Director / Writer
Jahmil Eady is an award-winning writer, director, and producer who blends genres like fantasy, horror and sci-fi with social impact storytelling. She is currently a director in Indeed and Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices Season 5.
Jahmil grew up in Charleston, SC and NYC. She earned her BA in Media Studies from Pomona College and studied at the Prague Film School in the Czech Republic. Jahmil holds an MFA in Directing from UCLA where she was the Inaugural Graduate Class Artist, representing over 14,000 Bruins for the class of 2023. She is also the Princess Grace Foundation's Inaugural Sir Roger Moore Honoree in Filmmaking.
Jahmil began her career in unscripted film and television and was an Associate Producer on documentary projects for Oprah Winfrey Network, Viceland, and Discovery Networks. Collectively, her short films have screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide, including several BAFTA and Academy Award-Qualifying film festivals.
Jahmil was a director in the 2024 Tribeca Chanel Through Her Lens Workshop and a director in the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women Plus (AFI DWW+) class of 2025. Her work has also been supported by institutions like Film Independent, Plate Spinner Productions, Peace Is Loud, rePROFilm, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles’ NewNarratives Program and the Rhulen Family Foundation. Her other distinctions include the New York Times Award, The Jackie Robinson Foundation Award, and the Four Sisters Award bestowed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Sara Finney-Johnson, Mara Brock Akil, and Felicia D. Henderson.
Producer
Tara Austin is a Los Angeles-based film producer. Having lived and worked in Montréal, Berlin, London and Goa, she is drawn to telling stories with global appeal. Austin is an AFI Producing Alum, (MFA 2022) an avid cinephile and motorcycle enthusiast. Her short films, AVES, RINGING ROCKS, and DOG LOVER all have had lengthy & successful film festival runs, winning numerous awards both in the US and abroad. Her most recent producing project(s) include FREE BENCH MUST PICK UP TODAY, starring Hunter Doohan, and MADE IN USA, starring Maria Zhang. Austin holds a special place in her heart for challenging, thought-provoking stories and she takes pride in producing films that are both intriguing and visually stimulating.
Cinematographer
Pip K. White is a London born Cinematographer and Photographer. She studied fine art at the renowned Central Saint Martins, and with the support of BAFTA studied her Masters in Cinematography at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. She learned the art of lighting during her near decade of experience as an Operator, Camera Assistant, and DOP Technical Assistant under the tutelage of award winning DP's Caroline Champetier (Annette), Ben Davis (Dr Strange) and Philippe Rousselot (Fantastic Beasts) amongst others. Pip has since gone on to shoot music videos, commercials and features with her work screening in competition at SXSW, Tribeca, Camerimage and AFI Fest.
Impact Producer
Farida Rafique is a Los Angeles-based Impact Producer who draws inspiration from her years in refugee support work. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Media Management from California State University, her passion for storytelling intertwines with her commitment to Human Rights advocacy. Farida has produced impactful videos and art installations, including "Love Letters to an Addict," addressing opioid addiction, and micro-documentaries for the Human Rights Initiative. She also co-produced a documentary on the Family Separation Crisis on the Texas-Mexico border. She participated in Film North's Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab ('20) and Women in Media's Camaraderie Accelerator ('21). Farida has produced social impact campaigns for projects such as "Moon," “The Magic Ticket,” and the recent Oscar-shortlisted film “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles.” Farida hosts and executive produces the empathy and impact-centered podcast, “The Slow Dive.”
Editor
Christopher Hong is a Korean-American film editor from Virginia. After a career as a writer in the advertising industry, Chris switched gears to pursue his true passion for film editing. He has edited numerous films including two features "Wild Blue", "The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man," and recently worked as an Assistant Editor on Lulu Wang's "Expats" for Amazon.
Editor
Ziyang Guo is a Los Angeles-based film and TV editor with an MFA in Editing from the American Film Institute. With experience in both creative and technical roles across film, commercials, and marketing projects, she is passionate about storytelling through editing. She edited the short film When Big People Lie, which was selected for the Telluride Film Festival in 2024.