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Talkhouse

Kelly AuCoin is currently playing Andy Roeser on <a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/clipped-9ecd1618-78d0-4daa-b891-5ebbff43001f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clipped</a>, FX on Hulu’s drama about the Donald Sterling Los Angeles Clipper scandal also starring Laurence Fishburne, Ed O’Neill, Jacki Weaver and Cleopatra Coleman. He is most well known as a series regular on Showtime’s Billions as &#8216;Dollar&#8217; Bill Stern and his recent recurring TV roles include Scott Gordon on HULU&#8217;s The Girl from Plainville, Pastor Tim on FX’s The Americans, Hercules Mulligan on AMC’s TURN and Gary Stamper on House of Cards. His film credits include, among others, The Good House, False Positive, The Post, The Wizard of Lies, Julie &amp; Julia and The Kingdom. Theatre credits include Octavius Caesar in Julius Caesar on Broadway opposite Denzel Washington, The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, and the first national touring company of Copenhagen. (Photo by Kai York.)

Kelly AuCoin

Film

Three Great Things: Kelly AuCoin

Jessie Barr is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She is a director, writer, actor and producer with a background in independent film, digital storytelling, and theater. Jessie made her feature film directorial debut with <a href="https://sophiejones.oscilloscope.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sophie Jones</a>, from executive producer Nicole Holofcener, which Jessie directed, co-wrote, and produced. Sophie Jones had its world premiere in competition at the Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville, went on to screen in competition at Mar del Plata, Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec, and is out now through Oscilloscope Laboratories, in virtual cinemas, on VOD or <a href="https://watch.eventive.org/sophiejones/play/6024614a046f2a00716848a1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directly through Oscilloscope</a>. Jessie is a two-time 2020 Sundance Fellow. With the support of the Sundance Episodic Lab and the Episodic Makers Lab, Jessie is developing her original series with co-writer/co-star Lena Hudson inspired by their award-winning short film Too Long at the Fair. Jessie also stars in the critically acclaimed, award-winning original series Om City, which she created, co-wrote, and produced with her husband, filmmaker Tom O’Brien. As an actor, Jessie was recently seen in The Beta Test by Jim Cummings, which premiered at the 2021 Berlinale. (Photo by Emma Meade.)

Jessie Barr

Live Live Live

Tzvi is a writer director from NYC. His debut feature film, Killer of Men, made on a $10,000 budget, premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival, which Eric Kohn hailed as &#8220;one of the best debuts of 2024&#8221; and Oscar-nominated director Ramin Bahrani said &#8220;Tzvi has created the definition of low-budget auteur cinema.&#8221; Filmmaker magazine called it &#8220;an eerily austere serial killer drama, with a (possible) science fiction twist.&#8221; In his free time, Tzvi writes short fiction, essays on cinema, and runs the monthly screening series Film Underground, focused on democratizing cinema. He can be found on Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/tzvi_shadowplayfilms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@tzvi_shadowplayfilms</a>.

Tzvi

God Moving Across the Screen

Nick August-Perna’s latest feature documentary, Tell Them You Love Me, won the jury award for best documentary feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival, was released in the UK in February 2024 to critical acclaim and is currently streaming on Netflix. He is an award-winning director, producer, and editor whose work has been nominated for the Emmys, the Duponts and the Academy Awards. His directorial work aims to present stories that challenge the shape and power of the documentary form, to inspire discourse, and to build empathy.

Nick August-Perna

The Strange Case of Tell Them You Love Me

Dakota Johnson is a BAFTA-nominated and award-winning actress and producer who is currently starring with Sean Penn in the two-handed drama <a href="https://tickets.daddiofilm.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daddio</a>. Johnson burst onto the scene with her performance in David Fincher’s critically acclaimed The Social Network and went on to appear in the feature comedies The Five-Year Engagement and 21 Jump Street. She then starred as Anastasia Steele in Universal’s billion-dollar franchise Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. In 2015, she starred opposite Johnny Depp in Scott Cooper’s Black Mass, and starred in Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash, with Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, the same director’s critically acclaimed 2018 remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Johnson starred alongside Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen in the indie hit The Peanut Butter Falcon, which won the Audience Award at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival and grossed over $20 million in the U.S., making it the top platform release that year. In 2019, the accomplished actress also launched TeaTime Pictures with producing partner, Ro Donnelly. TeaTime’s first two feature films, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I OK? sold straight out of their respective premieres at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to Apple TV+ and HBO Max.

Dakota Johnson

Three Great Things: Dakota Johnson

Tomás Gómez Bustillo’s debut feature, <a href="https://www.hoperunshighfilms.com/chronicles-of-a-wandering-saint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chronicles of a Wandering Saint</a>, which was nominated for Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, and Best Cinematography at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, is out now in theaters. Born in Buenos Aires, he was brought up across Argentina, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the U.S. After studying Political Science in Buenos Aires, he relocated to L.A., where he earned his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory. After graduating, he co-founded indie production company Plenty Good. Breaking away from cliches in mainstream depictions of South America, Tomás tells stories that use religion, magic, folklore and myth to conjure up and celebrate the real human absurdity that lies underneath.

Tomás Gómez Bustillo

A Language Beyond Words

Kentucker Audley is a filmmaker, film programmer, actor and (former) Movies hat salesman. His debut album, <a href="https://kentuckeraudley.bandcamp.com/album/old-amateur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Amateur</a>, is now out. His latest film, Strawberry Mansion (co-directed with Albert Birney), premiered at Sundance 2021. His previous directorial effort, Sylvio (also co-directed with Albert Birney), debuted at SXSW and was named one of the Best 10 Movies of the Year by The New Yorker. As an actor, he&#8217;s starred in indie films such as Christmas, Again and Sun Don&#8217;t Shine. He also founded <a href="http://nobudge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NoBudge</a> and <a href="https://www.moviesbrand.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Movies Brand</a>.

Kentucker Audley

“I Fucking Hate Folk Music”

David Beck’s debut feature, <a href="https://www.regardingus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regarding Us</a>, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Jennifer Bobbi and also acts in, has its world premiere at <a href="https://danceswithfilms.com/REGARDING-US/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dances with Films</a> in Los Angeles on June 27. Beck is a New York-based actor and filmmaker whose acting television credits include the Emmy nominated Fleishman is in Trouble and The Food That Built America. He is the writer, producer, lead actor, and composer of the award-winning short films For Francis (executive produced by Tim Gunn) and Backup Plan (which he also directed). Other screen acting credits include the indie films The Houseboy and the Streamy nominated web series Spring Street. He is the founder of the non-profit The Great Griffon, which aims to tell tales of the LGBTQ+ underdog, and as an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, he has been quoted in The New York Daily News, Metro Weekly, OUT and Pink News.

David Beck

The Truth in Our Lies

Jac Cron is a filmmaker born in New York and based in Los Angeles whose debut feature, Chestnut, starring Natalia Dyer, Rachel Keller, Danny Ramirez, opens in theaters June 21 through Utopia. She graduated from Drexel University where she studied Film, Finance and Astrophysics. She creates films centered around human connection, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community. She aims to tell stories about diverse characters, not solely about, but parallel to their identity. Her short House Sit screened at film festivals nationally and internationally, including SF Independent, Philadelphia Film Festival, and won best director at BELIFF. Her other interests include playing instruments: guitar, piano, clarinet, and cello; taking 35mm film photography, and writing poetry. She is conversational in Hindi and French.

Jac Cron

a poem is a city asking a clock why

Sareen Hairabedian is a documentary film director based between New York, Armenia and Jordan who uses observational intimate cinematic approach to tell stories about people and places that often go unnoticed and unheard of. Her debut feature, <a href="https://www.mysweetlandfilm.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">My Sweet Land</a>, a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the post-Soviet Caucasus Mountains, had its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in June 2024 and is now playing on the festival circuit. She is the founder of <a href="http://hai-creative.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAI Creative</a>, a production company that collaborates with artists and humanitarian organizations across continents, capturing the untold stories of underrepresented communities. Hairabedian’s directorial debut, We Are Not Done Yet, a 40-minute HBO documentary about U.S. veterans grappling with PTSD who use art and poetry to heal, was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the International Documentary Association 2018 Awards.

Sareen Hairabedian

A Letter to My Sweet Boy

Alicia Vikander is an Academy Award-winning actress and producer who is currently starring as Katherine Parr in the historical drama <a href="https://firebrandmovie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Firebrand</a>, also starring Jude Law, Eddie Marsan and Sam Riley. She has collaborated with some of the industry’s most respected filmmakers on a diverse range of roles from projects such as Testament of Youth, Jason Bourne, Ex Machina, Anna Karenina, The Light Between Oceans, A Royal Affair, The Green Knight and The Danish Girl, which resulted in her winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a host of other awards including a SAG Award and Critics Choice Award. She also garnered multiple nominations including Golden Globe and BAFTA, both of which she was nominated in two categories, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl and Ex Machina, respectively. In 2022, she starred in the A24/HBO co-production, Irma Vep, written and directed by filmmaker Olivier Assayas and based on his own cult film of the same title. (Photo by Dick Thomas Johnson, via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/31029865@N06/49013506278/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flickr</a>.)

Alicia Vikander

Three Great Things: Alicia Vikander

Jenn Harris is an award-winning writer-director, actor and producer from a small cornfield town in Illinois who takes comedy very seriously 😉 She can currently be seen in the Oscar-winning film American Fiction. Her short film She&#8217;s Clean, which she wrote, directed and starred in, won Best Director at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival and Best Actress at The Los Angeles Short Film Festival. Her series New York is Dead premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, and won Best Comedy at the New York Television Festival and Best Actress at SeriesFest. Her short film Island Queen, starring Rachel Dratch and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, played several prestigious festivals in 2020, including the San Francisco Film Festival and Florida Film Festival. As an actor in New York, Jenn is known for originating the role of Clarice Starling in Silence! The Musical and won a Lortel and Theatre World Award for her performance in Modern Orthodox. Some film and television credits include: High Maintenance, Search Party, 30 Rock, Gayby, Difficult People, Younger, Bored to Death and Fits and Starts. Jenn is a Professor at USD where she teaches Acting for the Camera and Comedy for the MFA acting program. She is also a recent mentee of the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Director Program.