Play a Part in LUNAFEST 2023

Jen Randall – This is Beth

Jen’s films empower, entertain, and challenge viewers with intricately woven, emotive narratives and a quiet sense of fun. Her work has been awarded major prizes at film festivals and distributed across international cinemas. This is Beth takes an intimate look at professional climber Beth Rodden’s relationship with her sport, her career, and herself.

Samantha Sanders – Swimming Through

Samantha has written, produced, and directed documentary programs for broadcast on television networks, and her films and screenplays have won numerous international awards. Her passion as a landscape photographer drew her to Swimming Through, the story of three women forging a friendship by swimming through the winter in Lake Michigan as a way to cope with the pandemic.

Fawzia Mirza – The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night

Fawzia is a queer South Asian Muslim director-writer who believes in the power of comedy to tackle divisive topics and breakdown stereotypes. In The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, all cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican girlfriend home for the first time to the family’s annual game night.

Kausar Mohammed – The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night

Kausar, who plays Noor in The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, is also the writer and producer of the film, a romantic comedy exploring the themes of sisterhood, belonging, and breaking the rules of tradition. A Bengali-Pakistani actress and comedian, she is a member of the South Asian sketch comedy troupe The Get Brown.

Faith E. Briggs – Reclaim Your Water: Natasha Smith

A graduate of Yale University, Faith is a creative producer, documentary filmmaker, and podcast host who is passionate about creating media that is representative of the world we live in. Reclaim Your Water poignantly highlights how communities of color can reclaim water as a healing and enjoyable experience for all.

Bret Parker – Pete

Director, writer, and producer, Bret is a veteran in the film industry with 26 years at Pixar Animation Studios. Pete is a true story about gender identity, Little League baseball, the people who inspire change by being themselves, and the superheroes who allow that change to happen.

Pete Barma – Pete

A self-described storyteller, Pete is a director committed to bringing to the screen fresh stories from her perspective as a queer female. As an award-winning educator, she founded LGBTQ+ and ally student clubs to help support and educate young people. She wrote the autobiographical screenplay Pete, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.

Sara T. Gama – Miss Chelove: From Java to the Streets of D.C.

An American of Arab heritage, Sara was born in Beirut. She is a screenwriter, filmmaker, poet, and fine arts photographer. Miss Chelove developed from her fellowship at the Muslim Women in Media Institute. In the film, Indonesian-American artist Cita Sadeli shares stories from her life growing up in the punk and graffiti scenes in Washington D.C.

Amy Bench – More Than I Want to Remember

Amy is a filmmaker and visual artist who is drawn to the immediacy of film and photography to tell stories of community and resilience. Her film, More Than I Want to Remember, about a young refugee’s solo journey crossing continents, won Best Short Documentary at the 2022 Cleveland International Film Festival