Almendra is a 24-year-old filmmaker born and raised in Mendoza, Argentina. She grew up with a strong passion for stories and as soon as she could she started telling and writing her own. At 17 she got a scholarship to study at UWC Atlantic College, in Wales, UK. There, she discovered her passion for filmmaking, and she got a full ride to study Film for 4 years at Ringling College of Art and Design, minoring in Creative Writing. She has recently graduated, obtaining a BFA, and she looks forward to crafting more compelling narratives with a focus on underrepresented perspectives.

Mirta Desir is the recipient of multiple prestigious grants and awards for her writing and directing, including the coveted Lynn Shelton Grant, the Caucus Foundation Grant, and the New York Women in Film & Television Award. She was recently awarded the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Grand Prize for the East Coast for 2024-2025 for her short film, Jean & I.Desir’s work has been showcased at Oscar-qualifying festivals across the country. And, her previous short films, like All the Gaps, are currently streaming on multiple platforms. Desir is in the development phase of her debut feature film, Voudou Child (formerly Angie), which was the recipient of the Lynn Shelton Grant.

Nadine (Misong) Jin is a New York-based filmmaker from South Korea. Her work explores questions of identity, the aesthetics of melancholy, and the ruination of the self. Her visual strength lies in images with stillness, charged with tension and mystery. After graduating from SKKU, where she studied English literature and film directing, she is currently an MFA Film candidate at Columbia University and recently participated in the Pedro Costa Lab 2024 in Yucatan, Mexico.

Ella McKenzie grew up in a small beach town in Massachusetts, graduating as an All-State French Hornist before moving to the University of Michigan, where she initially planned to pursue law. Halfway through her coursework, Ella rediscovered her passion for storytelling and shifted to filmmaking. At Michigan, she directed two ~30-minute short films—Nerd Association, recognized by the DGA Student Film Awards, and Sanctuary, now out to festivals. Ella is currently based in Los Angeles, working as an Executive Assistant for Trevor Noah’s joint venture with Paramount, Day Zero Productions. Outside of work and freelance set life, she’s writing her first feature film, with plans to return to directing.

Colleen Ryan is a Los Angeles and Panama based director and a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Colleen’s early life was shaped by a deep commitment to activism, attending protests and marches that ignited her passion for stories that resonate with purpose and social impact. As a Panamanian citizen, she was immediately interested in the impact of the water crisis and its effects on the lower income populous. Through her work, she aims to shine a light on the challenges faced by these communities and inspire action and awareness through powerful, impactful storytelling.