A Las Vegas native, Nikki spent her early career in feature film development in Los Angeles, with stints at Twentieth Century Fox and Michael Douglas’s company at Paramount. She began producing and writing independently with the award-winning documentary, Urban Rescuers, and continues to follow her passion for nonfiction film with her business, Life-Portraits. Besides working on NWFFest year-round, Nikki teaches a variety of film and English classes at the College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College, and is a free-lance writer for Story Terrace. She holds a B.S in film from Boston University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College.

Danette is the Film Resource Coordinator for the Nevada Film Office. The Nevada Film Office markets the state’s diverse locations and promotes Nevada as a premier destination for productions. Danette’s work focuses primarily in the area of Public and Community relations; however, her passion for the local community keeps her involved in all aspects of the operations. Working closely with major productions, Danette directly has a hand in films, television series, and commercials featuring Las Vegas and Nevada, driving economic benefits, tourism and promoting our state. She holds an M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas, and a B.A. in Foreign Languages from UC, Riverside.

Dr. Heather Addison joined the Department of Film at UNLV as Chair in 2016. She is a film scholar who has taught a broad range of courses in film history, criticism, and theory. She studies Hollywood’s relationship to American culture, and has published her work in a large number of peer-reviewed journals. Her books include Hollywood and the Rise of Physical Culture (Routledge, 2003) and Motherhood Misconceived: Representing the Maternal in U.S. Films (SUNY, 2010), a collection of essays co-edited with Elaine Roth and Mary Kate Goodwin-Kelly.

Michelle Patrick oversees the Community Arts Development programming through the Nevada Arts Council, State of Nevada. Originally from New York City, Michelle also serves as a board member for the Las Vegas Arts District, and as a grants reader for the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the past decade, Patrick has worked at the intersections of theater, dance, film, arts programming and public speaking. She is also an Actress, Director and Voice Over Artist. Patrick’s experience comes from a varied background that includes the city of Las Vegas, Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Sundance Film Festival.

May May Luong is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Film and a minor in Theater. She also holds an M.F.A. in Writing for Dramatic Media from UNLV. May May has produced seven feature-length films and numerous short films. Her films have played all over the world and have garnered notable awards including the Narrative Feature Special Jury Recognition for Independent Filmmaking at the Austin Film Festival for her first feature film, Thor at the Bus Stop. In 2017, May May was named the Nevada Woman Filmmaker of the Year and March 24, 2017 was declared “May May Luong Day” by the City of Las Vegas. May May currently teaches film courses in production at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is also working on the development of a number of feature film and television projects.

Samantha Rodriguez is a Mexican filmmaker currently working as a freelance camera assistant and producer in Las Vegas, Nevada.  As an alumnus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas film program, Samantha has co-produced and co-directed a short film that screened at many local film festivals.  She has worked on over fifty short film and commercial sets in her two year film career so far.  Her experience working within many departments aids her to be a better producer and director.  Her work as the Director of the Behind the Scenes team on “The Big Wish” in the Coca-Cola and Regal Films nationwide contest was awarded the Best Social Media award in 2019.  She is currently the creative producer on a feature-length documentary called “Crave,” which is about the importance of art communities and the innovators that help shape them.

Jemsen Yumico Bollozos, born and raised in the Philippines, currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2019, she graduated from University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a BA in Film Studies. Since then, she has worked as a production coordinator and editor for various local production companies. Her projects centered mainly on experimental films and documentaries which explore the psychology of the human condition. In 2020,  she co-directed the short documentary “I EXIST”, which won 2 student Emmy Awards–Best Short Film and Best Director. In the same category, her other short film titled “Reflection” won best cinematography/ photography at the Southwest Pacific Emmy Awards. Jemsen strongly advocates for diversity in the film industry and shared such views in an interview that aired on Action News, ABC in 2020. Later that year, she directed a PSA commercial for Workforce Connections  that aired on various local channels. Her upcoming projects include “CRAVE”, a feature-length documentary focusing on art activism.

Gina Mizzoni is a Southern Nevada-based photographer who not only resides in Las Vegas but was born and raised there. She graduated from UNLV in 2008 with a dual degree in International Business and Marketing. With a strong background in marketing communications, her professional expertise has encompassed a wide spectrum, from brand development to content writing, voiceover work and everything in between. In 2014, she left the corporate world to pursue her passion for photography full-time through her business, Gina Mizzoni Photography. In 2022, she was the official Event Photographer for the Nevada Women’s Film Festival. Gina is honored to serve as part of the NWFFest Executive Committee this year, as she believes strongly in supporting women in film. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies with her music composer husband, David Rosen, host of the film podcast, “Piecing It Together.”

Keely Dervin came to us from Napa, California where she worked with the Napa Film Festival for 5 years as the Ring Master. She was a child actor/model in San Francisco, She went back into acting full time in 2004, and made a promise to write and produce a film a year. She founded a group called Filmmakers of Napa Valley, which made 4 films in one year. 

At the moment she’s in the middle of finishing two documentaries, working as an actress in TV./Film and Improv in LA. She is also looking forward to producing another narrative next year.  She has an amazing love for the industry, She taught filmmaking to many underprivileged children in Napa where she raised two children of her own.

Now that she is settled in Las Vegas, she is following her dream and working often in Los Angeles, acting in film and TV as well as performing with the top LA-area improv group, and is very excited to be part of the Nevada Women’s Film Festival.

Tiffanie Rose Ignacio is a Filipina filmmaker that currently resides in Las Vegas, NV as a Freelance Film & Video Editor. From the class of 2017, she excelled at UNLV with a Bachelor’s Degree of Art in Film. Since graduating, Tiffanie has worked as a Freelance Video Editor with brands such as Adobe & Toyota and has gained extensive Coordinator-Training experience from her work on the “90 Day Fiancé” series. Collaborating with her local peers, a selection of her works have garnered an array of awards and festival admissions. Previously receiving Best Editor and Best Sound Design along with all top categories for “Comme ci Comme ça” at the 2019 UNLV Spring Flicks. Tiffanie is also one of the Co-Founders of Eccentric Artists which is a film collective that encourages an inclusive community that supports underrepresented filmmakers. Currently in development, you can find her working as an Editor for both short and feature length documentaries and music video pieces.

Veronica Castillo is a Mexican-Guatemalan filmmaker based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She received her BA in Film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has worked on several shorts and music videos as an assistant director and actor. Her short film, An Arrangement of Skin, won Best Audience Award for UNLV’s Spring Flicks in 2017 and screened at SSFF Spring Shorts Festival. She is also a co-founding board member of Eccentric Artists, a film collective committed to highlighting artists and forming community. Her focus is on producing and directing feature films, short films, and animated doodles. Veronica is currently producing Critical Incidents, a feature film in production for Fall 2021.