Hadeel Wjk has always had a profound love for humanity. This love and desire to bridge people together led her to the arts. She saw a unique potential in the film industry to reach people on a worldwide level. With over twenty years of industry experience, Hadeel’s passion for people and savvy for producing has allowed her to make connections to high-profile investors, Hollywood celebrities, and brilliant creatives.

During her time in the film industry, Hadeel has produced various film projects and she is currently an advisor to Film venture capitalists . From the beginning of her career, Hadeel’s kindness, genuinely, and drive have allowed her to make connections wherever she goes.

Now, she strives to use those connections to pull other humanitarian-minded filmmakers and artists into the spotlight. She founded the Karama USA International Film Festival with this mission in mind. She is also the CEO of Nation Production Producers, a production company that aims to foster and facilitate new relationships between Hollywood and international film industries in hope of changing the world for the better.

Kyle Arrington is a working TV & Feature writer, having written and produced two features that screened at more than 30 film festivals, and numerous episodes of CW’s “The Originals” over its 5-season run. In addition, he worked on House, M.D., The Big C, Conan, was the Showrunner for Snapchat’s “Save Me”, and is currently developing projects for multiple studios and production companies, including an epic war drama series for Sony, along with producing partners The Blacklist and Vertigo Entertainment. In addition to his writing, Kyle is passionate about teaching, both at the Florida State University Film School’s MFA Screenwriting program, and for the University of Delaware. But most of all, he enjoys going on adventures with his wife and son.

Charles M. Lagola began his career in 1982 working for theatre and opera companies across the U.S.; everything from metalwork, to scenic painting, to set and costume design. In 1987, he designed his first short film: Under Shelter, which aired on Showtime. Since then, he has continued doing production design for film and television for over 30 years, including projects such as Harry’s Law, The Practice, How To Get Away With Murder, Justified, and The Good Doctor. 

He has worked with creatives such as John Wells and Christopher Chulack (ER), John Frankenheimer, Jon Avnet, and Abel Ferrara, as well as notable film and television studios: Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, NBC International Studios, ABC Studios, Lionsgate Pictures, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, HBO, TNT, and Showtime. Charlie was awarded an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for his work on George Wallace in 1997.

His recent projects include Dangerous Moms, due to air on NBC in Spring 2022; Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC; and All Rise for CBS. Currently, Charlie is working with ABC Studio Productions as Production Designer on the series Promised Land. It began filming in October 2021 and airs in late January 2022.

Born and raised in small-town Oklahoma, Emi Moore fell in love with movies for the unique perspectives they offered of worlds—both near and in galaxies far, far away—outside of her own. Bitten by the film bug, she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Cinema, during which she wrote and directed several award-winning short films. She then went on to Florida State University to obtain her MFA in Screenwriting. Above all, she is led by a passion for the unique revelatory nature of cinematic storytelling.

Emi is a self-proclaimed super-fan and an avid lover of all things sci-fi and fantasy. When not writing, she can often be found poring over her collection of Star Wars memorabilia with a fond look in her eye. 

With over twenty years of in-depth experience in global brand marketing, Hibah Alqasem is passionate about being creative.  She has executed global campaigns for iconic brands across diverse markets.

Having lived and worked across Europe, MENA, and the U.S. has given her a well-honed cross-cultural fluency, and a passion for connecting people across great divides. 

Hibah is excited by analytical rigor and inspired by elusive human analyses. Above all, she prioritizes meaningful communication and purposeful experiences. This is the founding value upon which she does all her work.

Ramy is a film producer based in Boston. Ramy’s deep understanding of cinematic art has awarded him an eye for talent and good films. Ramy maintains a strong connection with filmmakers and industry figures in the Middle East, where he grew up as he maintains a regular presence in the regional film festivals and film markets. He also constantly stays updated with new releases and projects in development because of his active involvement in the international film festivals scene through his regular presence in festivals such as Berlin, Locarno, Sundance, New York, and others. 

 Ramy’s portfolio of work reflects his strong affinity for human rights-focused stories.  In 2011, his first co-production “The Agenda and I -2011” was the first documentary to portray the Egyptian revolution. In 2012 Ramy took part in the Dutch documentary “About Freedom” which discussed how freedom is perceived differently cross-generations and cross-cultures. In 2019 Ramy co-produced his first US short film “The New Tenant”, a drama thriller that tackles domestic abuse cross-gender/culture and sexual orientation. Ramy’s latest long feature co-production “STREAMS 2021” had premiered at the Locarno film festival. Streams is a family drama that digs deep into a multi-dimensional sequel of inequality in the dark underworld of the Tunisian capital. Ramy is also a practicing dentist and he believes that being a storyteller at heart is key to catering health care on a more personal level that, like filmmaking, can change people’s lives for the better.

With fourteen years of Event, Sales, Marketing & Branding experience, Vidhi Vakil is an out-of-the-box-thinker full of original ideas. She prides herself on prioritizing authentic, easy, and personal relationships in her work. She has a cosmopolitan background and has always been interested in other cultures. This, along with her command of over five Indian languages, allows her to reconcile different regional approaches to otherwise common problems.

A longtime champion of creative minds, Jason Zelin embodies Karama USA’s mission to uplift and empower filmmakers. Jason has comprehensive knowledge of the legal, financial, and business aspects of the entertainment industry. His expertise ranges from negotiating talent deals to television development and production, financing film production, and supervising multi-national productions. He has worked with Warner Bros. Television, Village Roadshow Pictures, Miramax Films, Paramount, Dreamworks. As COO of a production company, he developed films with Ridley and Tony Scott, Will Smith, and Janet Yang. Jason’s extensive experience and insight into the inner workings of the entertainment industry make his wisdom invaluable.

Mohamed Hefzy is an award-winning Egyptian screenwriter and producer. Over the course of his career, he has built a comprehensive filmography and participated in major film festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto. His films have won more than 100 international awards and multiple Oscar nominations, representing Egypt at the Academy Awards in the Foreign-Language category. This year – 2022 – he was on the jury for Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition

In 2005, Mohamed founded Film Clinic and its Indie Film Distribution arm in order to promote Arab international films and create connections worldwide for filmmakers. Since its creation, Film Clinic has become one of the leading production companies in the MENA region.

A member of the Academy, Mohamed is globally recognized for his influence on the industry. In 2018, the Hollywood Reporter and the Arab Cinema Center presented him with the award for “Arab Cinema Personality of the Year,” and in 2021, he received the honor of France’s prestigious Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in recognition of his significant impact on the Arab film industry. Mohamed made history as the youngest-ever director appointed as president of the Cairo International Film Festival. During his four years as its president, the festival elevated to new heights and expanded its international reach.

Conrad Montgomery is a senior-level executive and consultant. He was recently Vice President, Current Animation at Nickelodeon in 2022. In this role, Montgomery served as the Executive in charge of Current Series in production, including Transformers: EarthSpark and Zokie Planet Ruby. Prior to joining Nickelodeon, Montgomery was Senior Director, Comedy Animation, for Cartoon Network. In this role, Montgomery was responsible for supervising a comedy slate of series including the pop culture phenomenon Adventure Time, developing the follow-up limited longform series Adventure Time: Distant Lands for streamer HBO Max, the Emmy Award-winning Regular Show, the Emmy-nominated Steven Universe, Steven Universe: The Movie, Steven Universe: Future, and breakout hit Craig of the Creek, all of which are produced at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, CA.  Montgomery also oversaw, O.K. K.O. in addition to several series for Warner Bros. Animation.  Prior to joining Cartoon Network, Montgomery was a development and production executive at Disney Television Animation where he worked on Fish Hooks, Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil and Motor City. Earlier in his career, he was a creative executive at Lions Gate Films where he worked on such films as Confidence and Monster’s Ball. Before joining Lions Gate, Montgomery was an Associate Segment Producer at ABC’s Good Morning America.

Mauricio is an Entrepreneur | Author | Speaker | Mentor | Investor | Philanthropist. A silicon Valley entrepreneur with 25+ years in the entertainment and hospitality industry. Known originally as the, “Godfather of San Jose Night life” he earned his first million by age 25. Known now, as a man who learned and continues to grow into one of the foremost visionaries of Silicon Valley. He utilizes his day, every day, to maximize the momentum of his enterprise – and to give back to those who desire to learn from his upsides and his down turns. Currently he manages and is developing a real estate portfolio north of $500 Million. By 2025 he is set to be managing $1 Billion in projects in the Silicon Valley.

For over twenty years, Sandra’s deep passion for elevating underrepresented voices through film has led her to tell stories of transformation and innovation worldwide. As a Brazilian-American executive and producer of social impact entertainment, multi-lingual code-switcher, and bridge builder, Sandra has worked in fifty countries to better the lives of women, girls, and families across the world.

As President of StoryAction and Founder of UCLA’s Global Media Center for Social Impact, Sandra’s work in Hollywood and internationally inspires storytelling in TV and film that elevates consciousness and improves health, justice, and well-being worldwide. In her time as Director of USC’s Hollywood, Health & Society, Sandra worked to improve the accuracy health-related storylines in TV and film, resulting in over 500 storylines aired on ninety-one shows across thirty-five networks. Sandra was named one of the “Nation’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics” by PODER Hispanic Magazine in 2012, “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” by World Film Institute in 2014, “Honorary Maverick” by Female Eye Film Festival in 2015, and awarded a Presidential Citation from the Society for Public Health Education in 2016.

Currently, Sandra is Co-Producer of BRAINWASHED: Sex ~Camera ~ Power, directed by Nina Menkes with an all-female producing team, which had its 2022 premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival. The film uses scenes from A-list films and cult classics to reveal how shot design contributes to the twin epidemics of sexual abuse and employment discrimination against women.

Aarti Bagdi is an Indian filmmaker, artist and educator. She has worked in Indian mainstream and independent films for two decades. She has written and directed several short films for which she has won awards, including the prestigious Filmfare Award and the Grand Prix at the Kineko International Children’s Film Festival—Japan’s largest children’s film festival. She co-directed a feature-length documentary on sky-clad monks that screened at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in October 2021.

She began her career by working closely with some of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious names in the mainstream Indian film industry, such as Sooraj Barjatya of Rajshri Productions and Subhash Ghai of Mukta Arts Limited. Having lived in Tokyo, Japan for several years, Aarti also has strong bonds with AOI Pro., Asia’s leading creative production company. Now, Aarti is making a feature film based on lockdown. It is currently in post production.

Elena Bouryka is an actress, writer, director, casting and acting coach. After extensive studies in film, acting, and screenwriting, she began her acting career in 2003. She had roles in several of Marco Giusti’s and Gianni Boncompagni’s TV shows and starred in Fausto Brizzi’s film Notte prima degli esami [Night Before the Exams] (2006). From there, she went on to appear in more Italian films by filmmakers such as Mimmo Calopresti, Simona Izzo, Vincenzo Terracciano, and Lamberto Bava.

Elena made her directorial debut in 2012 with her short film Better you shut up (Special Mention – Premio Afrodite; First Award Festival of European Festivals). In 2019, she made her second film, Walter Treppiedi, which went on to win awards including several Best Actor awards and the Mario Monicelli Award for Best Direction.

Currently, Elena is at Duse International in New York. She continues to work as a casting and acting coach, most recently for Daniele Luchetti’s films such as Lo sono Tempesta (2017), Momenti di trascurabile felicità/infelicità (2018), Lacci [The Ties] (2019), My Brilliant Friend (2020-21), and Trust (2021-22).

Rosie Cruz Bio: Festival Development Silicon Valley and Hollywood Advisor

She began her career as a professional stage and film actress early in life.  Her passion for storytelling keeps her busy as an independent producer.  In 2016, she founded Cruz Multimedia and is the active CEO.  Her experience also helps others as part of the advisory boards. Board of Advisors to WeXL.org, helping young diverse creatives create connections and LetsBeBigger.org empowering youth citizens of Louisiana via promoting positive self-awareness, community contribution and unity in diversity through projects and travel experiences.

Her producing focus and expertise come from the last 10 years working with seasoned producers on development, packaging, finance and sales with Odyssey Motion Pictures and Adegan Productions in Hollywood as well as in the various stages of production with Meets the Eye Studio, The Lightgrid Studio and Chabot TV in Silicon Valley.  She has since launched The Actors Conference (2017), Koda Tribe Entertainment (2018) and Tri Valley Pictures (2021).  Continuously moving forward as a social entrepreneur, an award-winning independent producer and student of life, her entrepreneurial direction evolves quickly in our highly technical entertainment industry.  Today, she lives in Silicon Valley with her family and continues to work as an innovative entrepreneur.

Sarah Al Charif started her career path in 2007 as an intern at Cisco in Silicon Valley. Since then, she has gone on to manage educational, profession, and training programs at Amideast; serve as a program manager for the Maurice Fadel Prize, promoting creation of startups; lead the community development and youth empowerment organization. She is an alumni of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community for the Tripoli-LB Hub.

Sarah has received various honors and recognition for her work, including a nomination as a Future Leader by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the French Embassy in Lebanon; participating in the 2021 Future Leaders Invitation Program (PIPA – Programme d’Invitation des Personnalités d’Avenir) in Paris; representing Lebanon in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Summit as part of the DAVOS 50 Youth Delegation of the Global Shapers Community; the Soraya Salti Social Impact Scholarship.

Currently, Sarah is the Founding Director of Ruwwad Al Tanmeya NGO . She remains dedicated to her lifelong work as a social activist and community organizer.