ALL STAFF

Annie Brown - Operations & Communications Manager

Annie Brown

Operations Manager

She/Her/Hers

Annie Brown

Operations Manager – She / Her / Hers

Annie Brown is a longtime member of the Maine non-profit community. Her professional experience ranges from event production (think parades, pop-up events, fundraising galas) to donor relations to conference management. She grew up in Portland, ME, and is a graduate of Bennington College, where her studies focused on performing arts, costume and production design, and administration. She’s been on the Points North team since 2018, joining the organization from the Farnsworth Art Museum. She’s passionate about doing powerful work in the midcoast community and fostering surprising opportunities here on the Coast of Maine.

Zaina Bseiso - Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

Zaina Bseiso

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Zaina Bseiso

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

Zaina Bseiso is a filmmaker and curator working primarily in documentary and experimental cinema. Her interests revolve around diasporic relations to land, hope and potentialities. In 2022, she joined the programming team at the Points North Institute/Camden International Film Festival. She is co-founder of Bahía Colectiva, a community of filmmakers that collaborate in practice and curation. Her work has screened at Curtas Vila do Conde, Guanajuato, RIDM, DokLeipzig and Ajyal Film Festival, among others. She received her Master’s degree in Film and Video from the California Institute of the Arts. Her practice mainly traverses among Palestine, Egypt, Cuba, Mexico, and the US.

Sarah Erwin - Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs

Sarah Erwin

Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs

She/Her/Hers

Sarah Erwin

Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs – She / Her / Hers

Born & raised in Maine, Sarah is thrilled to be joining the Points North Team as part of the Recovery in Maine program. She comes to Points North from Tribeca Film Institute and is excited to bring her love for independent film & community programming to her home state. She loves talking about TV shows and also would be happy to help anyone source the perfect vintage quilt for their home.

Sean Flynn - Program Director

Sean Flynn

Program Director

He/Him/His

Sean Flynn

Program Director

Co-Founder PNI – He / Him / His

Sean Flynn is the Program Director and Co-Founder of the Points North Institute, where he leads the development and curation of the Points North Forum and Artist Programs since 2011. Sean received a master’s degree from MIT’s Comparative Media Studies department while working as a researcher at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. Sean began his filmmaking career as a producer and cinematographer on two feature-length documentaries, BEYOND BELIEF and THE LIST, both of which had their premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on national television. In 2012, Sean was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Mumbai, India.

Meg Fournier - Production Manager

Meg Fournier

Production Manager

She/Her/Hers

Meg Fournier

Production Manager – She / Her / Hers

For over 15 years, Meg has been building and supporting multi-disciplinary arts programs around Maine with a particular interest in their effect on the communities they serve. Born and raised in Louisiana, the arts have been an integral part of her daily life since day one. She moved to Brooklyn to pursue a BFA at Pratt Institute and somehow landed in Waldo County, Maine – a place she loves with every fiber of her being. Prior to joining Points North Institute as Production Manager, Meg’s work included roles with the Maine Arts Commission, Waterfall Arts, the Maine International Film Festival, Shadow Distribution, and the Unity College Center for the Arts, as well as the Renzi Education & Art Center in Louisiana. She also co-founded and directed the Free Range Music Festival and Roots & Tendrils, a contemporary art and music venue in Belfast. Meg lives in Belfast with her family, a wild rescue pup, and four moody chickens.

Milton Guillén - Programmer

Milton Guillén

Senior Programmer

He/Him/His

Milton Guillén

Senior Programmer – He / Him / His

Milton Guillén is a Nicaraguan filmmaker, editor, and the senior programmer for the Camden International Film Festival/Points North Institute in Maine, USA. His work explores the cinematic intersections of radical collaborative non-fictions and political dreamscapes. Milton’s films have screened globally at CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, DOK Leipzig, True/False, DMZ, Dokufest, Camden, and more. Milton recently received support from the Tribeca Film Institute and ITVS. He also was named fellow at the Points North Institute, BAVC, Kartemquin, IDA, and is the recipient of several international artists’ residencies and grants. He is currently a fellow at the University of Vermont and a LEF-Harvard Fellow.
Cam Howard - Programmer

Cam Howard

Program Coordinator

They/Them/Theirs

Cam Howard

Program Coordinator- They/Them/Theirs

Cam is a writer, zinemaker, and occasional podcaster and documentary filmmaker. Their recent projects include the comic series CROC AND BAT; A FUTURE, a fiction zine about trans* community organizing; and the biographical documentary YVONNE’S KITCHEN, which was a semi-finalist for the Student Academy Award. Cam is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and the Rochester Institute of Technology, and was a 2023 LEF  New England Flaherty Fellow. They support the Points North Team with administrative responsibilities and unsolicited astrology advice. 

Colin Kelley - Tech Director

Colin Kelley

Tech Director

He/Him/His

Colin Kelley

Tech Director – He / Him / His

Colin has been with CIFF since 2010, where he started as a projectionist. In addition to his work here, Colin is the Technical Director for the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, NC and a media production consultant at Bowdoin College. He is a graduate of Alfred University and the Maine Media Workshops four-week doc program.

Kate Lemberg - Artists Program Coordinator

Kate Lemberg

Associate Manager, Industry & Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Kate Lemberg

Associate Manager, Industry & Artist Programs – She / Her / Hers

Kate Lemberg is the Associate Manager of Industry Relations/Artist Programs, having been on the AP team since 2020. In addition to her work at PNI, Kate is a staff programmer at RiverRun and Nashville; the market producer at Tribeca and DOC NYC; a screening committee member for Tribeca and Rooftop; and has screened for NewFest, Camden, Austin, Brooklyn, and more. Having begun her work in festivals in venue and ticketing operations—having previously done so at Sundance, Tribeca, DOC NYC, True/False, Hamptons, and more—she still works in those arenas on occasion. Kate is a proud BA & MA alum of Cinema Studies at NYU Tisch.

Lucila Moctezuma - Senior Consultant: Artists Programs

Lucila Moctezuma

Senior Consultant: Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Lucila Moctezuma

Senior Consultant, Artist Programs – She / Her / Hers

Lucila Moctezuma is a consultant to documentary filmmakers and media organizations in the US and internationally, and programmer with international festivals. Her work with independent filmmakers focuses on story, craft and creative authorship, and consults with media organizations in program design and program implementation, and as facilitator of story workshops. Currently she is Senior Consultant of Artist Programs at Points North Institute, and other consulting organizations include the Sundance Documentary Film Program, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and Multitude Films, and story workshops with the Bronx Documentary Center and BAVC. She is Associate International Programmer for Hot Docs in Canada, and a member of the documentary programming committee at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. Previously, she held senior positions at high-profile organizations such as Chicken & Egg Pictures, UnionDocs, Women Make Movies, the Media Arts Fellowships for The Rockefeller Foundation, and founded the TFI Latin America Fund for Tribeca Film Institute. She sits on the Executive Board of Cine Qua Non Lab and was Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of The Flaherty. She is Producer of the feature-length documentary, She Wrestles (in development, by award-winning director and wrestling state champion, Charles Fairbanks). Based in Brooklyn, NY, Lucila is from Mexico City and is a frequent guest participant at film forums, panels and juries in the US and internationally. In 2021 she became a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Emily Peckham - Development Director

Emily Peckham

Development Director

She/Her/Hers

Emily Peckham

Development Director – She / Her / Hers

Emily Peckham is the Director of Development for the Points North Institute, bringing with her a background in organizational behavior, project management, and fundraising for place-based education. Her keen interest in the arts can be traced from her early childhood. Emily earned a B.A. in psychology from Oberlin College with a research methods focus and inductions into Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Her early career included management consulting in a boutique firm and project management at a major Boston teaching hospital. After three years in a Ph.D. program at Boston College, Emily moved to Rockland in 2007.

Eynar Pineda

Guest Experience Manager (GEM)

He/Him/His

Eynar

Guest Experience Manager (GEM) – He / Him / His

Eynar is a Baltimore-based freelance documentary producer and festival professional specializing in guest services and event production. He has worked with festivals including True/False Film Fest, Camden International Film Festival, DOC NYC and First Look. Most recently, he was a Program Advisor for True/False and Producer of the 68th Flaherty Film Seminar.

Deborah Rudolph - Partnerships Officer

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer

She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer – She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph comes to CIFF from her hometown of New York City, where she is an Associate Programmer at the Tribeca Film Festival. She was previously Director of Sponsorship and DOCNYC PRO for DOCNYC, and has served as Producer of the Points North Forum at CIFF, Programming Coordinator at Montclair Film, and for many years as Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO. She is a large-scale event producer for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as was also a film evaluator for POV, Catapult Film Fund, and Chicken & Egg Pictures. She holds a BFA in Film and Photography from NYU, and a Masters in Communication from Columbia University.

Rick Rector - Interim Executive Director

Rick Rector

Interim Executive Director

He/His

Rick Rector

Interim Executive Director – He/His

Rick is a seasoned business executive with experience in a broad range of industries. He has served on the Points North Board since its inception, both as Board Chair and currently Treasurer. If you’d like to reach him, email him at [email protected].

Mara Bresnahan - Artist Programs Manager

Mara Bresnahan

Senior Manager: Artist Development

She/Her/Hers

Mara Bresnahan

Senior Manager, Artist Development – She / Her / Hers

Mara Bresnahan is the Senior Manager – Artist Development for the Points North Institute, Accessibility Consultant for the Netflix documentary Crip Camp (Sundance 2020 Audience Award) and Short Documentary Programmer for the Brooklyn Film Festival. In addition, she was the Festival Director for the Boston ReelAbilities Disability Film Festival from 2015-2019, lead programmer for the 2018 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and a juror for IFFBoston and the Cleveland International Film Festival. An avid fan and creator of non-fiction storytelling, she is currently in post-production on a series of vignettes featuring students from The Perkins School for the Blind.

Emily Abi-Kheirs - Artist Programs Production Assistant

Emily Abi-Kheirs

Artist Programs Production Assistant

She/Her/Hers

Emily Abi-Kheirs

Artist Programs Production Assistant – She / Her / Hers

Emily Abi-Kheirs is a documentary industry professional with experience in programming and distribution. She was recently recognized as a Documentary New Leader by DOC NYC for her work to create a more inclusive and equitable documentary field through intentional community building and creative collaboration at Women Make Movies. She worked for several years at WORLD Channel, where she helped program and produce their award-winning documentary series America ReFramed, Doc World, and Local, USA. In 2022, she was a Flaherty Film Seminar Fellow and an IDA Getting Real Fellow. She received her B.A. from Emerson College.

Annie Brown - Operations & Communications Manager

Annie Brown

Operations Manager

She/Her/Hers

Annie Brown

Operations Manager – She / Her / Hers

Annie Brown is a longtime member of the Maine non-profit community. Her professional experience ranges from event production (think parades, pop-up events, fundraising galas) to donor relations to conference management. She grew up in Portland, ME, and is a graduate of Bennington College, where her studies focused on performing arts, costume and production design, and administration. She’s been on the Points North team since 2018, joining the organization from the Farnsworth Art Museum. She’s passionate about doing powerful work in the midcoast community and fostering surprising opportunities here on the Coast of Maine.

Zaina Bseiso - Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

Zaina Bseiso

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Zaina Bseiso

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

Zaina Bseiso is a filmmaker and curator working primarily in documentary and experimental cinema. Her interests revolve around diasporic relations to land, hope and potentialities. In 2022, she joined the programming team at the Points North Institute/Camden International Film Festival. She is co-founder of Bahía Colectiva, a community of filmmakers that collaborate in practice and curation. Her work has screened at Curtas Vila do Conde, Guanajuato, RIDM, DokLeipzig and Ajyal Film Festival, among others. She received her Master’s degree in Film and Video from the California Institute of the Arts. Her practice mainly traverses among Palestine, Egypt, Cuba, Mexico, and the US.

Sarah Erwin - Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs

Sarah Erwin

Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs

She/Her/Hers

Sarah Erwin

Associate Producer, Artist & Community Programs – She / Her / Hers

Born & raised in Maine, Sarah is thrilled to be joining the Points North Team as part of the Recovery in Maine program. She comes to Points North from Tribeca Film Institute and is excited to bring her love for independent film & community programming to her home state. She loves talking about TV shows and also would be happy to help anyone source the perfect vintage quilt for their home.

Sean Flynn - Program Director

Sean Flynn

Program Director

He/Him/His

Sean Flynn

Program Director

Co-Founder PNI – He / Him / His

Sean Flynn is the Program Director and Co-Founder of the Points North Institute, where he leads the development and curation of the Points North Forum and Artist Programs since 2011. Sean received a master’s degree from MIT’s Comparative Media Studies department while working as a researcher at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. Sean began his filmmaking career as a producer and cinematographer on two feature-length documentaries, BEYOND BELIEF and THE LIST, both of which had their premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on national television. In 2012, Sean was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Mumbai, India.

Meg Fournier - Production Manager

Meg Fournier

Production Manager

She/Her/Hers

Meg Fournier

Production Manager – She / Her / Hers

For over 15 years, Meg has been building and supporting multi-disciplinary arts programs around Maine with a particular interest in their effect on the communities they serve. Born and raised in Louisiana, the arts have been an integral part of her daily life since day one. She moved to Brooklyn to pursue a BFA at Pratt Institute and somehow landed in Waldo County, Maine – a place she loves with every fiber of her being. Prior to joining Points North Institute as Production Manager, Meg’s work included roles with the Maine Arts Commission, Waterfall Arts, the Maine International Film Festival, Shadow Distribution, and the Unity College Center for the Arts, as well as the Renzi Education & Art Center in Louisiana. She also co-founded and directed the Free Range Music Festival and Roots & Tendrils, a contemporary art and music venue in Belfast. Meg lives in Belfast with her family, a wild rescue pup, and four moody chickens.

Ben Fowlie - Executive Director of Points North Institute

Ben Fowlie

Executive & Artistic Director, Founder of CIFF

He/Him/His

Ben Fowlie

Executive & Artistic Director, Founder of CIFF

Co-Founder Points North – He / Him / His

Ben Fowlie is the Executive and Artistic Director of Points North and the Founder of the Camden International Film Festival. He has overseen the vision and strategy of the organization for the past twenty years. He is from Camden and now splits his time between Maine and London, UK.

He has served on juries at CPH: Dox, IDFA, Hot Docs, Movies That Matter, Full Frame, Dokufest, Silverdocs, Big Sky, the IDA Awards, and IFP’s Gotham Awards, and has participated in panels at Sundance, SXSW, and IDA’s Getting Real Conference. Ben is a co-founder of The DocYard, an award-winning documentary screening series in Boston, MA, and former Nominee’s Chair for the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking.

Milton Guillén - Programmer

Milton Guillén

Senior Programmer

He/Him/His

Milton Guillén

Senior Programmer – He / Him / His

Milton Guillén is a Nicaraguan filmmaker, editor, and the senior programmer for the Camden International Film Festival/Points North Institute in Maine, USA. His work explores the cinematic intersections of radical collaborative non-fictions and political dreamscapes. Milton’s films have screened globally at CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, DOK Leipzig, True/False, DMZ, Dokufest, Camden, and more. Milton recently received support from the Tribeca Film Institute and ITVS. He also was named fellow at the Points North Institute, BAVC, Kartemquin, IDA, and is the recipient of several international artists’ residencies and grants. He is currently a fellow at the University of Vermont and a LEF-Harvard Fellow.
Cam Howard - Programmer

Cam Howard

Program Coordinator

They/Them/Theirs

Cam Howard

Program Coordinator- They/Them/Theirs

Cam is a writer, zinemaker, and occasional podcaster and documentary filmmaker. Their recent projects include the comic series CROC AND BAT; A FUTURE, a fiction zine about trans* community organizing; and the biographical documentary YVONNE’S KITCHEN, which was a semi-finalist for the Student Academy Award. Cam is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and the Rochester Institute of Technology, and was a 2023 LEF  New England Flaherty Fellow. They support the Points North Team with administrative responsibilities and unsolicited astrology advice. 

Colin Kelley - Tech Director

Colin Kelley

Tech Director

He/Him/His

Colin Kelley

Tech Director – He / Him / His

Colin has been with CIFF since 2010, where he started as a projectionist. In addition to his work here, Colin is the Technical Director for the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, NC and a media production consultant at Bowdoin College. He is a graduate of Alfred University and the Maine Media Workshops four-week doc program.

Kate Lemberg - Artists Program Coordinator

Kate Lemberg

Associate Manager, Industry & Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Kate Lemberg

Associate Manager, Industry & Artist Programs – She / Her / Hers

Kate Lemberg is the Associate Manager of Industry Relations/Artist Programs, having been on the AP team since 2020. In addition to her work at PNI, Kate is a staff programmer at RiverRun and Nashville; the market producer at Tribeca and DOC NYC; a screening committee member for Tribeca and Rooftop; and has screened for NewFest, Camden, Austin, Brooklyn, and more. Having begun her work in festivals in venue and ticketing operations—having previously done so at Sundance, Tribeca, DOC NYC, True/False, Hamptons, and more—she still works in those arenas on occasion. Kate is a proud BA & MA alum of Cinema Studies at NYU Tisch.

Sarah Rogers - Volunteer and Hub Manager

Sarah Rogers

Volunteer and Hub Manager

She/Her/Hers

Sarah Rogers

Volunteer and Hub Manager – She / Her / Hers

Sarah has been with CIFF since 2014. She loves documentary films, producing film festivals and she really loves our volunteers!

Emily Peckham - Development Director

Emily Peckham

Development Director

She/Her/Hers

Emily Peckham

Development Director – She / Her / Hers

Emily Peckham is the Director of Development for the Points North Institute, bringing with her a background in organizational behavior, project management, and fundraising for place-based education. Her keen interest in the arts can be traced from her early childhood. Emily earned a B.A. in psychology from Oberlin College with a research methods focus and inductions into Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Her early career included management consulting in a boutique firm and project management at a major Boston teaching hospital. After three years in a Ph.D. program at Boston College, Emily moved to Rockland in 2007.

Oliver Worner - Production Assistant

Oliver Worner

Production Assistant

He/Him/His

Oliver Worner

Production Assistant – He / Him / His

Oliver is a Camden native and graduated from Camden Hills Regional High School in the class of 2022. He now attends Emerson College in Boston, and is a rising sophomore in the Stage & Production Management BFA program. He has worked with CIFF since 2018 and has enjoyed experiencing many roles with them, including projectionist, volunteer, and intern. His favorite things are his friends, his work, and “Mean Girls”.

Eynar Pineda

Guest Experience Manager (GEM)

He/Him/His

Eynar

Guest Experience Manager (GEM) – He / Him / His

Eynar is a Baltimore-based freelance documentary producer and festival professional specializing in guest services and event production. He has worked with festivals including True/False Film Fest, Camden International Film Festival, DOC NYC and First Look. Most recently, he was a Program Advisor for True/False and Producer of the 68th Flaherty Film Seminar.

Eileen Level - Strand Venue Manager

Eileen Level

Strand Venue Manager

She/Her/Hers

Eileen Level

Strand Venue Manager – She / Her / Hers

Eileen Level is a high-energy social arts practitioner and the creative force behind PaleFO Cinema, “Amplify Cinema. Impact Community”, amplifying voices through the cinematic arena. As a cinema professional who’s been working in the film festival industry since 2014, she has demonstrated experience introducing films to cross-cultural audiences; creating engaging moments of human connectedness, and strategically managing multiple projects and diverse groups. Eileen seeks to launch PaleFO Cinema, which looks forward to the evolution of the cinema landscape and its transformative capabilities in communities that need them most. Upon graduation from The New School, she has been piloting PaleFO Cinema a community-based outdoor cinema series to be produced and curated by youth in Canarsie, Brooklyn with the intention to revitalize her childhood community by first combating youth idleness and gang violence.

Lucila Moctezuma - Senior Consultant: Artists Programs

Lucila Moctezuma

Senior Consultant: Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Lucila Moctezuma

Senior Consultant, Artist Programs – She / Her / Hers

Lucila Moctezuma is a consultant to documentary filmmakers and media organizations in the US and internationally, and programmer with international festivals. Her work with independent filmmakers focuses on story, craft and creative authorship, and consults with media organizations in program design and program implementation, and as facilitator of story workshops. Currently she is Senior Consultant of Artist Programs at Points North Institute, and other consulting organizations include the Sundance Documentary Film Program, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and Multitude Films, and story workshops with the Bronx Documentary Center and BAVC. She is Associate International Programmer for Hot Docs in Canada, and a member of the documentary programming committee at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. Previously, she held senior positions at high-profile organizations such as Chicken & Egg Pictures, UnionDocs, Women Make Movies, the Media Arts Fellowships for The Rockefeller Foundation, and founded the TFI Latin America Fund for Tribeca Film Institute. She sits on the Executive Board of Cine Qua Non Lab and was Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of The Flaherty. She is Producer of the feature-length documentary, She Wrestles (in development, by award-winning director and wrestling state champion, Charles Fairbanks). Based in Brooklyn, NY, Lucila is from Mexico City and is a frequent guest participant at film forums, panels and juries in the US and internationally. In 2021 she became a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Josephine Woodruff - Production and Marketing Intern

Josephine Woodruff

Marketing Assistant

She/Her/Hers

Josephine Woodruff

Marketing Assistant – She / Her / Hers

Josephine is from Los Angeles, California, but has spent her summers living with her aunt and uncle in Camden since she was born. She has one more semester at Bates College, majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Studio Art. Josephine has been in love with the film world, particularly film-making, since she was young. While Josephine has an array of interests ranging from child psychology all the way to photography and painting, she is particularly interested in marketing and design as a potential career path. This will be Josephine’s second summer working at CIFF, and she can’t wait to dive deeper into the world of film festivals!

Zachary Weil - Artist Programs Production Assistant

Zachary Weil

Artist Programs Production Assistant

He/Him/His

Zachary Weil

Artist Programs Production Assistant – He / Him / His

Zachary Weil is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and founder of Contact Light, a full-service production company created to produce documentary films and factual programming that inspire, inform and motivate audiences. After creating short-form content for nationally recognized non-profits like the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Zachary’s first feature-length documentary, “When We Were Apollo,” was broadcast nationally on PBS in the summer of 2019 before winning a Regional Emmy in the Historical Documentary category.

In 2021, Zachary served as producer for the Camden International Film Festival, a top-tier documentary fest on the festival circuit. His latest documentary project, “When We Were Shuttle,” was commissioned by PBS Member Station WLRN. The film premiered at the Kennedy Space Center’s IMAX Theater before being distributed nationally by American Public Television. It is currently airing on PBS stations across the country.

Zachary is an avid reader, writer and history enthusiast. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and lives with his partner, Mary, his daughter, Eowyn, and their dog, Hobbes, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Luke Fatora - Technical Coordinator

Luke Fatora

Technical Coordinator

He/Him/His

Luke Fatora

Technical Coordinator – He / Him / His

Insert Bio Here

Julia Ferguson

Special Events Manager

She/Her/Hers

Julia Ferguson

Special Events Manager- She / Her / Hers

Julia works in documentary film as a sound recordist and event producer. Nomadic by nature, you can find her swimming off the coast of Maine or hiking in the New Mexican high desert.

Alix Towler - Artist Programs Production Manager

Alix Towler

Artist Programs Production Manager

They/Them/Theirs

Alix Towler

Artist Programs Production Manager – They/Them/Theirs

Alix is a social work trainer, comics artist, queer community organizer, and sometimes filmmaker born and raised in North Carolina, currently blessing hearts in Brooklyn, NY.

Katy Boehm - Festival Marketing Coordinator

Katy Boehm

Festival Marketing Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

Katy Boehm

Festival Marketing Coordinator – She/Her/Hers

Katy first joined CIFF as an intern in 2021 and is back again for 2023! Katy is originally from Denver, Colorado and she went to school at Bates College in Maine. She has always pursued her passions in the arts, including painting, drawing, filmmaking, and much more! Now, she lives in New York City and is enjoying life in the big apple. Besides her work at CIFF, you can find Katy working as a graphic designer, seeking out the best brunch spots, sewing her own clothes, cooking, and seeking out new adventures in Maine, and around the world.

Maggie Hirshland - Yeti Lounge Venue Manager

Maggie Hirshland

Yeti Lounge Venue Manager

She/Her/Hers

Maggie Hirshland

Yeti Lounge Venue Manager – She/They

Maggie is excited to return to CIFF this year and manage the YETI Lounge, hoping to create a fun and welcoming community and meeting space for festival guests. Outside of CIFF, Maggie works as the Youth Engagement Coordinator at OUT Maine, a local non-profit seeking to build more inclusive and affirming communities for LGBTQ+ youth across the state.

Kendra Arey - Box Office Manager

Kendra Arey

Box Office Manager

She/Her/Hers

Kendra Arey

Box Office Manager – She/Her/Hers

Kendra Arey is a Midcoast native, currently working as an art therapist with the Rockland school district. In addition to returning as this year’s Box Office Manager, Kendra has previously worked for the Island Institute, the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the National Council for the Traditional Arts helping to coordinate multiple festivals and events.

Marta Denny - Camden Opera House Stage Manager

Marta Denny

Camden Opera House Stage Manager Manager

She/Her/Hers

Marta Denny

Camden opera House Stage Manager – She/Her/Hers

Marta is a local Midcoast-er from Rockport, Maine, currently living in the neighboring town of Rockland post-grad. She attended Connecticut College where she studied economics and sociology, relating much of her classwork to media and communication. Marta grew up dancing, and carried her love for performance and theater through college where she declared a minor in dance. She is now exploring ways of continuing those passions through stage management with CIFF, and is excited about leaving the spotlight to help run the show from the wings instead!

Deborah Rudolph - Partnerships Officer

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer

She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer – She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph comes to CIFF from her hometown of New York City, where she is an Associate Programmer at the Tribeca Film Festival. She was previously Director of Sponsorship and DOCNYC PRO for DOCNYC, and has served as Producer of the Points North Forum at CIFF, Programming Coordinator at Montclair Film, and for many years as Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO. She is a large-scale event producer for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as was also a film evaluator for POV, Catapult Film Fund, and Chicken & Egg Pictures. She holds a BFA in Film and Photography from NYU, and a Masters in Communication from Columbia University.

Zara Meerza - Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

Zara Meerza

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs

She/Her/Hers

Zara Meerza

Programmer, CIFF & Artist Programs – She / Her / Hers

Zara is a British-Indian filmmaker, writer and executive who has worked for HBO, the BBC, Warp Films, Sky Arts, Conde Nast, VICE and more. She served as Director of Acquisitions for the Short List on VICE News, has written for Industry on HBO, and has reported on areas such as finance, technology, politics, and healthcare. She has also served as screener and jury member for a number of festivals, fellowships, and organizations including Doc Society, True/False Film Festival, the Camden International Film Festival, Open City Doc Fest, BAFTA, the Black List, Women in Film, and more. Her upcoming projects include a documentary about the Olsen Twins and a documentary-series about Venmo.

Ethen - Creative Director

Ethan Kiermaier

Creative Director

He/Him/His

Ethan Kiermaier

Creative Director – He / Him / His

Ethan Kiermaier is an installation artist, DJ, art director, carpenter, educator and mechanic splitting time between homes and communities in Mid-Coast Maine and New Orleans.  He’s been to art school twice and never graduated from high school.  Together with Casey Coleman he runs Everything Forever, the country’s premiere producer of intimate karaoke spectacles both large and small.  An improviser by trade, he hopes to one day run a roadside attraction with his wife and poodle.
Deborah Rudolph - Partnerships Officer

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer

She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph

Partnerships Officer – She/Her/Hers

Deborah Rudolph comes to CIFF from her hometown of New York City, where she is an Associate Programmer at the Tribeca Film Festival. She was previously Director of Sponsorship and DOCNYC PRO for DOCNYC, and has served as Producer of the Points North Forum at CIFF, Programming Coordinator at Montclair Film, and for many years as Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO. She is a large-scale event producer for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as was also a film evaluator for POV, Catapult Film Fund, and Chicken & Egg Pictures. She holds a BFA in Film and Photography from NYU, and a Masters in Communication from Columbia University.

Nicole Fowlie - Finance

Nicole Fowlie

Finance

She/Her/Hers

Nicole Fowlie

Finance – She / Her / Hers

Nicole Fowlie has been a dedicated supporter of CIFF since its inaugural year. She turned team member several years back, working in the finance department. She also works with youth at a local elementary school, utilizing her degree in social work. In addition to her many jobs, she is raising her two sons in Hope, enjoying nothing more than time spent with family.

Scott Sell - CIFF Video Producer

Scott Sell

CIFF Video Producer

He/Him/His

Scott Sell

CIFF Video Producer – He / Him / His

Scott Sell is an independent commercial and documentary producer, cinematographer, editor, and writer operating out of the great state of Maine. A graduate of the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies and The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, he has worked as a reporter, a writing and multimedia instructor, and most recently, as a producer for Compass Light Productions. He has happily lived in Rockland since 2011 but, almost daily, misses the pizza of his hometown of New Haven.

Morgan Peirce - Front of House Manager

Morgan Peirce

Front of House Manager

She/Her/Hers

Morgan Peirce

Front of House Manager – She / Her / Hers

Morgan Peirce is a writer, editor, and educator who is passionate about storytelling in all forms. She joins Points North from San Francisco, CA, where she worked for years supporting the Roxie Theater, the oldest continually-operating movie theater in America and a bastion for far-out cinephiles everywhere. In all her work, Morgan seeks to fuel connection, inspiration, community support, and progressive change. She and her husband recently opened a wine bar and wine shop in Gardiner, Maine, where they live with their two young children.

Tela Moss - Stage Manager

Tela Moss

Stage Manager

She/Her/Hers

Tela Moss

Stage Manager – She / Her / Hers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Caroline von Kuhn | Chair

Caroline von Kuhn is the Executive Director of Oxbelly. She was most recently Director of Industry & Catalyst at Sundance Institute, an investor and filmmaker program, serving 55 individual, company and foundation funders, by developing investor and filmmaker curriculum tracks for a range of novice to sophisticated funders and filmmakers to successful meet and close financing on a slate of feature films. Prior to this, von Kuhn was Director of Artist Development at SFFILM where she launched SFFILM Invest, a film investment program in partnership with Cinereach. She was Co-Founder and Managing Director of Points North Institute (Camden) after eight years in film publicity in New York, including with Tribeca. Von Kuhn produced industry panels for Doha Tribeca Film Festival (Qatar) and programmed the launch of Seed&Spark. Recent producing work includes SLOW MACHINE (2020 Rotterdam, NYFF), BURN COUNTRY (2016 Tribeca winner, formerly titled THE FIXER) and a US/UK/Norwegian theatre production of Ibsen’s PEER GYNT with Norway’s National Theatre. She serves on the Board of Catapult Film Fund and as Board Chair of Points North Institute. She has a BA in Financial Economics from University of Virginia and an MFA from University of Manchester (UK).

Julia Metcalfe | Vice Chair

Julia serves as an advisor to early-stage companies, focusing on product development, scaling operations, and investor strategy. Julia spent eight years at Facebook where she was a Product Manager for applied machine learning. Before that, she spent seven years leading teams focused on monetization and product experience analytics across Facebook’s global advertising business. Julia graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business and International Relations and remains an active alum.

Rick Rector | Treasurer

Rick has over 35 years in senior management roles in a variety of industries, most recently as president of United Publications. He also has extensive experience with non-profit organizations, serving on or founding more than 20 in his career. In addition to Points North, Rick currently is on the board of the Maine Review, the Camden Area Food Pantry and the Personnel Board of the Town of Camden, Maine

Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez | Secretary

Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez, combined 20 years experience as a practicing architect with his training as a professional cabinet maker at North Bennet Street School in Boston to become a nationally recognized designer and maker of studio furniture. He served as President of North Bennet Street School from 2006 to 2019. His non-profit Board experience includes The Furniture Society, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, The Society of Arts and Crafts, The Concord Museum and the American Craft Council.

George Cooke | Board Member

George Cooke has spent summers in Maine since childhood and, along with his wife Laura, became a permanent resident of Lincolnville in 2019 following his retirement from an active legal practice in the media and entertainment business. Between stints at Boston and LA law firms, he had the good fortune to work for 20 years at HBO, where he had a front-row seat to the burgeoning of pay television and the internet.

Andrea Meditch | Board Member

Andrea has produced and exec’d such Emmy- and Oscar-winning or -nominated films as Man on Wire, Buck, Ernie&Joe, and Dangerous Acts. Her life-long passion has been helping emerging, diverse storytellers find the heart of their stories and create pathways to successful careers, in part as a mentor and advisor with PNI, Sundance and Hot Docs. Before founding her own company, Back Allie Entertainment, she built Discovery’s first film unit. She holds a PhD in Communications/Media from Northwestern.

Richard Aroneau | Board Member

Richard’s professional life has been split between architectural restoration and new urbanist projects and retail ventures. He has served on the boards of several Maine cultural organizations and is currently President Emeritus of the Farnsworth Art Museum.

Monika Navarro | Board Member

Julia Metcalfe, Chair
Caroline von Kühn, Vice Chair
Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez, Secretary
Rick Rector, Treasurer

Bridget Besaw
George Cooke
Kerem Durdag

Monika Navarro
Lars Perkins
Ben Thompson

BEN FOWLIE
BEN FOWLIEExecutive and Artistic Director
Ben Fowlie is the Executive Director of the Points North Institute, and the Founder of the Camden International Film Festival. He is a co-founder and co-programmer of The DocYard, an award winning screening series in Cambridge, MA and has served on juries at the Silverdocs Film Festival, Hot Docs Festival, Dokufest Kosovo, IFFBoston and for IFP’s Gotham Awards. Ben is currently the Nominee’s Chair for the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking, and a member of their Industry Advisory Board and Nominating Committee. He serves on the Maine Film Commission, and is an adjunct instructor at Unity College’s Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities.
SEAN FLYNN
SEAN FLYNNProgram Director
Sean Flynn is the Program Director for the Points North Institute and has helped design and produce all Points North programs since 2011. Sean received a master’s degree from MIT’s Comparative Media Studies department, where he worked as a researcher at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. Sean began his filmmaking career as a producer and cinematographer working on two feature-length documentaries, BEYOND BELIEF and THE LIST, both of which had their premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on national television. In 2012, Sean was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Mumbai, India.
KATE FLETCHER
KATE FLETCHEROperations Director
Kate Fletcher is the Operations Director for the Points North Institute. Kate has worked in arts administration and development for theatre arts, visual arts, and educational organizations for over 25 years, including the Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT), the Museum of Photographic Arts (San Diego, CA), Maine Media Workshops & College in (Rockport, ME) The Strand (Rockland, ME), Legacy Theatre (Branford, CT), and Elm Shakespeare Company (New Haven, CT). Kate has also been active with Midcoast theatre companies as director, producer, actor, and board member. She’s returned home to Maine from New Haven, CT where she worked in marketing and communications at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and served as Managing Director of Orchestra New England.
EMILY PECKHAM
EMILY PECKHAMDevelopment Director
Emily Peckham is the Director of Development for the Points North Institute, bringing with her a background in organizational behavior, project management, and fundraising for place-based education. Her keen interest in the arts can be traced from her early childhood. Emily earned a B.A. in psychology from Oberlin College with a research methods focus and inductions into Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Her early career included management consulting in a boutique firm and project management at a major Boston teaching hospital. After three years in a Ph.D. program at Boston College, Emily moved to Rockland in 2007.
SAMARA GRACE CHADWICK
SAMARA GRACE CHADWICKProgrammer
Samara Grace Chadwick is a documentary filmmaker, programmer, and scholar who has spent over 15 years working in the field of non-fiction, in Germany, Denmark, Vanuatu, Brazil, Italy, the US and Canada. She has a PhD in Cultural Studies, and has programmed films and conferences for HotDocs in Toronto, the 2ANNAS Film Festival in Rīga, the Museum of  Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (MAM), and the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art / 7th Berlin Biennale in Berlin. For the past two years, she curated Doc Circuit Montréal: the Market, Conference, Talent Lab and Kino VR programmes of the Montreal International  Documentary Festival (RIDM). 
JONATHAN LAURENCE
JONATHAN LAURENCEDesign Director
Jonathan Laurence is an artist and designer, currently living in his native lands of midcoast Maine. 

In addition to working, he gets a kick out of eating, cooking good food, travel, adventure, design, films, art, music, looking, making, assembling, learning, and generally anything positive. find more: jonathanlaurence.com
NICOLE FOWLIE
NICOLE FOWLIEFinance
Nicole Fowlie has been a dedicated supporter of the festival since year one and has enjoyed working as an official member of the team for many years. She lives in the midcoast area where she is raising her two sons. In addition to crunching numbers for Points North, Nicole is proud to work with local youth, both in the school system, and as a behavioral health professional.
Zack Weil - Producer
Bio

Zack Weil

Producer – He / Him / His

Recently relocated from Los Angeles, Zack brings his passion and experience in the documentary film world to the Points North team. Initially dedicated to producing branded content for nationally recognized non-profits like the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Zack’s 2019 documentary feature, “When We Were Apollo,” received a national release on PBS before winning an Emmy in the historical documentary category.

Giovanna Aguilar - Venue Manager: Shotwell Drive-In Theatre
Bio

Giovanna Aguilar

Venue Manager: Shotwell Drive-In – She/Her/Hers

Giovanna Aguilar is an award-winning multimedia creator who is passionate about stories driving social impact.

As a writer, she works with C-Suite executives in thought leadership and nonprofits serving under-served communities with impactful programs.
As a filmmaker, she works on documentaries and narratives that shed light on compelling and inspirational stories with universal themes that celebrate the unwavering human spirit defying odds and overcoming challenges. Aguilar is developing EPIC Women in Sports, a documentary series profiling athletes that will be directing in producing

Aguilar was part of the producing team of the Emmy® Award-winning When We Were Apollo (W3A) for Best Historical documentary that explores the enduring impact of the Apollo Space Program through the eyes of extraordinary everyday workers who helped put a human on the moon.

Jourdan Christopher - Multimedia Producer
Bio

Jourdan Christopher

Multimedia Producer – He / Him / His

Jourdan’s work focuses on presence and the subtle/silent moments of unguarded life. He strives to turn these moments into images of both art and social commentary, creating written and visual narratives that place you before and within glimpses of the lives and experiences of others. He has captured the attention of Boston’s photography and artistic communities by intensely delineating truths belonging to different realities, all while encouraging individuals to initiate a path of self worth and self-awareness.

Katy Boehm - Intern
Bio

Katy Boehm

Intern – She / Her / Hers

Katy Boehm is a senior at Bates College pursuing a double major in American Cultural Studies and Art and Visual Culture. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Katy is new to the mid-coast Maine region. Previously, she has worked for the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, The Bates College Art Museum, and various other creative organizations. Her interests include drawing, painting, sewing her own clothes, making homemade salsa, and finding new music.

Jeanelle Augustin - Programmer
Bio

Jeanelle (elle) Augustin

Programmer – She / Her / Hers

Jeanelle (elle) Augustin is a Haitian-American film programmer and curator. Her first trip up to midcoast Maine was a summer college holiday full of pranks involving lobsters and late-night tennis on North Haven Island.  Born in New York City, she is interested in the visual and sonic culture of the future – what does creative freedom for artists look and sound like? She is excited about the emergent strategies and creative solutions that artists offer to reimagine reality and build a more equitable future. Her work is particularly focused on artists of color who are evolving the cinematic language of nonfiction with practices that move fluidly between installation, performance, and direct action. She is deeply committed to disrupting traditional hierarchies of knowledge and power. She currently serves as Film Programmer at Points North Institute and True/False Film Fest, as well as Film Officer at Doc Society. Jeanelle is a member of BGDM and lives in Los Angeles. Outside of film, she is also a yoga teacher and avid amateur surfer.

Michelle Hamada - Artist Program Consultant
Bio

Michelle Hamada

Artist Program Consultant – She / Her / Hers

Alongside her work as a Consultant for Points North Institute, Michelle Hamada is the Director of Industry & Filmmaker Relations at Syrn Media Ventures where she serves as a representative to artist support institutions and filmmakers and shapes SMV’s community driven strategies and year-round filmmaker engagement. Previously, Michelle was the Manager, Documentary and Scripted programs at the nonprofit artist support organization, Tribeca Film Institute, a sister organization of Tribeca Film Festival. At TFI, Michelle participated in the selection of over 300 projects, supported filmmakers through Tribeca Film Institute’s grants and workshops and developed their slate of programs. She took a leadership role running TFI’s alumni support programs, specifically the TFI Pond5 Program, which provided support to TFI alumni through three funding cycles and four networking events annually. Before joining TFI, she worked at SnagFilms programming and marketing the company’s site and platforms as well as working to build Indiewire’s video presence. She is a graduate of both Soka University of America and the Cinema Studies Program at NYU.

Julia Ferguson - Special Events Manager
Bio

Julia Ferguson

Special Events Manager – She/Her/Hers

Julia loves documentary arts and the coast of Maine in equal parts. She’s grateful to be part of the CIFF team and can’t wait to celebrate the films, their crews, and the magic that makes them happen.

Maggie Hirshland - Hub Manager
Bio

Maggie Hirshland

Hub Manager – She / Her / Hers

Maggie graduated from the University of Virginia in 2020 with Bachelor degrees in Youth & Social Innovation and Public Policy, and has spent the past year in Rockland working as a Community Engagement and Outreach AmeriCorps Fellow at Rockland Main Street, Inc. Passionate about the role of media and storytelling as vehicles to envision new futures, spur social change and advocacy, and provide ways to gain a better understanding of the self and the world, she is excited to see these interests coalesce with CIFF. Maggie is looking forward to bringing her experiences in creating welcoming and inclusive spaces, working holistically across industries, and developing relationships and partnerships among stakeholder groups to her role as Hub Manager.

Carly Ransford - Intern
Bio

Carly Ransford

Intern – She / Her / Hers

Carly Ransford is a student at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, whose passion for story-telling, social justice, and film production drew her to CIFF and the Points North team this summer. Though originally from Carbondale, Colorado, Carly has loved spending the past couple of years getting to know Maine as a student, and has particularly enjoyed exploring the incredible beaches, mountains, and eateries throughout the state. At Bates, Carly is pursuing a double major in Politics and Gender and Sexuality Studies (with a major concentration in creative writing), and spends her free time as a contributor and editor for the school’s literary arts magazine, Snaggletooth, as well as working as a Mediation and Restorative Justice Fellow for the student Dean. Outside of academia, Carly prefers to be outdoors, in a ceramics studio, or cooking and eating food with friends. She’s pretty much down to try cooking or eating any recipe, preferably something sweet or spicy. In the future, Carly hopes to continue to pursue work that grounds her in communities of activists and artists that engage in projects which aim to make the art and media world a more equitable, just and empowering place.

Ben Post - Venue Manager: Journey's End
Bio

Ben Post

Venue Manager – He/Him/His

I exist for those transcendental cinematic experiences that occur every so often at film festivals, that are imbedded in your soul for the rest of eternity.
Nothing was more surreal and glorious than witnessing 12 Years A Slave and Moonlight screen at the Telluride Film Fest, and then see them etched on the columns of the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, eternally entered into the canon of exceptional filmmaking.

Mads Wilkerson - Venue Manager: Strand Theatre
Bio

Mads Wilkerson

Venue Manager: Strand Theatre – She / Her / Hers

Mads is a recent graduate of the University of Sydney in Australia, where she studied Film and Digital Media. She has long been passionate about film and television and has worked with production companies and festivals in many different parts of the world. Having grown up in Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Sydney, Mads is excited to see the amazing impact that CIFF has on a smaller community. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, participating in many sea-side activities, cooking and traveling.

Maddie Roy - Venue Manager: Camden Opera House
Bio

Maddie Roy

Venue Manager: Camden Opera House – She/Her/Hers

Maddi is an aspiring screenwriter/comedian. She loves helping breathe creative life into her home state of Maine.
Sophia Stratton - ASL Team Coordinator
Bio

Alfred Russo

Assistant Tech Director – He / Him / His

Alfie is a tech jack of all trades for CIFF. Originally from New York, he earned a degree in Rhetoric, concentrating in Film & Media Studies, from Bates College in Lewiston ME. When not in Maine he works as a Broadcast Engineer for an NPR station in Boston. Prior to that, Alfie worked for the US Forest Service as a Backcountry Ranger in Kentucky, and chased the Big Sky to Montana for a winter. He’s visited 38 states, many of which while traveling cross country in an old but quaint camper.
Lee Emmerich - Festival Intern
Bio

Lee Emmerich

Festival Intern – He / Him / His

Lee Emmerich is a rising senior at Bates College. He is majoring in Rhetoric, concentrating on film and Screen Studies, and minoring in Philosophy, and he is also a captain of the varsity swimming and diving team. He grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York on his family’s farm, growing flowers that would be sold in farmer’s markets in New York City. Lee studied experimental film and visual theory in Prague during the fall of 2019 and has a continued interest in experimental modes of storytelling. He also enjoys darkroom photography and making his own cameras.

Kate Lemberg - Artist Program Coordinator
Bio

Kate Lemberg

Artist Program Coordinator – She / Her / Hers

Kate is excited to be back with the CIFF team for a second year! Having received her BA and MA in Cinema Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, she has since pivoted from academia to the film festival circuit. While you can typically find her running around as a venue manager or managing on-site ticketing operations — having previously done so at Sundance, Tribeca, DOC NYC, True/False, Hamptons, Newfest, and more — she is so excited to bring her logistical mind to the Artist Programs team this year.

Camille Gunderson - Production Coordinator
Bio

Camille Gunderson

Production Coordinator – She / Her / Hers

Camille credits her childhood summers in Maine for shaping her love of coastal waters and ocean stories. She has been working in Midcoast Maine for the last two years as a producer and assistant editor at Compass Light Productions and Wicked Delicate Films. A lifelong sailor, she became interested in storytelling and film while working on an historic yacht restoration after college. She studied Environmental Economics and Hobart and William Smith.

José F. Rodriguez - Senior Consultant - Artist Programs
Bio

José F. Rodriguez

Senior Consultant – Artist Programs – He / Him / His

José F. Rodriguez was formerly a senior staffer at Tribeca Film Institute, where – for the past six years as their Director of Documentary Programs – he oversaw the growth, funding & overall strategic vision for all of their documentary programs as well as their filmmaker / industry market, TFI Network. During his 10 years at TFI, he also led documentary workshops in the United States and throughout Latin America. In the past three years he has made two short films: the documentary short ADOLESCENCIA (Camden International Film Festival 2017, New Orleans Film Festival 2017, DOCNYC 2017, DOK Leipzig 2017) and the experimental short Mama,mama (Bushwick Film Festival 2018, Nitehawk Shorts Festival 2018, Guanajuato International Film Festival 2019).
Halle Johns - Associate Producer
Bio

Halle Johns

Associate Producer – She / Her / Hers

Halle is a freelance documentary filmmaker, producer, and editor. With the exception of her recent relocation to the Greater Boston Area for some political campaign video work, she had been working in the Midcoast as a producer and editor at Compass Light Productions and as an assistant editor at Wicked Delicate Films. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from Bates College and a graduate certificate from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Her primary interest is in storytelling that connects people to their natural environment.
Lili Elena - Box Office Coordinator + Parking Captain
Bio

Lili Elena

Box Office Coordinator + Parking Captain – She / Her / Hers

Lili Elena is drawn to urban and rural ecologies. She taught a diverse body of English language learners in downtown Manhattan before moving to midcoast Maine, where her experience in the service industry segued into event coordination, and where she began her studies in horticulture and food systems. Lili has orchestrated such diverse projects as a farm-to-table kids’ program, gardens in harsh environments for clients, and most recently, a comedic dystopian outdoor theatre show in Appleton, Maine. Her work in the arts and sciences is focused ​on​ ​mutual aid, plant knowledge, new economies, and design.

Josiah Krul - Festival Intern
Bio

Josiah Krul

Festival Intern – He / Him / His

Josiah Krul is a rising senior at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He is majoring in psychology with concentrations in both English and Medieval Studies. As a proud resident of Rockport, Maine, Josiah has a passion for his community. He graduated from the local high school, where he was involved in many extra-curricular activities, including volunteer work with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church food pantry and NuDay Syria. His family currently owns and operates the PITCH, an indoor turf facility offering year-round recreational sports in Warren, Maine, where he continues to coach soccer to children of all ages. He is excited to team up with Points North Institute for the upcoming CIFF Festival with hopes to learn about the film industry and give voice to creative storytellers from all around the world.

Allyson Morgan - Social Media Manager
Bio

Allyson Morgan

Social Media Manager – She / Her / Hers

Allyson Morgan is a film festival veteran, having filled various roles at Brooklyn Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Lower East Side Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, NewFest, and she is currently Festival Producer/Senior Programmer for the Indie Street Film Festival. In addition, she is a writer, producer, performer, and the founder and Executive Director of the award-winning film and theatre collective F*It Club in New York.Creatively, she was named one of just five winners out of thousands of entrants from over 63 countries in the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series; her short film Need For Speed (Dating) premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has twice been awarded a Juno Leadership Residency through the Omega Institute, and currently has a short film in pre-production with Fox/Disney.Additionally, Allyson recently co-created and produced, with frequent collaborator Kevin Laibson and Developer Alex Coulombe, “Ghosted,” an AR experience for the Magic Leap One headset, which was awarded “Most Innovative Immersive Experience” at the North Bend Film Festival.
Sophia Stratton - ASL Team Coordinator
Bio

Sophia Stratton

ASL Team Coordinator – She/Her/Hers

Sophia Stratton

ASL Team Coordinator

Sophia Stratton, ASL Team Coordinator, grew up in South Portland, Maine, where she has lived all her life. From childhood, she has always had a particular fascination with languages, which lead her to major in Linguistics. She is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Maine and has been working as a freelance American Sign Language interpreter in education, medicine, and the arts. She is passionate about providing access to language for all Deaf individuals. Her interests include classic lit, sad indie rock songs, her three cocker spaniels, and learning how to be a better human.
Devin Fletcher - Drive-In & Box Office Producer
Bio

Devin Fletcher

Drive-In & Box Office Producer – She / Her / Hers

Devin Fletcher is a New York City-based artist and producer who proudly grew up in Warren, Maine. In theatre, she has developed productions and programs at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub at The Public, Ars Nova, La MaMa ETC, Two River Theater, American Repertory Theater, and serves as Executive Artistic Director for the award-winning Bluelaces Theater Company. She is a graduate of Emerson College, with additional studies at Harvard University, Beverly Hills Playhouse, and IUGTE Austria.

2017 FESTIVAL STAFF

ALEXANDRA MARVAR
ALEXANDRA MARVARFestival Producer
Alexandra Marvar is a writer, strategist, and producer focused on helping creators build relationships with their audiences. She has worked on several record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns, recently co-producing the highest grossing doc film campaign to date. She’s participated in panels on film distribution and audience engagement for Hot Docs Doc Ignite labs, the Geena Davis Institute, the Sloan Foundation, IFP, and a pile of great film festivals. In 2010, she co-founded non-profit arts festival O+, where participating artists and musicians exchange art for free healthcare services from art-loving healthcare professionals — now in four U.S. cities! She loves helping bring other people’s great ideas to fruition, and also lobster rolls, so she’s over the moon to be part of CIFF for her fourth year running.
COLIN KELLEY
COLIN KELLEYTech Director
Colin Kelley has made a career helping artists realize their visions through technology. He couldn’t imagine a better gig. An experienced digital projectionist and content creator, he frequently freelances for print, broadcast and independent film. He lives down the coast a bit with his wife, their awesome tiny human, two feuding cats and an overly ambitious dog.
MANETTE POTTLE
MANETTE POTTLEPoints North Forum Producer
ETHAN KIERMAIER
ETHAN KIERMAIERSpecial Events Creative Director
Ethan Kiermaier is a freelance builder, event producer, educator, dj, installation artist and native of Midcoast Maine. He holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his work has been supported by Assets for Artists, the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Berwick Research institute. He is still largely in disbelief that he gets to throw parties for a living…
SARAH ROGERS
SARAH ROGERSVolunteer Manager
Sarah Rogers comes to CIFF with a love of anything that involves production and volunteers. When she is not working for CIFF she can be found organizing the flat- track chaos of Rock Coast Rollers roller derby league; the bit and pieces of the First Universalist Church in Rockland; and all the important data for WindowDressers, a non-profit dedicated to reducing fossil fuel consumption. She is also a mother and secretly addicted to painting murals.
STEVIE WEINSTEIN-FONER
STEVIE WEINSTEIN-FONERSpecial Events Assistant Director
Stevie excited to be joining the CIFF special events team for the second year in a row. He currently works as a musician, artist, archivist, and jack of all trades. He recently moved to Los Angeles. When he’s not on the road, that’s where he lives.
ERIN MOLITOR
ERIN MOLITORDirector of Special Events
Erin grew up a Downeast Maine girl and now resides in the wilds of Brooklyn, New York. She is a recorder of light and shadow, a jewelry designer, a metalsmith, a painter and drawer, a writer and editor of words, and an organizer of events. She is proprietor and maker of things at owl&bone in Brooklyn.
AUDREY EWELL
AUDREY EWELLPublicist
Audrey is a publicist and award-winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Press inquiries can be sent to her at audrey(at)evilsummerpr(dot)com
SITA HELLERICH
SITA HELLERICHArtist Programs Producer
Sita Hellerich recently relocated to Maine after 11 years in NYC. Originally from Germany and India, she moved to the U.S. to study at Vassar College in upstate New York. She holds a BA and an MFA in Political Science and Art History. She has worked in the restitution department at Christie’s in London and Berlin, and spent her time in New York in various creative arts fields, including the museum and art world, event production and coordination, and prop styling for photo shoots. An avid lover of all things Maine in general—and CIFF in particular—she is thrilled to be joining the team for her second year.
SCOTT SELL
SCOTT SELLStoryforms Producer
Scott Sell is a freelance cinematographer, editor, and writer. A graduate of the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies and The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, he has worked as a reporter, a writing and multimedia teacher, and most recently, as the Island Institute’s in-house filmmaker. He lives in Rockland, Maine and is a member of Steel House, an art, design, and technology collective.
DENIZ TORTUM
DENIZ TORTUMStoryforms VR Producer
Deniz Tortum is a filmmaker, media artist and a researcher. He is a graduate of MIT Comparative Media Studies and the Open Documentary Lab. His most recent film, If Only There Were Peace (co-dir Carmine Grimaldi), received the best short documentary award at Dokufest. Currently he is a fellow at Harvard Film Study Center. Deniz is joining CIFF Storyforms team for the second time.
ALFRED RUSSO
ALFRED RUSSOStoryforms Tech Director
Alfred Russo has been a tech guru since before he can remember, and at CIFF for three years. He currently works as an audio engineer for a public radio station in Boston, and loves putting together the pieces to make technological dreams reality. When not immersed in wires he has been a Forest Ranger, stewarding land with a penchant for capturing the sights and sounds that accompany, as well as educating others on the value of the natural world.
EILEEN LEVEL
EILEEN LEVELVenue Manager
Eileen Level is a film festival trotter with a New York City mind and San Francisco heart ,searching for the key ingredients to improve the engagement of the cinema culture. She features different movie theaters on her blog, spotlighting what makes each one unique. She also focuses on the importance of supporting movie theaters in our communities. Her dream is to own and manage the finest movie theater this world has ever known.  Besides cinema, she loves Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and anime!
REBECCA WILSON
REBECCA WILSONVenue Manager
Rebecca has been in still, motion, and music production for more than two decades and splits residence between Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Her projects and work have taken her to over 34 countries, but swimming underwater in any large body of water in Maine. Rebecca is phobic of parade floats, highly insecure about her ugly enormous feet, and would elect the Dalai Lama to be president of Earth if it were allowed. To see her commercial photo work see www.rebeccawilsonstudio.com
DANA BIALEK
DANA BIALEKVenue Manager
Dana Bialek is an extravert and morning person, and a radio and event producer. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana where she produces The Moth StorySLAM. Between gigs, she spends a lot of time on a bicycle. She’s excited to be joining the CIFF team this year.
MELISSA CARON
MELISSA CARONVenue Manager
Melissa Caron is a Brooklyn-based actor and improvisor. A life long enthusiast for all things in front of and behind the camera, she comes to CIFF by way of VHX and Vimeo and is ready to put her event management skills to work running the Rockport Opera House as venue manager this year. You can catch her on stage at The People’s Improv Theater, UCB, and Magnet Theater, or on Instagram at @missmayyoke. Bring sourpatch kids and pics of your pets, please.
LINDSAY HEALD
LINDSAY HEALDLead Photographer
Lindsay Heald first attended CIFF as a student at the University of Maine enrolled in a documentary film course. After capturing the festival through the lens of her iPhone 4, she was invited back the next year to document Points North programming via a video camera. 5 years later, Lindsay joins us as the lead photographer. Born and raised in Maine, she has a deep appreciation for this special festival hosted in her home state. When she’s not with us, she’s in Portland, Maine working for a small video production company where she produces, shoots and edits short narrative and commercial pieces.
KATE CHANDLER
KATE CHANDLERPass Master
Kate lives in Maine and runs the three ring circus that is a house with multiple kids, dogs and chickens. She is an artist with a love of both metal and fiber. She studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a focus in large metal works. She currently sells fine marine finishings working for Epifanes NA. This is her second year with CIFF.
AMANDA FLORIO
AMANDA FLORIOTransportation Coordinator
Amanda is a film festival gypsy specializing in guest services and venue management. She is also passionate about marketing and programming. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film with a minor in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida. She is a native of Boston, MA where she currently resides. Maine is Amanda’s home away from home so she is especially thrilled to be a part of CIFF.
JEREMY HERSH
JEREMY HERSHTransportation Coordinator
Jeremy Hersh is a fiction filmmaker based in New York City.
HALLE JOHNS
HALLE JOHNSProduction Assistant
Halle moved to Maine originally to attend Bates College, where she graduated with a degree in Rhetoric and a concentration in film. She currently works in Camden as an associate producer and assistant editor. While she has attended and volunteered at CIFF in past years, this will be her first year working for the festival as a production assistant, and she couldn’t be more excited. In addition to all things film, Halle enjoys baking (scones are her strong suit), running, and quilting.
IRENE YADAO
IRENE YADAOProduction Assistant
Irene made her way to Maine ten years ago by way of San Diego, New York, and New Mexico. She has written and edited for the likes of The Village Voice and the San Diego Union-Tribune, and most recently penned profiles and food pieces for Maine and Old Port magazines. She studied journalism at San Diego State University and earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University. A lover of powerful storytelling in written word, radio, and film, she previously worked as festival coordinator for the Camden International Film Festival, and is Assistant Director at Compass Light Productions, a documentary film and television production company based in Camden, Maine. Irene enjoys writing, baking, knitting, rollerskating, and taking random photographs of shadows and light. She is thrilled to be joining the CIFF team for another season.
ANNA HABERMANHub Manager
Anna Haberman is a Midcoast Maine local who loves the ocean, good fish tacos and the Red Sox. Since graduating from Guilford College with a degree in Psychology and Communications, she has been working in hospitality and marketing. She is always looking for an opportunity to express her creative side, making CIFF a perfect fit. Anna is thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside such a passionate team with CIFF this year.

2019 Festival Staff

SENIOR PROGRAMMER: Samara Chadwick
FESTIVAL  PRODUCER: Jen Feeney
ASSOCIATE  FESTIVAL  PRODUCER: Meg  Fournier
FINANCE  MANAGER: Nicole  Fowlie
VOLUNTEER  MANAGER: Anne  Bardaglio
GUEST  RELATIONS  MANAGER: Phoebe Parker
TECH DIRECTOR: Colin  Kelley
TECH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Terri  Lea  Smith
FORUM  TECH MANAGER: Tim  Haggerty
FORUM TECH ASSISTANT: Daniel Ackerman
ARTIST  PROGRAMS  MANAGER: Mara  Bresnahan
STORYFORMS  PROGRAM  MANAGER: Scott Sell
STORYFORMS  TECH  DIRECTOR: Alfred  Russo
STORYFORMS  VENUE  MANAGER: Julia Ferguson
HUB  MANAGER: Melissa Rice
PASS  MASTER: Emma Geiger
FESTIVAL INTERN: Zoe Dickerson
VENUE  MANAGERS: Tela Moss, Eileen  Level, Kate Lemberg, Nozha Jebali, Bria White
CAMDEN  OPERA  HOUSE  STAGE  MANAGER: Devin  Fletcher
TRANSPORTATION  COORDINATORS: Keith Blizzard
SPECIAL  EVENTS  CREATIVE  DIRECTOR: Ethan Kiermaier
SPECIAL  EVENTS  MANAGER: Alix Towler
SPECIAL  EVENTS  ASSISTANT MANAGER: Kate Chandler
SPECIAL  EVENTS  RESIDENT  ARTISTS: Dave  Olsen, Hannah  Patterson, Cara Stewart, Lauren Cargo, Hannah Berta, Paul Calder, Sonya Savchenko
FESTIVAL PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Evan Stevens
PUBLICIST: Audrey  Ewell
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jourdan  Christopher, Daniel Nova

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Doug Stradley –  Chair & Treasurer – Technologist, Data Evangelist, Former Director of MMW Film Program
Lars Perkins – Vice Chair -Tech Entrepreneur

Patricia O’Toole  Secretary – Award-winning biographer, journalist, and former nonfiction professor at Columbia University
Bridget Besaw – Filmmaker, Founder of Seedlight Pictures

George Cooke – Partner, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, LLP
Kerem Durdag – Chief Operating Officer, GWI; Believer in humanity
Evelyn Rosen Isom – Professor of English and History, writer and Jazz singer/aficionado
Steven Koltai – Non-Resident Senior Fellow Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
Emily McDevitt – Educator, Outdoor Enthusiast, Community Advocate
Julia Metcalfe – Tech Entrepreneur
Elizabeth Noble – Lawyer
Cecily Pingree – Filmmaker, Small Business Owner
Polly Saltonstall – Writer and Editing Professional, Maine Boats Homes and Harbors
Caroline von Kuhn – Director of Artist Development, San Francisco Film Society

INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD

Charlotte Cook – Field of Vision
Daniel Chalfen – Naked Edge Films
Lisa Kleiner Chanoff – Catapult Film Fund
Marshall Curry – Filmmaker
Kristin Feeley – Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program
Alex Hannibal – CNN Films
Ryan Harrington – Discovery Communications
Ingrid Kopp – Tribeca Film Institute
Lyda Kuth – LEF Foundation
Mary Lampson – Filmmaker / Editor
Jennifer MacArthur – Borderline Media
Andrea Meditch – Back Allie Entertainment
Robb Moss – Filmmaker / Harvard University
Brian Newman – Sub-Genre Media
Sierra Pettengill – Producer/Director
Dawn Porter – Producer/Director
Nancy Schafer – Independent Producer
AJ Schnack – Filmmaker / Field of Vision
Sue Schardt – AIR
Louis Venezia – Pilot