Above the Line Education Forum – Cohort 3
Meet the 25 Washington State producers and directors participating in our third Above the Line Education Forum Cohort! The program will provide 15 weeks of online sessions, panel discussions, and workshops with industry experts covering business of film skills.
“The Above the Line program is an investment in our rising producers and directors who are also job creators. Above the Line graduates from previous cohorts have created over 138 jobs for local cast and crew – and that number continues to grow,” said Executive Director Amy Lillard. “We are excited by the opportunities this program creates and we can’t wait to see what our Cohort 3 filmmakers have to offer!”
Aaron Scott (he/him)
Aaron Scott loves storytelling. A half-Filipino filmmaker, producer, and editor born in Alaska and now living in rural Washington, he has always been interested in the complex, universal stories of the human condition. He has felt this love for filmmaking ever since he edited his first short film at Southeast Area Technical Skills Center in…
Bunthoeun Real (he/him)
Bunthoeun Real is an award winning Cambodian American writer, director, and producer from Tacoma, Washington. He is best known for the award-winning short, Donut Boy, in which he wrote and directed a story about a young Cambodian man who’s trying to get into the next tier of amateur boxing. For his work on Donut Boy,…
Dawit Borrows (he/him)
Dawit Borrows is a photographer, writer-director, and producer based in Seattle, Washington. He is the founder of Tambia Productions, where he directs and produces short films, music videos, photoshoots, and art-centered community events. Dawit began his creative journey during his senior year of high school, teaching himself photography by shooting on iPhones and DSLRs borrowed…
DJ Walker (he/him)
D.J. Walker is a Seattle based filmmaker specializing in dramedy narratives and socially charged doc styled stories. Blending sharp humor with raw emotion, his films challenge audiences to laugh, reflect, and reconsider the world around them. His most recent work, Gift Horse, continues his exploration of coming-of-age, family, and the messy beauty of growing up
Julio Ramírez-Ramos (he/him)
Julio Ramírez-Ramos is a Colombian American filmmaker who began his career at a very young age assisting the producers of Oedipus Mayor, an international co-production written by Gabriel García Márquez. He completed a combined graduate program in Social Communications and Journalism at Pontifical Javeriana University in Bogotá, and at the European Institute of Design &…
Karl Epps (he/him)
Karl Epps is a Seattle-based filmmaker, director, writer, and producer whose work centers on character-driven storytelling grounded in emotional truth, social realism, and humor. He directed his first feature film out of film school, Parental Guidance (also known as Kinfolk’s), which aired on BET Starz, marking his emergence as a distinctive voice in independent filmmaking.…
Michael-Peter Klane Kleven (he/him)
I’m a veteran Seattle-based filmmaker and production sound mixer. In 2010, I graduated summa cum laude from Seattle Central’s Film and Video program and previously earned a BA degree in Theater and Interdisciplinary Studies from Western Washington University and Fairhaven College. My early creative life was rooted in live performance—I appeared in dozens of plays…
Mustafa Dustin Craun (he/him)
Mustafa Dustin Craun is a serial social impact entrepreneur, filmmaker, writer, and community organizer working at the intersection of narrative change, spirituality, and social justice. For over two decades, he has led transformative projects blending digital media, cultural production, and grassroots organizing to shape visionary futures for global Muslim communities. He is the founder and…
Nolan Maze (he/him)
Nolan Maze is a Colombian-American filmmaker based in Seattle, WA. He is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Film & Video Production program and participated in the Northwest Film Forum apprenticeship program. He has directed several short films, including documentaries and narrative stories inspired by his own life experiences. He is very passionate about…
Paul Stoll (he/him)
Paul Stoll is a Washington-based director and producer working across narrative and documentary film. His work focuses on human-centered stories, cultural context, and long-form projects developed in collaboration with communities and institutions. He has directed and produced independent films, documentaries, and educational media, including work with PBS, National Geographic, tribal nations, and the University of…
Wilfredo Manalang (he/him)
Will Fredo is the creative moniker of Wilfredo Manalang, a Filipino-American filmmaker dedicated to bridging the personal and political through cross-cultural storytelling. While his work often takes him from his home in Seattle to film hubs across the globe, his practice remains rooted in a quiet commitment to amplifying Asian voices. As a producer, Manalang…
Miles Le (he/they)
Miles Le is a Washington-based filmmaker originally from the suburbs of Northern Virginia. For over a decade, he has worn many hats across many different genres, from documentary content for news and advocacy campaigns, livestream production for governmental use, to queer video game exhibits, as well as an award winning web series. With a background…
Burtukaan Adaree (she/her)
Burtukaan Adaree is a writer, director, and producer who immigrated from Ethiopia to Seattle fifteen years ago. Much of her creative practice is rooted in preserving her culture and her family’s history. After moving to Seattle, she became more aware of how her identity was shaped by the family she left behind in Ethiopia. She…
Case Drury (she/her)
Case Drury is a Heartland Emmy-winning writer, director, and producer who believes deeply in the power of story to forge connections. She has lived and worked on three continents. From documenting a dying native language in rural Alaska for the National Science Foundation to directing a Dungeons and Dragons webseries, this USC trained filmmaker works…
Christina Morales (she/her)
Christina Morales is a Mexican-American independent filmmaker from Eastern Washington. She has been developing original stories for the screen for well over a decade, blending genres, employing allegorical concepts and channeling the complex turmoil of existing. Living in Seattle for nearly 20 years and working as a young professional meant placing creative endeavors on hold.…
Gracen Bayer (she/her)
Gracen has been making films since she was in elementary school. After a cross-country move from Alabama to Washington, she leaned on storytelling to help ease her transition into what felt like a whole new world. She continued to make films throughout her education, studying filmmaking at Central Washington University with a focus in directing.…
Joie Littleton (she/her)
Joie Littleton is a queer Black filmmaker and producer based in Seattle. Drawn to storytelling as a way of understanding identity, memory, and connection, her work centers BIPOC narratives and reflects a belief in film as a tool for reflection and community. She is currently working on the publicity team for an upcoming feature film…
Jorgie Hampilos (she/her)
Jorgie Hampilos is a Washington based filmmaker raised in Illinois, drawn to stories that sit somewhere between sincerity and strangeness. She currently studies at Whitman College where her filmmaking began to take shape through curiosity and a love for characters who don’t know where they quite belong. Jorgie is drawn to stories that both effectively…
Mari Cleven (she/her)
Mari is a multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker and storyteller born and raised in Washington State. She is passionate about science and research communication, using film to make complex ideas accessible through a human centered lens. Her work spans documentary, corporate branding, and commercial campaigns for organizations and brands committed to meaningful impact. She has told stories…
Megan Leonard (she/her)
Megan Leonard is an award-winning Creative Producer and Festival Programmer from Olympia, WA based in Seattle. Her most recent film, Dream Creep (d. Carlos A.F. Lopez), premiered in the Midnight Shorts Program at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was deemed “The Scariest Short on the Festival Circuit” by Indiewire. The film is currently streaming…
Sarah Arthur (she/her)
Sarah Arthur is a Seattle-born filmmaker and creative professional with a background spanning entertainment and international exchange. She currently works as an Office Manager for a dental practice in downtown Seattle while continuing to build her career in film and media. Sarah completed a year-long fellowship in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young…
Shay Scholes (she/they)
Shay is a Seattle-based filmmaker who believes that clear communication, trust, and empathy are the foundation of any successful production. She holds a BFA in Film Production from the University of British Columbia, where she wrote and directed two short films, Thursday Night (2020) and In Loving Memory (2021). A sapphic filmmaker, she is passionate…
Darren Coyote Sarkin (they/them)
Darren Coyote Sarkin is a video artist working at the intersection of narrative filmmaking, and experimental visual storytelling. Through their company, Wingspeak Productions, they create works that blend humor and emotional intimacy to explore identity, transformation, and our relationship to the natural world. Coyote is the creator of SeaTrip, a video and art project that…
Ry Armstrong (they/them)
Ry Armstrong (they/them) is an impact-driven nonprofit leader, creative strategist, and progressive organizer based in Seattle. With extensive experience across the arts, labor advocacy, and community organizing, Ry has advanced equitable systems that empower union workers and strengthen civic engagement. They serve as an elected on the National Council of Actors’ Equity (AFL‑CIO), representing over…
Thy Riedel
Thy Riedel is a writer/director from central Washington who studied film in California. His MFA thesis won a Student Film Award from the Directors Guild of America. His first feature screenplay was a semifinalist in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships and is in development. He currently lives by the ocean with his wife and their slightly…