On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Diego Pereira:

“A recent graduate of George Brown Film and Media program in Toronto Ontario. I am a young guy who is trying to navigate through this crowded industry. I am still unsure of which career path to pursue in terms of which on set department I enjoy the most. I often work in either the Art Department or on the Grip team, however my person goal is to one day Write and Direct my own feature.”

This episode was hosted by Stephanie Tokasz, an Intern at the Student World Impact Film Festival, and edited by Mark Leschinsky, the Festival Director of the Student World Impact Film Festival.

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Asha Loon:

“Asha Loon is a passionate young poet and aspiring filmmaker from South Africa. Creating films and writing is her way of making sense of the world; it is a safe space for her to be her unapologetic self. She is fascinated by how visual storytelling gives emotions a physical form and provides insight into how people think and see. Through her films and poetry, she hopes to make people feel heard and understood. Having grown up in the South African bushveld, nature is an important part of her life and inspires a lot of her work, which she shares on her YouTube channel, Asha Loon Films."

This episode was hosted by Kieran Blunnie, an Intern at the Student World Impact Film Festival, and edited by Mark Leschinsky, the Festival Director of the Student World Impact Film Festival.

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Jessica Herlitz and Cian Collins:

“Jessica Herlitz and Cian Collins are two college filmmakers from Dallas, TX. They have made films together since high school and are in the process of making their first feature film this summer.”

This episode was hosted by Alexis Casida, an Intern at the Student World Impact Film Festival, and edited by Mark Leschinsky, the Festival Director of the Student World Impact Film Festival.

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Alexandra Bianco:

“My name is Alexandra Bianco and I am a 22-year-old filmmaker from New York City. I recently graduated from Kenyon College with a double major in Theater and Film, where "IUDemon" was developed for my senior thesis exercise.

As a filmmaker, I specialize in telling stories that focus on female experiences and hardships. These stories are oftentimes ridden with dry humor, physical comedy, and, of course, the frustration that arises when navigating challenging circumstances and emotions.  In my opinion, comedy is one of the most effective modes of accessing and revealing true darkness. Sprinkling laughter and ease throughout a story makes the fraught moments exponentially more impactful. In doing so, I aim to construct films that showcase female characters in all of their glory without harping on surface-level expositional elements that might be used to aid and cater to non-female audiences. 

In my past projects, I have cultivated primarily majority-female/nonbinary film sets. "IUDemon" was my first, and hopefully not the last, experience with an entirely female/nonbinary cast and crew. This created a space that offered young crewmembers, regardless of class year or previous experience, to feel empowered on set; learning and collaborating in all areas of production (beyond the hair, makeup, and costumes and departments.) As I continue to explore my voice as a new filmmaker, I have found that my greatest allies are my peers that share my passion to create art where we feel heard, not just seen and perceived.

I'd like to thank everyone involved in the creation of "IUDemon" and extend my gratitude to everyone at SWIFF for showcasing my film.”

This episode was hosted by María Chirinos, an Intern at the Student World Impact Film Festival, and edited by Mark Leschinsky, the Festival Director of the Student World Impact Film Festival.

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Carlos Vaquer Pons:

“i like to experience everything that i can, and observe the people and what surrounds me to try to tell it. ”

This episode was hosted by Stephanie Tokasz, an Intern at the Student World Impact Film Festival, and edited by Mark Leschinsky, the Festival Director of the Student World Impact Film Festival.

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Fuzzie Die Studios.

About Fuzzie Die Studios: "We are a group of 9 students at Sheridan College studying animation (only 2 of us are doing the interview). We were put into random groups at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, and together we came up with the story and executed it over the next 8 months. We became very close friends and had a lot of fun making this film together. Everyone had a say in the story and everyone did a bit of everything at each stage of the film.

Jennifer Wu and Kym Santiana were two of the three production managers on Mileage. In addition to production manager, Jennifer was also the art director and background supervisor. Kym, in addition to production manager, was in charge of 3D assets and composition supervisor.”

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Urwa Zubair:

“I'm a producer based in Los Angeles and work in the commercial space. I have over 50 commercials under my name as a producer under 30. I was born and raised in Pakistan. I worked in two feature films and several television commercials as an Assistant Director and Associate producer while beginning my career. I also wrote, directed, and produced several international award-winning short films. As a filmmaker, I am gravitated towards creating acceptability and understanding towards different cultures, religions, and generation gaps by incorporating poverty, gender discrimination/dynamics, and women's equality & suppression in my films, which is being explored in my feature in development titled Bani.”

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Gül Şener:

“I am an ordinary high school student with a passion for filmmaking. Loud was my first project ever. It was a production that I filmed with my phone and edited using free editing softwares. I enjoyed every single step.”

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Stanislava Doležalová:

“I study animation at Tomas Bata University in Zlin. I use 2D animation and cut-out animation to create skits and short films that usually lean into dark comedy. I like to utilize elements of horror as well. My visual style takes inspiration from old american cartoons as well as czech creators such as Karel Zeman.”

On this episode of the Film Sessions Podcast, we are excited to feature Andrea Quartarone:

“My name is Andrea and I am a young filmmaker and actor from Italy: I lived in a very small town in northern Italy until 10 years old. Since there weren’t so many children to play with, me and my brother Matteo used to create short videos for fun, recreating scenes from films or creating ads for the company that we dreamt to own together in the future. However, my filmmaking journey started at 11 years old when I made my first short film, “Pedala Veloce,” where my 8-year-old brother rode on his bike through the streets of our town, trying to escape from some criminals. Two years later I made an action-spy short film, “Fratelli in Gioco,” with the help of my brother and uncle. This year I have made “Awake Nightmare – Mal di Sonno,” my last short film and the first one I submitted to film festivals, for which I won the Best pre-college Actor Award at the SWIFF 2022. I’ve started for fun and that’s what still spurs me to create my works: I like every part of the creation of my shorts!”