Rachel Antell has worked in documentary film production for over two decades in various capacities, but found her true passion in archival producing. In 2014 she co-founded Sub-Basement Archival, where she has had the honor of being archival producer on contemporary and historic documentaries. Sub-Basement films have aired on streaming platforms, cable, public and network television, screened at festivals worldwide, and garnered FOCAL Awards as well as an Emmy nomination for research and use of archival footage. In 2023, Rachel co-founded the Archival Producers Alliance (APA) with Jen Petrucelli and Steph Jenkins. The APA was created to organize and advocate for archival producers, educate the larger film community about the craft, and work to make archival materials more accessible and affordable for independent filmmakers. The APA's first initiative addresses the introduction of Generative AI into the field of documentary film and archival work. In September of this year, the APA published the first-ever industry-wide guidelines, Best Practices for Use of Generative AI in Documentaries, with endorsements from over 50 organizations, foundations, production companies, and film festivals, as well as dozens of filmmakers.

Sophie Barksdale is Heartland Emmy winning Australian/ American filmmaker currently based in Wyoming. Her short film Who She Is (2022), a humanizing insight into the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women received a Heartland Emmy for "Best Documentary" in the cultural category, “Best Documentary” at Flagstaff Film Festival, ‘Best Social Justice Film’ at the Latino & Native American Film Fest, ‘Best Animated Doc’ at Oregon Documentary Festival among others. It broadcast Nationally on PBS after premiering on WORLD CHANNEL in May2024. Sophie produced Heartland Emmy-nominated Home From School: The Children of Carlisle (2021) which aired nationally on Independent Lens; and produced Heartland Emmy-Nominated The State of Equality (2019) with WYPBS, chronicling Wyoming’s role in women’s suffrage. Sophie Barksdale has extensive experience in film and the arts, including with Screen Ireland, and numerous film festivals in the USA, Australia & Ireland. She is a Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellow (2024).

Emilie Simonini is a Documentary Development Producer based in Astoria, NY.

Sabrina Avilés is an award-winning independent filmmaker, educator, and the Founder/Executive Director of CineFest Latino Boston.

Born in NYC, and as a first-generation daughter of Puerto Rican and Dominican immigrants, she sees her life reflected in the stories she documents about Latinx communities. A graduate of Boston University’s film program, her goal as a documentary filmmaker is to tell in-depth stories, documented over a period of time, that require longer substantive conversations with the community, and that move beyond the headlines. By drawing attention to the issues Latinx communities face, she hopes her films will shift perspectives and foster a deeper understanding of the human experience.

She is currently producing several projects: a documentary about Chelsea, Massachusetts, which delves into the city's challenges and resilience through the stories of three local leaders; an episode of American Experience that examines Puerto Rico’s complex history as a U.S. colony; and The Pneumafractalist, a powerful narrative about an autistic artist who, after surviving deep childhood trauma, returns to rural Kansas to direct an autobiographical film shaped by a profound new understanding of self.