Anandha Lekshmi is a PhD student at The University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s (Silver Medalist) in English Literature from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, India. Her research interests include animation studies with a special focus on Indian animation. Anandha Lekshmi believes in democratizing access to higher education for everyone, especially individuals from marginalized communities in India, so feel free to email her for guidance and support on applying to MA and PhD programs. She also has a cat named Mani.

Kelly Daniela Norris is a doctoral student in the Radio-Television-Film department at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on silent serial stuntwomen from the 1910s, with attention to the fantastical, death-defiance of the female body alongside the momentum of First Wave Feminism and the Suffragette Movement. Her other interests include: Post-colonialism and guerrilla cinemas, arthouse cinema, and the avant-garde. In tandem with her academic work, Daniela is also an independent filmmaker. In 2017, she was selected for Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Faces of Independent Filmmaking”, and her second narrative feature, NAKOM, premiered at Berlinale, and was nominated for the ‘John Cassavetes Award’ at the Independent Spirit Awards. She earned her M.A. in Film and Media from the University of California - Berkeley, and holds a B.A. in Film Studies and Psychology (double major) from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Ryan David Briggs is a PhD candidate in Media Studies. His research and teaching focus on media industry studies, Hollywood film and television history, and contemporary independent cinema. His dissertation project, “The Canary in the Hollywood Coal Mine: Mid-Range Movie Death and the Decline of the Film Business,” provides a recent periodization and historicization of Hollywood from 2005 to 2020. It highlights the significant negative impacts that industrial transformations had on non-blockbuster filmmaking in this period. This study explains how the film industry found itself in an unsustainably lopsided situation almost a full decade before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked further havoc and argues that Hollywood’s transformation during the late 2000s and 2010s resulted in less originality, fewer films reflective of audience’s lived realities, and a less stable industry overall for filmmakers and film workers. Ryan's original research can be found in the South Central Review and The Velvet Light Trap.  

Prince Adablah, a filmmaker from Ghana, West Africa, earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College (Ohio), where he specialized in film and photography. In his diverse portfolio of short films, he often tackles themes of self-help and mental health, reflecting deep personal and societal insights.
Driven by his experiences in both Ghana and the U.S., Prince is dedicated to exploring the African diaspora, immigration, and cultural identity. His work strives to bridge cultural divides and shine a light on the varied experiences within African communities.
With a profound interest in African history and culture, Prince's filmmaking is aimed at inspiring global audiences and deepening the understanding of African narratives in a global context.

Born and raised in Mexico City, J.Manzo is a filmmaker and educator committed to authentic creative expression through cinema. He holds a BA in Media Arts and has worked as a Director, Cinematographer and Colorist.
Manzo spent half a decade at Spy Hop Productions, a Salt Lake City based NPO, working with hundreds of young filmmakers, helping them tell some of the most provocative, and personal stories through high-quality filmmaking.
During his time as a teaching artist, Manzo continued to write, direct and produce many short films winning several awards and professional accolades.

Alexis Cabrera is a Mexican-American Director from Dallas, TX who holds a BFA in Film/Video from the University of Texas at Arlington.  Having spent the last 7 years in and out of the film industry, they’ve regained new focus and passion in visual and narrative storytelling. As both a second-generation immigrant and a trans femme individual, she has a focus and passion for social justice advocacy for immigrant and queer people of color.  Alexis hopes to use the tools of film and media production to tell engaging and impactful stories for those who have gone voiceless, exposing truths that society has yet to see.