Alan Wu is an award winning Taiwanese-American film editor and an Assistant Professor at Boston University. He has a BA in Drama from Stanford University (’08) and an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film Program (’19), where he was a recipient of the prestigious Maurice Kanbar Fellowship. Alan’s films have screened at festivals such as Sundance, Berlin International Film Festival, Locarno, Tribeca, and the Toronto International Film Festival. His features include Alexandre Rockwell’s SWEET THING (2020) and Mamadou Dia’s BAAMUM NAFI (2019), and Joseph Sackett’s HOMEBODY (2021). His work is available to stream on major platforms including Fandor, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
Dara is a seasoned media professional with decades of experience across various genres in the media landscape. Dara’s genuine passion for telling impactful stories has taken her around the globe throughout Africa, Asia, Canada, Central America, Europe, and every state in the United States. Her journey to understand and share Himalayan culture took her to Bhutan in 2008 and again in 2017 to reveal the impact of Gross National Happiness in Asia and Europe.
Dara is the creator of two nonfiction series, She’s Got Grit and 650,000 Hours. She wrote and produced Onion Skin, a full-length play about skin cancer, which debuted at the Capital Fringe Festival in 2023. Her short screenplay, The Cardigan, earned multiple festival awards for best short script. Dara has written, produced, and directed programs and series for Animal Planet, CBS, DARPA Channel, Discovery Channel, Discovery HD-Theater, Discovery Kids, ESPN, Fox, Home and Garden Television, Lifetime Television, Military Channel, National Geographic Channel, Outdoor Life Channel, OWN, PBS, and Science Channel.
An adjunct professor in the School of Communication at American University (AU) since 2004, Dara is also the Director of Discover the World of Communication, a university program for high school students. She is an ICF-certified ACC coach. She earned both Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Practitioner certifications in January 2016.
Nabin Subba is a Nepalese film director, screenwriter, and producer, known for his focus on indigenous communities and for his role as a pioneer of the “Fourth Cinema” movement in Nepalese cinema. He is also a journalist and heads the Indigenous Film Archive in Nepal.
Nina Streich is the Executive Director of the Global Peace Film Festival, based in Orlando, Florida, which she founded in 2003. She boasts a rich background in the film, television, and media industries as well as in the political arena. Streich has held senior management roles in various film festivals and has produced documentaries on social issues ranging from nuclear disarmament to women’s health. She also served as Deputy Film Commissioner for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting. Her political experience includes roles such as New York Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee and Deputy Executive Director for the NYC Host Committee for the 1994 Grammy Awards.
In addition to her festival work, Streich is an accomplished events producer, having organized film premieres, music festivals, conferences, parades, street fairs, and press conferences. She began her career as a film editor, working on trailers and marketing materials for over 50 major studio and independent films.
For More Information: https://peacefilmfest.org
Rebecca Bustamante is currently the Screening Director for the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival and served as a judge for the 2019 DC WebFest. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she was introduced to the world of women in film through Women in Film Dallas, where she performed in a PSA for Gilda’s Club featuring voiceover by Meryl Streep. When her career brought her to Washington, DC, she connected with Women in Film & Video (WIFV), sparking a journey of personal and professional growth.
During her first term on the WIFV Board of Directors, she executed the marketing plan for the 2012 Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) Summit. Five years later, as President of WIFV, she accepted the Washington DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts on behalf of the organization. Throughout her tenure, Rebecca worked to improve board governance with updated policies like the data retention policy and enhanced the use of technology for social media and board collaboration. Rebecca’s advocacy for the arts began when she became a charter member of The National Museum of Women in the Arts. She holds an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she co-founded the Cross-Cultural Artists Forum with support from the Non-Traditional Casting Project in New York City.
For More Information: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1028427/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
Kirtana Banskota is an award-winning Nepali-American filmmaker, director, and producer based in Austin, Texas. She is the founder of Banskota Productions and co-founder of the Nepal America Film Society, Nepal America International Film Festival (NAIFF), South Asian House at SXSW, and Saffron Sky Studios. All her films—Premonition, Where the Stars Are, The World’s Happiest Man and many more —center themes of identity, social justice, and cross-cultural connection.
For NAIFF 2025, Kirtana served as a film screener and will also lead a filmmaking Masterclass during the festival. A passionate advocate for inclusive storytelling, Kirtana served on the board of Women in Film and Television Austin for four years and is a current member of Alliance of Women Directors and Film Fatale. She was named a Changemaker by Austin Woman Magazine and is a finalist for Best Filmmaker in Austin, with the winner to be announced on June 19th.
Through her work, Kirtana continues to champion AAPI and diaspora voices in global cinema—elevating stories that bridge cultures, empower communities, and inspire the next generation of storytellers.
Lubomira PALIKARSKA BUXT is a French art historian and social anthropologist specializing in the visual arts. She has conducted extensive fieldwork research in Nepal and India and has worked for over 10 years as a senior lecturer in the Department of Postgraduate Film Studies at AFDA, Cape Town.
Sahaj Man Shrestha – trained, among others, in Advance Professional Diploma from Television Training Centre in Berlin – is a filmmaker and a media professional with several leadership roles in Nepali media under his belt. He was one of the pioneer program producers and the Technical Director at Nepal Television, Chief Executive Producer and Chief Operating Officer at Image Channel Television, Executive Advisor at Himalayan Television and Creative Director at ECS Media Group. He has made a feature film, several documentaries, television commercials, public service announcements, television programs and music videos. He also worked at the Npeal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) contributing to media training, strategy planning, and design, and implementing innovative ideas for sustainable development to uplist marginalized communities.
Sarvasrika Singh is a Nepali-American filmmaker currently attending the NYU Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. She has previously worked as the Second AD for The World’s Happiest Man, and in numerous other professional and student ventures. She has been recognized through the Tony Hawkins Special Commendation for Excellence in Sound Design for her first-year project, and by the Emily Couric Leadership Forum as a student leader making an impact on her community.
Shanta Nepali is an award-winning filmmaker and advocate based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her works focus on marginalised voices through films featured on National and international networks such as NatGeo, BBC, Discovery, etc. Founder of Shanta Nepali Productions, Shanta Foundation and Nepali Female Filmmakers, she’s a fellow at Global Media Makers(USA), Docs by the Sea(Indonesia), and One World Media (UK).
Shrestha Kiran, born in the remote village of eastern Nepal, grew up and received his higher education in town. Driven by his early love for photography, he taught himself to become an indie filmmaker. With over a decade of experience in filmmaking, he is now pursuing his directorial aspiration with his debut short film, ‘Yet Another Winter’, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival 2021 and various other festivals.
Shrestha has contributed to many films as an editor and assistant director, including the latest feature film ‘Shambhala’ (Berlinale, 2024), and his many other works has been showcased at renowned festivals like Berlinale, Venice, Toronto, Rotterdam, Locarno and Busan. He is alumnus of Busan AFA (2018) and Berlinale talents (2019). Mr. Shrestha is planning on his upcoming short film ‘WooD’.
Sunny Liu is an award-winning filmmaker, pianist/composer, and animator based in New York, known for her emotionally driven storytelling and dedication to amplifying marginalized voices. A graduate of Emerson College, The New School, and the School of Visual Arts, her work has been recognized at prestigious festivals such as the Tribeca Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and Doc NYC, and has reached wider audiences through screenings on Amazon Prime and PBS.
Weena Pun is the author of Kanchhi, a novel available in the Indian Subcontinent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), Singapore and Malaysia from Hachette India. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and is at work on her second novel.
Yubakar Rajkarnikar is a filmmaker, programmer and a media professional, with writing and production of a number of television series and documentaries under his belt. He has been the Festival Director of NAIFF (Nepal America International Film Festival) since 2020. He has also been associated with KIMFF (Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival) as a programmer for many years, and was the Festival Manager of Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in 2021.