Lisa Laman (she/her) is a life-long movie fan, writer, andfilm critic with a Rotten Tomatoes page located both on the autism spectrum and in Texas. Her byline has been seen in outlets like IndieWire, Collider, Looper, Pajiba, Polygon, The Mary Sue, Fangoria, AutoStraddle, The Spool, and ScarleTeen, among others. She is also the co-host of the weekly show The Box Office Podcast.

With over 16 years behind the camera, Grace Pisula is known for her cinematic style and a keen eye for color and composition, drawing authentic emotion out of every frame. Honored as the Midwest Filmmaker of the Year in 2019 and named one of the Female Filmmakers to Watch, Grace brings a culture of care to her work, making her a trusted partner for sensitive and impactful stories.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, Caché Petters-Matthews has been an avid reader and writer of from a young age. She tells stories that allow a peek at her vulnerability, that are representative of people who don’t get their own stories, for people to feel connected across time. Her art is honest and poetic, exploring identity, change, and life. She is a writer, director, and producer. She is in post-production on her short film, Metamorphosis. She has several projects in development:  Made of Hellfyre, and two features. Caché graduated from DePaul University with an M.F.A. in Film and TV Directing. Her thesis film, Curse Breakers, was Official Selection at several film festivals. Reach out to her for producing, casting, and video editing. She has assisted casting for shows like The Bear, Emperor of Ocean Park, and various commercials and theatre productions, and freelance casts indie projects. She edits commercials, shorts, music videos, docs, corporate videos, etc. She is based in Brooklyn, NY.

Jennie is a screenwriter and community builder. As the founder of Film Events (aka Chicago Film Events), she runs the go-to hub for indie film scenes: an app, a newsletter, and an Instagram community, together a community of 6,800+. Established in Chicago and now expanding city by city, starting with Atlanta, Film Events exists to answer two questions: what’s happening in local film, and how do I stay connected with the filmmakers I meet so we can actually make something together? Over the past decade, she has honed her storytelling through Second City and iO, as well studied through classes with industry leaders including Shonda Rhimes, Brent Forrester, and Daniela Saioni. Her specialty is script editing and coverage, especially for character-driven dramas and emotionally resonant narratives. From 2022 to 2025, she read and reviewed 80+ scripts a year, helping development teams and independent producers shape stronger stories with actionable, story-first feedback. Her approach is built on structure, character depth, dialogue, and tone, not vague notes or personal taste. She co-founded Script Night, a peer script feedback community in Chicago built on clarity, craft, and collaboration, and co-hosted it for three years. As a writer, Jennie is developing two feature screenplays, a television pilot, and additional short films. Her scripts center on women’s stories, often featuring unhinged female characters who take control of the screen and push back against the docile, perfect mother/daughter/girlfriend and manic pixie dream girl stereotypes that so often fill it. Originally from Nebraska, she now splits her time between writing and building film communities. Download the app at filmevents.app.

Allyson Johnson is a writer and Film Section Editor for But Why Tho?, where she champions women and international filmmakers by curating a film section that looks beyond just Hollywood. She is co-founder and EIC of InBetweenDrafts.com and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, with bylines at ThePlaylist, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, her personal Substack, Ally Writes a Lot, and more.

Numa Perrier is a Haitian-American quadruple threat - actor, writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. Most recently, Perrier guest starred in Marvel’s Wonder Man as a Haitian-American character, bringing the nuance and dimension of her heritage to the screen. She garnered acclaim as co-founder of Black&Sexy TV, the first indie streamer for Black Millennials. There she was creator and show runner of numerous popular series including Rommieloverfriends, Sexless, and THE COUPLE which she starred in, making the jump from YouTube to a development deal with HBO. She made her feature directorial debut with Jezebel, which premiered at SXSW and was distributed by Netflix. Her sophomore film was the Netflix rom comThe Perfect Find, starring Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers. She has directed over two dozen TV episodes and was awarded  Best Director Comedy Series from the Astras for Unprisoned starring Kerry Washington & Delroy Lindo. You can follow her on Instagram at @missnuma.

Ashley Lara is an NYC-based writer who crafts “shock and guffaw” stories with drama, comedy, and surprise twists. She was recently selected as a Round One Fellow for the inaugural Screenwriter Sprint Contained Short Lab (2026). Her hour pilot THE GATEWAY was a quarterfinalist in the Table Read My Screenplay Competition in 2023. Her thriller feature GOODBYE, DARLING was a quarterfinalist for The Greenlights Challenge with Carte Blanche and Roadmap Writers (2022). Her half-hour pilot THE OLD COLLEGE TRY was a semifinalist in WritersxWriters Screenplay Competition in 2022. Her play CHASERS premiered Off-Broadway at the Emerging Artists Theatre New Works Festival in 2018.  She holds a Master of Research in Playwriting from the University of Birmingham, England, and Sketch and Improv certificates from Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. She is also a member of the Read Latinx Writers Initiative.