A lifelong film lover and Miami Beach native, Lauren Cohen holds a bachelor’s degree in Motion Pictures and Theatre from the University of Miami. She has been writing about film since 2009, with her reviews and features (including interviews with stars such as Salma Hayek, Daniel Craig, Emma Stone, and Javier Bardem) appearing in SocialMiami.com, Miami Beach News, Examiner.com and The Miami Hurricane.

Cohen began working at Miami Film Festival in 2014 to promote the best of world cinema to the Miami community and was responsible for creating and running the Festival’s ongoing membership group for young professionals, CineClub. She was named to the programming team in 2017 and promoted to Associate Director of Programming in 2019. Cohen also regularly contributes essays to the Festival’s blog channel, The Latest.

Thom Powers divides his time between New York, Miami and Toronto with roles in several festivals. He is also the host of the podcast Pure Nonfiction interviewing documentary filmmakers. He has served as Senior Programmer, Documentary Cinema Miami Film Festival since 2011, where he’s been an early advocate of documentaries such as 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, RBG and Finding Vivian Maier, that went on to acclaim (and sometimes Academy Awards). The New York Times described him as a “kingmaker for documentaries” for his programming at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he launched titles such as Undefeated and Inside Job, which later won Oscars.

In Manhattan, he created the weekly screening series Pure Nonfiction (formerly known as Stranger than Fiction) at IFC Center, cited by Time Out magazine as the city’s “Best Documentary Programming.” He and his wife Raphaela Neihausen are the directors of America’s largest documentary festival, DOC NYC. Powers also curates for Sundance Now, and has taught at the School of Visual Arts and New York University. He previously spent several years as a filmmaker directing documentaries for HBO and PBS; and worked in publishing.

Follow Thom on Twitter: @thompowers

Rachel Bleemer is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary producer and programmer, currently serving as director of programming and events at Film Independent. At FI, Rachel oversees the organization’s year-round programming, including the renowned screening series Film Independent Presents. She has expanded Film Independent’s commitment to promoting diversity in the film industry and has amplified Film Independent’s year-round programming with exclusive screenings of films and TV, in-depth conversations with filmmakers, and the legendary Live Read series. A Miami Beach-native, Bleemer previously held leadership positions at both the LA Film Festival and over the course of a decade, the Miami Film Festival. Rachel’s first love is film, followed by Italian cuisine and Snoopy.

IG: @rachel_lauren

Photo by Lee Jameson

Ivonne Cotorruelo is a Cuban Film Curator and former producer based in New York, who has been empowering storytellers for over a decade. She is a Features Programmer at Cleveland International Film Festival CIFF, Miami International Film Festival MIFF, Outfest LA, Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival TTFF and a Shorts Programmer for Aspen ShortFest. She has served as Juror for Film Festivals around the globe, and as reviewer for The Chicken and Egg Fund, Warner Media New Voices Initiatives, Black and Latino Inclusion Fellowship in LA, and Disney. A Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus, she is always seeking out stories for underrepresented voices. Working on a plan of strategic diversity, equity and inclusion.

Alejandro Ríos is an expert film and art critic, the founder, and curator of Miami Dade College’s Cuban Cinema Series, a distinguished educational initiative launched in 1993 that explores and discusses Cuban cinema. In 2003, he orchestrated the inaugural Festival of Alternative Cuban Cinema at the Tower Theater in Little Havana. With a global presence, he has served as a journalist, juror, and lecturer at numerous international film festivals in Havana, Miami, Brazil, Canada, Seattle, and Kolkata, contributing to various specialized publications and books. His involvement extends to the Havana Film Festival’s FIPRESCI Jury. Notably, he co-curated the program “Forbidden Fruit, Cuban Independent Film in the 21st Century” at Coral Gables Art Cinema in 2018 and has served on the juries of the Miami Short Film Festival and the René Rodríguez Critics Award. He also hosted and produced the long-running television show “La Mirada Indiscreta” on AmericaTeVe for a decade and currently holds the position of cinema critic at AmericaTeVe, with regular segments on “América Noticias” and “La Mesa Nostra.” Furthermore, he anchored and produced TV Marti’s programs on Cuban cinema, including “Pantalla de Azogue,” “Pantalla TVM,” “Mirada a Cuba,” and “Pantalla Indiscreta.” He is a prolific writer with weekly columns published in El Nuevo Herald and Cubanet, primarily focusing on cultural topics, especially cinema. His book “La Mirada Indiscreta” (Ed. Hypermedia) was featured at the 2017 Miami Book Fair, showcasing a collection of his columns and personal essays. For 26 years, he served as the Hispanic media specialist at Miami Dade College’s Office of Media Relations, where he handled press relations for the Miami International Film Festival and contributed to the Hispanic Authors Committee of the Miami Book Fair.

Chris Molina is a programmer who has worked in Miami’s film community for over 5 years. His experience spans from being on set for local productions to working at some of the biggest Film Festivals in town. He began at MFF as a volunteer, later became a theater manager, and is now the interim shorts programmer. He is also the festival director for the Sun Pass Film Festival, a festival meant for fostering Miami filmmaking talent, and promoting a grassroots film movement. Molina is also an award-winning filmmaker in his own right, having made multiple short films that often focus on his own experiences as a queer man.

Roberto Pazos is the founder and curator of “Filmed in Peru” an annual showcase of Peruvian movies in New York City and Miami.   The goal of “Filmed in Peru” is to bring Peruvian films and directors to the USA.   Roberto previously served as the co-manager of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Miami.

A native of Peru, Pazos is the host of “Peruanos en el Mundo” a weekly TV program that airs nationwide in the USA and Canada.  The show features Peruvians who live outside of Peru and shows the places where they now live and their life outside of Peru.  The program has been airing continuously since February, 2015.

Prior to “Peruanos en el Mundo”, he worked for CNN, Univision and Telemundo.  

Pazos has both an MBA and a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida International University.   He has recently completed work on his first feature length documentary and has several other projects in development. 

Steve Hunsicker is the Executive Producer of “Filmed in Peru” an annual showcase of Peruvian movies in New York City and Miami.  The goal of “Filmed in Peru” is to bring Peruvian films and directors to the USA.   Steve previously served as the co-manager of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Miami and is a former board member of the festival.  

Hunsicker spent more than two decades in local TV News overseeing local news and documentary programming.  Since 2015, he has served as Executive Producer of “Peruanos en el Mundo” a weekly TV program that airs nationwide in the USA and Canada.  The show features Peruvians who live outside of Peru and shows the places where they now live and their life outside of Peru.  

Hunsicker has a Bachelor’s Degree from West Virginia University.  He has recently completed work on his first feature length documentary.