DIRECTOR

Nathan (he/him) is a filmmaker and current resident physician in the field of psychiatry. He has worked with many patients suffering from depression, and thus has unique insight into the experience of depression. He is passionate about using film to destigmatize mental illness and increase empathy and understanding for those suffering from mental illness. He previously wrote and directed a short film, Mulalama, to destigmatize meningitis treatment in Uganda, where he worked as a research assistant after college. Mulalama premiered at the Uganda Film Festival in 2016 and screened throughout the country, in addition to screening for healthcare providers at the American Public Health Association Conference that year. This experience showed him the power of film to educate and inspire, which he hopes to continue doing in his future as a psychiatrist and filmmaker.

DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER

Mikaela (she/her) is a PhD candidate studying Cellular and Molecular Medicine and holds a BA in dance from the University of Iowa. She has 20 years of formal studio training in ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, and tap dance and has performed all over the world, including at the Orange Bowl. She has performed and toured with notable groups such as the Innovative Soul Dance Company and Dancers in Company, the latter for which she choreographed pieces addressing important issues such as environmental sustainability and feminism. As a dancer and researcher, Mikaela is interested in investigating how dance can be used as a form of science communication that invites audiences to engage with scientific and medical topics. She believes that medical science should be for everyone and that dance is an effective way of sharing it.

PRODUCER

Rush (they/them) is a dance filmmaker from York, South Carolina. Rush has been involved in the creation of numerous dance films, serving as a director, dancer, and choreographer. Rush holds a BFA in Dance from The Peabody Conservatory, where they studied under dance filmmakers Katherine Helen Fisher and Patricia Zhou. Rush was recently selected to participate in the prestigious ATLAS choreographic programme within the ImPulsTanz festival in Vienna, Austria. In the Fall of 2019, Rush co-founded Lunar Focus Films, a dance film group based in Baltimore, MD. Rush directed the dance film “Ever and Anon” which was chosen as an official selection in the Dare to Dance In Public Film Festival and premiered at the REDCAT Theater in Los Angeles, CA in January 2020. Rush was also involved in the creation of the dance film “Scattered. Place.” in 2019 which was chosen as an official selection for numerous dance film festivals. Rush is passionate about using dance film as a mode of advocacy and looks forward to producing dance films addressing mental health and other social issues in the future.

Daniela (she/her) is is a Baltimore based cinematographer, working on narrative films, TV shows, and commercials, with a focus in the documentary field. She graduated from MICA in 2014 and since then has worked on a number of projects for networks including National Geographic, Discovery, Netflix, BET, Voice of America and many more. Originally a painter with a passion for narrative film and inspiration from improv jazz, Daniela has blended these art forms into the lens through which she views the cinema world. Her goal is to capture the aura of each individual and their story in a cinematic analogy. Digging into visual and emotional research has been a major factor in her preproduction process. The balance between planning and preparation, and the jazz of the unpredictable world has been the most exciting part of creating for Daniela whether she is working on documentaries, short film passion projects, or any other form of film making.