Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Michael Duff By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Michael Duff has worked for years as a respiratory therapist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and freelance photographer, but recently decided to pursue his lifelong love of film by enrolling in online film school through Arizona State University and pursuing a TV writing certificate from […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Leslie Rivera
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Leslie Rivera By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Puerto Rico-born, West Chester-raised Leslie Rivera has been an active member of the Philly arts scene for years, touring for years with the Rennie Harris Puremovement dance company and founding the band El Malito and the 33rd Century. Made as Rivera began returning to personal […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Eli LaBan
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Eli LaBan By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Filmmaker Eli LaBan has worked primarily in documentaries, but ventured into the world of narrative film as Director of Photography and co-editor of The Art of Being Izzy. Made as a capstone project for the Media Studies and Production Major at Temple University, the film […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Kristal Sotomayor
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Kristal Sotomayor By Travis Trew, Programming Associate A recent graduate of Bryn Mawr college, Kristal Sotomayor parlayed her interest in filmmaking into an internship with PBS’s POV series, and has received a fellowship with Scribe Video Center to produce a documentary about immigrant rights in Philadelphia. A very personal essay film incorporating […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Krissy Mahan
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Krissy Mahan By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Camden-born artist and filmmaker Krissy Mahan has been making movies using humor as a feminist tool for 25 years. Mahan’s movies center the social failures around accessibility, gender identity, mental health, immigration, and working class post-industrial cities. In My Aunt Mame, Mahan uses Fisher-Price figurines and handmade, […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Xabier Saavedra
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Xabier Saavedra By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Mexico City native Xabier Saavedra came to the USA in 2008 to train at a tennis academy in Southern California, and began attending Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2012. In college, Saavedra produced several experimental and documentary shorts. Narrative short Indo follows Mexican immigrant Camilo […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Mark Kaercher
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Mark Kaercher By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Hailing from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Temple University senior Mark Kaercher is currently hard at work on his thesis film while eyeing a future career in filmmaking. Made last year, Giraffe follows a recently broken-up couple—Dwayne (Jared Myers) and Chelsea (Jackie Watkins)—as they sort through what’s […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Anna Gamarnik
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Anna Gamarnik By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Currently in her last semester at Temple University, Chalfont, Pennsylvania native Anna Gamarnik is pursuing a BFA in the school’s Directing concentration. Her film Spaced Out tells the story of Sally, a young outcast whose offbeat look and extraterrestrial obsession give new meaning to the […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Alec Goss
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Alec Goss By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Hamilton, NJ native Alec Goss is currently a sophomore at The College of New Jersey, where he’s majoring in Interactive Multimedia with a minor in Lens-Based Art. A brief but memorable mood piece, further depicts two kids as they attempt to dispose of a mysterious […]
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Hannah Silverman
Showcase Filmmaker Spotlight: Hannah Silverman By Travis Trew, Programming Associate Cheltenham, PA native Hannah Silverman got her start by submitting writing and directing shorts for her high school’s annual film festival. Now a senior in NYU’s film program, Silverman is in the midst of putting finishing touches on her thesis project and plotting next steps. […]