Andrew Dimitrov is a Seattle based writer and director whose previous short, The Corruption, won Best Director at the Scumdance Film Festival, among other accolades.

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard is of Inuit, Icelandic, and Jewish descent. An openly queer filmmaker Klaus-Vineyard is heavily influenced by a mix of New Queer Cinema, underground art house experimentation, and regional folk horror. His work includes Unknown, At Large, Motel, Like Lightning, Welcome to Tool Shed (co-directed by Daniel Talbott) which recently had its international premiere at the American Pavillion at the Cannes Film Festival, the upcoming feature documentary Stand Tall, Go Higher and as a producer on the upcoming tv series Lay All Your Love on My Door. He releases music as Lovers of the Arctic Circle

IG: @andrewklausvineyard

Anthony Gavis is a writer/director in Portland. His films, Surplus Terminal, Retriever, and I Only See You In The Dark, rely on DIY production and gritty textural visuals to bring his ideas to life.

WRITER, DIRECTOR & ACTOR
He is known for his performances in sketch comedies on CONAN as well as appearing in Cold Case Files, Matlock & Hack my life. He has starred in films like Robot Riot, Pink Zone and American Con to name a few as well as having an extensive background working in theatre all over the world and has made a lot of viral content online for himself and others. There is nothing that Barrett loves more than story telling and he is thankful to be a part of this ever evolving business that explores what it means to be human.

IG: @barrettdcarroll

SCREENPLAY FINALIST

Caprice Castano is a producer, director, and writer whose work spans family entertainment to psychological horror. Over the past decade they have directed more than 300 hours of programming across film, television, and streaming. Their debut feature screenplay Sanguis Septem has earned 8 festival wins and 23 international selections. They are currently developing a queer western series, which is already gaining recognition on the festival circuit.

IG: @sanguis.septem

1ST AD & PRODUCER
Executive Producer for upcoming horror film “Breeder” which stars Dot-Marie Jones (Glee) Daniel Doheny (The Order) and Maddie Philips (Gen V) and associate Producer of “Sweetest Day” starring Alex MacNicoll (Brilliant Minds)

IG: @chrislabadie

Christian is a director and photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. He was born in Oklahoma City to a Chinese Malaysian mother and a white and Mississippi Choctaw father. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. He grew up in West Philadelphia and attended Occidental College earning a BA in Film and Media Studies. He has directed two award winning features: “Suicide or Lulu and Me in a World Made for Two” (2014) and “Out of Breath” (2022). “Broken Beak” is Christian’s third feature. He lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn with his wife, producer Christie O’Loughlin, their two small children and their dog Yeong-Gi.

IG: @christianxcarroll

Coby Friesen is a filmmaker based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After years helping friends on their films, 48 Hour Film Festivals, and working union sets, Coby applied to GIFF’s RBC Pitch Competition in 2022. He didn’t win, but it spurred him to make “Hook Up”, which played Vancouver Queer FF and won Top Emerging Director at Reel Pride IFF in Winnipeg. In 2024, he won the RBC Pitch Competition with the idea for Cruising in Gomorrah.

IG: @cruisingingomorrah

Eden is a queer, LA-based filmmaker who’s worn a lot of caps. Recent 1st AD credits include SCRAMBLED (Megamix, Lionsgate), Dropout’s Very Important People, and “Chasing The Party”, winner: Tribeca Special Jury award (Producers: PlayHooky, Sam Rockwell). She’s the programming producer for Fantastic Fest’s Fantastic Pitches Lab. As an actor, you can catch her in DECIBEL (Chroma), and you just missed her in Hedda Gabler (Hollywood Fringe). Her feature, PARTY ANIMAL, is set up at Curious Witch Films. She wrote and will direct. She has a BFA from NYU Tisch and an M.A. from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

IG: @Edenbliss

Hayes Tufts is a queer identified filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon. Hayes is passionate about telling stories that depict true human emotional experiences in surreal situations. He hopes to help audiences relate to those they otherwise wouldn’t by sharing their stories told through juxtaposed genres, focusing on what we all have in common by showcasing what makes us all unique.

IG: @hayestufts.films

SCREENPLAY FINALIST

Jonathan Andre Culliton is a Boston-born, British Columbia-based trans filmmaker and comedy writer. Culliton is the creator of Bombshell, a digital series about a single trans man navigating LA’s dating world, available on Amazon. Culliton is the director and co-writer of Spookable, a horror comedy short starring Alexandra Grey, produced by Zackary Drucker. It was selected by Lillly Wachowski for MdFF, won the Audience Award at 29QFF, and is now available for streaming on OTV. His short “Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye” was the recipient of the Out on Film Filmmaker Fund Grant. Both films continue to tour around the world. His first foray into the documentary world, Minister Chucky, co-directed with husband Graham Kolbeins, has played at Queer Screams, Outfest and Frameline. Culliton’s first feature as producer, a feature length documentary about schizophrenic multi-disciplinary artist Linda Sibio entitled Cracked Eggs, premieres in 2027. Culliton makes appearances in the Agender music video Top Bottom Top and American Masculinity, a trans masc art exhibit funded by Tom of Finland.

IG: @jonathanandrethegiant

Kristen Laffey (they/she) is a director and producer whose primary focus is uplifting underrepresented voices. She acted as COO of Gaptoof Entertainment, Out Of Many Media, and Angel Number Films Inc. As a producer, Kristen has screened films at Sundance, Tribeca, Outfest, Inside Out, and Palm Springs. Kristen co-produced Ponyboi, which premiered at Sundance last year and came to theaters this summer. www.kristenlaffey.com

IG: @tildacanyouhearme

Nathan Koranda is an artist and animator based in Chicago, IL. During his graduate studies in London, he deepened his exploration of horror, memory, and the body. With a focus on character performance, Nathan strives to reimagine the expectations of animated form through distorting perspective, experimenting with color, and subverting classic horror conventions. While his practice extends beyond horror, Nathan often finds inspiration in the unsettling and grotesque.

IG: @glitchkura

Nate Richardson (he/him) is an actor, writer, and producer with a commitment to representing the complexities of queerness in the horror genre. He recently appeared in the shorts Don’t Swipe Up and Some Kind of Paradise, which premiered at Tribeca last June. His numerous theater credits include his work in the Los Angeles premiere of Afterglow, for which he was featured in BroadwayWorld. He is also an associate producer on two upcoming shorts, River Gallo’s ‘Superfake’ and Amir Moini’s giallo inspired ‘Artichoke.’

IG: @naterichardson_

Steve Flavin is a filmmaker and content creator in Los Angeles. His award-winning work has been selected by international festivals such as Fantastic Fest, Hollywood Horrorfest, Vancouver Horror Show, and the South African Independent Film Festival. He’s also the co-founder and artistic director of SpookFest in San Francisco.

IG: @steveflavin

Over the last ten-plus years, Steven K Jackley has Written, Directed and Produced up to 25 short films. Born in a small town in the Midwest, his love of filmmaking didn’t take off until he moved to Portland, Oregon, and met his second family of like-minded filmmakers. Steven is a genre filmmaker to the core. Creating character-driven horror films that delve deep into the root of what truly scares us.

IG: @sterlingfallsproductions