The Team
We are a team of seven directors and two producers. Each story is personal to each filmmaker and manifests our desire to highlight women’s experiences in our society and how it has transformed (or not) over time. We also want to examine the meaning of home and the relationship we as women have with it.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
1957
Kristine Gerolaga
Kristine is a Filipinx-American actor and filmmaker whose mission is to tell stories that center people who are often excluded from the mainstream media. She hails from Vallejo, a town made famous by the Zodiac Killer, which is most likely why she is so obsessed with the darkest parts of the human mind. Kristine currently resides in Los Angeles where she writes and directs genre films, drama, and a ton of sketch comedy. Vulture called her a “creator to watch.” She was also featured on TIFFxInstagram Shorts Fest, The Future of Film is Female, THR, Inc., BuzzFeed, DirectedByWomen, ATTN:, Rappler, Amazon FireTV, and ALTER.
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RIVER
1967
Destinee Stewart
Destinee is a director, writer, producer and actor known for WELL SPOKEN, (a Vimeo Staff Pick) BAGELS AND COFFEE, LIFEBOOK HACKERS, and THE TRUTH OF US. She is currently in development on a doc web series focusing on the lives of Black women. In a 2020 interview on treehouse.la, Destinee notes on the subject of creating art: "I feel the need to. I have always felt, even as a child. I didn't quite know what the feeling meant until I created my first story. Knowing that somewhere in this world there is a person - a person who may not even be born yet - who will connect with a story of mine makes me feel that I have a great responsibility to create from my truth."
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THE TRIP
1976
Rebecca Louisell
Rebecca works in narrative, documentary and new media. After studying fine art photography and mixed media, she later worked with youth before returning to graduate school for production in cinematic arts at the University of Southern California (USC). While at USC, Rebecca received several scholarships and a College Television Award. Her M.F.A. thesis film GENDERFREAK premiered at Outfest and showed at thirty festivals worldwide, winning “Best Short” awards at the Los Angeles Transgender Film Festival and Translations: the Seattle Transgender Film Festival. Rebecca recently co-produced and directed Elizabeth Yarwood’s web series LA PICKER.
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SOMEONE SPECIAL
1988
Jessica Liu
Jessica’s films have been selected at various festivals (Museum of Creative Minds, Shanghai, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, New Filmmakers LA, Dances with Films, etc.) and can be seen on Amazon Prime. Her film PROM TIME! (2019) garnered several awards such as the Women’s Empowerment Award from Anaheim Film Festival, an opportunity to direct a fully-funded feature film through StudioFest and the attention of her current mentor, Emmy Award winner, Kate Hackett by winning Cinema Femme’s February 2021 showcase. Her work combines dream-like states with mundane realities. She enjoys bringing bits of dark humor and magical realism to grounded stories; juxtaposing the perverse with the heart-warming.
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THE NEIGHBORS
1994
Sylvia Ray
Sylvia is a Chicana/Korean-American filmmaker who focuses on stories about characters that overcome fears and feelings of unworthiness while navigating the humor of the human experience. Sylvia's films have played in festivals around the world like Phoenix Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival and New Filmmakers LA. Her short film A PERIOD PIECE won Best Female Filmmaker at Lonely Seal Film Festival, granting her $10,000 in prizes and has been distributed to GenreTV through Women of Color Unite. Her short film LEN(N)Y was accepted to the 2021 HOLA Mexico Film Festival, awarded her into the Tomorrow's Filmmaker's Today program, and is available to stream on Pantaya and DishLATINO.
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LOST OR STOLEN
2002
T.L. Quach
Tina (T. L.) Quach is an Asian American Writer-Director who focuses on Psychological Thriller films, emphasizing themes about women's fears. Drawing inspiration from Hitchcock and Asian Cinema, she hopes to diversify and update the Thriller lens with a Female POC perspective. After working years in production of major motion pictures, Quach soon became a member of the Alliance of Women Directors as a result of her award-winning short films. Her feature length script, CRAVE, has been awarded among numerous screenwriting competitions including Scriptapalooza, ScreenCraft, and Final Draft Big Break.
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HOMECOMING
2019
Luisa Novo
Born in Cascavel, Brasil, Luisa has directed a number of short films both in Brazil and the US. She uses her perspective to shine a light on subjects like self-image, self-worth, machismo, sexual harassment and assault, themes that arise from how society and culture affect women's lives. In her latest project, the workplace web series pilot breakLAND, she ventured into the world of comedy, learning new skills and sharpening others.
Luisa participated in the Hola Mexico Film Festival Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today Program, presented by HBO and HFPA, in 2019, which highlights emerging Latinx filmmakers. She is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors, Chicana Directors’ Initiative, Women in Media, Women in Film, and NALIP.
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PRODUCERS
Alexandra Renzo
Alexandra, aka “Renzo,” is a producer and filmmaker of independent theatre and film. She produced the feature-length documentary MEOW WOLF: ORIGIN STORY which premiered at SXSW (2018) and served as a co-producer of the indie feature film SELAH AND THE SPADES which premiered at Sundance (2019) and can now be seen on Amazon Prime. Most recently, Alexandra produced the indie feature, SOULMATE(S) from Argent Pictures and Mandalay Entertainment, shot entirely on location in Vermont.
Alexandra is a LAByrinth Theatre Company Acting Fellow and Intensive Member, Co-Founder and Former Artistic Associate of site intentional theatre company: Vertigo Theatre Co. (NYC). She has produced, directed, written and starred in various short films (SEEDS, THE MAID, THE WOODS) and music videos (Sylvan Esso, Grieves, Polica, etc). She has also been seen on stage at BAM, Atlantic, Primary Stages and Cherry Lane. San Francisco born, Iowa bred, NH/VT-raised, Brooklyn-aged, and now New Mexico-based. Alexandra also develops and directs immersive theatrical experiences and is currently a Performance Director at MEOW WOLF and has an upcoming residency with Vital Spaces. Alexandra is currently working on a slate of feature films.
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Kay Tuxford
Kay is the writer of THE MISEDUCATION OF BINDU (star. Megan Suri and David Arquette) and played a seminal role in accruing over $60,000 for the film on Seed&Spark.com, winning the Hometown Heroes’ Grand Prize, and drawing the attention of the Duplass Brothers to executive produce. Bindu has been acquired by MarVista for distribution.
Kay produced the breakout short film, THE AWARENESS which premiered on Shortoftheweek.com and is a Vimeo Staff Pick as well as WINE BOTTLES, which won multiple awards, including best LGBT film at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival. Kay’s emphasis focuses on outside-the-box roles for women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and underrepresented minorities in film. She is loved by her family and probably only just tolerated by her cat.