Sandro Halphen is one of the most prolific Mexican producers of his generation with more than thirty movies to his name. He is currently the President of Development and Production at Corazon Films, the biggest independent distribution and production company in Mexico. His films span every genre and have won awards in a wide variety of prestigious Film Festivals around the world such as Cannes, Toronto, San Sebastián and Havana as well as the AFI Best Picture of the Year Award. He has been the showrunner for the Amazon / Pantaya series “El Juego de las Llaves” The Game of Keys”, the scripted Spanish language film with most viewership on Amazon and currently in its second season. He produced Netflix’s second ever Mexican original film SE BUSCA PAPA, and one of its most successful all time Spanish speaking originals, SIN HIJOS. He was also producer of Amazon’s first ever Latin American original film LOCAS POR EL CAMBIO, and is currently producing a second show and five more fiction films for the platform.
Estrella Hendrickson holds a graduate degree in Mathematical Cybernetics from the University of Havana. She is one of the founders of the International School of Film and Television (EICTV) in San Antonio de Los Banos, Cuba and has been the head of its’ Department of Informatics and Communications ever since its inception in 1986. She also holds a post graduate degree in Production of Multimedia and Digital Editing from the Image and Sound School of Madrid and EICTV respectively. Estrella has contributed to publications such as: the Anthology “10 Years of the New Latin American Cinema” and “Miradas” Digital Broadcasting Magazine, 1993 and an advisor to the Belize International Film Festival since it’s first edition in 2003.
Cristina Venegas is Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies where she teaches courses related to history, criticism and theory with an emphasis on Latin American film and media. She is the author of Digital Dilemmas: The State, the Individual and Digital Culture in Cuba (Rutgers, 2010), a Choice Book Award recipient and is co-editor of Digital Activism, Community Media, and Sustainable Communication in Latin America (Palgrave, 2020). Her current book project is titled Julio García Espinosa and the Imperfect Imagination which examines the global legacy of the eponymous Cuban filmmaker’s (1926-2016) theory, creative practice and cultural work. She is co-editor of the Media Matters book series for Rutgers University Press. She has curated numerous film programs and served as juror for several international film festivals and film script competitions. In 2004, she co-founded the highly successful Latino CineMedia Festival in Santa Barbara (until-2011) in partnership with community artists and University leaders. Venegas also co-created a highly regarded filmmaking program for Santa Barbara high school students.
Denise Williams Watts oversees the creation, development and global production of video content for Apple Music. Denise’s team develops and produces original videos that support Apple Music’s editorial business priorities. Denise is a seasoned creative producer whose professional background is marketing and creative. She is a manager of people and operational flow. Denise is the former VP of Creative & Visual Content for Warner Records and was the creative force behind such projects as Bebe Rexha, Andra Day and Jason Derulo, and many more. Denise also works with the Belize International Film Festival, her native country to bring in relevant judges for the Music Video Category who can offer critique and exposure at the same time. In addition to this, Denise is also a co-founder of Honorable Women in Media that celebrate women who work behind the scenes for some of biggest brands. HWIM offers a platform for women in entertainment executives to celebrate one another and share their stories in a room full of industry trailblazers.
Albert Xavier is an Independent filmmaker and native of the Dominican Republic who has been working in Europe, the Caribbean, South America and the U.S. for the past twenty-years as a filmmaker, television producer and visual artist. He was among the cinematic pioneers who created the film law in the Dominican Republic under the administration of President Leonel Fernandez in 2008 that stimulated that nation’s film industry incentivizing projects that stem from building a soundstage to making movies.
Albert currently resides in New York City where he producing content from television commercials to live concerts to music videos. Through his production company, Infinity Filmworks, he has been a trendsetter in live-streaming content and providing studio locations to shoot films virtually, because of the pandemic. He is presently producing medical content for a BET reality Series, “WE ARE THE JONESES” going into it’s 3rd season and has a few short and feature film projects in development along with an international docu-series with CNN. Albert’s work tends to focus on looking into dark corners to find the light and address themes of justice, transformation, and healing.
