In 2006 Natasha moved to New York from Melbourne, Australia. Natasha is a practicing installation artist who, prior to film school had only used film and video in an abstract context within her installations. Columbia’s MFA program marks Natasha’s shift into narrative film with an ultimate aim of combining her love of abstraction and experiential installation within narrative film. During her time at Columbia Natasha has continued her art career including winning the Den Haag Sculpture prize in The Netherlands 2007, participating in a studio resident program at the ISCP in New York 2007 funded by the Australia Council for the Arts, been commissioned by the New York Public Art Fund for her work ThisSideIn & in 2009-10 and created Re-collection for No Longer Empty- at Governor’s Island 2010. Off-Ramp is her first graduate film.

Follow your instincts. Chanelle Elaine, with three films in this year’s festival that she either produced or co-produced, Off-Ramp, First Match & Tick Tock Time Emporium, is constantly investing in the heart. Call it corny, but Chanelle says, “see the results on screen and then come talk to me later.” With the exception of a feature film in development that she is producing in Haiti later this year, Chanelle is focusing on building her writing portfolio to add to her Humanitas nominated television pilot “OutSkirts”.