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.

Lisa Leeman has made award-winning feature documentaries for thirty-five years. Her films illuminate social issues through intimate character-driven stories that follow protagonists over years at turning points in their lives.

Roger Ebert cited Leeman’s One Lucky Elephant as one of the best documentaries of 2011. She is currently producono and directing Walk by Me, a follow-up to her groundbreaking first film, Metamorphosis (Sundance Filmmakers Trophy; POV/PBS, 1990).

Lisa is a MacDowell Fellow, a member of the Motion Picture Academy, a former president of the International Documentary Association, and chairs the Ethics subcommittee for the Documentary Producers Alliance. A professor and endowed chair at the University of Southern California, she teaches Documentary Production and Cinematic Ethics.
www.Lisaleeman.com