Meet The Makers

A musician from Chicago, IL, this documentary is his first, but is sure not to be his last.

Tiffany Lupien is an emerging storyteller and filmmaker from California who’s intention is to tell the stories we want to feel in the most artistic way.

Alec Tufenkjian is a Lebanese Armenian Filmmaker, focused on creating animations and stories that represent different cultures and identities that can connect and resonate with viewers emotionally. Born and raised in San Diego, but stationed in San Francisco at California College of the Arts.

Jard Lerebours (He/They) is a queer community oriented Jamaican-Haitian filmmaker, writer and curator who creates exploratory pieces in service of venerating his ancestors and putting image to theory. He is an active member of the Meerkat Media Artist Collective. Jard’s practice straddles the worlds of cinema and video art. He approaches filmmaking as a conversation between friends and family guided by their loving West Indian upbringing in Long Island.

As a curator, Jard’s first program “Samkofa” in collaboration with Film Diary NYC featured genre defying and experimental work by Black filmmakers. Their next program “the land of wood and water” with cinemóvil nyc provided a much needed space to showcase work by Jamaican filmmakers. Jard’s latest program “Samkofa 2” continues the important work of building community and collaboration among Black filmmakers operating outside traditional documentary and fiction.

Jard’s film work includes the Babylon Red Trilogy which consists of the short films Pandrog, Coconut and Zion. The trilogy explores gender, masculinity, Rastafarianism, Buddhism and notions of home. His work has been showcased internationally by BAM, The Atlanta Film Festival, Indie Memphis Film Festival, NFFTY, Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Southern Fried Queer Pride, Out on Film, VAEFF and others.

Victoria Wilcox is a Philadelphia-based director and freelance photographer. Ranging in documentaries, narrative, music videos and more. Recognized locally and internationally, Victoria has curated a portfolio of capturing moments in time rooted in evoking empathy and feeling. She has recently graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Narrative Directing. Over the past five years, Victoria has built a name for herself through her business Torian Studios, showcased through various publications and awarded for screenwriting, lighting, and overall in filmmaking.

Raphael Xavier- African American film maker, Producer, Writer & Editor is an award-winning artist. As a 2013 Pew Fellowship Grantee, 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and 2016 United States Artist Fellow, Xavier has been a professional stage performer/dancer for the last 25 years. He works in a variety of fields including music, photography and film. His latest project, Swerve·Eli is currently on the film festival circuit. Swerve·Eli has been supported by Independent Public Media Foundation 2020 & 2024.

Darryl Wyrick is a creative storyteller, aviation advocate, and digital strategist dedicated to amplifying Black voices and fostering intentional community impact. With a background in educational leadership and corporate project management, Darryl has spent years using his platform to highlight the intersections of Black identity, wellness, and professional development.

As a former higher education practitioner turned aviation professional, he has been a visible force in digital media. His work centers on empowering Black creatives, sharing untold narratives, and building spaces where authenticity and representation thrive.

Now, as a new father, Darryl’s creative lens has expanded to include a deeper exploration of Black fatherhood—documenting the lessons, challenges, and intentionality that come with shaping the next generation. His latest short film, Fatherhood: A Road Paved with Intention, is a testament to that journey, offering a heartfelt reflection on what it means to show up with purpose, love, and vision for the future.

Kyra Knox is an award-winning director who understands the power of storytelling. Her work has been featured in Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, NPR Morning Edition, Axios, Filmmaker Magazine, and more. Driven by a passion for storytelling, Kyra transitioned from a full-time job to pursue directing. Her directorial debut, the award-winning feature documentary "Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia," explores gun violence in her city and the community's efforts to combat it. The film premiered at the prestigious American Black Film Festival and has since garnered critical acclaim, winning honors at The Philadelphia Film Festival, The Micheaux Film Festival, the Harlem Hip Hop Festival, and more. FOX Soul and Prime Video have acquired her feature, and it has been seen by over 300,000 households (and counting) since its December 2023 debut. Kyra's filmmaking approach fosters a deep connection between the audience and the participants of her documentaries. This stems from her belief in respecting and caring for each person's story. Her dedication has been recognized with numerous awards, including Producer of the Year at the Shorty Impact Awards, seven Shorty Impact Awards, eight Telly Awards, four Communicator Awards, a Gold Addy, and a Mosaic Award. Kyra is known for her infectious enthusiasm and commitment to creating a safe and collaborative environment on set.

Alterik Miller is a multi-talented creative from Newark, New Jersey with an insatiable hunger for artistic expression, he has honed his craft as a filmmaker, musician, and visual artist. As a producing partner with Deck of Cards Entertainment, he has an unwavering passion for storytelling and has worked alongside an impressive roster of up-and-coming actors. Achieving critical acclaim and a legion of viewers, Alterik’s groundbreaking thought-provoking proof-of-concept, "MOONLESS NIGHTS” has garnered numerous accolades. In addition to producing “BY DECEPTION,” a psychological thriller (now streaming on Peacock, Redbox, The Roku Channel, Sling TV and Tubi), the home invasion thriller, “ONE WAY OUT” in which he wrote and also produced will be released in the Spring of 2025, Alterik continues to push the boundaries of his artistry, always looking to captivate audiences with his bold and unflinching storytelling as he sets his sights on even greater creative heights.

Jasmine Lynea is a film director and writer residing in Philadelphia. Her raw and colorful evolving film work aims to redesign familiar worlds with unique possibilities. A radical dreamer, Jasmine chooses to blend fantasy and reality in her black queer narratives to escape limitations that diminish our spiritual existence and power.

After she wrote, directed, and edited the poetically driven short film The Mixtape: Stay Black, Baby in 2016, Jasmine established a new relationship with film, becoming a high-school film teacher at Samuel Fels. There she was awarded the Leeway Art and Change Grant to launch the Root and Branch Arts Festival. During this time she was also awarded the 2020 Philadelphia Media Fund to continue her work as a film director and writer for her experimental short film How to Survive a Mourning, which screened at WWCC 16th Annual Juried Art Exhibition and was granted an Honorable Mention Award in 2021.

Jasmine’s short films have been screened in several film festivals including Seattle Black Film Festival, Hip Hop Film Festival, and San Francisco Black Film Festival. More recently, she wrote, directed, and edited her short fantasy sci-fi– The Love Machine. As a fellow for their year-long Inuagral Filmmaker Lab, the short- film premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival.

Jasmine Lynea, is currently in pre-production of her next short film Della Can Fly! The project is supported by Independent Public Media Foundation.

Born an raised in 3 cities of Ohio, I am 1 of 12 siblings, the first of them to pursue a career in the arts , an that I enjoy , a child of God. I can also do a backflip.