Leigh is an independent filmmaker and educator who has directed several films that experiment with traditional filmmaking forms, including a gender performance film shot with a hidden camera built into a purse and an improvisational hybrid narrative. She produced Free Havana (International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Frameline Film Festival). She is a fellow of Diverse Voices in Docs through Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago, and a current resident at the Jewish Film Institute. She has worked as a freelance writer and editor, including scripting and editing short films for Ford and creating social media videos for musician Jack White. She received her BA in Philosophy from Bishop’s University and her MFA in Film from Northwestern University. Her husband Matthew's grandparents (above) ran the Stone Burlesk.
Rajal Pitroda is a producer of fiction and non-fiction films. She is a Women at Sundance Fellow, a Sundance Creative Producing Fellow and an Impact Partners Producers Fellow. Rajal most recently produced “Down a Dark Stairwell,” a feature documentary that premiered at the 2020 True/False Film Festival and was broadcast on Independent Lens. Her work has been supported by Black Public Media, Firelight Media, Chicken and Egg Pictures, the Tribeca Film Institute, SFFILM and others. Prior to producing, Rajal was the Founder and CEO of Cinevention, a media company focused on marketing and distribution strategies for independent films. Rajal has a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from London Business School.
Justine Nagan is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary producer and creative media executive. She recently joined Actual Films as their Head of Production. Prior to this role, Justine was the Executive Director of American Documentary, Inc., and an Executive Producer on its two signature series, POV (PBS) and America Reframed (World Channel.) During her tenure, she launched POV Shorts, and oversaw AmDocs programming that included several Oscar nominations, and Emmy, Peabody and DuPont wins. Justine led Kartemquin Films as Executive Director for seven years.
Bonni Cohen has produced and directed an array of award-winning films since co-founding Actual Films over 20 years ago with her film partner, Jon Shenk. Most recently, she produced Lead Me Home, which premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and is a Netflix Original. She co-directed Athlete A, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary and received four nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards. In 2010, Bonni co-founded the Catapult Film Fund.
Matthew works in marketing. He previously ran the indie record label Le Grand Magistery, and was head of design for rock musician Jack White’s Third Man Records. He has designed records for artists including The White Stripes, Spoon, Beck, and burlesque legend Tempest Storm. This film tells the story of Matthew’s secret family history.
Liz Kaar is a Chicago-based independent editor. Liz collaborated closely with Kartemquin Films, Chicago’s documentary powerhouse, for over a decade. Her editing projects have been honored with a variety of award recognition, including being short-listed for the Academy Awards, nominated for Emmy and IDA awards, and winning the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Journalism Award. Recent edits include Body Parts (Tribeca 2022), Any Given Day (Hot Docs 2021, PBS) and The Dilemma of Desire (SXSW 2020, Showtime).
Daniel is a cinematographer whose work has been screened at Outfest, SXSW, the United Nations, and the Venice Biennial. He completed his BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, and his MFA in Film from Northwestern University.
