Engages, Educates, and Empowers Student Filmmakers
Film industry professionals mentor students to step out of their comfort zone and tell their stories. We unleash untapped creativity and encourage the next generation of working filmmakers to transform the culture of the industry.
ANTHONY Q. ARTIS
Anthony has worked in the film and TV industry for over 25 years. He is also a dedicated adjunct instructor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he has taught camera, lighting and audio for more than 20 years. His features and shows have been screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, the IFP Feature Market, Slamdance, and on MTV. In addition to other projects, Anthony produced the 2003 IFP Feature Market grand prize winner, “Shelter,” Associate Produced the IFP-produced feature documentary, “Paper Chasers,” and served as a Segment Producer for the popular MTV reality series “Flipped.” He has also worked professionally as a producer, cinematographer, gaffer, sound mixer and location manager. Anthony is the author of “The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide” and “The Shut Up and Shoot Freelance Video Guide” by Focal Press. He also teaches filmmaking courses on Lynda.com in podcast form, as well as being the host of the podcast, “The Double Down Film Show.”
JENNIFER WAGER
Jennifer is a Newark based filmmaker, whose documentary film, Dare to Dream, is an award winning documentary about Cuba's Latin American Medical School, the largest scholarship based med school in the world. Another film, Venezuela Rising, screened at various international film festivals, including the Al Jazeera Film Festival and D.C. Independent Film Festival, and was broadcast on several national networks in Latin America. She has an M.A. in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown. University. Her honors research, an online annotated bibliography on the work and life of W.E.B. DuBois, was recognized by the Smithsonian. coordinates the Communications A.A., New Media Technology A.A.S., and the Digital Media and Electronic Publishing Certificate programs at Essex County College in Newark, NJ. Wager has taught video production to various arts and youth organizations and has facilitated several community media projects in New York City, including Nuestras Voces, a video series made by and about undocumented immigrant women residents on the Lower East Side.
ben niles
Ben Niles is is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and editor. His film, “Note By Note (The Making of Steinway L1037),” won top honors at the Sarasota Film Festival, was nominated for an IDA award, selected to the prestigious American Film Showcase and has screened in over 30 countries. It has now been translated into 5 languages and has aired nationally on PBS since 2009. His sophomore effort, Some Kind of Spark was also selected to the American Film Showcase and is also airing on PBS. In addition, his film, “The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness,” has won multiple awards (Impact Doc Award; Audience Award Best Documentary: Naples Film Festival, 2019 FIPADOC Grand Prix) and will premiered at the IFC Theatre in New York City. He also co-directed “Still We Rise” with producer Molly Raskin, a film about mental health in Liberia.