Emeritus Professor and retired Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters at the University of Hawai’i, Tom Brislin’s broad career in media production, managment, and education began on Guam. He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D in Mass Communication and Film at The Ohio State University.

His specialty areas include Indigenous and International Film, Media Ethics, and International and Intercultural Journalism and Mass Communication.

He was twice a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and has led teaching and research projects at major universities in Japan, China, Paris, and Berlin.

Brislin has been a juror for the Hawaii and Shanghai International Film Festivals. He is included among the distinguished alumni of the University of Guam, and was awarded a lifetime membership in the University Film and Video Association.

A GIFF 2019 alum, Rain Valdez just received her first Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series” for her lead role in RAZOR TONGUE, which she created, crowdfunded and produced.

As a director, Rain recently completed Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative program by shadow directing on FX’s groundbreaking show POSE under the directing mentorship of Gwyneth Horder-Payton.

Rain also worked as Director’s Assistant and Associate Producer on Amazon’s TRANSPARENT, working closely with the show’s prominent directors, including creator Joey Soloway, Marta Cunningham, Andrea Arnold and Silas Howard.

She recently starred in a Paul Feig directed, half-hour comedy pilot for Freeform TV, guest stars in Amazon’s SNEAKY PETE and can also be seen in the CBS All Access new show WHY WOMEN KILL.

In 2021, Rain continues to champion diversity on screen as director of the Be Scene LGBTQIA+ Actors Showcase at the GLAAD+Outfest Queer ouse at Sundance, and is currently set to star, produce, and direct the 2nd season of RAZOR TONGUE, which is in pre-production.

Grand Jury Award Nominee – Best Documentary Feature, “Ferguson Rises” coming to the GIFF Select Showcase on PBS Guam (Spring 2023)

Tanayi Seabrook is an Emmy Award-winning film producer originally from Brooklyn, NY, now living in Los Angeles. She has performed multiple roles in front of and behind the camera over the past 20 + years. As a producer of Ferguson Rises, her first independent feature documentary film, she understands the power of film to touch people’s hearts.

Ferguson Rises takes an unflinching look at the journey of Michael Brown Jr’s father, to find purpose in his pain while the uprising sparked by Michael Brown’s death moves the residents of this small town of Ferguson MO, the nation and the world.

Tanayi started her journey in documentary film with Blackside, Inc., producers of the landmark PBS WGBH civil rights documentary series Eyes On the Prize . There she worked on two Blackside documentary series for PBS/WGBH, I’ll Make Me A World: A Century of African American Art and Artists as well as This Far By Faith: African American Spiritual Journeys.

Seabrook rejoined Peter Jones Productions for the Emmy Award-winning KCET/PBS Blue Sky Metropolis as the series Associate Producer.

She has recently produced For Life: The Podcast (50 Cent Ep), nominated for a Webby in 2020, and is currently wrapping a Queen Latifah podcast series. She has also recently produced for the award-winning KCET/PBS series Broken Bread with Roy Choi. Seabrook believes in the potentiality of storytelling, in all its modalities, to help change the world for the better.

Emeritus Professor and retired Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters at the University of Hawai’i, Tom Brislin’s broad career in media production, managment, and education began on Guam. He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D in Mass Communication and Film at The Ohio State University.

His specialty areas include Indigenous and International Film, Media Ethics, and International and Intercultural Journalism and Mass Communication.

He was twice a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and has led teaching and research projects at major universities in Japan, China, Paris, and Berlin.

Brislin has been a juror for the Hawaii and Shanghai International Film Festivals. He is included among the distinguished alumni of the University of Guam, and was awarded a lifetime membership in the University Film and Video Association.

Nina is a high school student producer whose most recent credit has been her work as producer on the thirty minute PBS Guam documentary, CAMP – Creating Inspiring Media Producers found here.

Deborah Glazier is a regional Emmy® award-winning producer/writer/director/editor who has produced several award-winning shorts that have appeared in festivals nationally and internationally, including the short film “Extra” winning Best Director at the Women’s Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta and Best Ensemble in Houston, and Chicago.

She recently wrapped principal photography on the family feature film, “Meli” starring Wendy Malick.

Her hobbies have taken her above and below the earth’s surface, but now has her feet planted firmly on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Hawai’i-born Dennis Chun’s career spans over 40 years, appearing in some of television’s most beloved series, such as the original “Hawaii Five-O,” “Magnum P.l.,””Jake and the Fatman” “The Brady Bunch,” “Island Son,” “Eight Is Enough,” “Wonderland Cove” and “Raven.”

“Hawaii Five-O” has a special place in Dennis’ heart – his father. Kam Fong, played Chin Ho Kelly in the original series. In addition, Chun’s significant other, Hawaii artist Laura Mellow, appears on the current incarnation as Duke’s wife, Nalani Lukela.

On the stage, Chun has performed in numerous local productions such as “Rashomon,” “Song of a Nishei Fisherman” “Class C Trial in Yokohama,” “Teahouse of the August Moon” and “Life of the Land.” Chun’s feature credits include “Goodbye Paradise” and “Inferno in Paradise.” Also, he has appeared in several local commercials throughout the years.

Chun used his acting skills locally to bring the crime-fighting dog McGruff to life for Hawaii’s children. During his tenure, the McGruff program was awarded the 1987-1988 National Crime Prevention Award. Also, Chun has also been the in house voice for the

Chaminade University Athletic program and for the Maui Invitational Basketball Tournament.

In 1996, Chun’s efforts as the chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Board garnered him recognition by the Honolulu Star Advertiser as one of the “10 who made a difference for Hawaii.” His efforts as senior bailiff and a court operations specialist with the Hawaii Judiciary earned him a “Meritorious Service Award.” Also, while working as a security officer, he received several commendations, including one for his role in apprehending a bank robber.

Chun is a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii and holds a BA in Political Science.

Stasia started in the film and commercial industry as a production assistant on Richie Rich, where she was tasked with delivering Macaulay Culkin from his trailer to set without stopping for basketball with the teamsters. Since then, she’s worn many filmmaking hats.

Most recently, she received a 2020-21 regional Emmy® as Producer/Director/Writer/Editor for Ballet Hawaii’s PSA #ArtsBeyondCovid and a nomination for the holiday TV-special The Nutcracker: A Gift to the Community. She was a Producer on the short film Election Night, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

As commercial director and photographer, Stasia’s clients include Champion Sportswear, Nike and TJ Maxx. She’s photographed Muhammad Ali, Maria Sharapova and Michael Jordan. Her work is featured in Will Smith’s NAACP award-winning music video Just the Two of UsTwo of Us.

Galvin Deleon Guerrero has spent over two decades in education, serving and leading students from kindergarten through college, and in various capacities including teacher, vice principal, principal, director, board member, and president.

In that time, he has also worked with and mentored students in theatre and film, having produced over 50 stage and film productions. In addition to several amateur films posted on his YouTube channel, Galvin’s professional film credits include “Leaves”, which he wrote, edited, and directed at New York University, and “Shithead Monica” and “Stand-Up Neurotica”. He also has directed and/or produced three films in the “We Drank Our Tears” anthology that are available on Amazon.

Galvin has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration, a certificate in Advanced Digital Filmmaking from New York University, and recently earned a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.

Valeriya is a Ukrainian filmmaker who has experienced first-hand the Russian invasion and occupation in her town and region.

She gained her first experience in photography and journalism covering the ongoing war with Russia for Ukraine’s English language newspaper KyivPost. Later she acquired hands-on experience in filmmaking during her studies at New York University Abu Dhabi as she started directing her own short documentaries and assisting film producers in New York.

Valeriya also served as a film tutor at NYU Abu Dhabi for courses with regional seminar trips, coordinating students and ensure their effective collaboration with local artists on short documentaries and animation projects. Her creative interest lies in the intersection of photography, writing and documentary based projects that reveal personal narratives and complicate official stories with fixed perspectives.

Valeriya has directed short documentaries and video installations, and worked as a cinematographer on more than a dozen narrative and documentary shorts.

In 2020, Valeriya completed her MFA in Film at Victoria University of Wellington. Currently, she serves as an editor on a feature documentary film on the history of a Cambodian family surviving the Khmer Rouge regime and an independent cinematographer.

Valeriya is a GIFF 2021 alum whose film Mawhialeo Ote Alowha – Our Love won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short.

Michael is a CHamoru scholar, activist, author, producer and editor. He currently serves as the museum curator for the Guam Museum Foundation. Bevacqua founded the first ever CHamoru Studies Program at the University of Guam in 2011, where he worked as a professor teaching the history of Guam and the CHamoru language for 10 years.

He is a 2015 and 2018 GIFF alum.

Emeritus Professor and retired Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters at the University of Hawai’i, Tom Brislin’s broad career in media production, managment, and education began on Guam. He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D in Mass Communication and Film at The Ohio State University.

His specialty areas include Indigenous and International Film, Media Ethics, and International and Intercultural Journalism and Mass Communication.

He was twice a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and has led teaching and research projects at major universities in Japan, China, Paris, and Berlin.

Brislin has been a juror for the Hawaii and Shanghai International Film Festivals. He is included among the distinguished alumni of the University of Guam, and was awarded a lifetime membership in the University Film and Video Association.

Dr. Souder earned her BA at Emanuel College in Boston and her MA and PhD in American Studies from the University of Hawaii as a Joint Doctoral Intern at the East West Center. She completed a post-doctoral Ford Foundation Minority Fellowship at De Paul University in Chicago.

Laura has presented at Conferences throughout Micronesia, Asia and the South Pacific and has been part of research efforts sponsored by the South Pacific Commission, UNESCO and other entities on the effects of modernization and development on Pacific Island people, language and culture.

She served as Curator of the Guam Museum. Dr. Souder also taught at the University of Guam for over a decade. Her courses included History of Guam, Education on Guam, Sociology, Micronesian Studies, Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies.

She has written an historical monograph published by the Micronesian Area Research Center at UOG entitled, Daughters of the Island: Contemporary Chamorro Organizers of Guam.; was co-editor of CHamoru Self-Determination and has also authored numerous research papers and technical reports.

Myra Aquino is a writer-director who grew up in Guam and the Philippines. She is a 2020 graduate from the UCLA MFA Directing program and her work has been supported by the Delia Salvi Memorial Award, the UCLA Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, the Sony Streisand Fellowship, and the Norris Fellowship.

Most recently, she was selected to participate in the 2021 Women in Film x Black List Feature Residency for her coming-of-age feature screenplay LAMB, the 2022 Athena Writing Lab for her half-hour comedy PUBLIC HEALTH, and her thesis film BEAUTY QUEEN won the 2020 First Place Gold Circle Award from the Caucus Foundation and Best Short Film from the 2021 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

Myra has also received an MD and Masters in Public Health from the University of Miami, and has worked and studied in areas such as the Thai-Burmese border, Kenya, Japan, and Italy.

With her eclectic background, Myra is passionate about exploring the impacts of multiculturalism and globalization on Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander, and other underrepresented communities.

Anna has a directing career spanning nearly 30 years and has directed extensively across the Pacific.

Her work connects media with social change and activates communities in both process and presentation. She has forged a highly collaborative approach to story and has partnered with key community leaders to develop rich storytelling projects.

She created and series directed the 10-part Waka Warriors and co-directed the feature documentary Te Mana o Te Moana, the Pacific Voyagers, winner of a silver world medal at the New York Film and TV awards. She created and series-directed Real Pasifik Season 1 and 2 for TVNZ – both finalists in the New York Film and TV awards.

In 2018 Anna created Waka Odyssey with Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and Kasia Pol and directed the NZ Festival Opening, drawing a live audience of 20,000 and 200,000 online viewers of the live feed. 50,000 visitors participated in the event over its nine-day duration. In March 2019 this event won best Arts or Cultural Event 2018 at the National Events Awards and was nominated for a Wellington City Award.

For TV3’s Inside New Zealand she wrote and directed the one-hour documentary A Little Love Story. With Scottie Productions she directed Te Araroa Tales From The Trails, which was a finalist in the NZ Film and TV awards 2018. Anna directed over 150 episodes of serial drama Shortland Street.

She co-produced short film Jumbo (Auckland, Melbourne and Clairmont Ferrand festivals) and co-directed short film The Rules of Dogs and Men with her brother Jim Marbrook. In theatre, Anna co-founded Theatre at Large, devising and directing both new work and classics including King Lear starring Ian Mune, Rachel House and Miranda Harcourt; Manawa Taua/Savage Hearts with Cliff Curtis and Rachel House; Cyrano de Bergerac with Cameron Rhodes and Jacob Rajan.

These works toured New Zealand and international festivals.