DIRECTOR
is a Mexican director and visual storyteller who has been passionate about movies and knew she wanted to tell stories since the age of nine. With a background in Communication and Film, and a diploma in Animation and Concept Art, she is a highly visual filmmaker drawn to heightened genre stories grounded in emotion and rich with heart. Her work explores themes related to the human condition and experience through intimate, vulnerable worlds that reveal the fragile beauty of being alive.
She has previously worked as a production and directing assistant, as well as in the art department for commercials and short films. Michelle is currently pursuing her MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute.
Michelle Kahn
makes films with a punchline and a purpose, that are warm, witty, and women-led. In 2017, Amal founded Lights, Camera, Learn!, a non-profit organization that produces localized edutainment films by kids, for kids. She has produced 270+ short films, trained 240+ filmmakers, and worked with 900+ kids in 9 countries across the globe. After abandoning a good corporate salary and a balanced life, she thought "who needs a life when I can work 24/7?" so fueled by her purpose and passion, Amal is now in debt getting her MFA in producing at the American Film Institute Conservatory and she is “where she belongs". She is currently in development on two animated feature films, a TV shows, as well as her capstone thesis film "Cool People" to be released in 2026.
Amal Seela
PRODUCER
WRITER
is a Brazilian screenwriter with a BA in Radio, TV, and Internet and over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry. She has worked as a staff writer, producer, and executive producer on projects for MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, CNN, and TNT. In 2023, she received the Fulbright MFA grant to pursue her master’s degree at AFI. Isabela has a passion for dark comedies that has translated in multiple short films, feature scripts and pilots.
Isabela Santos
studied film and photography, and graduated with honors in astronomy at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Her work focuses on narrative, documentary and music video cinematography, with particular interest in broadening our perspectives by exploring challenging subjects, and decolonizing our stories to help build better futures. Her work has screened at Sundance, SXSW, Austin Film Festival and FrightFest, to name a few. At her core, she believes in the power of movies to help change the world.
Victoria K. Warren
CINEMATOGRAPHER
graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts Production. She previously worked at NetEase Games as a 3D artist and has contributed to multiple BFA and MFA thesis films. Her primary responsibilities on these projects included editing, color grading, and animation. Yi has played a key role in the completion of several films, including Gift, Blue Bird, Blip in Love, Blend, among others. Several of these films have gone on to receive awards and festival screenings. Bridging her background in animation with her passion for filmmaking, Yi continues to explore how image, rhythm, and emotion can come together to shape memorable cinematic experiences.
EDITOR
Yi Liu
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
is a Mexican production designer based in Los Angeles and drawn to bold, eccentric, world-building-driven stories. He has worked on production projects for Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros, and has brought his vision to genres such as sci-fi, horror, and musicals. His work includes collaborating as an art director on the project Cuando Volvimos a la Tierra, a finalist in the McDonald's Spotlight Dorado short film contest, as Production Designer in his richly imagined period AFI thesis short, The Witch Pricker and the Hare, which premiered at Sidewalk Film Festival and artist Isabel LaRosa’s music video MUSE.
José Daniel