Alma Pöysti is an award-winning, critically acclaimed Finnish actress who is a powerhouse performer both on screen and on the stage, who continues to captivate audiences with her versatility and has established herself as one to watch. Alma Pöysti is known for her work in Aki Kaurismäki’s romantic comedy-drama Fallen Leaves, Selma Vilhunens film Four Little Adults, Fares Fares film A Day And A Half, and Zaida Bergroths film Tove. Additionally, Pöysti will star in director Pirjo Honkasalo’s upcoming film Orenda. The film will premiere in 2025. Pöysti graduated from the Theatre Academy at the University of Helsinki and earned a Masters Degree in Arts.

Banafshe Hourmazdi was born in the Ruhr area in 1990, and grew up in Germany. She studied acting at the Academy of Performing Arts Baden-Württemberg from 2009 to 2012 and then completed a master’s degree in acting at Zurich University of the Arts from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, she won the Newcomer Award of the City of Vienna for the production Meine Nase Läuft at Theater Drachengasse in Vienna. Banafshe performs at various theatres and works in different constellations and functions at municipal theatres, in the independent scene as well as in film and television. Her greatest successes include the feature film No Hard Feelings, a sensitive, queer and pop-affine portrait of Iranian youth in Germany, as a country of immigration. Banafshe was awarded the Götz George Young Talent Award for Best Ensemble at the First Steps Awards 2019. In recent years, Banafshe has appeared in numerous TV productions, including The Mapa and Loving Her, as well as the feature films Kokon and Phantoms & Ghosts, among others. Most recently, she worked on the feature film projects Ein Fest Fürs Leben and Turning Tables.

Rebecca Fons is Director of Programming at the Gene Siskel Film Center, a public program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and serves as the Development and Programming Director for the historic Iowa Theater in her hometown of Winterset, IA. Rebecca previously served as Programming Director for FilmScene in Iowa City, IA; Director of Film at the John and Nancy Hughes Theater in Lake Forest, IL; and as Education Director for The Chicago International Film Festival for nearly a decade. Rebecca received her MA from Columbia College Chicago and BA from the University of Iowa, and is co-founder of the Chicago event series Destroy Your Art. In 2022 she was named Chicagoan of the Year in Film by the Chicago Tribune.

Robert Daniels is an Associate Editor at RogerEbert.com. Based in Chicago, he is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) and regularly contributes to the New York Times, IndieWire, and Screen Daily. He has covered film festivals ranging from Cannes to Sundance to Toronto. He has also written for the Criterion Collection, the Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone about Black American pop culture and issues of representation.

Jenny Raskin is the Executive Director of Impact Partners, a fund dedicated to supporting independent documentary films that entertain audiences, engage with pressing social issues, and propel the art of cinema forward. Her executive producer credentials include Going Varsity in Mariachi, Aftershock, Procession, Nuclear Family, Trophy, and Dina. Other credits include: Here Come the Videofreex (director/producer), Found (producer), Facing the Dragon, (producer), Motherland Afghanistan (producer), and On Hostile Ground (director/producer). She received a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.A. from the Culture & Media program at NYU.

Kevin Shaw has created award-winning films for prestige platforms. Shaw’s latest film, Let The Little Light Shine, was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award, debuted on PBS’ award-winning series POV, and played at several film festivals and theaters around the country to stellar reception, where the Chicago Tribune lauded the film for carrying “the visceral impact of all six Rocky films and a few CREED films put together.” Shaw was a segment director and cinematographer on America To Me, and additional cinematographer on City So Real, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James, where they both debuted at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and aired on Starz and Hulu respectively. Shaw’s debut documentary about Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley, The Street Stops Here, aired nationally on PBS and ESPN in 2010 to rave reviews. The following year, Shaw’s Big Ten Network short documentary on a quadriplegic trying to regain the ability to walk won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting Excellence.

Francesca Mazzoleni is a director and author, graduated at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Italian National Film School) in Rome, Italy. After several short films awarded in many festivals around the world, in 2018 she made her first fiction feature film, the coming-of-age Succede. In 2020 she made the documentary film Punta Sacra, about the life and resistance of a female community living on a strip of land between the Tiber river and the sea, on the outskirts of Rome, winner as best international film at Visions du Reél 2020, nominated as best documentary at David di Donatello 2021 and awarded in more than 70 festivals worldwide. She later shot an episode of the TV series Romulus II, about the birth of Rome, and two episodes of the series Supersex, loosely inspired by the life of Rocco Siffredi, which world premiered at Berlinale 2024. She is currently in preparation of her new documentary film Rebibbia310 about Europe’s largest women’s prison.

Ariel Zetina is a Chicago-based artist, focusing in music production, deejaying, and playwriting, taking inspiration from genres including but not limited to Chicago house, musical theatre, Belizean punta, hard techno, and the queer club scene worldwide. No matter the genre, Ariel takes a special interest in percussion that masquerades as melody and theatrics created from seeming chaos. Her several EPs and debut LP Cyclorama received acclaim from publications including Resident Advisor, Bandcamp, and Pitchfork. She is a resident DJ at the legendary house club Smartbar and as a playwright has had her plays staged and workshopped around the US. She has deejayed all over the world, including opening for artists like Beyoncé, James Blake, Caroline Polachek, Sevdaliza and Big Freedia. In 2022, she was nominated for Breakthrough DJ-North America by DJ Mag, and in 2023 named Chicagoan of the Year in the Pop Music Category of the Chicago Tribune.

Cody Corrall (he/they) is a film and culture critic who has contributed to the Chicago Reader, CINE-FILE, BuzzFeed News, Thrillist, Paste Magazine and more with a focus on how genre and identity intersect in moving images. He is a founding member and editor of Film Cred, an independent publication for emerging film writers, and a co-host of the Into the Twilight podcast. Cody previously served on the screening committee for the Onion City Experimental Film & Video Festival and on the jury for Chicago Filmmakers’ Pentimenti Emerging Filmmakers Grant.

Isidore Bethel’s filmmaking engages recurrent themes of displacement, aging, therapy, and art-making. He has directed two features, Liam (Paris LGBTQ+ FF) and Acts of Love (Hot Docs). His editing, writing, and producing credits include What We Leave Behind (SXSW), Of Men and War (Cannes), Hummingbirds (Berlinale), So Late So Soon (True/False), Grandir (ACID Cannes), The Taste of Mango (BFI London), Caballerango (IDFA), La Balada del Oppenheimer Park (Cinéma du Réel), “Blue Room” (AFI Fest), and “Some Kind of Intimacy” (Sundance London). Those films have received over 40 awards and have screened on Netflix, POV, the New York Times’ Op-Docs, and the Criterion Channel. Isidore has been one of DOC NYC’s “40 under 40” and Filmmaker’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” A graduate of Harvard, the École Normale Supérieure, and SAIC, he is a citizen of France and the United States and has taught at La Fémis, Sarah Lawrence, and Parsons Paris.

Clare Cooney is a filmmaker and SAG actor. Her feature directorial debut Departing Seniors made its domestic premiere on Opening Night of the Chicago International Film Festival and screened with BFI Flare, FrightFest UK, Screamfest LA, Nightmares Film Festival, and at the inaugural Fantastic Pavilion at Cannes. After a limited theatrical run and digital release on Apple TV, the film made the Top 10 on iTunes on both the Horror and Independent charts and received positive reviews from NPR and Dread Central. Her award-winning short films Runner, Pick Up, and After (A Love Story) have played at major U.S. festivals, including Academy-Qualifying festivals such as Cleveland International, LA Shorts International, Indy Shorts International, and Atlanta Film Festival, where Cooney received a “Filmmaker to Watch” nod. Runner and Pick Up, both written and directed by Cooney, went viral on the prestigious short film channel Omeleto, where she is a senior programmer. Cooney originally hails from Detroit, has trained extensively in Chicago, and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Ireland.

Wesley Julian, IFA, Executive Director, is a development and non-profit professional with experience contributing significantly to the success of organizations like 1871, Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Beyond his professional pursuits, Wesley has been actively involved in volunteer work, serving as the President of the JET Alumni Association and contributing to the Chicago Sister Cities International, Osaka Committee. He was the Director and Executive Producer of two volunteer film projects, a 60-minute documentary film (Tohoku Tomo) and a follow-up short film series (the 113 Project), which both captured the recovery, resilience, and beauty of the Tohoku region following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and were shown in 30+ screenings globally. His commitment to community engagement and his multifaceted background make Wesley a valuable asset to IFA Chicago.

Eric D. Seals is a seasoned film director and cinematographer with 10+ years of experience creating and managing feature films, television, and digital content series. Eric started his career at ESPN as a video editor on Sportscenter, Mike and Mike, and First Take. In 2020, he was selected as a Diverse Voices in Documentaries Fellow with Kartemquin Films, and in 2021, he was selected as a Netflix Directing and Producing Fellow.  Eric enjoys giving back to the film community by facilitating workshops and has recently become an Adjunct Professor at Depaul University, teaching a course in Sports Documentary Production. He is the founder and creative director of Digifé, a full-service film production company that focuses on documentaries and social impact stories.  Eric and Digife have won numerous awards, produced commercials and TV shows, and developed various content for different brands. Eric has completed his second film, Bike Vessel, which tells the story of Eric’s dad, Donnie Seals Sr., defying health statistics after having three open-heart surgeries and renewing his lease on life through cycling.

Jane Keranen is a writer and film programmer from the midwest. They received their BFA from the University of Southern California, where they studied screenwriting and narrative studies. Their scholarly interests and written work center on women prophets and oracles in the digital age, women, sexuality, and autonomy in media, and social construction of spectacle. Their background is primarily in media production and film programming. They are currently the Events and Program Coordinator for the Film Studies Center at the University of Chicago, and previously served as a programmer at FilmScene and the Refocus Film Festival in Iowa City, IA.

Whitney Spencer (she/they) is the Director of Production and Strategy at Sisters in Cinema, where she oversees Sisters in Cinema Productions – shaping both the creative and business strategies for key projects; and develops and executes creative, community, and business partnership strategies. Whitney came to Sisters in Cinema from Kartemquin Films, where she supported a diverse array of filmmakers in marketing and distribution strategy for their films. She holds a M.A. in Critical Ethnic Studies from DePaul University, a M. Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Louisville, and a B.S. in Communications with a minor in Sociology from the University of Louisville. Her research interests include Black placemaking, reimagining Black knowledge production and practices, and the politics of memory. Next, she is excited to explore the transformative practices at the intersection of art and technology. When she has time, Whitney is an occasional critic with bylines for RogerEbert.com.

Yuki Sakamoto Solomon is the founder of Coyote Sun Productions (CSP), a Chicago-based film production company, and a former program director at NHK Enterprises in New York. As a film producer, Solomon collaborates with filmmakers to create socially impactful films. In 2020, she co-produced the innovative feature documentary Mayday, directed by Mariko Tetsuya, and participated in the Japan-U.S. co-production Coyote, which was filmed in Chicago and Tokyo and released in theaters in 2021. Solomon continued her collaboration with Mariko on Before Anyone Else and worked as a U.S.-based producer on Lightning Over The Beyond by HANNO Yoshihiro in 2022, which recently received the Nobuhiko Obayashi Award at the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles. Passionate about bridging Japanese and American cultures through film, Solomon co-founded the Chicago Japan Film Collective in May 2021—the first Japanese film festival in the Midwest—with a focus on promoting indie Japanese films and exploring future distribution opportunities in North America.

Claude-Aline Nazaire-Miller, affectionately known as Claudie to her friends and family, is a proud Haitian-American raised on the vibrant streets of Chicago. Her creative pursuits as a commercial director, photographer, and filmmaker beautifully blend cultural richness with a personal warmth that resonates deeply with audiences worldwide. Claudie’s background in social work allows her to forge genuine connections and uncover authentic stories. In both her photography and filmmaking, Claudie encapsulates moments of vulnerability, resilience, and joy.  Most recently, Claudie achieved a significant milestone with her acceptance to the esteemed 2023 Chicago International Film Festival. Her latest documentary, featuring the mesmerizing artist Nick Cave, captivated audiences with its raw emotion and profound storytelling, earning widespread acclaim and recognition. Her ability to reveal the untold stories of Cave’s artistry struck a chord with audiences, earning her the prestigious Audience Choice Award—an accolade that underscores the profound impact of her work on hearts and minds. Beyond her groundbreaking documentary, Claudie collaborates with esteemed clients including Pfizer, Reblozyl, Open Nature, Nivea, Wyoming Tourism, and The Gemological Institute.

Dustin Nakao-Haider is a Japanese-Desi American filmmaker from Chicago. A two time Emmy nominee, and winner of the Oscar-qualifying 2023 Gold Hugo for Best Short Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival for his newest work, Ethan Lim: Cambodian Futures. His feature length debut, Shot in the Dark, was supported by the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, ESPN Films, Company 3, premiered on FOX, and was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. He has produced multiple seasons of docuseries on Netflix, ESPN+, and TNT. He directed the commercial doc series Dear Chicago to promote the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, which won Best Marketing Initiative at the 2021 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. His short documentaries on Jay Z, Robinson Cano, Kendrick Lamar and others have garnered millions of views online. In 2022, he co-wrote Pali, a play produced at Stanford University, adapted from Indian writer Bhisham Sahni’s short story. Dustin won the 2023 Loni Ding Award in Social Issue Documentary from CAAM for Cambodian Futures. The film was produced with Firelight Media and American Masters and is currently streaming on PBS as part of the series In the Making. He is currently in development on a new series, Cursed, with A24. Dustin is a co-founder of the production collective Bogie.

Connor Lee O’Keefe (he/him) is a nonfiction filmmaker, artist, and teacher. He uses a queer lens to shape the realities captured in his films. He tells stories with people that push the boundaries of what it means to live and share the world with others. His essay film Imagine A Body premiered in The New Yorker Documentary Series in 2022, and his most recent short film No More Longing premiered at San Francisco International Film Festival and played at Frameline Film Festival. Connor is currently in residency at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania working on two documentary short films – the first features TeamTrans Twin Cities, the Minnesota chapter of a national hockey league consisting entirely of trans and nonbinary athletes. His second project explores queer ancestry, found family, and mentorship through a trans saint from the 5th century.

Margaret Bialis is an animation director and artist currently living in Chicago, IL. She is inspired by sincere storytelling in both narrative and non-narrative disciplines. Her short films and commissioned pieces have screened at Pictoplasma, the Chicago International Film Festival, and Encounters Film Festival, among others. Her client work includes directing and animating projects for MTV, Apple, FX, Duolingo, National Geographic, Discord, and Bento Box. She has experience directing music videos for artists like  The Offspring, Beach Bunny, and Andy Shauf. She has freelanced at Buck, Golden Wolf, Oddfellows, Gunner, and more. She currently teaches animation at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and is working on her newest animated short film, You Are Here.

Jacob Ciocci is a multimedia artist and musician. Ciocci is a founding member of the art collective Paper Rad whose work in the field of net.art––one of contemporary arts’ recent movements of the avant-garde––helped ignite the genre, and is considered formative to a generation of younger artists whose works deals with the digital. He is also a co-founder of the long running electronic music and experimental video art group Extreme Animals. Ciocci has had solo exhibitions and screenings with Foxy Productions, New York; Interstate Projects, New York; Anthology Film Archives, New York; Nightingale Cinema, Chicago; and And/Or Gallery, Los Angeles. He has exhibited and performed at a range of venues, including MOMA, the New Museum, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Sarah Schmidt was raised in an Ohio small town by marching band and the family gas station. After earning a BFA at Columbus College of Art & Design in 2014, she began working in-house at a boutique motion design studio while making independent films, music videos, and gig posters. In 2018, she started teaching as an adjunct animation professor before earning her MFA at DePaul University from 2022-2024. She has been curating independent animation shows and self-publishing fanzines under the name “Malt Adult” since 2016. In 2019, she co-founded Sunshine Mall LLC with partner and creative collaborator Ian Ballantyne. They work out of their studio in Chicago, Illinois.