• Kenz Benmosbah is a film director from Tunisia. Her mixed cultural background sparked her passion for stories about misfits. Her short documentary TEENAGE PORTRAIT (2020) set in provincial France inspired her short film I'M LEAVING TONIGHT (2021), which is now streaming on NoBudge. Passionate about languages, she was the French translator for Kaouther Ben Hania’s Tunisian film FOUR DAUGHTERS (Festival de Cannes, sélection officielle), and has now directed shorts in 5 different languages. Kenz earned her bachelor's degree in filmmaking in Bordeaux, during which she worked as a production assistant at Lilies Films (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE). Kenz is a current Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute, where she is still getting used to talking about herself in the third person.

  • Jose Lopez is a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara where he completed a double major in Creative Writing and Film and Media Studies. One of the inaugural members of the Carsey-Wolf Center's Storytelling for the Screen Workshop, Lopez has worked closely with industry writers and producers to hone his skills as a screenwriter. Also a member of UCSB's Writer's Room, Lopez has worked extensively in a mock writer's room in preparation for the film industry. During his studies at UCSB, Lopez completed his short film JUNKIE as well as numerous feature scripts and pilots. Finding his passion for telling visual stories has led Jose to AFI where he continues to work toward perfecting his craft and telling engaging, heart-wrenching stories.

  • Hyun woo “Shawn” Lee is a producer from South Korea who graduated with a BS in Culture and Design Management at Yonsei University. Prior to AFI, he worked as a Production & Licensing assistant at Animax Korea and Marketing intern at Sony Pictures Korea creating and managing digital contents for their YouTube channels and assisting the production of children’s variety show, DDOTTY'S AFTERSCHOOL RANKING. He works as the lyrics translator and producer for the YouTube channel MU:EM that creates Korean covers of English-based musical numbers. With a background in amateur musical theatre and digital content, he has great interest in stories with a warm heart across different platforms.

  • Eli Cooper is from Powderhorn Park, an artistic neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up surrounded by free spirits, delicious food and a tight-knit community. He attended the media program at Perpich Arts High School. In 2017, he pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinematography at Columbia College Chicago. After graduating from Columbia, he moved to Los Angeles. Having experience in 16mm, 35mm and digital formats, Cooper utilizes his knowledge to take creative liberties in a wide variety of genres. He strives to create thought-provoking and inspirational work that generates a conversation to challenge the status quo.

  • Riya Vaidya is a multi-passionate artist and designer with an Industrial Design background. She was a part of the Installation Design crew for the 2019 VH1 Supersonic music festival in India. She has also worked as a graphic designer and costume/styling assistant. Passionate about art and storytelling since she was a kid, she believes film and books have the power to transform hearts, thoughts, and the world. As a production designer, she aspires to visually translate stories that tread genres, connect people to themselves and each other, and reflect different dimensions of existence.
 She is currently a Production Design fellow at the AFI Conservatory.

  • Travis Jamison Maxwell is an up-and-coming film editor. His tremendous passion for editing developed at Virginia State University. While in college, Maxwell wrote, directed and edited his first film, AWAKENED. AWAKENED won an award at the Poe Film Festival in 2019. With Maxwell's hard work and drive, he graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Mass Communications. As an editor, he has worked on a wide range of projects including commercials, music videos and documentaries. Maxwell has worked on several short films including his own suspense thriller, TOGETHER. Recently, TOGETHER was selected for the Richmond International Film Festival.