Award Winning Documentary Filmmakers

 Dr. Shireen Rahimi is a marine scientist, visual media storyteller and the founder of Lightpalace Productions. She has traveled across the globe showcasing humanity’s impact on the planet’s rapidly changing waters—from the seas of the Caribbean to the Coral Triangle. Her work focuses on one of the earliest and most significant ecological casualties of global warming: tropical coral reefs. With her expertise in photography, underwater filming and science communication, Shireen has been featured as a contributor on National Geographic Sharkfest and ABC’s Localish, and was named a Nautica ocean conservation Wavemaker. She has created work for The Nature Conservancy, Parley for the Oceans, National Geographic Magazine, Oceana, Dell Technologies, ESPN, COP28 Dubai, Sierra Magazine, PBS, and film festivals around the world. Through every aspect of her practice, Shireen is dedicated to telling emotional, character-driven stories that encourage action around the current climate crisis. 

Nicholas Markart is a writer, director and editor. His films have been featured in festivals such as Cannes International Film Festival, the Student BAFTA Awards, and Hollyshorts. He's worked for Warner Brothers Television and for companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Uhome and Thuma Mattresses.

His most recent directorial effort was a behind-the-scenes story of Bernie Mac's rise to fame while battling sarcoidosis, a deeply personal film inspired by his own family’s experience with sarcoidosis.

Marcello Ercole is a filmmaker based out of Italy, who is passionate about documentaries, cinema and photography. While co-owning Illusion Video Productions, he carries out visuals and documentaries.

Originally from Peguis First Nation, Pete Kolopenuk (Swampy Cree) is a talented and ambitious Indigenous Filmmaker, Producer, Director, Editor, Drone Pilot and Writer based in Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 Territory.  After lengthy careers in both the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Oilfields, Pete boasts a deep appreciation of the industry and a relentless work ethic.  Pete's Military Career consisted of two deployments to Europe '06 and Afghanistan '08 with the First Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

Chris M. Johnston, director and editor of the All Saints Documentary has been a part of the production industry since 1995. He broke into documentaries as an editor in 2014 with his first laurels from the UrbanWorld Festival with the “Hating Obama” documentary. A few years later he was the producer, editor and director of cinematography of the HBOMAX smash hit “Class Action Park” documentary.  

After a year of at Brown University and a postgraduate research degree in philosophy at the Sorbonne, Justine Malle, daughter of late french director Louis Malle, interned in a parisian publishing company and translated into french texts by Greil Marcus and Jonathan Rosenbaum. In 2003, after an internship on a movie by Anne Fontaine, she directed a short documentary called “Shanghai notes” and in 2004 anoher short documentary called “Light in April”. In 2006 and 2008, she directed two short fiction films called “Cet été-là” and “Surpris par le froid”. In 2011, she made her first feature length fiction called “Youth”, selected in Rome, San Francisco, Cleveland, London, Montreal, Copenhaguen, Shanghai film festivals in 2013. From 2014 to 2018, she worked on a script for her second feature film, “Les Grands bois”, with an Austria-Luxembourg production company, which has not yet been directed. In 2020, she came back to documentary film making with a project about a monastery in Syria dedicated to interreligious dialog, which became “Mar Moussa”, finished in October 2024.

With an uncontainable obsession for crafting captivating tales through visuals, Joshua is a wandering explorer in the vast depths of creative storytelling. He views filmmaking as a universal language, a medium to express what words cannot. His passion lies in documentaries, which he considers reference points for historical and human moments. Joshua is fascinated by dying arts and their significance, striving to preserve and restore them. His goal is to tell stories that endure through time, leaving a lasting legacy.

 Co-Director/co-Producer: Gregory Miller and Georgia Wallace-Crabbe make documentaries and other media programs for Australian and international audiences, often international co-productions.
Gregory was Producer/Director of Cultivating Murder (2018 SBS), a true crime documentary about land clearing and the 2014 murder of an environment officer in Moree, and Breaker Morant - The Retrial (2013 History Channel) a South African co-production (2 part drama-doc).
Georgia directed- New Beijing-Reinventing a City-(2009), about the rapid redevelopment of Beijing before the 2008 Olympics, and the destruction of the hutongs, screened at festivals (including Documentary Edge) and winning several awards. She directed the environmentally themed 5-channel digital installation -The Earth and the Elements (2016) for a Doctorate of Creative Arts (at Wollongong Uni). Together they co-directed Memories of the Struggle (2017) a multi-channel museum project about the history of the Australian anti-apartheid campaign, shown in Museums in Australia and South Africa and several television documentaries.   

Elizabeth Leiter is a documentary filmmaker who is drawn to nuanced, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant stories. She made her directorial debut with Frontline’s “The Abortion Divide,” which presents intimate portraits of women in the midst of decision making. Her second film, “Jane Goodall: The Hope,” earned several nominations including an Emmy for outstanding Nature Documentary, a Critics Choice for Best First Documentary Feature and a PGA for TV feature. She was the series director on Hulu’s “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, Holiday Edition,” which won a James Beard Award and received a Television Academy Honor for inspiring social change. Elizabeth’s producing credits include Peabody nominated “Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March,” for PBS, “Parched,” for National Geographic, and the documentary feature “This is Home: A Refugee Story.”

Selina McCallum is a hardworking and ambitious social media manager, filmmaker, photographer and videographer who is passionate about digital storytelling, music and social justice. She was born in Toronto and raised by her Tanzanian mother and Jamaican father. She graduated from the University of Windsor in spring 2019 with a double degree in Digital Journalism and Communications Media and Film. She started her photography business, Shot By Selina in 2016, and has worked with brands, models and businesses. In 2018, Selina won a national award for her videography work in her short documentary Marley’s Journey, which was also featured in Windsor Shorts 2019 on CBC GEM. Her film, Prison Bars to Page Lines a part of the Being Black in Canada Program was also nationally broadcasted on CBC and available to watch on CBC GEM. Selina just wrapped up her internship at Warner Music Canada. Selina manages the social media platforms (IG, TikTok, Youtube, Twitter, Threads) for a company she started with her friends called THE MOM3NT NETWORK. She is also working on her next documentary film and taking on campaign video projects for businesses and non-profits.

David Sant is a documentary filmmaker living in Spanish Fork, Utah. He focuses his work on the intersection of queer identity and spirituality, often focusing on telling the stories of queer members of the LDS (Mormon) Church.

Richmond Weaver grew up near Atlanta, GA and upon graduation from Clemson University, began a career as a college basketball coach before founding the podcast "Rich Take On Sports" sharing the transformative power of sports while being honored with the 2021 Award of Excellence at the 27th Annual Communicator Awards.

His journey led him to various radio hosting roles with iHeart Radio and the creation of acclaimed audio & video content. Notably, as the producer for the Southeast EMMY® Award-winning docuseries "Clemson's Greatest Games".

With an unwavering commitment to illuminating the essence of sports, Richmond continues to inspire and engage listeners with his insightful commentary and compelling narratives while this docuseries, "Better Together: Furman's Championship Quest" is his directorial debut.  

 Originally from Sydney, Australia, Genevieve trained professionally as an actor with Hugh Jackman at WAAPA - ranked as one of the top 30 Drama Schools Drama in the world. She went on to appear in commercials, films and TV shows such as Home & Away over the next 10 years. A lateral move into the corporate world saw her living and working in China, Singapore, the U.S and Europe. She returned to the film industry in 2018 graduating with a masters in Film & TV Producing.
Genevieve founded Salty Paradise Productions and is now based in London, UK. With an innate ability to speak to people, her signature emotional storytelling style gains unfettered and intimate access to the stories that she captures on film. Her documentaries focus on the underdog experience, under represented communities and the power of overcoming adversity. 

 Professor Barney McCoy teaches broadcast news reporting and documentary at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He produces films through his Painted Rock Productions company. Before arriving at UNL in 2006, McCoy was a full-time journalist for 27 years.
McCoy’s latest project is “Running Towards the Fire – A War Correspondent’s Story.” The film made its screen and broadcast premiere at the University of Nebraska and Nebraska Public Media in May 2024. It chronicles the critical roles of WWII war correspondents and draws from the memoir of former Reuters correspondent Robert Reuben. 

 McCoy holds a master's degree from Michigan State University and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. He served as a visiting professor at the Kosovo Institute of Journalism (KIJAC) in Prishtina, Kosovo on teaching visits between 2006 and 2010. 

JM Balbuena is an author, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Synergy, a full-service multi-media organization and advocacy lifestyle brand. She currently serves as the CMO at Prime Harvest, a tech-retail focused cannabis organization and parent company to San Diego’s cannabis retail dispensary and delivery platform, Jaxx Cannabis. Balbuena is the author of the Amazon bestselling book, The Successful Canna-Preneur. JM is a US Navy veteran and proud Afro-Latina who lives in San Diego, California.

Award winning filmmaker, William Feagins, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He first discovered his love for film while studying at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he was able to create music videos for local hip hop artists as his school projects. In 2006, William filmed & directed his first documentary, “The Art of Life,” for independent hip-hop artist, ChaRon Don. Soon after, William relocated to Atlanta, it’s rich arts and music scene made it a perfect place for him to create and grow as an artist.

Feagins’ cinematography and direction often reflects the realness of the subject matter. His passion for film and hip hop has inspired his love for film, but his extensive portfolio has matured into documentaries that beautifully chronicle the complexities of the human experience through the lens of Black and Brown people. Feagins’ unique style continues to evolve as he finds more beautiful and innovative ways to tell a story.

 Junfeng Zhang is a seasoned natural documentary filmmaker. He spearheaded the production of China Media Group's (CMG) groundbreaking full-process 8K documentary, "Unexplored Land," and completed 720 episodes of the nature micro-documentary series "Journeys in Nature." He also served as director of the 8K documentary "Wildlife Haven: China." His work on the "Journeys in Nature" series has garnered numerous accolades, including consecutive Golden Sail Awards for 4K ultra-high definition filming technology in 2019 and 2020, multiple CMG excellent work awards, and the Best Documentary prize at the Montgomery International Film Festival in 2019.

Zhao Ying is a documentary filmmaker who studied Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK. Currently working at China Global Television Network (CGTN), she produces short films and documentaries. Her documentary, "The Call of Glaciers," garnered the Silver Medal in the Documentary, Climate Change & Sustainability category at the 2024 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. The film also received an honorary mention from the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards.

Xing Fangyu is a documentary filmmaker who studied International Journalism with a focus on documentary production at Cardiff University in the UK. Her graduate film, " A Father-Daughter Journey," premiered at the 2nd UCMeCSA Chinese Independent Film Festival in London in 2018. Previously with China Global Television Network (CGTN), she contributed to high-profile projects including the 4K documentary "Journeys in Nature," the 8K documentary "Unexplored Land," and "Wildlife Haven: China." She also served as director of the documentary series "Timeless Valley of Dulongjiang" and the short video series "Oh! My Greens." Her documentary, "The Call of Glaciers," garnered the Silver Medal in the Documentary, Climate Change & Sustainability category at the 2024 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. The film also received an honorary mention from the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards.

568 Productions is a team of student filmmakers from American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking who make films centered on the culture, history, and health of the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Wes Kline is an American filmmaker, photographer and musician working in Florida. For the past twenty years he has exhibited and screened his work nationally and internationally. His work extends principles developed in eco-poetics and ecology and examines vectors of human and non-human activity, especially focusing on minor histories and architectures as sites of “dwelling.“ He has previously worked with Damon Falke on the films Koppmoll and Laura, or Scenes from a Common World, and the play Now At the Uncertain Hour.

Ikhwan has over a decade of experience working across Southeast Asia honing his skills in crafting compelling narratives and captivating visuals. Ikhwan started working on documentaries for networks such as Discovery, History, and NatGeo before transitioning to Current Affairs at CNA. There he has made a diverse array of projects, ranging from in-depth explorations of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis in Nepal and Indonesia to thought-provoking analyses of global issues such as the global energy crisis and Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy. Ikhwan has also done shows investigating statelessness in East Malaysia, trafficked brides from Vietnam and the effects of climate change on females of the Sundarbans. 

 Dan Katzir’s documentary films won more than a dozen international awards in the US, Europe and Asia and a nomination for the Israeli Academy Award. His films were shown in hundreds of film festivals and aired on many TV stations worldwide. His film Out for Love… Be Back Shortly became an instant classic expressing the voice of his generation and becoming the most important film about the era in which Israeli Prime-Minister Yitzhak Rabin tried to move the region from war to peace and was assassinated in the process. The film aired in the US on HBO on Valentine’s Day and was narrated by Sacha Baron Cohen for Channel 4 in the UK. Katzir’s film Yiddish Theater: A Love Story was theatrically released and got raving reviews in major newspapers including the NY TIMES and the LA TIMES. It was optioned by a production company in Los Angeles to be made into a narrative feature. Dan is a graduate of the MFA Directing Program at AFI (American Film Institute) in Los Angeles and the Film and TV Department at Tel Aviv University. He served in the Israeli army in the paratroopers (Red Beret) unit and finished his army service in the rank of Lieutenant. 

 Ravit's previous documentary features include the critically-acclaimed Yiddish Theater: A Love Story which she wrote and produced. It became a cultural phenomenon when it commercially played in theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Tel Aviv for months and months garnering raving reviews at the NY Times, LA Times, and the NY Magazine as well as many other worthy publications, and was voted one of the top 10 documentaries of 2007 in About.com. Ravit co-produced Jewish Film Festivals' darling Rock in the Red Zone by Laura Bialis (2014); and produced the Channel 4 UK documentary Porn Shutdown in 2005 which aired world-wide including on the Sundance Channel in the US and received excellent reviews in The Guardian and the London Time Out. Ravit is a graduate of the Film and TV Department at Tel Aviv University. Her final thesis film was bought and aired on the Israeli Cinema channel. In her mandatory army service in Israel she served in the video unit of the Education Corpse. After the army she fulfilled her life-long love of dance by working as a producer for the modern dance company Liat Dror and Nir Ben Gal. She was introduced to the choreographers by her beloved film teacher at Alon high school, renowned director Eitan Fox. Ravit's currently working on a documentary about Israel's champion of wheelchair badminton, Nina Gorodetsky, and her journey to the Paralympics.