Simone Jude is a filmmaker and composer based in San Francisco with a love of visual storytelling and cinematic tension. She studied film at USC and NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned a BFA in film and television production. Simone’s films have screened internationally, with her short film Lorelei Lee winning ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Score’ in the International Documentary Challenge at Hot Docs International Film Fest in Toronto in 2009. Her debut feature documentary, Immaculate Confession, a’mythic love story’ (San Francisco Chronicle) on Catholic priests and nuns who fell in love in the sixties, premiered at the United Nations Film Festival in 2008. Simone also shot and directed the visually stunning music video ‘Situation’ by Ex-Boyfriends, which premiered internationally on Logo Television.

Recent projects include: Cherry, starring Lily Taylor, Heather Graham, and James Franco, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 (camera dept); Fluid, a short that premiered at Frameline in 2011 (director of photography); an upcoming documentary feature on the SF Armory directed by James Franco (camera); and Mother Country, which screened most recently at the SF IndieFest (original score). Learn more about Simone Jude’s work at simonejude.com.

Raised a home-schooled Quaker, Jesse Kerman’s nearly 20-year film career has been nearly as eclectic as his upbringing, ranging from a horror comedy distributed internationally by Troma Entertainment and numerous indie features, to documentaries and corporate animation, with roles in writing, shooting, directing, editing and motion graphics. He’s co-directed two films that were finalists in the International Documentary Film Challenge (2009 and 2013) and has done work for such companies as Google, New Balance and Genentech. If there’s a common thread to his work, it’s a constant need for new challenges and creative outlets. He lives and works in New England with his wife and cat. www.jessekerman.com