BERNADETTE WEGENSTEIN is an Austrian-born linguist, author and critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker living in Baltimore. Her work brings together her feminist thought and interest in human-centric storytelling. Bernadette has produced and directed several award-winning documentary features and shorts, including, Devoti Tutti (2023), a feminist retelling of the myth of Saint Agatha of Catania; The Conductor (2021), the empowering life story of the conductor Marin Alsop, which was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary; See You Soon Again and The Good Breast. Her documentary short, See Me: A Global Concert, which was filmed during the pandemic in 2021, won numerous awards including Best Music Film and Best Musical Editing. Bernadette is a professor of media studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she directs the Center for Advanced Media Studies. She is the author of several influential books in the field of feminist media studies with MIT Press.
Director and Producer
Producer
HENRIQUE LANDULFO started his career in cinema in 2004. He is the Producer and Co-Director with Sandra Kogut of the film "No Céu da Pátria Nesse Instante" (2023), which premiered at the 56th Brasília Film Festival and won the Best Editing and Special Jury prizes. The film is selected to be screened in the first semester of this year at the Málaga Film Festival (Spain), DOK.fest München (Germany) and many others are expected as we are receiving excellent feedback. Henrique participated as a field producer in the film "Pelé" (Netflix, Pitch International, UK, 2020), which retells the story of one of the greatest Brazilian idols of all time, the film "The Conductor", by Bernadette Wegenstein (PBS, Nylon Films, United States, 2021), a documentary about conductor Marin Alsop, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for an Emmy for Best Documentary, as well as having participated in more than 100 film festivals. Production consultant for the feature film "The Outpost" (Rai Cinema, Italy, 2023), by Edoardo Morabito, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival's Author's Journey and was selected for the Rio Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival. He is the producer of the series "Crazy Dream" (FIFA+, Maracanã Media, 2022) and "Dossiê Chapecó, O Jogo Por Trás da Tragédia" (HBO, Pacha Films, Peru), nominated for an Emmy for Best Documentary. Co-Director of the film "Voluntário ****1864" (Globoplay, 2021), directed by Sandra Kogut and shown at the Viruses on Film retrospective at BAM Brooklyn (USA) and selected for the 26th Inffinito FIlm Festival. He directed the shorts "Duas Vozes" (Kiwi Filmes, 2021), awarded by Itaú Cultural, and co created "De Dora, por Sara" (Kiwi Produções, 2021), which premiered at the 24th Tiradentes Film Festival (2021).
Producer
ANNETTE PORTER is an Award-winning documentary filmmaker, was drawn to the world of documentary filmmaking to explore ideas and to tell stories - to give voice to the unheard and challenge the status quo. She is drawn to and compelled to fight for stories of the disenfranchised, forbidden, forgotten, or ignored in hopes of making the world a more fair place. Creating a safe place for expression, where contributors can explore their innermost thoughts and feelings to an empathetic film crew with the talent and creativity to capture their unique identity on film is a hallmark of her producing. Through her company, Nylon Films, she produces and directs films from a female perspective for cinematic, broadcast, and corporate audiences on topics ranging from contemporary arts and culture to social and historical issues. Her work has been featured by broadcasters including PBS, BBC, ITVS, and NBC, by clients such as Estee Lauder, the World Economic Forum, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and in publications including the Washington Post, the New York Times and Vogue. In addition to filmmaking, Annette serves as the Director of the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund and a Filmmaking Instructor for Baltimore Youth Film Arts and Johns Hopkins University.
Historical Researcher & Assistant to the Director
KÄTHE ERICHSEN is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Modern Languages and Literatures at Johns Hopkins University with a primary focus in Yiddish Literature and a secondary focus in Film and Media Studies at the Center for Advanced Media Studies. In her research, she examines questions of 20th-century exile, heritage, identity, and multiculturalism, examining poetry composed in Yiddish, German and Russian. Her current research extends beyond literary and philosophical inquiries of exile literature and into the materiality of Holocaust documentation, exploring the site of the archive through her work as a production assistant for the documentary film The Archives. Previously she has worked on the subtitling for Wegenstein’s Devoti tutti and Aiman: A Soloist on the Steppes.
Editor
STEFAN FAULAND is an award-winning film editor living and working in Vienna, Austria. He studied Information Design and started out as an assistant editor working on documentary and narrative films such as “Little Joe” by Jessica Hausner. Stefan teaches post-production at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna. His editing is influenced by his background in music; he also plays the violin in various ensembles and orchestras in Austria. Stefan’s documentary films include features like “Devoti Tutti” (2023) and “The Conductor” (2021) by Bernadette Wegenstein, “Because they know what they are doing” by Igor Hauzenberger “Omsch” (2013) by Edgar Honetschläger and narrative films like “Ordinary Creatures” (2020) by Tom Marschall and “Roads not taken” (2022) by Kat Rohrer. He also works on numerable TV films among which most lately, “Eine Familie. Zwei Welten” by Peter Mahler (2023).
Director of Photography
JOHN BENAM, two-time Emmy Award-winning DP John Benam brings extraordinary and important stories to the screen. In January 2023, his latest documentary project as a DP came as a 2-part Hulu special called "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields". It's a look at actor, model and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power. As a Producer and DP, 2023 also saw the premiere of his ITVS Open Call film called "The Body Politic", about the young African-American Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, who's trying to heal his City in the shadow of unprecedented violence. In 2021, John worked as the Lead Cinematographer on the PBS film, "The Conductor" which was Directed by Bernadette Wegenstein. The film was nominated for an Emmy Award. John's passion for diversity and social justice is evident in his critically acclaimed films like “Charm City,” which was shortlisted for the Oscars, earned worldwide theatrical release in 2018, revealed the complex world of community-police relations. As Director of Photography on Netflix’s 2017 Emmy-nominated series “The Keepers”, John created an authentic connection with the courageous survivors of abuse, who trusted him to help bring their truth to the screen. John works with National Geographic, Netflix, HBO, PBS, and Oprah Winfrey's "OWN' and has a rich network of spirited collaborators and colleagues. A lifelong resident of Maryland, John resides in Baltimore with his wife, Angela, and their two sons.
Animator
CATAPRETA, a designer and animator from Brazil holds a Bachelor of Drawing and Cinema from the School of Fine Arts of Minas Gerais Federal University. He is an artist trying to understand a little bit of everything as he comes from a different background where formal art was not easily accessible. After much resilience and struggle he has established a place for himself in the audiovisual world. He previously worked as a mason's assistant and today he thinks of himself more like a pixel mason. He's been in this scene for a few years now and keeps moving forward, spending time in the outskirts of town, and has traveled abroad showcasing his award-winning films. His last short film, Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Animator
JUAN CAMILO FONNEGRA is animator using both analog and digital techniques, with an experimental emphasis on stop motion. He’s been animation director for short films, documentary projects, video clips and television series. He is creative director of the La Pájarapinta animation studio and director of the animated short film “La Sixtina,” which is currently on the festival route, and which has garnered several mentions and selections, including at the Biarritz Latin American Film Festival, the Havana Film Festival, and the Bogoshorts International Short Film Festival.