Michael Rees is a filmmaker who puts on the screening series, Health Ensurance, at the center of a buzzy NYC and LA art community. He explores creative ventures at the forefront of the worlds of film, music, fashion, and art.

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We’ve been big fans of Michael's work since awarding him two Staff Picks in 2023. This year's "Guzzle Buddies" delves into more sensitive subject matter involving mental health with a surprising level of sincerity — without sacrificing his singular sense of humor. He's developing a feature film and we can't wait.

Jela Hasler studied photography in Zurich and Istanbul, and cinema in Lucerne. Her short films have been invited to screen at festivals including Locarno Festival, IDFA, Hot Docs, Cannes Critic’s Week, and more.

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Quietly simmering until exploding into an all-out fury, every moment of Jela Hasler’s award-winning “On Solid Ground” is dialed into the universal feminine experience. In both narrative and documentary spaces, her films are crafted with formidable artistry and assured confidence. With a feature on the way, consider us first in line.

Annie Ning is a NY-based Chinese American filmmaker. “Invasive Species” premiered at Palm Springs before screening at Slamdance, Raindance, and more. In 2024, she was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Indie Film.

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Using space and sound to investigate imposter syndrome and micro aggressions, Annie’s Staff Pick Premiere “Invasive Species” shows a keen understanding of the macro and micro forces shaping human behavior. Her fine-tuned approach moves from quiet, simmering moments to bold gestures with a confidence we can’t wait to see more of.

French Portuguese director Rodrigo Goulão de Sousa started as an animator, art director, and background and storyboard artist. After his 2023 project, "Playground," went viral, he directed "Uncanny Alley" for Adult Swim Smalls.

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Rodrigo's animation style blends grotesque creature design and a haunting atmosphere with a playfully dark sense of humor. With this impressive introduction into his nightmarish worlds and characters, it’s no surprise that longer format adaptations for "Uncanny Alley" and "Playground" are already in the works.

Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz’s work has shown worldwide at SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand, Seattle, Hamptons, and more. They won the SXSW Special Jury Award and Palm Springs Best US Short, and are Shortlisted for The 97th Academy Awards.

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From a hazing ritual in “Flounder” to a tense immigration interview in “A Lien,” Sam and David have demonstrated strong instincts for dramas grounded in social realities. With two recent Staff Picks and their next short stacking up festival awards, this duo has delivered an already impressive body of work with a feature on the way.

Hao Zhou is a documentary and narrative filmmaker exploring queer and feminist themes. An alum of Berlinale Talents, Zhou has screened at Locarno, Berlin, SXSW, Hot Docs, and others.

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Exploring the intersection of identity, culture, and self-discovery, Hao Zhao’s intimate portraits invite us into spaces that are often overlooked. Featuring signature tenderness and empathy, their collection of stories spotlighting underrepresented voices has developed into an impressive body of work worthy of your attention.

Musa Alderson-Clarke's "Killing Boris Johnson" premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. His work is inspired by the psychoanalytics of those on society's boundaries, with a muscularity and playfulness that reflects his characters.

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Musa's provocatively titled story of a grieving would-be assassin speaks to the current cultural climate of post-pandemic anxiety, rage, and disillusionment towards national leaders. His work is psychologically complex and powerful, and he's a talent to watch as he develops two feature film projects.

Alexandra Qin is a French-Filipino-Chinese filmmaker based in NY. Her first short, “Thirstygirl,” screened at over 50 festivals worldwide and the feature script is supported by the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.

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Like many filmmakers, Alexandra mines her personal experiences for her art; however unlike most shorts we come across, she infuses her story with such deep empathy for her characters and their internal lives that themes of sisterhood, addiction, and shame live side-by-side with the natural ease of an established filmmaker.

Ward Kamel is a Syrian filmmaker and NYU Tisch graduate based in Brooklyn. He is an Academy Nicholl Fellow, and his work has screened at SXSW, Palm Springs, Hollyshorts, and Newfest.

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With his third narrative short, “If I Die In America,” Ward has emerged as a powerful voice weaving grief with the authority of cultural tradition. It can be difficult to capture universal truths about mourning with such specificity, but Ward’s humanist approach indicates he’s more than up for the task of adapting this into a feature.

Tsakas is an LA x NY documentarian and Pedráza-Botero is a visual artist from Bogotá. Their film “Alpha Kings” premiered at IFFR, won the Grand Jury Prize for Social Commentary at AFI Fest, and was acquired by The New Yorker.

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With the release of the incendiary “Alpha Kings,” Faye Tsakas and Enrique Pedráza-Botero have emerged as one of the most exciting non-fiction teams on the scene. Armed with incisive observational skills and a desire to examine culture in the age of late-stage capitalism, we can’t wait to see where their collaboration takes them next.