Building The Future As A Collective

Opal H. Bennett is an Emmy-winning Senior Producer at POV and Executive Producer at POV Shorts. Previously, Opal was Shorts Programmer and Director of Artist Development at DOC NYC and Senior Programmer at Athena Film Festival. She has also worked with Nantucket Film Festival, Aspen ShortsFest and Tribeca Film Festival. Opal is a member of the AMPAS Documentary branch and is a Board Member of the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). A Columbia Law grad, Opal holds a Masters from the LSE and received her B.A. from NYU.

Anurima Bhargava is the founder and director of Anthem of Us, a strategic advisory and consulting firm that centers dignity, justice, and belonging in workplaces, schools, and communities. Her clients include foundations, civil rights, arts and advocacy organizations; and financial and educational institutions. From 2010 to 2016, Bhargava led federal civil rights enforcement and policy in schools and higher education institutions nationwide at the U.S. Department of Justice. She previously served as Director of the Education Practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where she litigated civil rights cases in schools and higher education institutions, including in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2018, Bhargava was appointed to and chaired the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, documenting and making recommendations related to religious persecution and violence globally.

Bhargava’s commitment to advancing dignity and justice through narrative and storytelling led her to produce and advise numerous documentary films and projects, including the Oscar-nominated documentary, Writing With Fire, While We Watched, The Body Politic, Barefoot Empress, Patang, and the docuseries The Vow. She chairs the U.S. Board of Doc Society, a leading incubator of documentaries, with a particular focus on democracy and climate; co-chairs the National Advisory Board on Public Service and serves on the board of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund and Big Thought. She advised Unbound Philanthropy and GSV Ventures. Bhargava earned her law degree from Columbia Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago.

Daniel J. Chalfen is a co-founder of Naked Edge Films and a creative consultant at The deNovo Initiative. His recent films include Agent of Happiness (Sundance 2024); Loudmouth (Showtime/BET), executive produced by John Legend; Body Parts (Starz), featuring Jane Fonda, Angela Robinson, Rosanna Arquette and Karyn Kusama; Liquor Store Dreams and Delikado (PBS:POV); the Oscar-shortlisted Bad Axe; Boycott; Captains of Zaatari (Hulu); the Netflix Original Pray Away, executive produced by Ryan Murphy; the Sundance 2019 award-winners The Infiltrators and Always in Season, the Tribeca 2018 award-winner United Skates (HBO), executive produced by John Legend); and Bathtubs Over Broadway, executive produced by Jason Blum and David Letterman and released by Focus Features. Chalfen is a Documentary Branch member of AMPAS and a voting member of BAFTA.

Jess Devaney (they/she) is an Emmy-winning producer, and the dounder and president of Multitude Films. Their latest films include How We Get Free (HBO), the Indigo Girls documentary It's Only Life After All (Sundance 2023), Emmy-nominated Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (Peacock), Emmy-nominated Netflix Original Pray Away, Oscar-shortlisted Call Center Blues (Topic Studios), and "Apart," the Emmy-winning episode of the series Through Our Eyes (Max). Jess created the Ford Foundation-supported Queer Futures series and produced Sundance Award-winning and IDA-nominated Always In Season (Independent Lens) as well as The Feeling of Being Watched (POV), dubbed “a real-world conspiracy thriller” by Variety. Their additional credits include Critics' Choice-nominated Speed Sisters and Milisuthando, among others.

Her films have been programmed at top festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, BlackStar, and Telluride. Jess founded QueerDoc and was a Sundance Institute Documentary Edit and Story Lab fellow, Women at Sundance fellow, and Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab advisor. They have been recognized with the Cinereach Producers Award, DOC NYC and Topic Studios' inaugural 40 Under 40 Award, Doc10’s inaugural Vanguard Award, and the 2023 Sundance Institute Amazon Studios Nonfiction Producers Award.

Gina Duncan returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) from the Sundance Institute, where she served as the producing director, starting September 2020. During her tenure, she was responsible for producing the Sundance Film Festival online and in person, as well as managing the Institute’s year-round operations. As producing director, she was an integral part of fiscal and artistic planning and oversight for the Institute.

Prior to Sundance, Duncan joined BAM’s executive team in January 2017 as associate vice president of film — a newly created role overseeing BAM Rose Cinemas and the institution’s repertory film program. Under her leadership, the film program flourished, and her revolutionary approach to repertory programming, which centered underrepresented voices in cinema, was recognized as a “vital” part of the New York film landscape by The New York Times. In 2019, she was promoted to vice president of film and strategic programming, adding humanities and archives to her portfolio. Duncan also served as interim head of marketing and communications during the first six months of the pandemic and led BAM’s curatorial team in transitioning to programs online to reach audiences across the nation.

Prior to BAM, Duncan was a film and community programmer at Jacob Burns Film Center and has produced film, TV, and theater for artists Titus Kaphar, Ja’tovia Gary, and comedian Mike Birbiglia. Gina started her career at NFL Films, where she received a 2004 Sports Emmy Award for her work on HBO’s Inside the NFL. She is a member of the Board of SPACE on Ryder Farm, the advisory board of Jacob Burns Film Center’s Creative Culture fellowship, and on the Editorial Advisory Board for SEEN, a film and visual culture journal produced by BlackStar Projects.

Wendy Ettinger is an award-winning producer of documentary and feature films. She is a co-founder of Gamechanger Films, which finances narrative features directed by women. In 2005, Wendy co-founded Chicken & Egg Pictures to fund and mentor women documentary filmmakers. Films executive produced by Chicken & Egg include 2014 Emmy-nominated Brooklyn Castle and Semper Fi, the recipient of the Ridenhour Documentary Prize in 2012. The filmmakers and films supported by Chicken & Egg Pictures have won major awards, pushed creative and social boundaries, and worked hand in hand with on-the ground movements to effect tangible change.

Wendy began her career producing the Oscar-nominated documentary The War Room and most recently executive produced the features Pariah and Land Ho! An ardent activist and philanthropist, Wendy believes deeply in the power of change through media, education, and the arts. She serves on the board of the Educational Foundation of America, Working Films, the 52nd Street Project and Imagine Science.

As an executive producer at BBC World Service’s Investigations Unit. Rosie Garthwaite is currently based in London making documentaries and interactive media, mainly about the Middle East and North Africa. She founded Mediadante, producing the Emmy-nominated The Workers Cup, which premiered on the opening night of Sundance in 2017. In 2023, she executive produced Under Poisoned Skies, which helped secure a pledge to reduce gas flaring emissions from the Iraqi government and won the Royal Television Society award for best international documentary of the year. The International Emmy-winning film Escaping ISIS, which she developed, was referenced by the UK Prime Minister in a key speech and shown to the US Congress. In 2014, she executive produced a CINE Golden Eagle-winning series following the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest. She is a former British Army Officer and author of the award-winning book How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone published by Bloomsbury in 2011.

Alex Lieberman is the founder of film finance and production company Bright West Entertainment. Focused primarily on documentary content, Bright West and Lieberman were behind a number of 2022 features, including Sundance premiere Sirens (Oscilloscope) and Tribeca premieres, On the Line: The Richard Williams Story (Fremantle), Rudy! A Documusical (Gravitas), and Subject (Greenwich). Bright West’s most recent premieres in 2023 include the award-winning films Summer Qamp (TIFF) and One With the Whale (Camden International Film Festival), which was recently acquired by PBS’ Independent Lens. Prior to launching Bright West, Lieberman worked in unscripted development at production companies including Optomen, MGM Television and Stick Figure Productions. He is a native New Yorker and cat dad.

Christie Marchese is the CEO of Kinema, a tech-enabled film distribution platform that brings films of all kinds to cities big and small, connecting entertaining and engaging movies to in-person spaces and virtual screening hosts. She was previously the founder of leading impact agency Picture Motion, and led as CEO for 9 years. Prior to Picture Motion, she managed digital strategy for the Social Action group at Participant Media, and program management and social media strategy at Norman Lear's nonprofit Declare Yourself. She's won several industry recognitions, including being named one of Fortune’s Rising Female Founders in 2023 and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2021. Currently on the board of Subject Matter and the Reinvent Stockton Foundation. She holds a BA from SDSU in International Security and Conflict Resolution, with a focus on Arabic and the Middle East.

Marángeli Mejía Rabell is a Puerto Rico-born, Philadelphia-based connector, cultural organizer and producer, arts and culture curator and programmer whose work is centered on co-creation, capacity building, leadership development, cross sector collaborations, and honoring our roots as a tool for social change and community self actualization. Her work focuses on community media practices, cultural organizing, intersectionality, accessibility and diversity. As director of the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival (PHLAFF) and co-founder of AFROTAINO and GUSTO, she co-curates culture programming, collaborations and multidisciplinary projects. She has served as the PHLAFF’s festival director for nine years supporting the groundbreaking work of Latinx filmmakers.

Marángeli's career has centered Latinx creators, stories and culture to bring about positive change and representation. She also serves as a leadership coach with the National Arts Strategies Coaching Collective. She is a member of the Painted Bride’s Programming Committee, University of Puerto Rico Cumbre Afro’s Cine Foro co-curator and programmer, curator & project manager for Mural Arts Philadelphia and as an anchor partner/producer of Kinfolk Philly as part of the Kinfolk Foundation’s National Tour.

Adam Neuhaus is a creative producer and founder of the ideas company, Neuhaus Ideas. Adam spent seven years in development for 30for30 and ESPN Films, developing and producing 100+ stories across feature-length documentaries, series, scripted adaptations, digital, and 30for30 Podcasts. Previously, Adam worked in development for RadicalMedia and Original Media, before that, the William Morris Agency, along with work experiences at IFP New York and Paradigm. Adam founded Headsets and Highballs, a community of media professionals and artists and The Nonfiction Hotlist. He's a long time supporter of the Ghetto Film School, previously serving on the Board of Directors and currently on their Advisory Board. Adam mentors for Unlock Her Potential and serves on the Capacity Council for the Brown Girls Doc Mafia. 

Carol Paik is an Emmy-winning Korean American creative director and producer with over 15 years of experience in creating entertainment marketing and branded content for major networks including Discovery, TLC, NPR, National Geographic, and PBS. She began her career on HBO's K Street and has since contributed to acclaimed projects like HBO Max's Take Out with Lisa Ling and the Peabody-winning Philly D.A. Currently, she serves as an executive producer at Shoes Off Media and as a mentor for Asians in Advertising.

Josh Penn is a producer with the Department of Motion Pictures. He has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and a Producer’s Guild Award for Outstanding Producer. He has also won a Peabody Award. He has premiered a dozen films at Sundance since 2012, garnering five awards from the festival. He has produced Beasts of the Southern Wild, which garnered the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Cannes' Caméra d’Or, and four Oscar nominations including Best Picture, the Sundance Special Jury Prize winner Monsters and Men, the Gotham and Peabody winning series Philly D.A., 32 Sounds, A Thousand Thoughts, Wendy, Sundance 2021 Best Directors Award recipient Users and Farewell, Amor, among others.

He was an executive producer on Sundance Special Jury Prize-winner Patti Cake$ Western, and Bloody Nose Empty Pockets. He co-produced The Great Invisible, which took home a SXSW Grand Jury Prize. Josh has served as a mentor for places ranging from the Sundance Institute and Film Independent to NYU and AFI. In 2018, Josh became a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Outside of his work in film, Josh has worked in politics including lead roles on the digital teams for both of the Obama Presidential campaigns.

Anya Rous (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based producer and vice president of Multitude Films. Her latest films include It's Only Life After All (Sundance 2023), Emmy-winning Peacock Original Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power in partnership with Participant and The Atlantic (Tribeca 2022), Critic's Choice nominee and Netflix Original Pray Away in partnership with Ryan Murphy and Blumhouse (Telluride, Tribeca 2020), as well as "Apart", the Emmy-winning episode of the HBO Max series Through Our eyes, in partnership with Sesame Workshop.

She executive produced Milisuthando (Sundance 2023), Multitude Films’ How We Get Free (HBO), and Queer Futures (CPH:Dox 2023). She co-executive produced the Oscar-shortlisted Call Center Blues (TOPIC) and Call Her Ganda (POV). She also co-produced Sundance Award-winning and IDA-nominated Always In Season (Independent Lens) and Livingston Award-winning The Feeling of Being Watched (POV), which was dubbed “a real-world conspiracy thriller” by Variety.

Anya also advises on impact strategy for films produced by Multitude and leads a movement orientation within the company’s producing model where films are drivers of culture change. She brings a combined 10 years of experience in funding strategy and impact campaigns for stories that further movements for racial, economic, and gender justice. She formerly served as the Director of Strategic Relationships at Just Vision and as a grantmaker at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Anya was a 2019 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow, a 2019 Impact Partners Documentary Producing Fellow, a 2020 DOC NYC 40 Under 40 filmmaker, and a 2021 Gotham/Cannes Producers Network Fellow.

Lina Srivastava is a strategist, advocate, and producer who catalyzes systems change by combining technology, culture, and art alongside NGOs, global institutions, artists, and independent media creators. Lina is the founder of the Center for Transformational Change, dedicated to building the narrative infrastructure for community-led social transformation towards climate justice, migrant rights, and equity and participation. She previously founded Creative Impact and Experience Lab (CIEL), an innovation studio working at the intersection of human rights, international development, and narrative strategies. A former attorney and former non-profit executive director, Lina has collaborated with organizations such as the ICRC, UNICEF, UNESCO, the IRC, the World Bank, the New Humanitarian, and FilmAid.

She has designed and supported social engagement campaigns for several award-winning documentaries, including Oscar-winning Born into Brothels and Inocente, Sundance-award winning Who Is Dayani Cristal?, Emmy-nominated The Devil Came on Horseback, Call Me Ganda, and An Act of Worship, and for immersive media and arts projects, such as UN-award winning Priya's Shakti, Emmy-nominated Traveling While Black, and In Plain Sight, which was named a "defining work of 2020" by ArtNews. Lina is a Fulbright specialist, on the US State Department’s American Film Showcase roster, faculty-at-large in the Masters of Design for Social Innovation program and the Masters of Products of Design program at SVA. She has been a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Fellow, a Rockwood Institute/JustFilms Fellow, a Boehm Media Fellow, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Lina is a graduate of New York University School of Law.

Everette Taylor is CEO of Kickstarter, the world’s premier crowdfunding platform for creative projects. Under Everette’s leadership, Kickstarter was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies for trailblazing the future of work and for the company’s global impact in the creator economy. Prior to joining Kickstarter, Everette most recently served as the CMO of Artsy, the largest online marketplace for buying and selling fine art. During his time at Artsy he was recognized by Forbes as one of the World's Most Influential CMOs due to the business seeing all-time record revenue growth and brand awareness. As a marketing executive and CMO, he helped lead Skurt, an on-demand rental car company, and Qualaroo, a B2B software company, to successful acquisitions. He also co-founded and led growth of GrowthHackers, the largest community for growth marketers.

Everette’s other marketing achievements include becoming the youngest CMO for Sticker Mule and overseeing growth strategy for new social products for Microsoft. As a founder, Everette started his first company, EZ Events, at age 19, and it was successfully acquired in 2011. In 2013 he established ET Enterprises, a diverse portfolio of companies including PopSocial, MilliSense, ArtX, and more. Most recently Everette was named Ad Age 40 under 40 for revamping Kickstarter’s brand identity as its CEO and was recognized on the Time 100 Next list as an emerging leader who’s shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.