Q&A with director Jessica Hester, producers Dani Faith Leonard & Sonya Lunsford, and Coast actors Mia Frampton & Mia Xitlali

Thursday, Sep. 22 2022, 7:00

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Join us for a live musical performance by Hannah Kenny of Black Match.

• Jessica Hester is an alumna of The Actor’s Center Conservatory in NYC, Jessica started her career in theater.  Her first short film The Dress won best ensemble at The LA Comedy Festival. She created first sitcom Pilot titled Served with the help of 30 Rock producer Don Scardino. Regionally, she created Pride with the Ossining High School Girls Basketball Team. She directed Illusion for Come What May Productions, winning best cinematography at BHFF 2013, and many more wins like best score, best VFX, and the DVFS Visionary Award, to name a few. When she is not directing, she is co-producing and post supervising on Showtime’s award-winning TV show Couples Therapy.
• Dani Faith Leonard is a comedian, writer, and producer. Her recent production projects include music-driven narrative feature film Coast and documentary Red, White & Wasted. She executive produced The Light of the Moon (SXSW audience award winner) in 2017 and Lez Bomb with Bobby Farrelly in 2018. She is the creator and host of comedy show Adult Sex Ed and is writing and producing upcoming pilot This is She. Dani co-founded production company and inclusion-focused incubator Big Vision Empty Wallet in 2010, through which she has supported dozens of films and series.
• Sonya Lunsford has produced a wide range of critically acclaimed films like Tate Taylor’s The Help, (nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress by Golden Globe and the Academy), Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash and Suspiria, Matt Aselton’s Lying and Stealing, and Adam Rodgers’ At Middleton. In addition to Coast, Lunsford most recently completed Adopting Audrey, Michael Cahills’ film starring Jena Malone, and production on Alex Hellers’ debut film, The Year Between, whose script was selected for the 2018 Tribeca Film Institute Network, was 1 of 5 finalists at the Million-Dollar Pitch at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, and was selected for 2020 Sundance Screenwriters Intensive.
• Kendra Ekelund is the General Manager of the Jacob Burns Film Center, where she is proud to have worked since 2008. Prior to joining the JBFC, Kendra worked in NYC-based casting and talent management for theater, film, television, and commercial dance. Kendra holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from Syracuse University, and a Professional Certificate in Arts Management from SUNY Purchase.
• PLUS Coast Actors - Mia Frampton and Mia Xitlali.