FILMMAKERS

Jessica Estelle Huggins, (Ayinde's Video Game) (Creative Producer),  a Boston Native has been a resident of the city of Chicago since 2008. Immersed in the Columbia College Chicago artistic culture, she has worked on over a dozen short films, including a festival favorite short, Perfect Day with UIC's famed theatre professor, Derrick Sanders. The short was accepted into 20 film festivals and has won 4 awards. Most recently, Huggins has developed a series called Chi~Voices: A Poetic Film Series. You can check out more of her work at www.JehCreative.com

Monica Thomas (Bound), is a choreographer, filmmaker, and performer. Her dance film works have appeared in film festivals nationally and internationally. Her film Bound was recently included in the Chicago Feminist Film Festival and won the Best of Festival Award at Third Coast Dance Film Festival. Her films have appeared in Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Speechless FIlm Festival, and Mosaic World Film Festival.

Daniel Davison (Edison) is a musician, artist, and filmmaker.   As a musician, Davison has been a member of multiple bands (Norma Jean, Colour Revolt, Underoath, and Every Time I Die), with whom he has written and recorded albums that have received critical acclaim worldwide. In 2007 he and his partner co-founded ISTHMUS Studio, a production company specializing in music videos and projection content for touring bands.  Davison has directed video projects for bands such as mewithoutYou, Kill the Noise, Delta Spirit, Manchester Orchestra, Anberlin, and August Burns Red, among others. Davison is currently based in Chicago, IL. 

Brian Zahm (Marquee) is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide at film festivals, screening series, clubs, art galleries and on TV.  No matter what artistic direction, he strives to create a timeless, unforgettable experience through his work, this aim cemented with the documentary feature “Headspace: The Sound of Life,” for which he was the writer, cinematographer and editor—the film called “visionary” by The New York Times.

Lonnie Edwards (Parietal Guidance) is the directorial debut of the Chicago native and modern day renaissance man. The award-winning filmmaker has continuously evolved in his journey while making the transition from fashion designer (Bear.illa), to art Curator (Chicago Art Institute Modern Wing, Bridgeport Art Centre, Canvas Chicago), to taste-maker (Neorevivalist), to playwright (Collaboraction Theatre). After finding his true calling as a Filmmaker and has since devoted his life this craft.

Mina Fitzpatrick (Run of Press) is a filmmaker with a background in political science and global health. After completing her BA at Rice University she was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship to pursue cultural studies in South Korea. In 2013 she made her first documentary feature film about Korean unwed mothers and adoption in Korea. She has been awarded Kartemquin’s Diverse Voices in Docs Fellowship and is studying for her Master’s in Documentary Media at Northwestern University.

Eunhye Hong Kim (The Fever)  is a filmmaker who is currently pursing her Master's degree in Fine Arts at California Institute of the Arts. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, finished her Undergrad at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and started MFA at CalArts in 2015. Her films have screened in film festivals including 46th Chicago International Film Festival, 37th Starz Denver Internation Film Festival, and 6th New Hope Independent Film Festival. She is in her finishing stage of her recent film "Se Shin Sa" and will be distributed in 2016.

Jim Vendiola (Violets) is freelance filmmaker and editor whose unconventional style has gained critical notice. In 2010 he wrote and directed the short, DRIFT, which was on view at the Festival de Cannes 2011 Court Métrage and received several accolades and nominations on the festival circuit, including two audience awards. His films have screened at Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival, and theHi Mom! Film Festival. 

Jennifer Reeder (Girls With Horses) constructs personal films about relationships, trauma and coping. Her award-winning narratives are innovative and borrow from a range of forms including after school specials, amateur music videos and magical realism. These films have shown consistently around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, The Berlin Film Festival, The Venice Biennale and The Whitney Biennial. 

Aren Zolninger (Zalspar's Place) Since graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Film/Video, Zolninger has involved herself in nearly every aspect of filmmaking. In addition to her experience as a Director, Producer, Writer and Editor, she's also worked as a Location Scout, Casting Assistant, Assistant Director, Script Supervisor, Focus Puller and in the Art Department.