About Us
Our sincere thanks to our presenting sponsor, Filmfest
DC, The Washington, DC International Film Festival – our inspiration and
guides.Filmfest DC Staff
Tony Gittens, Festival DirectorShirin Ghareeb, Assistant Director
Billy Raum, Print Traffic
Regan Spurlock, Coordinating Assistant.Please visit FilmfestDC.org to learn more about The Washington, DC International Film Festival.
Honorary Chairperson
Staff
Sukumar
Srinivasan, Executive Director. An
architect by training and licensure, Sukumar has been the President and CEO of
Arcaid Systems, Inc. for the last 11 years, providing IT consulting services to
businesses in Washington, DC.
In his spare time he has indulged his passion for quality cinema
by volunteering for many years with Filmfest DC. He was the editor of Storyboard,
the newsletter of the Washington, DC Film Society, for some years.
An aspiring filmmaker himself, Sukumar produced and directed the short
documentary A HELPING HAND for ASHA (Asian Women’s Self Help Association),
dealing with the issue of domestic violence in the South Asian community.
Indian Visions is his brainchild, an idea he conceived and nurtured
since 2004. He has brought together like-minded individuals with very diverse
backgrounds and skills, culminating in the first annual Indian Film Festival in
Washington, DC, showcasing the best of Indian cinema.
Manjula Kumar,
Program Director. Manjula, an arts activist,
director, and actress, believes in the inter-dependence of the arts, whether
dance, drama, poetry, literature, or film. She sees art as a vital means of
communication to promote understanding between communities in an
increasingly globalized world. Manjula was born in Kolkata and educated in New
Delhi and London, earning degrees in literature and art. She is program
director at the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Education and Museum
Studies, a curator and judge for The Washington, DC International Film
Festival, and president and founding director of Global Performing Arts.
The many cinematic programs she has produced include: the American tour of
"The Complete Satyajit Ray: Cinema through the Inner Eye,” “A Season for
Shabana Azmi,” “From Beijing to Bollywood,” “Indian Cinema 1980-1985,” and
the inter-embassy film program at the Embassy of India. Additionally, she
has presented numerous films and filmmakers Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen,
Vijaya Mehta, Mani Ratnam, and Deepa Mehta, to name a few.
Robyn Thoelke, Operations Director. Robyn has been
volunteering with Filmfest DC since 1993. She began as a Theater Volunteer and,
over the years, gained further experience as Theater Manager, Volunteer
Coordinator, Audience Award Coordinator and Theater Coordinator, overseeing many
aspects of the festival. From 1995 to 1997, Robyn was co-director of the
Washington DC Film Society. Her years of behind-the-scenes experience with
Filmfest DC have prepared her well to act as Operations Director for Indian
Visions. Who knew a degree in math would lead to this? But then again, it's all
about the details. And a passion for film.
Lizabeth
Wagger, Marketing Director. Lizabeth has
been volunteering for film festivals around the country for over 15 years--from
Virginia to Indiana to Washington, DC. From 1995 to 2002, Lizabeth was
co-director of the Washington DC Film Society. After a short hiatus to begin a
family, she is back as Marketing Director for Indian Visions. Lizabeth has a
Masters in Cinema Studies from Northwestern University.
Marelise Voss,
Communications Director. Marelise studied film at Harvard, where she worked
at the Harvard Film Archive and graduated in History of Art and Architecture
with an emphasis on film theory. She began her career in project management,
international marketing, and production for the Royal Academy of Arts (London),
Disney UK, and NBC-TV before moving to Washington, DC. A festival veteran, she
has been a Filmfest DC volunteer for eight years and a manager for two; a
volunteer for Arabian Sights; a judging team leader for DC Shorts; and on-site
ticketing manager for SILVERDOCS. When not watching movies, Marelise runs
Braverie, a multimedia boutique.
Kavita Meegama,
Programming Coordinator. After graduating from the
American FiIm Institute, Kavita has been making short films and documentaries on
wildlife, political, cultural, and social issues in the US and in India. She is
a freelancer with CNN-IBN, TV Asia, and Maa TV in Washington, DC. Previously
Kavita has worked with Gemini TV in Hyderabad, India, and has also been the
Assistant Director for GODAVARI (Telugu, 2005) and MAYABAZAAR (Telugu, 2006).
Amina Kamal
Khan, Marketing Coordinator. A graduate of
American University (DC) with an MFA in Film and Electronic Media, Amina has
been making documentary films on social issues in South Asia and the United
States since 1999. Her films, in collaboration with the non-profit Akbar
Foundation in Maryland, include HAATH MEIN HAATH (Urdu,
2007), TRAFFICKED (2005), on human trafficking in Pakistan, MADHU THE MYSTIC
(2003), and AFTER SUNSET (2002). Amina has worked with the daily newspaper The
Nation (Lahore), and the Voice of America (Washington, DC), and is
currently freelancing as a documentary producer/editor with the Akbar
Foundation.
Special Thanks
David G.
Kitaguchi, Web Developer. David is a research scientist and
technologist, specializing in bioinformatics and genetics, who has created
Web applications powering the Human Genome Project, Superfund waste sites
clean-up, and cystic fibrosis and diabetes research. David holds tenure at
Johns Hopkins University. David loves film, and has been a volunteer for Filmfest DC and Arabian Sights; a “supervolunteer” for SILVERDOCS 2007,
where he specialized in customer service; and now a sponsor of Indian
Visions, to whom he donated Web services.
Bahram
Zandi, Theater Manager. Bahram has served as a Filmfest DC Theater
Manager for years, with special expertise in resolving problem situations.
He also volunteers for SILVERDOCS, the Discovery Communications and AFI
documentary film festival. He is active in the Green Party and the Iranian
Cultural Association. An avid film lover, he hosts a movie salon,
www.moviesalon.org.