Lisa Hodsoll is a Helen Hayes nominated actor, filmmaker, and writer. She is the founder and artistic director of Open Road, a not-for-profit arts group that promotes and supports independent artists, playwrights, and filmmakers. She is also the founder of the Open Road Film Festival for shorts. She co-wrote the award-winning feature Kosmopolites and wrote and directed the award-winning comedy Buffurducken. She has written and created multiple shorts, most recently Banana Banana and The Ladies Who Do Swim (currently out on the film festival circuit). Her most recent work as an actor was on FBI (CBS), Law & Order SVU (NBC), Tires (Netflix), the Apple TV+ Series Lady In the Lake, and the film Jesus Land.
Rebecca Bustamante has been participating as a jury member for the Nepal American International Film Festival since 2019.
She was a screening director and an award presenter at the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival from 2018 until its recent closure, but she continues her involvement in fashion through participation in New York Fashion Week. As Past President of Women in Film & Video in Washington, DC, she received the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts, launched the Seed Fund for Documentary Filmmakers, and served as the Marketing Chair for the Women in Film and Television International Summit. Civically, she contributes to Project Management for Change, Women Giving Back, and Habitat for Humanity, demonstrating a strong commitment to community service and social impact. A 2025 Marquis Who’s Who honoree for expertise in management and Top 100 Professional Women, Rebecca is currently pursuing her MBA from Rice University and earned an MFA from Southern Methodist University earlier in her career.
Rebecca Bustamante has been participating as a jury member for the Nepal American International Film Festival since 2019.
She was a screening director and an award presenter at the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival from 2018 until its recent closure, but she continues her involvement in fashion through participation in New York Fashion Week. As Past President of Women in Film & Video in Washington, DC, she received the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts, launched the Seed Fund for Documentary Filmmakers, and served as the Marketing Chair for the Women in Film and Television International Summit. Civically, she contributes to Project Management for Change, Women Giving Back, and Habitat for Humanity, demonstrating a strong commitment to community service and social impact. A 2025 Marquis Who’s Who honoree for expertise in management and Top 100 Professional Women, Rebecca is currently pursuing her MBA from Rice University and earned an MFA from Southern Methodist University earlier in her career.
Siddhartha Shakya is a veteran Nepali Director of Photography and video producer with more than four decades of experience in television, documentary filmmaking, news production, and cinematography. Beginning his career with Nepal Television in 1985, he has contributed to a wide range of award-winning documentaries, telefilms, television series, and international productions.
His notable credits include Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest, Women Rebel, Desert Eats Us, Saving Dolma, In Search of Riyal, We the Corner People, On the Road with the Red God: Machhendranath, Pakha (The Wall), and Ujeli. Shakya has also trained journalists, photographers, filmmakers, and media professionals across Nepal and the region. Recipient of the Best Cinematography Tele Award for Dalan, he continues to contribute to Nepal’s audiovisual sector through his production company, Visual Arts Production, based in Lalitpur.
Vanessa is an indie filmmaker with international experience in film and television. Her career has included work with Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies, NHK English Radio in Tokyo, and NBC Universal London. As the founder of Movie Mad Entertainment LLC, she produced an award-winning short film, with her work screened internationally, including in New York and Tokyo. She is currently developing The Atonement Series, focused on domestic violence and mental health.