Executive Director, CineFest Latino Boston
Sabrina Avilés is an award-winning independent filmmaker, educator, and the Founder/Executive Director of CineFest Latino Boston. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Brother Thomas Fellowship, and in 2019, she was named a LEF Flaherty Fellow.
Her credits include a short documentary called “Raising the Floor” about a basic income pilot implemented in Chelsea, MA during the pandemic. She is currently working on a feature-length documentary about Chelsea, Massachusetts, which delves into the city’s challenges and resilience through the stories of three local leaders.
In 2022, Sabrina founded CineFest Latino Boston after serving as the Executive Director of the Boston Latino International Film Festival for six years. During her tenure, the festival received a special commendation from the Boston Society of Film Critics, “for bringing to Boston audiences a varied, challenging line-up of local, national and international films by Latinx filmmakers, and for prioritizing outreach to community partners.” In 2024, Boston Magazine voted CineFest Latino Boston the best festival to present international films. cinefestlatino.com
Executive Director, Independent Film Festival Boston
Brian Tamm is the Executive Director of Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston). He has been on the festival staff since 2005. Before that he worked in advertising and attended Emerson College. iffboston.org
Executive Director, Wicked Queer
Shawn Cotter has been part of the film festival community for over two decades as an experimental filmmaker and festival organizer. A graduate of UMass Amherst in Comparative Literature/Film Studies, he discovered filmmaking early on with a Super 8 camera and never looked back. Shawn joined Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival in 2011 and has held multiple roles — first Operations Manager, then Director of Programming, and now Executive Director since 2018. He also serves as Director of Programming for the FMLGBTFF in North Dakota and has supported a range of colleague festivals dedicated to elevating underrepresented voices.
Outside of festivals, Shawn has worked for 30 years in retail as a manager, buyer, and merchandiser. Shawn lives in Malden, MA, is a proud cat dad, and counts Doris Wishman, Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, R.W. Fassbinder, and Wong Kar-Wai among his favorite filmmakers. queer.film/wickedqueer
Executive Director, Woods Hole Film Festival
Judy Laster is the Founder and Executive Director of the Woods Hole Film Festival. Now in its 35th year, the Festival is one of the oldest and longest running Festivals in New England and supports the work of emerging independent filmmakers, with an emphasis on New England filmmakers. She is also an Executive Producer of the 2022 feature documentary, BONNIE BLUE: JAMES COTTON'S LIFE IN THE BLUES, which was a finalist for the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
She worked as a policy attorney in the Massachusetts Legislature specializing in energy, economic development and emerging technologies. Her work includes assisting with the development of the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit. woodsholefilmfestival.org
Programming Manager, Boston Asian American Film Festival
Nate Shu has been the Co-Programming Manager for the Boston Asian American Film Festival since 2022, helping to highlight the best of AAPI cinema each year. He started as a volunteer and member of the screening committee.
His day job is working as the Community Engagement Manager for ArtsBoston, managing their event calendar and helping run NAACBoston, the Network for Arts Administrators of Color. He is a graduate of Emerson College's Comedic Arts program and also programs a community film series at Pao Arts Center in Chinatown. baaff.org
