BENJAMIN STEGER
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/CINEMATOGRAPHER
Benjamin Steger has been making films and videos since the 1990’s. His most recent documentary, Stage Four: A Love Story, was awarded “Best International Feature Length Documentary” at the 2016 DOCFeed Documentary Festival in the Netherlands and “Best Feature Length Documentary” at the 69th Annual University Film and Video Association International Conference in 2015. Left Field, a feature length documentary directed by Steger about an oddball community of artists, musicians and misfits that coalesce around the grade school game of kickball, screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as well as the Austin, DocuWest and DocuFest film festivals among many others. Great Bend, a short fiction film written and directed by Steger was selected as a “Critic’s Pick – Best of Festival” at the 2006 Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee by film critic Robert Butler of the Kansas City Star. Steger is an assistant professor in the Film and Video Studies Department at George Mason University where he serves as the B.A. Directing Concentration Head and the M.A.I.S Film and Video Studies Concentration Head.
LISA THRASHER
PRODUCER
Producer Lisa Thrasher is an entertainment lawyer and Producer with 20 years of experience in Hollywood. Lisa has produced fiction films with some of Hollywood’s top female film and TV creators including Jamie Babbit, Angela Robinson, Andrea Sperling, Colette Burson, Nefertite Nguvu, and Tina Mabry. Lisa’s films have achieved critical and commercial success receiving domestic and international, commercial distribution; screening at over 900 film festivals; winning over 80 awards; and, a Student “Academy Award” Nomination. For over a decade, Lisa co-headed POWER UP Films, a Los Angeles film production company for women and the LGBTQ community. As President of Film Production & Distribution,
Lisa oversaw development, production and distribution of all filmed entertainment, including: the two romantic comedy features “Girltrash: All Night Long” and the award-winning “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” (Berlinale “Teddy Award” Nominee, South by Southwest “Best Narrative Feature Jury Award); “Get to Know Us First” PSA (NBC, ABC, CBS); “Little Black Boot,” (Sundance); “Billy’s Dad is a Fudge-Packer” (Sundance); “Stuck” (Sundance “Honorable Mention”); and “DEBS” (Sundance, Berlinale “Best Short”). As a lawyer for 20th Century Fox, Lisa conducted International anti-piracy litigation, domestic trademark prosecution, and international anti-piracy affairs with foreign Heads of State to protect the studio’s films. Lisa holds a JD from Southwestern University School of Law and BFA in Photography & Film from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2010, Go Magazine named Lisa as one of the “Women We Love.”
Blaire Collingwood is a third year film student attending George Mason University, with a focus in cinematography. She has worked on several student films as production designer, sound mixer, assistant camera operator and director of photography. She began taking photos at the age of thirteen, and continues her passion for photography within her videography work. Blaire aspires to use filmmaking to educate people about different cultures and places around the world.
EDITOR/CAMERA OPERATOR
BLAIRE COLLINGWOOD
SANDERS EVANS
CAMERA OPERATOR
Sanders Evans is an aspiring filmmaker who grew up in Charlottesville, VA. He is studying Directing at George Mason University while frequently working on professional and student productions. Sanders has a passion for live music and has frequented many performances and music festivals from artists of Jazz, Hip-Hop, and his favorite genre, the Blues. He plans on pursuing a career in international documentary film so that he can capture stories around the world and share them. Being an Eagle Scout, Sanders enjoys being in nature to find peace and inspiration.
Brittney Flores is a George Mason University Film student with a concentration in Post-Production. She has an immense passion for video editing and is interested in cutting music videos, film trailers, and eventually feature films. Within her editing, she wants to create a style that is noticeable but still discreet within film. Through that, she hopes to show how significant the process of editing is and the power it has in cinematic storytelling.
EDITOR
BRITTNEY FLORES
ZEYN FADDOUL
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Zeyn Faddoul, born and raised in Lebanon, is a Film and Video Studies major at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She aspires to be a film producer of international productions, and has produced several short student films. One day, Zeyn hopes to connect diverse voices and perspectives through film. She is an avid reader of books from all genres, and enjoys art and nature.
Donovan Jones is a current student at George Mason University with a major concentration in Film & Video studies also with a minor in entrepreneurship. He is currently working on his highly anticipated senior film, "Running" and plans to showcase it at festivals around the world.