFocus for seventeen years, also serving as its chief operating officer. Together, they have produced and edited two award-winning shorts Blackwater Elegy, Wait, and feature film Endure, released in 2010.
Co-Producers Rob Tritton and Jesse Larson, and Narrator Dr. Jose Garcia In Attendance
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William R. Coughlan: TOUCHED BY A LAWYER
William is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and is one of the founders (and primary financier) of Tohubohu Productions. He is also a director with The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C.
In Attendance
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Hugo Coulais: COME WANDER WITH ME
Hugo is a musician and aspiring filmmaker currently based in New York. Raised in Paris and Corsica, he moved to Manhattan in 2010 to study cinema. As a musician, he has released an album Triste Fin and composed and recorded the duet A Lean and Hungry Look with Marianne Faithful for the film Truands, by Frédéric Schoendorffer.
In Attendance with Producer Seth Embry
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Heather Courtney: WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM
Heather Courtney has directed and produced several documentary films. Prior to receiving her MFA in Film Production, she spent eight years writing and photographing for the United Nations. Heather is from Michigan and proud to be a Yooper.
In Attendance
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Lawrence Dortch: ONE PUNCH AT A TIME
Lawrence graduated in 2011 from American University’s School of Communication and currently works with the Smithsonian Channel as a Web Producer. He is a one-man production crew. His film, One Punch at a Time, was nominated for the Audience Favorite Award for the 2011 Visions Awards.
In Attendance with Asia Stevenson
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Alex Footman: WEEP LIKE A WATERWHEEL
Alex Footman’s life as a filmmaker began as a junior at Wesleyan University when he edited Crude Independence, an award-winning look at the domestic oil industry. A year after graduating he traveled to Afghanistan to document a brave group of women risking their lives for education.
In Attendance
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Chad Freidrichs: THE PRUITT-IGOE MYTH
Chad has been working as an independent filmmaker for over a decade. His documentaries have played at film festivals around the world, including South By Southwest, Silverdocs, and Full Frame. Chad teaches film and video courses at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
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Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine: SOMETHING VENTURED
Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have jointly created critically acclaimed multi-character documentaries for over 20 years. Their films have screened theatrically, been broadcast in the US and abroad, and have been recognized at major festivals, including Sundance, Toronto and Berlin. This is their seventh collaboration.
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Inbal Gibrolter: LATZUF (FLOATING)
Inbal Gibrolter was born in 1980 in Eilat, Israel. She began her studies at Sapir College in 2005. Her graduation project, Latzuf, was inspired by her personal experiences with weight issues. Inbal lives in Tel-Aviv where she works at a local television production company.
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Stephane Goldsand: LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK
Stephane was raised in a dual French-Mexican environment in Mexico City and has been a New Yorker for over a decade. He graduated from The New School’s Documentary Media Studies program and holds a BA in International Relations from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) and an MBA degree from Columbia University.
In Attendance
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Tomas H. Guevara: AUSENTES (THE ABSENT ONES)
Tomas holds a B.A. in journalism from Universidad de El Salvador and an M.A. in Communication and Art from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He is currently the Washington, DC correspondent for El Diario de Hoy, El Salvador’s most influential newspaper. In 2004, he started the independent production company Angulos films.
In Attendance with Producer James Scruggs
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Sam Hampton: HIDDEN BOOKS – THE ART OF KUMI KORF
Sam is a documentary filmmaker and non-profit management consultant. As Director of Operations for Docs In Progress^®, he is dedicated to empowering independent documentary filmmakers and educating the public about documentary as an art form. Sam has a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and Doctorate in Urban Education from Cleveland State University.  His film, Hidden Books – The Art of Kumi Korf won the CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2011 for Indpedendent Documentary Short.
In Attendance
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Carole Hart: FOR THE NEXT 7 GENERATIONS
An award-winning television and film producer/writer, Carole began her career in television working with her husband, Bruce Hart, as one of the original writers of Sesame Street, for which she won her first Emmy. She also produced, with Marlo Thomas, Free to Be…You and Me, the now classic children’s album, best-selling book and Peabody Award-winning television special.
In Attendance
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Sylvie Jacquemin: DES INDIENS COMME NOUS
Born in France, Sylvie left her pharmaceutical career to study cinematography and editing in the U.S. She directed commercials and music videos.  In 1992, she filmed Playing Through the Changes, a documentary on trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Now based in France, she alternates between commercials, short TV programs and documentaries.
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Justin Jarrett: FOR AARON: THE DOCUMENTARY
A Pennsylvania native, the 24-year-old award-winning filmmaker with a knack for creative storytelling is making his feature length film directorial debut. Justin studied film at Penn State University and worked for NBA Entertainment before starting his own production company, JTWO FILMS. His goal is to explore media that inspires change in the social landscape of the world while remaining equally entertaining.
In Attendance with Cast Member Geoff Piraino
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Ben Kadie: SECRET CLUB
This 16-year-old has been making films since he was in the third grade and has already garnered several awards, including a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. His films have screened in Brazil, India, Canada, Guam, Iceland and Australia and at more than 20 film festivals in the U.S.
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Buster Keaton: THE GENERAL
Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton (1895 – 1966) was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression. Keaton is recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly and in 1999 was ranked as the 21st greatest male star of all time by the American Film Institute.
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Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi: WISH ME AWAY
An Emmy-award-winning writer of ABC’s The View, Beverly has written for Lifetime Television, Bravo, NBC and others. Emmy-award-winning Bobbie has produced, directed and written biographies and television specials for A&E, VH1, and NBC, among others. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America and has taught at USC’s School of Cinema and Television. Together, they formed TVgals which produces non-fiction programming. Their documentary celebrating the lives of six everyday heroes in the GLBT community, Be Real, had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
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Mary Lambert: MISS SOUTH PACIFIC: BEAUTY AND THE SEA
Renowned director of music videos and feature films such as Pet Sematary and Siesta, Mary turned to documentary filmmaking with 14 Women, the 2007 story of the United States female Senators in the 109^th Congress. In her most recent film, she takes on the issues of climate change and rising sea levels.
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Arturo Menendez: CINEMA LIBERTAD
Arturo studied filmmaking at The New York Film Academy and screen writing and literature at Escuela superior de Artes y Espectaculos TAI in Madrid.
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Alysa Nahmias and Ben Murray: UNFINISHED SPACES
Alysa is founder and executive director of Ajna Films. A member of AIA, she holds a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and a Master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University.

Ben started his post-production company, The Room, in 2010. His recent projects include: No Direction Home, directed by Martin Scorsese and Capitalism: A Love Story, directed by Michael Moore. He holds a BFA in Film and Television Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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Marek Najbrt: PROTEKTOR
Marek graduated from Charles University with degrees in social sciences and documentary filmmaking (FAMU). He lives and works in Prague. He recently debuted the feature Champions.
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Emiko Omori: ED HARDY TATTOO THE WORLD
Emiko began her career in 1968 on the KQED program, Newsroom, and was the first female news camera operator in San Francisco. Her documentary, Rabbit in the Moon, about her family’s confinement in a WW II American internment camp, was awarded Best Documentary Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win an Emmy and other awards. Another film, Regret to Inform, was nominated for an Academy Award.
In Attendance
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Nevie Owens: CANCERPANTS
After graduating from the University of Denver in 1998, Nevie returned to the burgeoning film community in Austin, TX. She served as an assistant editor to Sandra Adair on Rolling Kansas, and Academy Award-nominated Before Sunset, and as editor of The Spirit Molecule. She made her directorial debut in 2008 with Mexiphobia. Other creative works include Willie Nelson’s music video “Big Boodie.”
In Attendance with Producer Annie Stennes and Ro Poulson
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Esteban Ramírez: GESTACIÓN
Born and raised in Costa Rica, Esteban graduated in 1997 from the Universidad de Costa Rica. His previous film, Caribe, was nominated for Best Film at the Bogota Film Festival and received the Audience and Best Director Awards at other festivals.
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Gillian Ray: IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Gillian Ray is a MFA candidate in film at American University. Her day job is directing media advocacy for the National Association of Children’s Hospitals in Alexandria. Her work has received national awards including a Webby and CINE Golden Eagle.
In Attendance with Dawnielle Miller
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Kaveh Rezaei: CHECKERS AT 9^TH & S
In 2007, Kaveh graduated from George Mason University and joined Voice of America as an editor where he covered the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the World Cup in Johannesburg. Kaveh recently produced 18 episodes of Adept or Inept for NBC 4 and is working with Maryland Public TV and AU to produce a documentary on the Chesapeake Bay.
In Attendance with Producer Peggy Fleming
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Timo Pierre Rositzki: PROFILE
Born in 1988 in Hamburg, Germany, Timo Pierre Rositzki has produced several music videos, short- and commercial films. His latest short film Profile, won the Shocking Shorts Award, one of the most important short film awards in Germany.
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Alex Rotaru: SHAKESPEARE HIGH
An amateur pianist, Alex has worked on the PBS documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans.  Mr. Rotaru’s numerous credits also include his new hour-long documentary, Kids with Cameras, about autistic children’s creative genius.
Producers Ronnie Planalp and Brad Koepenick In Attendance
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Payal Sethi: GRANT ST. SHAVING COMPANY
Payal graduated from Vassar College where she switched majors to film after working as a projectionist of restored 16 mm prints at the campus cinema. At Mira Nair’s Mirabai Films (Monsoon Wedding), she worked on Hysterical Blindness and The Namesake. Payal has since been Manager of the Sloan Fund at the Tribeca Film Festival and founded FilmKaravan, a film financing, development and production company.
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Cole Simon: SEPARATION ANXIETY
Cole is a 2007 graduate of The Ohio State University where he studied theatre and new works with an emphasis on acting and directing. At Glass City Films, he has directed and co-written music videos, short films, documentaries, and two features to date. His film Glass City, received the honor of Best Drama at Trail Dance Film Fesitval.
In Attendance with Writer Jeremy Sony
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Ryan Russell Smith: DECEMBER 15TH
Ryan is co-founder of the creative production company Wandering Hat, based in Washington, D.C. Its members have worked with The History Channel, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, Rolling Stone, Playtone, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and Audi. His latest project is a documentary on the sustainable food and music festival Sweetlife.
In Attendance with Kyle Drexler
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Kim Spurlock: DOWN IN NUMBER 5
Kim is a Vietnamese-West Virginian filmmaker. Before completing her MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, she studied Anthropology in Nashville, TN, worked as a bicycle courier in Washington, DC, and shot a documentary in Sofia, Bulgaria.
In Attendance
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Daniel Stine: GOD AND VODKA
Daniel is an award-winning writer, director and actor and has strong ties to Northern Virginia where he graduated from high school. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he created the first undergraduate feature-length film in the school’s history. He is the co-founder of Rushaway Pictures based in Virginia and Los Angeles. His psychological thriller, MANNIN BAY, begins production in 2012.
Producers Helen and Mike Stine In Attendance
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Patrick Tourville: OK BUCKAROOS
At age 17, Patrick won his first national film award and received a PBS grant to start his filmmaking journey. His work earned him numerous Telly and Addy awards and a Clio nomination. In 1984, he formed Music Clinic with renowned drummer Russ Kunkel and filmed performances by Joe Walsh, Don Felder, and others. In 2006, Patrick formed Publik Music on Demand and aired VOD music programming on Time Warner Cable in Texas.
In Attendance
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Ilse and Femke van Velzen: WEAPON OF WAR
Twins Ilse and Femke are independent filmmakers specializing in producing and directing documentaries under their own label IFPRODUCTIONS. Other films they have made are Bush Kids, Return To Angola, Fighting the Silence.
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Gemal Woods: CLOSE TIES: TYING ON A NEW TRADITION
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Gemal attended the New York Film Academy in 2003. He started Park Triangle Productions where his clients include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gemal now makes his home in the Washington DC area.
In Attendance
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