Meet the Film Festival Alliance Staff & Board

Film Festival Alliance Staff

close up of a smiling woman in a green top and shaggy curly blonde hair and bangs

Barbara Twist

Executive Director
(She/Her)

An L.A.-based filmmaker and exhibition consultant, Barbara has been involved in the independent exhibition sector for over a decade.

She previously worked with Art House Convergence as Managing Director until 2017, and in recent years has consulted for organizations including Europa Cinemas, Europa International, and IndieCollect. From 2020 - 2023, Barbara helped to re-open Vidiots at the Eagle Theatre, a non-profit Los Angeles-based movie theater + video store. Barbara holds an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia University and has produced several award-winning short films. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Contact Barbara here.

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Gray Rodriguez

Director of MEMBER ENGAGEMENT
(She/HER)

Gray is Director of Member Engagement for Film Festival Alliance, where she specializes in programming strategic events, scaling audience experiences, and fostering connections within the festival community. Over the past decade, she has built expertise across festival operations, marketing, and organizational development.

Her festival journey started in 2010 as a volunteer at Tallgrass Film Festival, where she grew into leadership roles including Volunteer Director and Director of Marketing. She has lent her expertise to Sundance Film Festival through volunteer work in Artist Relations and provided marketing consultation to Bentonville Film Festival. Gray has designed and executed major industry conferences—spanning virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats—that have brought together 1000+ attendees through thoughtful programming and operational excellence.

Drawing on her corporate and agency marketing background, Gray approaches festival work with both creative vision and strategic rigor. She has participated as a juror at film festivals, contributed as a panelist at industry events such as SCMS, Milwaukee Film Festival, and the BRIC Summit, and shared her insights as a guest lecturer at Columbia, Emerson College, and USC. 

At the heart of her work is a commitment to building strong relationships among festival organizers and advancing the collaborative spirit that makes the festival world thrive. She welcomes dialogue about programming, audience engagement, and the behind-the-scenes work that transforms festivals from ideas into impactful experiences.

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Ceci Leon

Membership Coordinator
(She/HeR)

Born and raised in Atlanta, Ga., Ceci has always been eager to merge her love of people and the creative arts in her hometown. After graduating from college, she worked for several non-profit organizations aimed to support Atlanta’s film industry. As a producer, she is passionate about producing creative content and events that put a lens on unique narratives. Currently, Ceci also serves as the Operations Manager for the Atlanta Film Society which annually hosts the Atlanta Film Festival. She is proud to be a connector for the film/tv production + exhibition space.

Board of Directors

Karen Cardarelli

BOARD President
(She/Her)
FACETS Film Forum

Executive Director of Facets Film Forum since 2020, Karen led the organization’s transition through the passing of its founder Milos Stehlik followed shortly by the Covid pandemic.  During Karen’s tenure a building remodel was completed, the new Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals was launched, a first-ever strategic planning process completed, and programming was expanded to include six new monthly film series and regular family programming.  These changes led to a tripling of audiences since 2019. Karen’s past experience includes serving as Interim Program Director with Illinois Arts Council, and Executive Director of Emerald City Theatre.   She has served on the Board for the League of Chicago Theatres and the Commissioner’s Planning Committee for the Year of Chicago Theater.  Currently she is Board President of the Film Festival Alliance and sits on the iHeart Media Local Advisory Board. 

Kathryn Spitz Cohan

Vice President
(She/Her)
FESTIVAL CONSULTANT

Kathryn Spitz Cohan is the Founder and former Executive Director of Film Pittsburgh, where, from 2001-2025, she oversaw programs including Three Rivers Film Festival, Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Competition, JFilm Festival, ReelAbilities Pittsburgh, Teen Screen, and the Robinson Short Film Competition. Previously, Ms. Spitz Cohan served as Artistic and Education Director of Shakespeare-in-the-Schools at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also taught classes for the Katz School of Business, Film Studies Program, and Department of Theatre Arts. Ms. Spitz Cohan was named one of the city's top 50 cultural forces by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and received an Opal Award from Women in Film and Media–Pittsburgh for exemplary professional achievement and contributions to the economic and cultural development of the region. Kathryn is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Albert Chow

Secretary
(He/Him)
URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL

Albert Chow started from the ground up – as a Production PA; and has since straddled front of house, production and technical side of events. Besides his three most recent festivals (NY Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Seattle Intl Film Festival), he has also worked at Sundance, Mill Valley, SXSW, Doc NYC, NewFest, Woodstock, Rooftop Films and Hamptons International Film Festival.

Jamie Webb

Treasurer

(HE/HIM)
FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

Since volunteering at the Sundance London Film Festival in 2014, I have built a career working for a number of FFA member festivals all over the US. Small roles at Ann Arbor, Tribeca, and Hell's Half Mile, led to larger seasonal roles at Sundance, Full Frame, and Cucalorus, and finally as a year-round Festival Manager at Milwaukee Film. I spent an additional two years in the exhibition sector as General Manager at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and currently am the Film Sales Manager at Together Films, handling all non-theatrical screenings for all of our titles with a large emphasis on festival runs for our sales titles (In Camera, TISH, Your Fat Friend, and more). Additionally, I participated in the inaugural FFA Leadership Lab in 2020 and served on the programming team for the first FilmEx virtual conference.

Carley Callahan

MEMBER AT LARGE 
(She/Her)
SIFF

Carley Callahan is the Festival Producer at SIFF. Responsible for the planning and execution of SIFF’s festival programs, you can find her running around with a radio on at SIFF’s annual DocFest, Cinema Italian Style, Noir City, and flagship event - the Seattle International Film Festival. Before joining SIFF in 2017, Carley started out as a production assistant at the Telluride Film Festival in 2014, and quickly became part of the film festival industry, working at film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, Mill Valley, SFFILM, and Provincetown Film Festival. She studied in the Studio for Interrelated Media program at the Massachusetts College of Arts and Design. Carley lives in Wallingford, Seattle with her partner, and when not film festival-ing, she's sewing her own handmade clothes.

Jessica Chriesman

Member At Large
(She/Her)
SIDEWALK FILM

Jessica Chriesman is an award-winning filmmaker based in Birmingham, Alabama. She has worked as a director, producer, researcher, and/or cinematographer on projects for Twin Cities Public TV, Southern Foodways Alliance, Vox Creative, Alabama Public Television, Dirty Robber and local indie film productions. As the Director of Education and Outreach at Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema / Sidewalk Film Festival, she plans learning opportunities through the lens of film and media for filmmakers and film lovers of all ages. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alabama State Council on the Arts and as a juror, programmer, and panelist for film festivals across the South. She teaches Visual Media Production at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has led storytelling and filmmaking classes and workshops at UAB, Georgetown University, and the University of Florida, and for the Jane Goodall Institute Africa Programs staff in Kigoma, Tanzania. Her films have screened across the United States and internationally. 

Sarah Escalante

Member-at-Large
(She/Her)

Sarah Escalante (she/her/hers) joined the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) team in July 2022 as Executive Director. Prior to NOFS, Sarah worked with the Michigan Theater Foundation as their Director of Programming and Communications and the Festival Director of the Cinetopia Film Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and ran the gamut of festival roles at genre to regional and major festivals across the U.S. Originally from California, Sarah was an academic lawyer until her lifelong love of film and movie theaters led her to the impactful conversations and experiences found working within the film festival and art house communities.

Timothy Gordon

Member-at-Large
(HE/HIM)
LightReel Film Festival

Film Critic, Association President, Cinema Historian, Radio Host & Producer, Film Festival and Award Show Founder, Brand Creator, and lover of ALL things film, Tim Gordon remains a cinematic force.  Gordon has turned his passion for film into his life’s work, seeking to educate future generations and alter the perspective of African-Americans on screen as well as in the executive suites of Hollywood.

NK Gutiérrez

Member-at-Large
(SHE/HER)
Midwest Film Festival

From HBO Latino to The Oprah Winfrey Show, classically trained dancer, vocalist, actor and filmmaker Nicole Kristine Gutiérrez has excelled in nearly every facet of entertainment. Most recently booking recurring roles in Showtime’s The Chi, NBC’s Chicago Fire and her 4th run of the hit show, La Gringa, at the 2022 Puerto Rican International Theater Festival in San Juan. Gutiérrez made her filmmaking debut with the short film, The Last New Year, in which she wrote, produced and starred. Latina Magazine called it "A hilarious and relatable story of sexual liberation, self-care and empowerment, with women of color at the center."  NK is in the business of consciously creating equitable and just community through the lens of heart centered living. She puts her BA in Psychology, Mental Health First Aid and Consent certifications to use as an Intimacy Coordinator on film & TV sets as well as teaching mindful employee care practices in the corporate and nonprofit space. Gutiérrez currently serves as the Operational Director of Midwest Film Festival, co-chair of the Black Harvest Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Head of Programming for the XL Festival and Lead of the Film Club at Soho House Chicago.

Kristen C. Heller

Member-at-Large
(SHE/HER)
MILWAUKEE FILM

Kristen C. Heller is the Managing Director of Milwaukee Film, overseeing the areas of Ticketing, Customer Service, IT/Technical, Cinema Operations, Festival Operations, Events, Volunteers, and Human Resources. After receiving an MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Kristen began work in this field through a number seasonal positions for film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival, the Provincetown International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and eventually finding her way to the Milwaukee Film Festival in 2011. Since 2013, she has overseen the Operations department of Milwaukee Film, which operates the Oriental and Downer Theatres on Milwaukee’s East Side, and produces the Milwaukee Film Festival and Dialogues Documentary Festival.

Larry Laboe

Member-at-Large
(He/Him)
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA)

Larry Laboe is Co-Founder and Executive Director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), an organization committed to highlighting and connecting emerging filmmakers and storytellers worldwide. Larry is a member of the Producers Guild of America and has been a Faculty Member at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) and L Art University in Shanghai and Beijing. He is a Board Member of the BRIC Foundation, a Committee Member of SAGindie and the Co-Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Entertainment, Arts and Media Committee. Larry has produced scripted and unscripted streaming series and commercials, directed by talent such as Joseph Gordon Levitt, for some of the world’s leading brands, networks and studios, including Disney, NBC, CBS, VEVO, Dailymotion, MTV, DEFY Media, Comedy Central, Verizon go90, Amazon, Complex Media, IKEA, Mountain Dew, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Verizon and Smuckers.


Justice Obiaya

Member-at-Large
(HE/HIM)
OUT ON FILM

Justice Obiaya, an Atlanta native, holds a BFA in Media Arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta and an MA from the Savannah College of Art & Design. He began his art nonprofit career as Marketing and Business Manager for ASIFA-South, quickly advancing to Associate Director, where he established the first ASIFAC animation festival. In 2017, he joined the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS) as Education Program Coordinator, later becoming Marketing & Community Relations Director. Justice has led various committees with Out On Film, Atlanta’s Oscar-Qualifying LGBTQ+ film festival, ranked #1 in the nation by 10Best and USA Today in 2023, and Top 100 Best Reviewed with FilmFreeway. With an 8-year tenure at Out on Film, he held roles as a volunteer, Festival Coordinator, and Marketing Committee Chair. In January 2024, Justice assumed the role of Executive Director, making history as the first person in the organization's 37-year history to hold this position.


Christopher Racster

Member-at-Large
(HE/HIM)
OUTFEST

For 25 years, Christopher has made an impact as a filmmaker and advocate, employing media to shape
public perception and acceptance of the queer community.

Currently, Christopher serves as Executive Director of Outfest, returning this year to the role he previously
held until 2019. During his tenure, Christopher increased Outfest’s role in addressing the systemic issues
faced by LGBTQ people in entertainment, investing in filmmaker education, connecting filmmakers to the
industry, and advocating for more inclusion at all levels.


Prior to Outfest, Christopher was a producer focused on queer storytelling. During this time, he produced
five award-winning, internationally distributed feature films with premieres at festivals such as Sundance,
Tribeca and BFI London.


In 2008, Christopher was invited to become a founding Patron of the Iris Prize Festival in Wales and a
Trustee of the Iris Prize Foundation, focused on launching the the careers of new queer filmmakers
worldwide.

Crickett Rumley

Member-at-Large

(SHE/HER)
New York Film Academy, Los Angeles

Crickett Rumley received her MFA in Film at Columbia University and is the founder and senior director of the Film Festival Department at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. With diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of her work, she develops educational programs for a diverse, international student body. She has guided filmmakers to official selections at esteemed festivals ranging from Sundance to Bronzelens and to nomination and shortlisting for the BAFTA Student Film Awards, the Student Academy Awards, and the College Television Awards.

A regular at the Tallgrass Film Festival, Crickett served first as a juror and now is their Panels Director. She also judges the Forum on Life, Culture, and Society’s International Short Film Competition and hosted the Winter Film Awards International Film Festival’s Education Day on the NYFA campus in New York, where she collaborated with her colleagues on workshops about Social Media for Creatives and How to Craft the Low Budget Screen Story. She is a member of the Film Festival Alliance.

Beth Seymour

Member-at-Large

(She/HER)
ACT Human Rights Film Festival

Beth Seymour (she/her) joined Colorado State University's ACT Human Rights Film Festival as Managing Director in 2018. Beth brings extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising and event management. Beth formerly sat on the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film and chaired the board of Imagination Celebration, both located in Colorado Springs. Since 2020 she has served as a board member of the Human Rights Film Network, based in Amsterdam. Beth has been a festival jury member for Movies that Matter in The Hague, Netherlands and for Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. Beth has a B.A. in Spanish from Whitman College and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. 

Melissa Simpson

Member-at-Large

(She/HER)
Atlanta Film Society

Melissa Simpson is the Executive Director of Film Impact Georgia, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices of independent filmmakers in Georgia. Born and raised just north of Atlanta, she holds a BS in Film & Digital Media from the University of North Georgia.

Melissa's passion for film is reflected in her experience in the industry. She has volunteered for and worked 24 film festivals across 6 different organizations. Additionally, she spent two years at Eventive, a ticketing and virtual streaming platform, where she collaborated with filmmakers and festivals worldwide.

Currently, Melissa is the Education Director at the Atlanta Film Society and remains active in the Georgia filmmaking community. She has produced projects such as Come Correct, Wokman, and Christmas with Jerks. She was recently named one of the 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries by Georgia Entertainment and honored at the Women in Film and Television 50th Anniversary Gala.

tt stern-enzi

IN memoriam

(He/Him)
Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival

Having spent 20 years as a freelance writer and film critic in the Greater Cincinnati region (covering the film industry & film festivals with the alt-weekly Cincinnati CityBeat and television affiliate Fox19, while earning distinction as an accredited critic on Rotten Tomatoes and membership in the Critics Choice Association), tt stern-enzi began curating film programs at the Mini Microcinema and other regional venues, serving on the advisory board for the University of Cincinnati Center for Film & Media Studies, and developing an educational curriculum for his WatchWriteNow initiative. These efforts have paved the way for tt to step into the role of lead programmer/curator for the rebranded Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival during its first two years before settling into the position of Artistic Director for the 2021 edition.

Ben Stilp

Member-at-Large
(He/Him)

Sundance Institute

Ben Stilp serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Sundance Institute, overseeing the $45M annual
budget, $43M endowment, tax, audit, and treasury. Ben is a seasoned executive with 20 years of C-
Suite experience overseeing all aspects of nonprofit organizations' finance and operations, board
management, and strategic planning. Before Sundance, Ben served as the CFO/COO for the LA
Cleantech Incubator, a small venture capital and debt fund that incubates cleantech start-ups with
an emphasis on social equity. He served five years the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of
Outfest, the LGBTQ film festival. His other prior experience spans nonprofit service in the arts,
education, healthcare, HIV/AIDS services, LGBT advocacy, and economic and workforce
development. Ben earned his MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Business at UCLA, and he
splits his time between homes in LA and San Francisco where he partner lives.