Minh Ngô is a Vietnamese writer-director shaped by the various lands and cultures of Vietnam, France, Hawai’i, England, and North Carolina. Ngô specializes in extracting the violently beautiful from the wondrously absurd. Minh’s directing credits include Julius Cheezer: An Orison for a Glorious Life (2025), an absurd fantasy about an anthropomorphic rat emperor questing for forbidden cheese while encountering Romeo Montague, his wife Cleoratra, and the meaning of life; The Odyssemen (2026), a Shakespearean epic in which personified sperm cells wage civil war over whether to bring about the Great Jac, a cataclysmic event prophesied to propel them into the Promised Beyond; and The Applecalypse (2024), a modern silent film personifying Apples in a struggle with Eve, Steve Jobs and Sir Isaac Newton over the Garden of Eden. Minh’s films have screened in historic theatres across North Carolina in double-billing programs alongside Bugonia (2025), Hundreds of Beavers (2022), and Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus (1928), the last accompanied by live musical performances. A recent BFA recipient from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Filmmaking with a concentration in Directing, Minh hopes to continue finding, following, and fortifying his cinematic style and philosophy through the MFA program at UT. Hook ‘Em!

When Alexa isn't locked away in the library you can find her nurturing her creative side, doting on her precious kitty, or sunbathing whilst contemplating the most recent episode of reality television she's watched.
 

Huong Vu is a Vietnamese writer and director whose work examines the quiet rhythms of everyday life, using food as a lens to explore familial conflict, cultural identity, and the emotional inheritances passed between generations. Her debut short film, Braised (Thịt Kho), premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series and won Best International Film at the Prince George's Film Festival. The film has also screened at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival, Independent Film Festival Boston, The Women's Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Society, among others. In addition to directing, Huong works as a cinematographer, collaborating on films that center women's stories. Her cinematography spans narrative, documentary, and music video projects.

Tanner Benson is a PhD student in the Radio, Television, Film program at UT Austin. Their work centers on film theory through aesthetic analysis. Their primary interests are in Latin American cinema, specifically New Latin American Cinema from the 1960s to contemporary forms, with attention to the dynamic relationships between fiction and non-fiction. Their chapter on the silent film Tepeyac is forthcoming in The Silent Film Companion: A Recovered and Expanded History (UBC Press, 2027).

Huixin Gong is currently a first-year Media Studies MA student. She received her BA in Cinema Studies with a minor in Fine Arts (Metalsmithing) from the University of Oregon in 2025. Her current research focuses on fan culture, particularly how film and television audiences create alternative forms of fan expression and negotiate identity through digital platforms. Moving forward, she hopes to expand her research to include fans across different media forms and further explore the power dynamics between media industries, censorship policies, and audience communities. In her free time, Huixin enjoys revisiting her favorite East Asian films from the 1990s, making jewelry, and playing video games. She is also a long-term volunteer contributor to a fan community website. Areas of interest: fan studies, participatory culture, censorship and piracy, queer media, and gender and sexuality.

Ava is a drama writer from Metro Detroit whose work explores subculture. She attended both the UCLA Professional Programs in Screenwriting and Writing for Television and a residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences in Georgia. Her documentary short "The Wisdom of Oz" screened at the Arab American National Museum, and she's served as both a regional and national juror for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. A member of Theory Group Think Tank at Macomb Correctional Facility, Ava collaborated with incarcerated members on recent workshops “Let’s Hear What Ya Got: A Spoken Word and Storytelling Showcase” and “Art & Agency from the Inside Out: A Creative Workshop on Trauma, Healing, and Transformation.” Ava graduated from the University of Michigan, Dearborn with majors in Professional Writing & Rhetoric and Journalism & Screen Studies.

Joshua Silva is a Texas-based filmmaker looking to make his mark on the world. After earning a B.A. in English from The University of Texas at Austin, he realized his academic and creative journey was far from over and returned to pursue an M.F.A. in Film and Media Production. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Joshua never entertained the idea of being an artist. He was raised on the idea of white-collar jobs, being with family, enjoying a drink, and watching sports - something described by those nearest and dearest to him as “a normal life”. Despite those norms, Joshua decided at a young age to pursue purpose and fulfillment over practicality, leading him to Austin to pursue his education as a filmmaker. Due to the unexpected nature of COVID-19, he returned to Houston, where he has since balanced making a living with continuing to build his photography and videography portfolio. Joshua draws inspiration from Richard Linklater, Barry Jenkins, Alejandro Iñárritu, Josh & Benny Safdie, and Christopher Nolan. Through his work, he looks to tackle themes of familial relations, cultural identity (or lack thereof), the multiplicities of Texas, and the everyday human experience. In his free time, Joshua enjoys a good cup of coffee, capturing moments on 35mm film, and relaxing at his local cinema.