Breaking Glass

Ondi Timoner is an internationally-acclaimed Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work focuses on “impossible visionaries.” She has the rare distinction of being the only person to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice: for Dig! (2004), about the collision of art and commerce through the eyes of two rival rock bands, and for We Live in Public (2009), about the loss of privacy online. Both films were acquired by New York’s MoMA for its permanent collection. Ondi’s most personal film, Last Flight Home, about the extraordinary life and intentional death of her father, Eli Timoner, premiered at Sundance and Telluride in 2022, was Oscar-Shortlisted, awarded The Humanities for Best Documentary, nominated for the WGA Award for Best Documentary and for the Emmy for Exceptional Merit. Ondi’s 2023 film, The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution, is a visceral journey into the intersection of finance, media, and extremism which uncovers the explosive and irreversible ramifications of our digital future. It premiered at SXSW where it was acquired by Paramount, and it is currently on Netflix. Her new film Dig! XX (pronounced “DIG! 20”) will premiere at Sundance in 2024. It is a new enhanced, extended cut of her cult classic film Dig! in honor of its 20th anniversary and features a new narration and brings this timeless tale up to today. She is wrapping up features All God’s Children about her sister Rabbi Rachel Timoner’s partnership with Reverend Waterman and his Antioch Baptist Church to solve racism and anti-semitism in Brooklyn, and The Inn Between about the only hospice for the homeless in the United States. Ondi Timoner is the winner of the 2022 Visionary Award for Observational Filmmaker. She serves as the Chair of Nonfiction for Special Projects at the DGA, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the WGA, the IDA, Film Fatales, and Women in Film.

Ramona S. Diaz is a Peabody, Gotham, IDA, Emmy award-winning, PGA, and Independent Spirit award-nominated Asian American filmmaker best known for her compelling character-driven documentaries that combine a profound appreciation for cinematic aesthetics and potent storytelling. Ramona’s films have demonstrated her ability to gain intimate access to the people she films – be they rock stars, first ladies, dissidents, mothers, teachers, or journalists – resulting in keenly observed moments and unforgettable nuanced narratives. Her films have been screened and won awards at Sundance, Berlin, Busan, Tribeca, SXSW, IDFA, HotDocs, and many other top-tier film festivals. Ramona’s feature-length independently-produced films— Imelda (IL, 2004), The Learning (POV, 2011), Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey (IL, 2012), and Motherland (POV, 2017), A Thousand Cuts (Frontline, 2020)—have been nationally broadcast on PBS, Arte, and the BBC amongst others. Ramona is both a Guggenheim Fellow and a USA Fellow – prestigious awards given to artists with singular visions who have significantly contributed to the arts in the United States. She was recently named the inaugural McGurn Family Trust Resident in Film by the American Academy in Rome. Ramona is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Producers and Writers Guilds of America. In 2017, she received a Women at Sundance Fellowship, a Creative Capital Award, and a Chicken & Egg Pictures Filmmaker Award. For the past ten years, Ramona has served as a film envoy for the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase in partnership with USC and, more recently, for Film Independent’s Global Media Makers program. Ramona is a graduate of Emerson College and holds an MA from Stanford University. 

Asmae El Moudir is a Moroccan film director, screenwriter and producer. She studied at La Fémis in Paris and holds a master’s degree in production and a bachelor’s degree in documentary cinema. Asmae has directed short documentaries for SNRT, Al Jazeera, BBC, and Al Araby TV, and her films have won awards at festivals worldwide. She completed the Al Jazeera television documentary, The Postcard, in 2020. The Mother of All Lies is her first theatrical feature film. It received its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Directing Prize in Un Certain Regard as well as the award for Best Documentary. Most recently, The Mother of all Lies was shortlisted for best international feature film in the Oscars and  Asmae won the IDA Award for Best Director.

Carla Gutiérrez ACE is an Emmy and Eddie nominated documentary filmmaker. She edited the Oscar nominated films RBG and La Corona. Other editing credits include Pray Away (Netflix Original, Tribeca) and Julia, about renowned chef, and television personality Julia Child (Telluride, Toronto Film Festival). Her directorial debut, Frida, is slated to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Carla’s work has received awards at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlinale, Outfest, the Critic’s Choice Awards, the National Board of Review Awards, and the DuPont Columbia Awards. She has been a creative adviser for the Sundance Edit Lab, and a mentor for the Firelight Producers’ Lab, The Karen Schmeer Diversity Program, and the Tribeca Film Fellows program. Carla is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the American Cinema Editors. She received a Masters in Documentary Film from Stanford University.

Latasha Gillepsie is the Head of Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) for Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, and Freevee. In her role, Latasha is responsible for the development and management of all content related and customer facing DEIA work for the organization. Under her leadership, Amazon MGM Studios created the entertainment industry’s first Inclusion Policy and Playbook, and standardized DEIA into its Greenlight Process. Latasha also created the Howard Entertainment Program, the first of its kind partnership between a major studio and an HBCU. Prior to her current role, Latasha led the Global Diversity and Inclusion organization across Amazon, where she worked with Jeff Bezos and regularly briefed both the Board of Directors, and Congressional members on Amazon’s DEIA Strategies and progress. In addition, Latasha is credited for Amazon joining the HBCU Partnership Challenge, and founding Amazon’s Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) annual conference and curriculum. Latasha is a celebrated speaker, host, and moderator who has appeared on stages around the world, including CES, Essence Festival, Cannes, AFRIFF, the Recording Academy, the Television Academy, Rio2C, AdColor, Sundance, and more. She is also a sought-after interviewer, who has spoken with Simone Biles, Ryan Coogler, Daniel Dae Kim, Eric Kripke, Edward James Olmos, Karen Bass, Geena Davis, Keke Palmer, Jemele Hill, Gloria Calderon Kellett, and Common to name a few. She has been featured on Variety’s 2021 Women’s Impact Report and 2022 Inclusion Impact Report, was honored as a 2022 Multichannel News Wonder Woman and received the Black Women Film Network 2023 Beacon Award. In 2021, the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce named Latasha Executive of the Year and that same year she graced the cover of Inclusion magazine for her leadership in implementing organizational inclusive and equitable practices. Black Enterprise named her one of the 2019 Most Powerful Women in Corporate Diversity and she is a 2018 Ebony Power 100 Honoree. Prior to Amazon, Latasha spent 20 years in Finance and Human Resources with Caterpillar Inc., holding various positions including Six Sigma Black Belt, Compensation and Benefits Director, and Employee and Labor Relations Director for the organization’s facilities in both U.S. and Mexico. During her tenure with Caterpillar, Latasha is credited for launching the first diversity recruiting team and the company’s Employee Resource Groups. She also held the position of Chief Diversity Officer for three years prior to relocating overseas to Singapore to serve as the organization’s Head of Human Resources for Africa, Middle East, CIS/ Russia and Asia Pacific. Latasha grew up in the Chicago area and received her degree in Finance from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She currently resides in Los Angeles.