Filmmakers | Kansas International Film Festival

Filmmakers Are The Heart of Our Festival

Filmmakers are the heartbeat of the Kansas International Film Festival. Cultivating careers is central to our core values and our vision. KIFF celebrates early-career as well as well- established film artists like accomplished and legendary actor/activist Mr. Ed Asner, horror icon George Romero and special effects wizard Tom Savini. Experimental filmmakers Guy Maddin, Barbara Hammer, and Stan Brakhage have graced our stages while luminaries like executive director of Women Make Movies, Debra Zimmerman have joined us. Many others from Scott Biao to Forest Akerman have stayed with us and many more will come.

There is, of course, one we can never do without...you!

Peter Harding - LAST MAN STANDING - Peter Harding is one of the premier storytellers of the music world, with a signature styleof pushing the envelope of getting up close and personal. Peter breathes music and film. He grew up watching every episode of "Behind the Music" and would find rare documentaries from record collector shows, such as Dylan's "Eat The Document" and obscure Elliot Smith films. A storyteller with an analog heart, Peter Harding believes there is always a little deeper you can go when uncovering an artist's story. Peter has worked with a wide range of artists and familiar names, such as Jason Mraz, Stephen Kellogg, Jewel, AWOLNATION, Ryan Bingham, Train, O.A.R., and Lukas and Willie Nelson.

Stephen Kellogg - LAST MAN STANDING - Over the last decade, Connecticut native Stephen Kellogg has performed more than 1500 concerts around the world, raised thousands of dollars for causes close to his heart, been named Armed Forces Entertainer of the Year, and penned singles for artists like "American Idol" winner Nick Fradiani and the platinum selling rock band O.A.R. Stephen’s most recent writing work with legendary guitarist Robert Randolph, has led to a 2017 Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Blues Record." He's also had his songs covered by international major label acts and released eight albums of his own that have yielded hundreds of thousands of ticket and album sales.

When it comes to performing, CBS radio has called him "the best live act you've never seen" and another writer for No Depression gives him the oddly flattering title "the best songwriter you're not listening to." Filmmaker Peter Harding was so moved by the underground nature of Stephen's story that he made a documentary called "Last Man Standing" which went on tobecome an Amazon exclusive film. In recent years he’s added speaking to his resume delivering a Tedx Talk on job satisfaction, the key note speech for the prestigious photography summit WRKSHP, and garnering an invitation to speak to the students at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, on the topics of social justice and, "finding your voice.";

While it's true that Kellogg may not currently be a household name to everyone, he has persisted in building a substantial career that has landed him onstage with some of the biggest and best touring bands in the world (Train, Sugarland, Jason Isbell, Sara Bareilles, and Hanson to name a few.) Kellogg's music has found its way onto the Billboard charts and been featured in numerous films and TV shows. His Americana-tinged, folk, pop, and rock stylings can make his sound hard to define, but to his core, this musician and father of four brings heart and incredible energy to everything he does.

Mel Jones - HOMEGROWN PICTURES - Mel Jones is a passionate independent content producer and storyteller. Upon graduation from Howard University with a Film Degree, she entered the world of non-fiction television, working full time at Discovery Communications. As her interest in narrative filmmaking grew she applied to the American Film Institute (AFI) and was awarded the highly coveted Hewlett Packard Scholarship to attend AFI. Shortly after earning her MFA in Producing, Jones gained employment at Participant Media, her former internship, as a development assistant. She later began a mentorship with independent Producer Stephanie Allain, who later hired her. Mel has risen through the ranks and is currently the Director of Development at Homegrown Pictures. Mel most recently served as a producer on Homegrown's latest independent feature, French Dirty, and is at the helm of Homegrown's expansion into short form content

Kevin Willmott - BLACKKKLANSMAN - Professor of Film Studies at the University of Kansas, Kevin Willmott is a director and writer for small and big screens and for the stage. He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature film C.S.A: Confederate States Of America about America, had the South won the Civil War which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Willmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas and attended Marymount College, receiving his B.A. in Drama. After graduation, he returned home, working as a peace and civil activist in the interest of institutional integration, fighting for the rights of the poor, and two Catholic Worker shelters for the homeless. He attended graduate studies at New York University, Tisch School of Arts, receiving several writing awards and his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing.

His current play, Becoming Martin, a world-premiere at the Coterie Theater, tackles the power of mentorship and the role a good mentor plays in the fullfillment of our life's purpose.

BlacKkKlansman, his most recent film with collaborator Spike Lee, wone the 2018 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and is currently enjoying the tinkling of Oscar buzz.

Brent Watkins - HERO AMONG US - Brent Watkins (Producer/Director) has worked as a pastor, writer, filmmaker and musician. Now he enjoys telling the stories of people striving to overcome physical, emotional and personal barriers. Brent worked as a producer for the feature documentary “The Entertainers,” a film that garnered “Best of the Festival” wins at ArcLight Film Festival in Hollywood, St. Louis International Film Festival, Minneapolis/St. Paul Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, and “Best Doc” at Landlocked Film Festival in Iowa City, Iowa.

Mohammed Shaik Hussein Ali - EVENING SHADOWS - Mohammed Shaik Hussein Ali is a film producer, published author, and gay activist. He is associated with multiple LGBTQ+ organizations across the United States including Trikone, NQAPIA, etc. He has represented the South Asian community on multiple on multiple platforms,making sure the existence of the community is well displayed. He lends his voice to multiple non-profit causes. His aim is to make sure that those who are growing up now with lots of doubts are reassured that it wil get better.

He is South Asian, Indian, Muslim, and Gay, basking in his multifaceted personality based in the heart of San Francisco for the last decade.

George Loomis - CARETAKERS - New York native George Loomis was Jack Forbes Jr. on ABC's LOVING. George performed in the national stage hit POINT BREAK LIVE! for three years in Los Angeles after graduating NYU, film. He co-starred on KROLL SHOW, THE DOCTORS and MAKING A SCENE WITH JAMES FRANCO before taking a year off for filmmaking.

Erik Bloomquist – LONG LOST - Erik Bloomquist is a two-time New England Emmy® Award winner (Outstanding Director and Outstanding Writer), eight-time nominee, and Top 200 Director on HBO's Project Greenlight. His nationally syndicated television series, The Cobblestone Corridor (for which Erik served as creator, showrunner, writer, director, and lead actor) is the winner of three New England Emmy® Awards and recipient of nine nominations. His critically lauded and award-winning short films have played internationally on television (Crypt TV, Shorts HD), at festivals, and on demand. Theatrically, Erik has directed at prominent regional and educational institutions across the country including Ivoryton Playhouse, Ozark Actors Theatre, Priscilla Beach Theatre, UCPAC, Clark University, and Trinity College. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, his stage acting credits include the American premiere of Calendar Girls at the Ivoryton Playhouse and the world premiere of Rear Window at Hartford Stage (starring Kevin Bacon and directed by Darko Tresnjak). Erik has served as adjunct Faculty at Trinity College, Artist-in-Residence at Avon Old Farms School, and Visiting Artist at Miss Porter's School and St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton, FL (where he delivered his TEDx talk, "A Structured Improvisation”). He graduated cum laude from Trinity College and is an alumnus of the London Dramatic Academy in London, England.

Jennifer Comota Luebke - YOU CAN BE BRAVE - Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke is CEO and co-founder of Ability Revolution, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing authentic inclusion for people of all abilities in workplaces, educational institutions, and communities. An emerging, independent, award-winning filmmaker, Jennifer's first film is a feature documentary called “You Can Be BRAVE” about her journey boldly advocating for her son, who has an intellectual disability, to be included in all areas of society. Jennifer has over 25 years of leadership, accounting, sales, teaching, and coaching experience in large corporations, higher education, and nonprofit entities. Her board service includes organizations that advance (dis)ABILITY inclusion, diversity and inclusion, women in leadership, social entrepreneurship, higher education, and family businesses. Jennifer was recognized with a Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Vlada Knowlton - THE MOST DANGEROUS YEAR - Award-winning filmmaker Vlada Knowlton made her feature-length documentary debut with HAVING IT ALL (2015), exploring the pressure women face to balance careers, children, and marriage. The film was the anchor program of the KCTS9 (Washington PBS) "Women Who Inspire" series in August 2015, and also aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting and online. Her current documentary, THE MOST DANGEROUS YEAR (2018), premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, receiving a runner-up award for Best Documentary. Knowlton holds a doctorate in Cognitive Science from Brown University and worked at Microsoft prior to her filmmaking career.

Jon Brick - UNCOMMON ALLIES -Over the last 20 years, Jon has been a pioneer in directing, producing, editing and shooting award winning films. Jon has a flawless track record working with Oscar and Emmy award winning filmmakers, world class creative agencies, production companies and Fortune 500 companies. Some clients include Yahoo!, People Magazine, Thrillist, Travelocity, Oracle and Getty Films. In 2018, Jon directed, produced and edited the feature documentary film, Uncommon Allies. Uncommon Allies is an official selection to 6 festivals so far in 2018 which include, Newport Beach Film Festival, Kansas City Film Festival, I Will Tell Film Festival, Kansas International Film Festival and the Baltimore Black International Film Festival and Cinema At The Edge. Jon was a producer on the feature documentary film, Beyond Laughter and Tears, released in March of 2016. Jon's past experience includes working as a director, producer, DP and editor at Yahoo!. Jon played a hands-on, key role in establishing Yahoo! as a forerunner in original online video productions. This was Yahoo’s first step into original TV style series (webisodes) productions. He directed and produced 5 original shows while at Yahoo! focusing on topics such as travel, lifestyle, subcultures, music, news, and politics. He's worked with TV hosts Bill Maher, Charlie Rose and Richard Bangs.

Bernard McCoy - BLACK JACK PERSHING: LOVE AND WAR - Barney McCoy teaches multimedia, broadcast news, journalism and documentary courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before arriving at UNL in 2006, McCoy was a full-time journalist for 27 years.McCoy has been honored with numerous television, radio, and multimedia news awards. His television documentary "Black Jack Pershing: Love and War" was a 2018 recipient of a national Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, an Award of Excellence, Special Mention from the Accolade Global Film Competition, an Award of Excellence from the Impact DOCS Global Documentary Competition, an Award of Excellence from the Broadcast Education Association, and an Eric Sevareid Award from the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Another McCoy documentary, "They Could Really Play the Game: Reloaded," was a 2015 Canada International Film Festival Award winner. McCoy has been honored with six regional Emmy awards and numerous other citations for journalistic excellence. McCoy has worked as a documentary director and producer, television and print news reporter, photographer, news producer, and anchor. He has been employed by WIBW-TV, Topeka, KS., KCTV, Kansas City, MO, WKBD-TV, Detroit, MI., WILX-TV, Lansing, MI. and WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH.

Kelli Joan Bennett - COLLUSIONS Kelli Joan Bennett is an American actress, producer, writer, entrepreneur and advocate of creating from what you have. Bennett produced the feature documentary, High School 9-1-1, featured in KIFF in 2017. She produced and starred in the thriller, COLLUSIONS with Tom Everett Scott and Tembi Locke. It recently had its World Premiere at the IFS Film Festival in Los Angeles and won their Best Picture Award and Tom Everett Scott won Best Actor. Bennett is the founder of Think Outside The Box Inside The Box Media, which creates entertaining, engaging and compelling feature films, documentaries and other forms of media with a focus on stories and characters that create awareness of real issues that shape our lives and help us or keep us from creating. As an actress, Bennett played Mr. Harris in the world premiere play, The Columbine Project. Bennett founded Scriptapalooza, Inc. along with two partners. That company has launched and continues to launch countless writers' careers. She recently joined forces with her producing partner, Tim Warren, in the Boomerang Productions Media and currently has two features in development including The Botox Party by screenwriter Cindy Yantis and Death Over 3 Bottles of Wine which she wrote and will star in. She was born in Kansas at the KU Medical Center, grew up on a farm in northwest Missouri and resides in the Los Angeles area. She is thrilled to be bringing her film COLLUSIONS home to screen at KIFF18.

Katharina Stieffenhofer- FROM SEED TO SEED . A Winnipeg documentary filmmaker, with a passion for ecological agriculture, social justice, art and nature. Katharina's documentary film FROM SEED TO SEED is driven by these interconnected passions and a desire to engage a wide audience and grow support for a global social movement that regenerates the way we live. Her appreciations and respect for farming is rooted in her in her childhood & youth growing up on a mixed family farm on a Rhine Island in Germany and expanded when her parents immigrated to Canada in 1977 to become grain farmers in Southern Manitoba. Katharina holds a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Manitoba (1996). In 2001 she began working in the local film industry and has worked on 50 films in various art department capacities, most notable as Art Director on Guy Maddin's "My Winnipeg".

Erin Zimmerman - KANSAS CITY WOMEN IN FILM & TV - Moderator of the Dessert Included: The Power of Mentorship Panel on Monday, October 15 at 7:15 PM, Erin is the CEO at EZ Visibility, and Co-owner, photographer and director at DoubleTake Productions. She studied Communications at University of San Diego and lives in Kansas City, MO with her husband.