Desmond Love is an award-winning film director with over 13 years of experience, specializing in community-focused documentary filmmaking. He crafts compelling narratives that amplify local voices and stories, with a distinct focus on the dynamic interplay of movement and lighting to enhance storytelling. When the project allows his work pushes the boundaries incorporating new technologies and techniques not found in mainstream media. Creativity with a dedication to authentic storytelling, encompassing all stages of production from concept development to post-production. Desmond is committed to delivering high-quality, impactful films that resonate with diverse audiences. In addition to his directing work, he is a dedicated educator, teaching filmmaking at the university level and conducting workshops for community organizations. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the world, having visited 14 countries.

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Toni Cunningham is an independent filmmaker and the founder of Splash of Tonic Media LLC.

After winning a Kresge Arts Fellowship in 2018, her first film Good Grief, premiered in the Detroit Voices competition of Cinetopia Film Festival in 2019. Since then, Toni has written, produced, and directed films in multiple formats and is currently developing a myriad of creative projects.

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She is the producer of the award-winning short film T-Minus, which held its premiere at the Oscar Qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. She is also a Redford Center Environmental Documentary Grantee for her producing work on the feature-length documentary Sacrifice Zones: the 48217. Most recently, she is a Black Public Media grantee for her work as writer/co-director/producer of the short narrative film Well, which screened at Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals, such as the Bronze Lens Film Festival in Atlanta and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora in New York.

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Her scripts have earned her a Top 10 finalist placement in The John Singleton EmbRace LA Screenwriting Competition, semi-final placements with PAGE International Screenwriting Awards and Killer Shorts, and quarter-final placements at Austin Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and Screen Craft.

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Toni also occasionally works in theater and collaborated with theater company A Host of People to adapt the video game Dot’s Home for the stage, a project that she also co-directed. She can currently be found acting as the Co-Director of Film Production for the Obsidian Theatre Festival.

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Razi Jafri is a documentary filmmaker and producer based in Hamtramck. His work focuses on democracy, and human rights. His film, “Hamtramck, USA,” premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and aired on the PBS program, “America ReFramed.” The film chronicles life and democracy in America’s first Muslim-majority city. Jafri produced the PBS film, “Three Chaplains,” about Muslim chaplains as they fight for religious freedom and equity in the US military. He also produced “ROUGE,” which premiered at the Hot Docs Film Festival. Jafri is currently directing several new documentaries, including one about the “uncommitted” political grassroots movement born in the Arab and Muslim communities of Metro Detroit. Razi’s work has been supported by the Ford Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the Sundance Institute, and others. He has been awarded fellowships by the Impact Partners, the Kresge Foundation, the Knight-Sundance Fellowship, the Sundance Producers Lab+Fellowship, and the Sundance-Disney Fellowship. Jafri holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. He is a 2022 Gilda Award recipient.

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Taylor Lutz began his career in the edit bay, cutting footage and fine-tuning projects as a post-production supervisor. In those long hours, patterns emerged. He saw where directors got tangled, where time was wasted, and what decisions made a project sing. That perspective became his foundation.

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He spent years shaping brand stories from the inside, working with Shinola and helping craft the voice of a company built on craftsmanship and detail. Now, as a creative director in the cannabis industry, Taylor’s work lives in a space where rules are blurry and success demands strategy, instinct, and the willingness to get a little weird.

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He has an affinity for ideas that make people stop and tilt their heads — campaigns that surprise, but never just for the sake of noise. His background as a brand strategist in an industry that resists convention has only sharpened that instinct.

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At the core, Taylor’s work is about clarity. He believes in simple ideas executed with care, leaving just enough room for curiosity. The polish comes from process. The magic comes from trusting that if it feels a little strange — and a little true — you’re on the right track.

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Paige Wood is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and writer whose multidimensional, multimedia work spans across live-action film, animation, and video games.

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Based in Detroit and working worldwide, Paige believes magic can be found everywhere, even within the mundane. As a fan of comedic, fantasy, and animated storytelling, Paige tells stories rooted in surrealism, horror, and humor that build on the absurdity of present realities. With a speciality in crafting change-based narratives that feel distinct, yet not didactic, Paige has worked with organizations such as PBS, the Cranbrook Art Museum, and the Ford Foundation -- her work recognized by the likes of BlackStar Film Festival, Tribeca Festival, IndieCade, and Apple.

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Paige is a 2024 Film Independent Episodic Lab Fellow, 2023 winner of Constellations' Artist Disruptor Award, 2022 Gotham TV Lab Fellow, 2021-2022 USC Annenberg Civic Media Fellow, 2020 Kresge Artist Fellow, an alumni of Firelight Media’s 2018-2019 Impact Producer Cohort, and a 2019 Sundance Institute | Knight Foundation Program Fellow. In addition to her collaborative and commercial work, Paige is currently developing several independent projects across television and film, including her own directorial short film debut. When she's not on set or about to enter production, Paige enjoys road trips (where she's driving), dinner parties (where she's not cooking), and catching up on her Japanese lessons (which she's definitely behind on).

Jon Clark is a director who makes commercials, narrative films, and documentary films. He has worked with The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Ford Motor Company, the Detroit Opera House, the University of Michigan, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and many more. He has directed commercial broadcast spots, as well as videos for large social media campaigns. His short films have played at festivals across the country, including North Hollywood CineFest, Hell's Half Mile, Screamfest New Orleans, Nightmares Film Festival, and more.

Ralph Torrefranca is a Filipino American award-winning writer, director and musician based in Los Angeles. His short film Champagne Social premiered at The 2019 IFS Film Festival in LA where Ralph was named “Best Director” at the fest. 

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His feature screenplay “RIFF” also made the Top 20% of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship in 2021. Most recently, his feature script "Fil-Am" was chosen by Goldhouse & TIFF for the competitive Gold Pitch event at Toronto International Film Festival 2024. 

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Ralph is also an accomplished musician, most known as the lead singer/guitarist of the national touring post-punk band Cuffed Up (KEXP, KCRW) who were SXSW Official Artists in 2022 and 2024. He has directed numerous music videos for the band including lead singles “Finer Things”, “Bonnie” and “Mock Dance”.

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