THY TRAN - WRITER + DIRECTOR

A Vietnamese American filmmaker who immigrated to the US at the age of 10, Thy views cinema as more than just entertainment — it is a reflection of humanity and society. Thy sets out to explore the complexities of identity, delving in to themes of shame, loneliness, racial rejection, and the weight of unmet parental expectations through storytelling.

Since moving to LA in 2007 to pursue a career in film, Thy has worked in advertising for Big Brother, The Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno Show while developing his screenplays into feature films. In 2020, the short film Thy wrote and directed, SummerWinterSummer (SWS), became an official selection at CAAMFest, Vancouver Queer Film Fest, and Viet Film Fest where it was nominated as Best Short. In early 2023, Thy received the honor of becoming a member of Viet Film Fest’s Curatorial Committee.

JOSEPH LOEFFLER - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Born in Stillwater, a small town north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Joseph earned his BFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Mentored by two 8x10 Photographers Katherine Turczan and David Goldes, Joseph applied his education of Large Format Photography and Bookmaking to the art of Cinematography. This approach has gained Joseph a unique reputation for remarkably raw and beautiful imagery. Joseph currently works at Amiri, a global luxury fashion brand, as a content creator.

CHARLES DERENNE - COMPOSER

An Indie Rock musician and multi-media artist from Paris, Charles has composed for Maison Margiela x Reebok. His work was featured in the Mannerheim Gallery and the Galerie du Jour Agnes B. Charles also directed the music video Vault of Heaven for the Pixies

GIOVANNI LABADESSA - PRODUCER

Gio is a freelance screenwriter, producer and founder of LUMIERE LAB, established in 2016 in Venice Beach CA, as a film consulting firm and independent production company for creative minds, rebels and late night cereal eaters.​ 

Dedicated to fostering the development and production of original content, from feature films to shorts and commercials, Gio has served as Producer, EP and consultant on films that have screened in dozens of film festival including Oscar Qualifying Rotterdam International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, AmDocs, Doc Edge and San Diego International Film Festival... and sometimes took home the awards. Gio’s latest feature Dog of God premiered at Tribeca Film Fest (2025).

AN TRAN - PRODUCER

An is an award-winning producer and director based in California and Vietnam. She is known as a creative producer committed to making ethical and collaborative content for impactful change. She is especially interested in amplifying the voices of independent filmmakers of the Global South on an international scale.

Producing credits include "The Summer People" for director Todd Louiso, indie feature "Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf” written/directed by Susan Youssef and episodes of the ground-breaking PBS sci-fi anthology “Futurestates.” She formerly helmed the ARRI Emerging Filmmaker Grant program, where she championed award-winning films like “Beasts of the Southern Wild” by director Behn Zeitlin, “Fruitvale Station” for writer/director Ryan Coogler, “Beach Rats” for Eliza Hittman and the documentaries “The Donut King” for director Alice Gu and Elizabeth Lo's "Stray." Her feature documentary directing work includes the award-winning "For Tomorrow" (narrated by Daisy Ridley of Star Wars) and "Filmmakers and the Art of Cinematography" with Francis Ford Coppola, Ang Lee, Wim Wenders, Roger Deakins, Ellen Kuras and more.

CHRISTIAN BUSTAMENTE - CASTING DIRECTOR

Christian got his start in casting nearly 14 years ago assisting the EVP of Casting at ABC.  His love for cinema drew him to features, working in the indie and Hollywood studio spaces, learning from veteran casting directors, Jeanne McCarthy and Kimberly Hardin.  He's worked on over 30 productions, including ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI for Amazon Prime (Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor), and most recently, THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER, which won the Directing award at Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on Apple+. 

Christian just returned from the Philippines, casting a short film where he learned the business of crossover storytelling.  He is passionate about Asian diasporic stories, Queer perspective and discovering new and underrepresented talent.  He is a graduate from UCLA with a degree in Sociology, the study of humans and institutions.