2021 Festival Judges Panel.
Shubham Tambi.
Shubham Tambi is a Craft Designer and an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Crafts & Design, Jaipur, India (IICD). She has a decade of rich experience in product design, craft research and documentation. She holds a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Rajasthan and has done 4 Year Professional UG Diploma in Crafts & Design (HMD) from IICD, Jaipur.
She has expertise in material studies and craft processes in the domain of wood, stone, metal & ceramics. As an educator, she believes in the explorative approach in design with more sensitivity towards materials, techniques and processes. She aims to create a positive social impact through collaboration of art & craft of the artisans within the design discipline.
Website: www.iicd.ac.in/en/faculty
Email: shubhamtambi@iicd.in
Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubham-tambi-46347738/
Kenneth Nelson, Jr.
A husband, a father and man of faith, Kenneth Nelson, Jr. is a cinephile whose vision creates unforgettable, compelling and life-changing stories. A graduate of Cass Technical High School, 98’ and of Michigan State University (B.A .05’ & M.A .07'), Kenneth started his career in Detroit, MI acting on stage at a very young age. His passion for acting led him behind the camera, where he discovered he could do more creatively while providing opportunities for others.
In 2018, Kenneth executive produced, wrote and directed his first feature film, Sincerely, Brenda, which has been nominated for 44 awards and won 19 awards including, Best Film of The Year in Rome, Italy, Best Director, and Best Cast. Sincerely, Brenda is a powerful film about trauma, forgiveness, and reconciliation in a black family. Kenneth’s passionate about providing opportunities for students to learn and access resources from the film industry.
Kenneth is currently an instructor of film and journalism in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.
https://comartsci.msu.edu/our-people/kenneth-ray-nelson-jr
Naomi Johnson.
Naomi Johnson is a writer, storyteller, editor, and graphic designer. Specializing in rhetoric visually and linguistically, she has earned two degrees from Michigan State University— Professional Writing and Graphic Design. Her love for creating has led her to be involved with many projects including: document design, editing, copywriting, digital art, and storytelling. Winning 1st place overall in the Fall 2020 Film Fest has motivated Naomi to come back and participate once more, only this time as a judge!
Griffin Hammond.
Griffin Hammond is a documentary filmmaker, covering the 2020 presidential election for Recount Media.
Based in St. Charles, Illinois, his coverage takes him to campaign events across the country. He previously chronicled the 2016 presidential race for Bloomberg News.
Griffin is known for his DIY filmmaking tutorials on YouTube, and his award-winning documentary Sriracha, about the popular hot sauce. The San Francisco Chronicle praised the film as “gorgeously shot."
He's taught filmmaking in 13 countries as a global brand ambassador for Panasonic cameras. The U.S. State Department has sent him to the Middle East and Central Asia, where his filmmaking workshops accomplish diplomatic goals for the United States.
Previously, Griffin worked for YouTube Next Lab, as executive producer of the YouTube channel Indy Mogul, and started his career as a video producer at State Farm Insurance. In 2020, Illinois State University awarded him the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
www.griffinhammond.com
Bryen Trawick.
I'm Bryen Trawick, a Las Vegas native filmmaker. After attending film school, I've been working as a full-time cinematographer, director, videographer, and video educator. I have been fortunate with the awards that my first film achieved, and since then have been working on various commercial projects and two feature films that are set to be released in mid 2021.
With my true passion being filmmaking, I started my own production company that has been one of the fastest growing videography teams in Las Vegas, working with the best content creators, graphic designers, and photographers on large scale commercial work for many high profile companies.
I first got into filmmaking when I started filming my friends skateboarding, and then from there I got into acting before I decided to go to film school. To me, filmmaking is more than just feature films, it is telling a story. It is anything and everything - from the award winning editorial weddings I have had the opportunity to shoot, to documentaries, and even music videos. It's all about the story, and the vision you have, and if you can really get your story across and change just one person's mind, then you have done your job.
https://www.bryentrawick.com
Summer Issawi.
Summer Issawi is a Learning Experience Designer with the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology. Her teaching and learning experiences span elementary through university. Summer earned a B.A. and M.A. in Education from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. As a first-generation Arab American Muslim woman she is a lover of stories that connect humanity and make the world just a little bit smaller.
@summerissawi on Twitter
Brandy Ellison.
Dr. Ellison is a professor at MSU, teaching social science courses designed primarily for first-year students. She previously designed and implemented academic support programs as the Director of Student Success Initiatives for MSU's College of Social Science.
Dr. Ellison also has extensive experience working in K-12 education through her position as Director of Research for ACE Consulting at the University of Notre Dame where she partnered on planning initiatives with schools throughout the United States and Haiti.
Her research and work experiences focus on educational assessments and understanding school climate and sense of community. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 2009.
Alex Gasparetto.
Co-founder of Lunar Flame Pictures, Alex Gasparetto has a certificate in Film Production from the Motion Picture Institute and a ten year background in Digital Media. He currently serves as a Director and Producer at Lunar Flame Pictures, LLC where he has successfully directed and produced multiple award winning shorts.
Alex’s skillset and understanding of the entire production process is what enables him to excel on set. He has served on over a dozen feature film productions in a number of positions such as cinematographer, grip, electrician, editor, colorist, and various art department roles.
His thesis film "Asphyxia" brought home awards for 'Best Artist' and 'Best Actress' at local festivals. In 2016, "Akoma" earned awards like 'Film Challenge Detroit's Grand Prize Winner', 'Festival Choice Award' and 'Best Cinematographer - Short' at local festivals and has screened across the country at some of the finest international festivals like NFFTY and Cinetopia. His films exemplify true visual story-telling and most often center around strong female leads making him a local filmmaker to keep an eye on.
http://www.lunarflame.pictures/films
Picture: Directing actress Leah Ruff on set ‘AKOMA’
Seven Mattes.
Assistant Professor Seven Mattes received her BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from WMU in 2007, and her PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2018. Following the Tōhoku disaster of 2011, Seven began an ongoing research project on the animals left behind in the Fukushima evacuation zone.
Her research is aimed at improving disaster preparedness for animals through policy change, direct action with non-profit organizations, and education regarding the increasing significance of human-animal bonds across cultures.
Kayla Boucher.
Kayla holds a doctorate in Occupational Therapy, and her practice focuses on treating children in pediatric hospice contexts. In her work she employs holistic and interdisciplinary methods to help give the children she works with the best and most full lives that every person inherently deserves. To do this she seeks the broadened perspectives of interdisciplinary teams that include the families of the children, their caregivers, and diverse health professionals.
As a result of her methods of practice, Kayla is emerging as a leading voice in occupational therapy broadly and in hospice pediatrics in particular.
She is very interested in experiencing the ways that interdisciplinary inquiry plays out in the student films in this film festival.
Zachary Cunningham.
Zachary Cunningham is an award winning director, writer and poet from Detroit. Early on, his immense passion for poetry and culture pushed him to create jazz infused art films. In 2014, he wrote, produced and directed his first two narrative short films "The Crack" and “Regret(s)". He would win the "Best Emerging Filmmaker" Award at the Trinity International Film Festival in 2017 for his short film “You Better Run”. His short films “Little Church” and “Right On” have been screened and won at various film festivals both in the United States and internationally. Most recently, Zachary completed his debut feature film “In A Sentimental Mood”, which is slated to release in 2021.
Chantal Lackan.
Chantal Lackan is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Arts program with a major in English Literature. While a high school student, Chantal’s career path slowly took her down the road of scientific research where she stayed for 15 years, both in areas of developmental biology (4 years of that time was living and working in New York City’s Upper East Side), and then back to Toronto into the area of clinical research in a downtown fertility centre. More recently, Chantal has switched gears into the world of legal contracts in the Toronto hospital sector.
Living in these two artistic cities, Chantal has never lost sight of her love for the arts. Chantal strongly believes story-telling, writing, film, music, and the arts in general, is what unifies all humans and cultivates an immediate sense of belonging and community.
She is a self-taught amateur videographer, photography student, attendee of Toronto’s International Film Festival, Toronto’s “Hot Docs” international documentary film festival, and member and attendee of Toronto’s “Inside Out” LGBTQ Film Festival for the past 20 years. She always enjoys film festivals and especially the post film conversation. Chantal is very excited to be joining the panel of judges and wishes all submitters the best of luck!
Erin Campbell.
Erin Campbell earns her living and expresses herself as a hairstyle artist in the Las Vegas metro area. Through her work, she meaningfully helps facilitate her clients to tell visual stories about themselves through their sense of style and expression.
Erin is also an avid digital storytelling enthusiast, and she loves the craft of stand-up comedy, thriller podcasts, and film. She is a published author, a semi-professional pool player, and she dabbles as an amateur (and aspiring) filmmaker. You will very likely see Erin’s work in one way or another in some place or another in popular culture.
Jason Almerigi.
As the creative director for On the Rocks Acres International, Dr. Almerigi orchestrates creative efforts while maintaining distribution channels of production partners. He is trained in photography, bronze sculpture, and other metal and glass arts, where he strictly adheres to utilitarian sensibility and pragmatic application.
Dr. Almerigi also moonlights as an academic. In this role, he is frequently tasked with reviewing the impact of creative efforts to enrich student and staff weltanschauungs with perspective, empathy, and critical analysis.
Rashad Muhammad.
They call him Rashad Muhammad, developer of technology-enhanced learning solutions. He can dance in a forest of complexity without being mired by the weeds. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunication focusing on Information Technology Systems and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Technology. He has played a key role in developing the training strategy for MSU’s HR and Financial systems, the campus-wide adoption of Zoom Webinar, and has worked in conjunction with MSU IT to promote instructional uses of technology. In the Hub, he is a key contributor on the AT&T Instructional Technology Competition, #iTeachMSU Teaching Commons, and Science Gallery Detroit. When he isn’t developing human-centered learning solutions, you may find him playing dominoes with your grandmother, dancing at your best friend’s cousin’s graduation party, playing in the park with his children, or trying to beat himself in a game of pool.
Ryan Mize.
Ryan Mize is a current undergraduate at Michigan State University, majoring in psychology and minoring in Cognitive Science and Spanish. As a former student of Dr. Boucher, Ryan expressed a deep interest in the course and film festival while creating his short documentary. He is undoubtedly grateful and flattered to have been invited to serve as a film festival judge panelist among the many great and far more credentialed panelists.
Elizabeth Keller.
Elizabeth Keller is a Michigan State 2020 graduate with a BA in Media and Information with a focus in Film and TV Production and a minor in Fiction Filmmaking. She is currently a freelance photographer, videographer, and graphic designer. During her time at MSU, Elizabeth gained experience in fiction film production, camera operation, and editing through many short films of varying length. She also worked for Eat At State as a Photographer and Videographer.
Elizabeth is passionate about telling stories through any art medium that allows people to feel pure and genuine emotion that they don't experience on a day to day basis. In her free time, she enjoys self portrait photography and digital concept design.
Lauren Munoz.
Lauren is an appreciator of the arts in all their various forms, but primarily the martial and visual varieties. She is a two stripe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu white belt that is also a self-taught hobby crafter and painter with a special interest in watercolors, traditional dip pen inking, and digital art. Much of her free time is spent experimenting with new creative mediums, discovering the various ways of protecting her personal space with chokes and arm bars, or enjoying a novel steeped in the fantastical lore of another world. To avoid getting lost in one of these fantasy timelines and trains of thought, Lauren has developed herself into a professional of higher education and lover of social justice. During business hours, you can find her in the Center for Integrative Studies-Social Science using her imagination in a method unique to an advisor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Global and International Studies students.
Instagram: @ellemoonart
Heather Dover.
Heather is the Coordinator for Undergraduate Research in the Provost's Office at Michigan State University (MSU). She is credentialed as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and holds a Master of Science in Food Safety from MSU. Prior to her work in undergraduate research, Heather served as a Research Assistant and Laboratory Manager in several departments across the MSU campus.
Khushboo Sen.
Khushboo is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Craft and Design in Jaipur, India. She is a craft designer and content creator, as well as an enthusiast photographer and documentary filmmaker. Her craft work focuses on hard materials of wood and metal. More recently, she has been working with gemstones.
Her passion is to create and collaborate with handicraft artisans in her country of India. In this work she strives to convey and document the compelling stories of people both preserving and innovating traditional Indian craft in our increasingly integrated global world.
Khushboo currently resides and works in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Michael Quillinan.
I’m a graduate of MSU with a BS in Geology, I have an Associates from Lansing Community College with a Photography degree. I worked briefly in New York City as an assistant to a photographer in Manhattan. Worked the summer of 1982 in Crete doing air and land photos of Minoan archeological sites.
Since 1982 I’ve worked at the Michigan Legislature covering news events for media and publication purposes. I’ve covered events for most of Michigan and national daily media outlets. My work is primarily in a journalistic vein. When I do pick up a camera for my personal work; I enjoy landscape photography.
Nicolas Gisholt.
Nicolas Gisholt received his undergraduate degree in Clinical Psychology from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City in 1998, and his MSW from University of Michigan in 2005. Since 2006 he has been working as a Specialist, Academic Advisor at Michigan State University, at the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and the College of Social Science.
Some of the students’ majors and areas of interests he has advised include: interdisciplinary studies; global and international studies; ethnic and gender studies; Secondary Social Science education; public policy; non-profit work; health sciences and entrepeneurship.
He is actively involved in issues related to DEI, student success and equity of resources, equal laws and policy for disadvantaged groups and efforts to benefit his local community, the Latinx community and to advance the common good..