the filmmakers
CHERI GAULKE
Director, Writer, Editor
Cheri is a pioneer in the feminist art movement in Los Angeles. Her work has been presented in film festivals internationally, in galleries and museums, and alternative settings including buses, churches, and prehistoric temples. Initially known as a performance artist, her work addressed themes such as the body, religion, sexual identity, and the environment. Gaulke’s art continues to be a vehicle for social commentary, and as a way to tell the stories of individuals and groups under-represented in society. As an educator, Gaulke has mentored hundreds of award-winning youth videos. Her recent film, Gloria’s Call, has screened in over 40 film festivals and won Best Documentary at the Ann Arbor Film Festival amongst other awards.
JON GANN
Producer
Jon is a force in the film festival world, having created, consulted with and fostered dozens of events around the globe. He is a founding Board Member of the Film Festival Alliance, the first organization to professionalize the festival space, and sits on the Advisory Board at George Mason University’s School of Film & Video Studies. His books Behind the Screens: Programmers Reveal How Film Festivals Really Work and So You Wanna Start a Film Festival have become staples for independent filmmakers and festival organizers. Jon is the Founder of the DC Shorts Film Festival, and has served as the Executive Director of the CINE Golden Eagle Awards which honors the best in film, TV and digital media.
KIA BASKERVILLE
Associate Producer
Kia began her career at CBS News as an intern for industry icons, Dan Rather and Connie Chung. Kia was promoted to cover Presidential elections and national events as an Associate Producer for our Washington, D.C. bureau—the largest contributor to all CBS News broadcasts. In 2000, she became the CBS News White House Special Events Producer in a front-row seat to some of the most impactful events of the 21st century. Her role at CBS also included a leadership role in staff development and diversity for D.C. bureau new hires and interns.
JACQUELINE SAGE BENNETT
Associate Producer
Jacqueline is a filmmaker and writer passionate about storytelling. She got her start making mini-documentaries in the DC area featuring small businesses and athletes with a particular focus on activism and the environment. Her work is inspired by her commitment to positive change movements and her love of surreal art as a means of change.
TIM WILSON
Cinematographer
In over 3 decades of film production, Tim (a DC Native) has had creative vision in his field of cinematography, VFX and innovative filming technologies. He has filmed for the U.S. Marine Corps., U.S. Coast Guard and other D.O.D. contracts, while also creating award winning documentaries, feature films and commercials. Documentary work for the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Lonnie Bunch and the African American Museum, Bryan Stevenson and his Legacy Museum, as well as, the late John Lewis PBS special "Eyes on the Prize" and other Political films, fill his resume.
CHARI GLOGOVAC-SMITH
Original Music
Chari is a composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist, based in Seattle, Wa. Chari combines intricate electroacoustic sound pallets, orchestral arrangements, field recordings, and their voice to synthesize rich cinematic sound worlds. Chari is inspired by the concepts of space and time, and a deep desire to create positive world change.
GENE COWAN
Motion Graphics
For the past thirty years, Gene has provided services for web design, branding and corporate identity, copywriting and marketing support, video graphics, tradeshow design, user experience and app UI, and print design and production to corporate, government, and retail to entertainment, association, and nonprofit clients around the globe.
TASHEL BEAN
Animations
After four years at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Tashel returned to his family's home country of Bermuda to pursue work in the film/television industry. He spent two years freelancing and working with the Bermuda International Film Festival leading the Programming Team. He then embarked on a solo journey, creating and animating "The Adventures of Raz" — Bermuda's first full-length animated series, with six episodes of the show online and book available for sale in Bermuda.