Kimberly Jeffries
Director of Photography
Cinematography (Nov. 11)
Accomplished cinematographers will illuminate their techniques for capturing breathtaking visuals, crafting scenes, enhancing storytelling through imagery, and navigating the unique challenges of filming real-life narratives.
Cinematography day is co-presented by:
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM) co-presented by 11th Hour Racing.
10-11:15AM
Stories from the Field
Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic creates and delivers riveting stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure, and exploration that inspire a deeper connection to the world. Join DP’s Pablo Durana (Arctic Ascent), Nathan Small (A Real Bug’s Life), Moses Bwayo (Bobi Wine: The People’s President), Kim Jeffries, (Incredible Animal Journeys), and Justine Evans (Queens) who will share stories from the field with moderator Liz Nord (NYU Production Lab) and explore their filmmaking tools and techniques.
Kimberly Jeffries
Director of Photography
Kimberly Jeffries, a Hawaii-based cinematographer and technical dive instructor, specializes in underwater cinematography with a focus on charismatic megafauna. Her recent credits include Emmy award-winning productions like Chasing Coral, World’s Biggest Great Whites, and Amazing Animal Adventures, where she tells compelling stories about our connection to nature.
Pablo Durana
Director of Photography
Pablo Durana
Director of Photography
Pablo Durana is a Colombian born, Canadian raised and Californian based Emmy® Award–winning cinematographer and adventure photographer. As an endurance athlete, he has extensive experience filming and operating in extreme conditions, from within the world’s deepest caves in Mexico, to the towering walls of Antarctica. For almost two decades Pablo has worked with the world’s top documentary filmmakers and adventure athletes, including Jimmy Chin and Alex Honnold. He also dives deep into life’s gritty side via the ShowTime series The Trade about human trafficking, the real cost of food via Netflix’s episodic Rotten, and the woman’s rights documentary short, Ascending Afghanistan. His work has also been featured on National Geographic, HBO, Discovery, RedBull and Vice. He recently completed his directorial debut feature documentary No Legs, All Heart.
Moses Bwayo
Director of Photography
Moses Bwayo
Director of Photography
Moses Bwayo is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker. Born and raised in Uganda, he was introduced to filmmaking by peeking through cracks in the walls of local bootleg movie theaters. Wrapped in the camerawork and storytelling of Hollywood’s martial arts films, Moses immediately fell in love with cinema. He graduated from Kampala University with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication, earned a postgraduate diploma at Kampala Film School, and started working as a production sound recordist and cinematographer, shooting for ABC, BBC, and VICE News in Uganda. In 2017, he began work on Bobi Wine: The People’s President. Spending five harrowing years following Bobi Wine, a pop star turned politician who ran for president, opposing the 35-year Yoweri Museveni dictatorship. Moses was arrested, imprisoned, and shot in the face at close range while filming. Bobi Wine: The People’s President premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022.
Justine Evans
Director of Photography
Justine Evans
Director of Photography
Justine Evans is a British cinematographer who’s career as an international wildlife film maker spans over 30 years. She has worked on major natural history productions for the BBC, Disney/National Geographic, Netflix to name a few. Her work has taken her all over the world from the tropical forest canopy to deep arctic crevasses, capturing iconic animal behaviour both day and night. Her most recent work has been for the BBC’s Planet Earth 3, which is due to be broadcast soon, and Disney’s Queens, which focuses on powerful female leadership in the natural world. She lives in the West of the UK with her husband and a big wolfdog called Callie.
Nathan Small
Director of Photography
Nathan Small
Director of Photography
Nathan Small comes from a photography background and made the leap to wildlife 5 years ago. Nathan is a self shooting producer/director specialising in teeny tiny things and showing people their fascinating lives. Nathan has worked on Tiny World for Apple TV, Planet Insect for Curiosity Stream, A Real Bug’s Life for Disney / NATGEO, and is currently working on Underdogs for Disney NATGEO.
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord is an Emmy-winning producer and documentary filmmaker who has created and shown work across the globe. She is Head of Programs and Creative Development at the NYU Production Lab, where she runs the Feature Film Development Studio. She recently served as Director of Content at Sundance, where she helped develop Sundance Collab into the premiere global learning destination for emerging filmmakers. Previously, she served as the Editor-in-Chief and Lead Producer at No Film School. Liz is also an advisor for several artist development programs including Latino Public Broadcasting’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship and the Jewish Writers’ Initiative. She has presented extensively on creative practice and the film and TV industry, notably at TEDx and SXSW.
11:30-12:45PM
From DP to Director
The natural progression from cinematography to directing is discussed in this panel led by Grace Remington with director/DPs Zac Manuel (Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero), Martina Radwan (Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow), and Amitabh Joshi (Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: The New Chief). Their expertise, rooted in practical experience, uniquely informs their directorial approach. Hear how the efficiency of DPs taking on both roles utilizes their inherent talents to enhance productions.
Martina Radwan
Filmmaker
Martina Radwan
Filmmaker
Martina is a German/Syrian filmmaker and cinematographer, based in New York City. Her recent credits include Food and Country, Boys State, Inventing Tomorrow, The Final Year and Saving Face, the 2012 Academy Award and Emmy Winner for Short Documentary, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography. Her directorial debut Spring in Awe won the Media Awareness Award at the Media That Matters Film Festival, as well as Best Editing Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival, both 2004. The film was also part of PBS’ New York Reel the same year. Her second film Aliens Among Us played theatrically at IDA’s DocuWeek and at numerous festivals in 2009.
Martina Radwan is a member of the Academy and BAFTA Documentary Branch.
Zac Manuel
Director/DP
Zac Manuel
Director/DP
Zac Manuel is an Academy Award-nominated director and cinematographer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Zac’s work in documentary draws from complex legacies of Southern identity, with particular interest in the impacts of history and inheritance on Black communities. Zac uses his camera to create bridges of intimacy and transparency between himself and his films’ participants, with a collaborative and improvisational shooting style inspired by the movements and rhythms of jazz. Zac’s cinematography credits include Time, Academy Award nominee for Best Feature Documentary, Buckjumping and Descendant, which was released by Netflix. His directing credits include This Body, released on PBS, Nonstop, which was acquired by the Criterion Channel in 2022, and Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero. Zac is currently directing the feature documentary, Ghetto Children, produced by XTR.
Amitabh Joshi
Director
Amitabh Joshi
Director
Amitabh Joshi is a director. In 2020, he co-directed a short film for American Masters and Firelight Media for their new series, Masters in The Making, highlighting Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, a Jazz musician. Amitabh served as co-producer on A Little Wisdom. This documentary feature had its US Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in 2018. It was the winner of the 2018 Viewfinders Competition at DOC NYC. Amitabh was awarded the Center for Asian American Media Documentary Fund in 2014 for his first feature documentary, Tashi’s Turbine. The film has been screened at festivals worldwide and premiered on PBS’s WORLD Channel. It received a Special Jury Mention at the 2015 CAAMFest and won the BBVA Mountain Film Festival of Torelló 2016 Jury Prize. He also received the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation grant in 2013 and the Princess Grace Award in 2012. Amitabh has worked as a director and cinematographer for Art21. He has directed and produced documentaries around the world.
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington is a producer and director who has worked in documentary film and television in the United States, Mexico, and Peru. Her work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and HotDocs, among others, and has broadcast on POV, Netflix, and National Geographic.
Co-presented by SVA – MFA Social Documentary Film
1:45-3PM
The Tools of Cinematography
Delve into the world of lenses, cameras, lighting, and accessories that shape cinematic storytelling with moderator Grace Remington and DP’s Yoni Brook (32 Sounds) and Christopher Lew (The Diver). Learn how each piece of equipment contributes to crafting compelling narratives, creating mood, and capturing unforgettable moments. Whether you’re a budding filmmaker or a gear enthusiast, this session is your backstage pass to the art and technology of cinematography.
Yoni Brook
Director of Photography
Yoni Brook
Director of Photography
Yoni Brook is a Peabody Award winning film director, producer, and cinematographer. As a director, his films have screened at Sundance, Berlinale, True/False, and the New York and Toronto Film Festivals. He co-created, shot and directed the docuseries Philly D.A. (PBS Independent Lens/Topic, Sundance, winner of Peabody, Gotham, & duPont Awards, NYTimes ‘Best TV’ of 2021). As a cinematographer, he co-shot and produced Menashe (A24, Film Independent Spirit Nominee) and was nominated for a Spirit Award for his cinematography on Valley of Saints (Sundance World Dramatic Audience Award Winner). Brook is an alumnus of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has served as a visiting instructor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Swarthmore College
Christopher Lew
Director of Photography
Christopher Lew
Director of Photography
Christopher Lew is a Canadian cinematographer based in Brooklyn NY. He is a member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. In 2019 his first narrative feature film Tito won the Special Jury Award at the SXSW film festival. In 2020 he shot Haya Waseem’s feature debut Quickening which premiered at TIFF 2021. His last film Riceboy Sleeps premiered at TIFF in 2022, winning the Platform Prize, Toronto Critics Choice Award, and awards at Busan IFF, Palm Springs IFF, was nominated for 6 Canadian Screen Awards.
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington is a producer and director who has worked in documentary film and television in the United States, Mexico, and Peru. Her work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and HotDocs, among others, and has broadcast on POV, Netflix, and National Geographic.
Co-presented by Screen Nova Scotia
3:15-4:30PM
Capturing Sensitive Moments
Explore the art of documentary production planning through the lens of storytelling. Join director Dean Leslie (Shaped By Water), director Jennifer Huang and producer Jethro Patalinghug (The Long Rescue), and DP Justin Ervin (Is That Black Enough For You?!?) as they discuss their decision-making processes for crewing and equipment with moderator Grace Remington. Three distinctly sensitive scenarios will be presented: high-profile interviews, trauma survivor stories, and environmental impact stories. Discover how these experts translate their storytelling focus into tangible gear and crew choices.
Jennifer Huang
Director
Jennifer Huang
Director
Jennifer is directing her first feature documentary, The Long Rescue, and distributing her first short documentary, This Adventure Called California. Previously, she co-produced From Baghdad to the Bay and Standing on Sacred Ground, and at Lucasfilm, wrote and produced Harlem’s Hellfighters: Black Soldiers of World War I. Recent awards include Shifting Voices, Movies that Matter and Berkeley Film Foundation.
Jethro Patalinghug
Producer
Jethro Patalinghug
Producer
Jethro Patalinghug is a Filipino non-binary documentary filmmaker, visual artist, and activist. They were the featured visual artist for the 2023 Oaklash Drag Festival in Oakland, California which featured their sculptural works Disco Balling Heads, The Performer and Gabriela Rising. Their works were also featured in the 2022 Trans Aware Art Exhibition in San Francisco. Jethro was a fellow for the 2022 Film Independent’s CNN Docu-Series Intensive and DOCNY’s Storytelling Incubator.. Their first feature documentary film 50 Years of Fabulous was opening film at QDocs 2018 Film Festival and an official selection to Frameline42. Jethro was a fellow for BVAC’s National Media Maker 2016 for his documentary film #MyNameIs. Jethro is also known as the drag persona Virginia Please on TikTok and teaches indigenous, black and brown queer and trans representation. They serve as one of the Board of Directors for the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, Oaklash and EyeZen.
Justin Ervin
Director of Photography
Justin Ervin
Director of Photography
Justin Ervin is an award-winning writer, director and cinematographer of both scripted and non-scripted work. His work has appeared on notable platforms including Netflix, PBS, HBO and Hulu, and was Cinematographer on the EMMY-nominated, Netflix Original Documentary Is That Black Enough For You?!? which was also nominated for two NAACP Image Awards in 2023. Justin was the DP on 761st: The Original Black Panthers starring Morgan Freeman. His cinematography was featured in the Webby Award-winning video for the San Francisco Opera in summer of 2022. As a cinematographer, Justin continues to operate at the vanguard, creating at the intersection of documentary and narrative cinematography aesthetics. As a writer and director, he has won multiple awards including Best Documentary at Garden State Film Festival and The Audience Award at New Filmmakers LA and screened 2 years consecutive at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. Justin is currently expanding his work as a director into television and feature films. As a photographer, his work has graced the cover of Harper’s Bazaar with spreads in Harper’s Bazaar, Elle magazine and others. Justin earned his MFA in social documentary filmmaking from SVA in NYC and has completed master courses at the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers.
Dean Leslie
Director
Dean Leslie
Director
South African filmmaker Dean Leslie might not be a household name, but chances are you’ve seen his work. From “Hollywood” film sets to guerrilla style documentary projects, in remote and rugged locations, his work has taken him to every continent. Specializing in leading small film crews in challenging environments, Dean has cultivated a career in producing world class documentary film through his strong all-round technical skill set. He has a background in VFX and is an award-winning Editor, Cinematographer, Director, Producer and Creative Director. He has produced a vast body of creative works and over the last decade, he has been chasing down the world’s foremost endurance athletes; Documenting the ways in which they interact with some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. He has been widely acknowledged for his influence in shaping the growth and progression of trail and mountain running around the globe through his documentary films.
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington
Freelance director and producer
Grace Remington is a producer and director who has worked in documentary film and television in the United States, Mexico, and Peru. Her work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and HotDocs, among others, and has broadcast on POV, Netflix, and National Geographic.
Co-presented by 11th Hour Racing
To experience the DOC NYC PRO lineup, purchase an individual PRO Day Pass (via the Buy Ticket button) to hone in on a specific subject, or benefit from discounted pricing when you purchase Multi-Day Pass Packs to an assortment of topics.
DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by:
