An Oscar-nominated filmmaker, SAM FRENCH's work has appeared on HBO, BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, Vice, Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and other outlets. Sam spent five years in Afghanistan, where he directed the Oscar-nominated narrative film “Buzkashi Boys.” His most recent documentary With This Breath I Fly, about two Afghan women fighting for their freedom after being imprisoned for “moral crimes,” has won over a dozen awards at major film festivals. Sam has directed episodes of the Emmy-nominated documentary series Religion of Sports and Why We Fight, and the Red Bull series All In and Life of Kai. He has served on juries for the IDA Documentary Awards, the Austin Film Festival, the Istanbul Film Festival, the Dumbo Film Festival, and New York Shorts International. Sam believes in the power of storytelling as an engine of empathy. He lives in Los Angeles.

DANNY ALPERT is an award-winning producer, director, and leader in using media for change. As Executive Director of Kindling Group, his documentaries (@home, The Calling, Do No Harm, A Doula Story) have aired on HBO, PBS, and around the world, sparking engagement campaigns with enduring impact. As co-founder of See3 Communications, Alpert’s online media and campaigns for social causes have advanced the work of organizations like UNICEF, World Wildlife Fund, Planned Parenthood, American Cancer Society, and the Kellogg Foundation. The cross-pollination of Danny’s documentary and interactive work fuels innovation and his belief in the power media as a tool for change.

MAI ISLANKER is the producer, director, and cinematographer of the award-winning documentary Garbage Dreams (SXSW, IDFA) and Words of Witness (Berlinale, Los Angeles Film Festival). Garbage Dreams, her first documentary feature, was shortlisted for the 2010 Academy Awards’ Best Feature Length Documentary, and was nominated for the 2010 Best Documentary by the DGA, and won 26 international awards.