Amy Aquilino, Distribution and Sales Coordinator (x305)
aaquilino@wmm.com
Amy Aquilino is thrilled to join WMM as the Distribution and Sales Coordinator. Originally a child of New York, Amy moved out to San Francisco to pursue her degree in Radio and Television from San Francisco State University. She spent several years in the Bay Area working as a freelance audio engineer with notable clients such as ON24 media, Crescendo Studios, and Hungry Mind productions. She also worked as a digital media associate for the international nonprofit Women’s Intercultural Network, furthering her passion for social justice and her commitment to promoting women in media. She returned to New York and after a stint with the New York Philharmonic, joined WMM. When not behind a mixing board, Amy enjoys cooking, homebrewing, and exploring Brooklyn with her partner.

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Jessica Drammeh, IT Coordinator (x316) jdrammeh@wmm.com
Jessica has been involved in the independent film community in New York for 10 years, and has experience in production, distribution, exhibition and non-profit administration. After earning her B.F.A. in Film and Television Production from New York University with a minor in Africana Studies, she worked at distributor Kino International, the IFP/NY, Film Forum and was Post-Production Associate on Thomas Allen Harris' E Minha Cara/That's My Face. As an independent filmmaker, she has concentrated on social issue documentaries, and has been the recipient of mentorships from the Center for Asian American Media, IFP’s Project:Involve, and Film/Video Arts. Jessica has also been active in progressive mixed race community work. She is delighted to be a part of the Women Make Movies team.

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Kristen Fitzpatrick, Public Exhibition and Acquisitions Manager (x312) kfitzpatrick@wmm.com
Kristen came to WMM in the spring of 2000. Originally a Criminal Justice student, once graduated from the Academy, she knew she could not be a cop, but rather needed to pursue her passion in Film. Kristen then went back to college and studied Film and Communications at Florida Atlantic University and graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a BA in Communications. During her time in Ft Lauderdale, Kristen worked as the assistant programmer for the former Florida International Film Festival and really strived to bring Art House film to South Florida.

Upon arriving in NYC, Kristen began working as the Distribution Assistant for WMM and worked her way up the ranks to Public Exhibition and Acquisitions Manager. Kristen is responsible for all public exhibition, theatrical and film festival booking for the organization and also manages the incoming Acquisitions in search of distribution. Kristen is currently on the board of the NewFest, a long-term member of the screening committee for the New York International Asian American Film Festival, and a judge for Student Academy Awards. She lives with her partner, 2 cats, 2 Chihuahuas and a bird in Brooklyn, and continues to be the biggest film geek she knows.

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Tracie Holder, Consultant - Production Assistance Program
(x307) tholder@wmm.com
As the Program Consultant for the Production Assistance Program, Tracie organizes skill building workshops, a Meet the Funder series, and works with fiscally sponsored filmmakers to fine tune their funding proposals, screen rough cuts and provide fundraising advice. When she is not consulting for WMM, Tracie is making films. She is the co-producer/director/
writer of JOE PAPP IN FIVE ACTS, a feature-length documentary and a co-production with PBS/American Masters which is in the final stages of completion. For this project, she has been awarded funding from numerous public and private foundations including: NEA, NEH, NYSCA, NYCH, the Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Sulzberger Foundation, CPB, PBS/American Masters, ITVS, the J.M. Kaplan Fund, among others. An active member of NYC’s local film community, Tracie has served on the boards of New York Women in Film & Television and Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and she has been a guest lecturer at many film organizations and universities. Just recently, she received a Masters in Non-Profit Management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.

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Maya Jakubowicz, Finance & Administrative Manager (x309) mjakubowicz@wmm.com
Maya Jakubowicz joined WMM in June of 2007 as the Finance & Administrative Manager. Born and raised in Los Angeles, film was an integral part of her childhood and unsurprisingly blossomed into a career. After graduating with a Film Studies degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, she returned to L.A. to work in film production. Her early career included the obligatory production assistant jobs on independent films; internships at both Samuel Goldwyn Films and Trimark Pictures; and finally, an assistant position at Montana Artists Agency, a below-the-line talent agency. Maya moved her way up the ranks and by the end of her seventh year she oversaw all day-to-day operations as the Vice President of Finance & Operations. Deciding that her run at Montana was a long and fulfilling one, she chose to accompish another long term goal --- living in New York City. In May 2007, she moved to Brooklyn in order to experience some East Coast living. Responsible for the Finance, Operations, and Human Resources functions at WMM, Maya is excited to have become part of the WMM team.

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Chris Kelsaw, Finance Coordinator, (x304) ckelsaw@wmm.com
Chris is originally from Portland, OR and moved to New York in the summer of 2005. She has a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Virginia Union University. Her career began in the Insurance Industry, but she more recently transitioned to the non-profit sector working in finance at the International Center of Photography. Chris also developed her interest in photography while at ICP and enjoys photographing the urban landscapes of New York City. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two cats.

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Lucila Moctezuma, Production Assistance Program Manager (x302)
lmoctezuma@wmm.com
Lucila Moctezuma, originally from Mexico City, lives in New York and has collaborated with its independent film community since 1996. Lucila has been the coordinator of the Tribeca Latin America Media Arts Fund, the director of the Media Arts Fellowships for the Rockefeller Foundation, and has worked with the Latin American Video Archive and the Independent Feature Project. She is also co-founder of Cine Qua Non Lab, a residency for international filmmakers that is based in Michoacan, Mexico. Lucila sits on the Board of Trustees of the Flaherty Film Seminar and on the advisory board of Rooftop Films. Her collaboration with film festivals includes: the Margaret Mead Festival (USA), the Morelia International Film Festival (Mexico), Mostra Invideo (Italy), Documenta Madrid and the Huesca International Film Festival (Spain). She has also served on the selection panels for the Jerome Foundation, Funding Exchange, the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, the International Emmy Awards, the Gucci Ambulante Fellowship (Mexico) and the Cinergia Foundation (Costa Rica). She is a graduate of Philosophy from the Iberoamericana University in Mexico, where she taught from 1991 through 1995.

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Shahira Motani, Online Marketing & Outreach Coordinator (x317)
smotani@wmm.com
Shahira Motani was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2009 with a BA in Communication and a BS in Psychology. She then interned at Passion River Films in NJ during her senior year, where she discovered an interest in Marketing, and was hired after graduation as Interactive Marketing Manager. Now, one year later, she’s been hired as the Online Marketing & Outreach Coordinator at Women Make Movies and has made the exodus to The Big Apple. Shahira loves traveling to the West Coast and watching independent comedies, especially those that feature celebrities before they became famous. She’s excited to be working in NYC and to be a part of the WMM team!

Natalie Peart, Office Manager (x300)
npeart@wmm.com
Originally born in Trinidad and raised in the Sunshine State, Natalie holds a degree in Women Studies and a double minor in Spanish Language and Public Health. She comes to Women Make Movies with a background in publishing, working at both Feminist Press and Greenlight Bookstore. Natalie is an ardent supporter of women artists, filmmakers, writers, farmers, pilots…(the list goes on) and she is elated to be joining the Women Make Movies crew.

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Abby Peck, Marketing Manager (x306) apeck@wmm.com
Abby Peck is excited to join Women Make Movies as the Marketing Manager. Previously, she was the Events Manager for Jewish Funds for Justice, a progressive social justice organization. From 2006-2008, she was the Events, PR and Communications Manager for The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the oldest and largest LGBTQ youth agency in the nation. A Maine native, but raised in Ohio, she received her BA in English from Kenyon College and then flew off to London, where she lived for the next three years, obtaining an MA in Comparative Literature from the University of London, Birkbeck College. She returned to America in 1999, settled in New York City, and has spent the last decade enjoying life in the greatest city in the world.

Eileen Tavárez, Program Assistant (x311) etavarez@wmm.com
Eileen recently graduated from Rutgers University with a major in Sociology and a minor in Cinema Studies. While pursuing the contemplative life of Higher Education, Eileen also began filling the cinema work gap in her life with an extensive internship at the New Jersey Film Festival in January 2010. This blessedly led to another internship at WWM in the summer of 2010. Jump forward to May 16, 2011 (one day after graduation!) and Eileen has joined the staff of WWM as Program Assistant, managing somehow to avoid joining the ranks of the young and unemployed!

Originally, from the Bronx, Eileen now lives in New Jersey where she constantly tries to convince people of the usefulness of a degree in both sociology and film. She continues to indulge her passions for film, music, and knowledge while trying to make an impact on both her community and the world. She is looking forward to bringing a little more sass to the atmosphere at WMM.

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Julie Whang, Distribution & Sales Manager (x320) jwhang@wmm.com
A west coast native, Julie has been living and working in NYC since 1995. She received her BA in Visual Arts Media from the University of California, San Diego where her passion for film and video began. Her first job in NYC was with WMM, starting as an intern, moving up to shipper and then Distribution Manager. After four years at WMM she left to pursue an MS in Nonprofit Management at New School University. She worked in various nonprofits until one day, she was led to a job in financial services marketing. After seven years, Julie returns to WMM as the Distribution & Sales Manager.

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Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director
(x301) dzimmerman@wmm.com
Debra Zimmerman has been the Executive Director of Women Make Movies, a non-profit NY based film organization that supports women filmmakers, since 1983. During her tenure it has grown into the largest distributor of films by and about women in the world and our internationally recognized Production Assistance Program has helped hundreds of women get their films made. Films from WMM programs have won prizes at the last five Sundance Film Festivals and been nominated or won Academy Awards in five of the last six years.

She is in great demand around the world as a speaker on independent film distribution, marketing and financing as well as on women's film. She has moderated panels and given master classes at the Sundance Film Festival, MIPDOC and Reel Screen as well as film festivals in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Zimmerman has been closely affiliated with the International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) as the co-host of the Talk of the Day and as a tutor for their Summer Film Academy. In addition, she has mentored filmmakers at the Ex-Oriente Film Workshop in Vienna and for many years at the National Alliance of Latino Independent Producers’ (NALIP) Academy. She has consulted with foundations and non-profit arts organizations, most recently as a member of the Gender Montage Advisory Board project for the Soros Foundation’s Open Society Institute and on the funding advisory panels for Pew Charitable Trusts prestigious Media Fellowships, NJ State Council on the Arts and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. She is also a member of numerous Advisory Boards for media and film organizations, including the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC); the Banff World Television Conference; The Center for Social Media at American University, Cinema Tropical, NY; Cine-Arts Afrika, Kenya, and the Black Lily Film Festival in Philadelphia. She has also been a jury member for many international film festivals, most recently for the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival, Iran’s Cinema Verite Film Festival, the Leipzig Documentary Film Festival and the Cleveland International Film Festival. Zimmerman also served on the Selection Committee for the Musuem of Modern Art’s 2011 Documentary Fortnight Exhibition. She is the recipient of the Elzabeth Cady Stanton Award at the Rochester International Film Festival, the Halfway To Hollywood Award, and an Athena Film Festival award.
 

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