MEET THE TEAM
Melissa Perez
Director/Writer Melissa Perez was born in Toppenish, Washington. From there Melissa and her family of eight moved back and forth between Arizona & California. Melissa went on to study Film & Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara where she discovered her excitement for directing. After making three shorts, her final undergraduate film won a Corwin Award for Best Directing. Upon graduating, Melissa was selected as a writing & directing fellow for Outset young filmmakers project from the LA LGBT Center & Outfest which helped in funding her film My Mother's Orphan. Being the daughter of immigrants from Guadalajara, Mexico, Melissa finds inspiration from her family history, the struggles within working class families, and the contradictions and silences within them. She also enjoys when women sing Mariachi music as expressed in her first short film, La Mariachera. Melissa is now studying directing at the American Film Institute. |
Gabriela Gonzalez
Producer Gabriela Gonzalez, a Miami native, received bachelor degrees in Political Science and Criminology from Florida State University and headed to California to train in film production in 2008. She graduated with an MFA from the American Film Institute's producing program in 2010. Gabriela’s AFI thesis film HARD SILENCE (2011) won the Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence award and was a DGA Showcase selection. She has also produced projects such as A&E/Lifetime’s web series pilot TRIAGE, SURPRISE, and LA OBRA. Her films have screened at film festivals such as Cinequest, HBO/BET’s Urbanworld, Bend Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival, OUTFEST and Guanajuato among others. Gabriela was selected as a Project Involve/Film Independent Producing Fellow in 2013 and is a current Women In Film Mentor Circle participant. |
Eileen Shim
Story Editor Eileen Shim is a screenwriting fellow at the American Film Institute. She is a writer from New York. Previously, she worked as a reporter at publications and media outlets such as Mic.com, The New Republic, Associated Press and NBC News.Eileen studied comparative literature and international studies at Yale University with a concentration in film. She is also passionate about education and ran a teaching non-profit in New Haven, Connecticut. |
Ujwala Aparna Viswanath
Cinematographer Ujwala Viswanath was born and raised in India. She received her BFA from Indiana University, with a specialization in Painting. Her interest in cinematography developed soon after she achieved a PG diploma in Multi-Media Broadcasting in Journalism in 2012. She has interned with one of India's best production houses in India as well as with Discovery Communications in the U.S. In the past two years, she has worked on various freelance projects in India as a cameraperson, which includes the making of a feature film, music videos, documentaries and corporate films. Her experience at AFI has taught her the importance of collaboration and given her the right skills to excel in the world of cinema. |
Doriane Desfaugeres
Production Designer Doriane is an honors graduate from the University of California Davis with BAs in Psychology and Fine Art. After her post baccalaureate painting studies at Columbia University in New York City, she began exploring filmmaking opportunities. She has now production designed several short films, and has worked in various art department positions on TV shows and indie feature films. She is currently pursuing an MFA degree in production design at the American Film Institute. |
Wanqiu Sun
Editor Wanqiu Sun is originally from Hebei China. After graduating from Beijing Normal University with a BA in Film Study-Digital Media Art, she was accepted into the American Film Institute, in the editing discipline. She has produced and directed over 10 shorts during her undergraduate career, her work has been awarded in the Beijing College School Student Festival, China Computer Design Competition, etc. During her studies at AFI, she has worked on over 10 short films as editor and also assisted and supervised in over 5 projects. Wanqiu is a passionate and enthusiastic storyteller, concentrating on craft and technique as well as on creativity and the narrative. To explore characters from performance to tell the right story, is one of her favorite aspects of editing. |