Dan Brawley is the Chief Instigating Officer of the Cucalorus Festival, an international celebration of filmmaking, performance and creativity in Wilmington, North Carolina founded in 1994 by Twinkle Doon. Cucalorus screens more than 150 films with a range of multi-disciplinary programs focusing on dance, social justice, horror, southern documentaries, and performance. Cucalorus was one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, 2022” according to MovieMaker Magazine. Brawley was the founding President of the Film Festival Alliance, an independent non-profit organization that develops and fosters collaboration among mission-driven film festivals around the world. Brawley was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, attended New Hanover High School, and graduated cum laude from Duke University. When he’s not watching your movie, he’s either walking his dog Izzie or surfing on the South End of Wrightsville Beach.

Alex Toribio is the Programming Manager for Cucalorus Film Foundation. She graduated from Towson University with a bachelors in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. She was a member of the Filipino Cultural Association of Towson during college, then became the Public Relations Coordinator for The Rita M. Cacas Filipino American Foundation. Alex was a video editor and social media creator for a Mental Health and Wellness Education Program called Ommworks, that started in 2020. In 2021, she taught Middle School PE and Health. She moved to Wilmington, NC from La Plata, MD in 2022. Alex is a singer/songwriter who performs around town. You can find her Journey 4 Life album on Spotify.

Anna Bennett is the Communications Manager for the Cucalorus Film Foundation. Originally from Alabama, Anna graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and a double minor in art history and religious studies. She moved to Wilmington in 2006 to work in the local film industry, working in casting and then serving as the head of wardrobe for various TV shows and independent films. After working on several film projects, Anna transitioned into the publishing industry, working for over a decade as a copywriter, copy editor and content creator. She loves cooking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her husband.

Annalee Decker is the Graphics Specialist for the Cucalorus Film Foundation. She is currently an honors student at UNC Wilmington majoring in film studies with a double minor in business and journalism. When not in school, Annalee works as a photographer, filmmaker, journalist, and commercial whitewater raft guide. Her visual and written work has been featured by the International Rafting Federation, Rafting Magazine, Canon USA, and the Ansel Adams Trust.

Stephanie Avery Taylor (pronouns: she/her) has a unique, extensive background in racial justice programming, environmental education and finance management which allows her to support the work and mission of Working Films where she is currently the Director of Finance and Organizational Resilience. In a previous position, she co-hosted the community Racial Rewind film series at Jengo’s and currently leads the Works-in-Progress partnership. Daughter of an Issei and raised in NC.  Studied Philosophy & World Religions with a focus on Asian Studies at Coastal Carolina University and UNCW. Stephanie enjoys being outside in nature, hiking and traveling to new places

Aaron Hillis has lived, breathed and bled independent cinema for over 20 years and was once praised by Brooklyn Magazine as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture” alongside Lena Dunham and Spike Lee. He is a curator, host and board member for the Cucalorus Film Festival, and the genre consultant for theatrical distributor Bleecker Street. Aaron’s writing has appeared in The Village Voice, VICE, Variety, Vanity Fair, and other outlets that don’t begin with V. He formerly owned and operated one of NYC’s last remaining video stores (now in permanent collection at the Alamo Drafthouse Chicago), in case you need a killer movie recommendation.

As a UNCW Film Studies Alumni, Jason began his career as an Operations Manager and programmer for the Cucalorus Film Festival. It was through the festival circuit he was able to meet, learn from, and network with fellow film industry professionals. Now a Location Manager and Scout living in Atlanta GA, Jason has worked on both independent and ‘studio- backed” projects. Jumping from commercials to features and scripted television, he enjoys the flexibility and creativity his job affords him. Jason has been lucky enough to be employed on productions for many of the major streaming and network broadcast companies. When he’s not scouring the land for the perfect filming location, or producing his own content, he enjoys hiking, traveling and attending any music event with his wife Jessica.

Akeema-Zane (she/her) is an artist and researcher who works across literature, sound design and music composition, film and moving image media. Through archival research, electronic media, experimentation, improvisation, bricolage and collaboration, Akeema-Zane thinks through themes of labor, urbanization, globalization, internationalism, virtuality and self possession. Her experiences of being a student, performer, employee and/or artist-resident of Westover School (CT);  Eugene Lang, New School University; The One World Exchange;  The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Groundation Grenada; Cave Canem;  Maysles Documentary Center; Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism; UnionDocs and The School of Making Thinking has greatly informed Akeema-Zane’s practices. She is currently a film educator at Maysles Documentary Center and is Board Chair of The School of Making Thinking.

Carla Forte was born in Caracas, Venezuela and lives and works in Miami, Florida. Forte,  first trained as a contemporary dancer, received a bachelor degree, earning the highest GPA at  the Dance University Institute in Caracas – Venezuela (2000-2004). Forte incorpore on her practice dance, film and performance, focusing on the Latin-American community. Best Film Director by the Miami New Times 2023. She is the co-founder of the Bistoury Physical Theatre and Film. Her films and performances have been screened at prominent festivals and galleries  such as: Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Salerno, Italy (2021); The University Galleries of Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton (2021); CICA Museum, South Korea (2021); SANFIC Santiago Festival Internacional de Cine Chile (2021); Rochester International Film Festival (2020); Miami International Film Festival, Florida (2020); Atlanta Film Festival, Georgia (2017); Cube Art Project, Nebraska (2017); Les Instants Video, France (2014), among others.

Christopher Everett is a Durham, NC-based producer and director of the award-winning documentary film “Wilmington on Fire.” He is the founder and president of Speller Street Films and currently works with the Southern Documentary Fund as Program Manager. Christopher is currently filming his next two documentaries, “Wilmington on Fire: Chapter II” and “Grandmaster,” which looks at the legacy of martial arts pioneer Vic Moore.

Jen is known for writing and directing award-winning short narrative films and popular music videos for southern bands like St. Paul and the Broken Bones. West also produced two films that were official selections of the 2016 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase in the American Pavilion as part of the Cannes Film Festival. She directed the Cucalorus Festival’s annual performance installation, Bus to Lumberton, in November of 2019 based on the screenplay for FALLING HOME (written by West and Virginia Newcomb). She’s been the recipient of the Sidewalk Film Festival’s Audience Choice Award, the Seed&Spark Best Short Film Award at the Flyway Film Festival, a Stowe Story Labs fellow, and a proud Cucalorus Artist Resident. West was a finalist for the 2020 Lynn Shelton “Of A Certain Age” grant, and quarterfinalist for the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition and the Vail Screenplay Contest with FALLING HOME.

Kim Pevia is an experienced life strategist, an engaging keynote speaker, and a skilled workshop facilitator. Her workshops are experiential and transformational. She specializes in identifying  the issues that keep us stuck and addresses them by developing a personalized toolbox to help us hurdle over them.  Her favorite work is done in circles.  Her favorite topics include Emotional intelligence, Gifts of Conflict, Impacts of Historical Trauma, Cultural Healing, Innocuous Nature of Fear, most of which she includes in Race, Equity and Inclusion work.  Born and educated in Baltimore, MD she currently lives in Robeson County, NC where her roots run deep as a member of the Lumbee Tribe.

Lydia Hyslop is a filmmaker, writer and actress, hiding out in rural Eastern NC. Her directorial debut, Burnout, had its world premiere at Cucalorus in 2013. Her recent screenplay, Sheila Got Bangs, was a finalist in Sidewalk Film Festival’s Sidewrite Screenplay Competition (2023) and a Second Rounder at Austin Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition (2024). Lydia’s wild & weird acting credits include The PEZ Outlaw (2022), White Reindeer (2013),Vacation! (2010), and Tim & Eric’s LA Guyz. Lydia serves on her local arts council and delights in being mama to her eight-year-old, Errol, a flock of backyard chickens, two house cats, and Moondog the three-legged pug. A Cucalorian for 13 years and counting, Lydia is thrilled to join the Board of Directors.

For over 32 years, Mark served UNC Wilmington as Special Assistant to the Chancellor and Assistant Secretary, Board of Trustees, providing leadership in governmental relations, board affairs, strategic planning, and economic development, as well as a director and officer of the UNCW Research Foundation and other associated entities. Educated in the public schools of North Carolina, Duke University, Appalachian State University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he previously was Assistant to the President/Lecturer in Political Science at Hampden-Sydney College, Assistant Secretary for the UNC System Board of Governors, and a board, policy, and public affairs consultant.  His external activities have included service for New Hanover County Smart Start, Cape Fear Workforce Development Board, Wilmington International Airport (ILM), state and local economic development organizations, USS North Carolina Battleship Commission, and Cucalous Film Foundation.