2025 Guests

Tessa will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after her film, Caper, on Friday, November 14. Learn more here. 

Tessa Borbridge is an NYC-based actor, playwright, screenwriter, and now, thanks to Caper, producer. Her pilot script THE GENTRIFIERS was filmed and directed by Caper’s Celester Rich (2023). She was in the web series Seeking Sublet with Caper’s Caroline Winkler, with whom she improvised in bar basements and theaters around NYC. Most of her work has been workshopped at the longstanding Tuesdays@9 cold reading series, hosted by the Off-Broadway theatre company Naked Angels. A Bay Area native, Tessa’s first NYC friend was Caper’s Anne Klaus, whom she met at a weekly group of improvisers, writers and comedians hosted in the living room of Anne’s apartment, 17D. Twenty plus years later, she formed 17D Productions with group member Liz Wiseman, yet somehow it feels like this is just the beginning.

Dean will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after his film, Caper, on Friday, November 14. Learn more here.

Dean Imperial is a Manhattan-based screenwriter, director and (sometimes) actor. He is a published playwright. His spec pilot Hammerhead, executive produced by Tony Gilroy, won Best Overall Television Show and the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2018 New York Television Festival and was selected for SXSW 2019. He wrote for the show Imposters (NBC Universal/Bravo/Netflix) and on the sci-fi epic series San Pedro (not yet released). As an actor, he starred in Noah Hutton’s Lapsis (SXSW 2020). He was writer and Executive Story Editor on EPIX/MGM’s Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker and later wrote for MGM+’s Hotel Cocaine series (both created by Narcos's Chris Brancato). In 2025, his feature debut, Caper, premiered at SXSW; his follow-up feature, The Plea which he co-directed, co-wrote, and co-stars in with Zach LaBeau—produced by Kim Jackson —is slated for 2026. He is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Anne will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after her film, Caper, on Friday, November 14. Learn more here.

For over thirty years, Anne Klaus has brought together improvisers, actors, comedians and writers in her New York City apartment, 17D. These weekly gatherings fostered a dedicated group of professional artists who have collaborated, workshopped, and created material that has since made its way to both stage and screen. Two members of the group, Tessa Borbridge and Liz Wiseman, created 17D Productions, and its most recent project, Caper, written and directed by group member Dean Imperial, and starring many of its members, made its World Premiere at SXSW. Anne's background includes playwriting, stand-up and improvisational comedy, with education and work in LA, NYC and New Orleans. With inspiration most recently afforded by entry into the Three Rivers Film Festival, the group looks forward to our weekly gatherings and nights filled with laughter.

Jennifer will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after her film, About Face: Disrupting Ballet, on Wednesday, November 19. Learn more here.

Jennifer Lin is a filmmaker, author and journalist, who worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer for 31 years, including posts as a correspondent in China, New York and Washington, D.C. About Face: Disrupting Ballet is her third documentary. Her previous films, which have broadcast nationally on PBS, include Beethoven in Beijing and Ten Times Better. Jennifer is author of a family memoir, Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family, and an oral history based on Beethoven in Beijing.

Lilian will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after his her, Honeyjoon, on Thursday, November 13. Learn more here. 

Lilian T. Mehrel is an award-winning writer & director with a visionary sense of feeling and humor. She is the winner of the Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories Award for her debut feature, Honeyjoon, which premiered at Tribeca 2025 and has won multiple audience awards. She was selected for SFFILM Rainin, TorinoFilmLab ComedyLab, Film Independent Episodic Lab, Sloan Award, Nancy Malone Directing Award, Geri Ashur Screenwriting Award, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, CineQuaNonLab, Film Fatales Episodic Directing Shadow Workshop, TFI Labs with YouTube/Google and Warner Media, and the Sony Pictures Classics / Marcie Bloom Fellowship. Lilian takes audiences for a ride with her stunning swirl of comedic and emotional cinema. She earned her MFA from NYU Tisch Grad Film with a PDS Fellowship, and her BA from Dartmouth with a Senior Fellowship. She has been featured in Variety, Vogue, IndieWire, and The Hollywood Reporter. @lilianfilm @honeyjoonfilm

Lauren will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after her film, Horsegirls, on Wednesday, November 12. Learn more here.

Lauren is passionate about creating content that is visually compelling, female-driven, and thought-provoking. Her work often follows characters on a “coming-of-age” journey—regardless of what that age may be. In addition to narrative work, Lauren has filmed across five continents with global nonprofits, crafting documentaries rooted in empathy and human connection. She is a freelance writer and director based in Los Angeles, and also works as a film educator, mentoring youth across the LA and Orange County area. She is represented by Kaplan/Perrone and UTA.

Georgina will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after her film, About Face: Disrupting Ballet, on Wednesday, November 19. Learn more here.

Georgina Pazcoguin (The Rogue Ballerina™) is a bona fide triple threat—Broadway, ballet, and real estate! A quondam NYCB soloist, actress of film, producer, and author of Swan Dive, she brings her rebel and chameleon flair from Severance to the stage. She moves people. @georgina_pazcoguin @vie_en_rogue

Christopher will be participating in a filmmaker Q&A after his film, Caper, on Friday, November 14. Learn more here. 

Christopher Tramantana is an actor, director, writer, and educator. A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, he works professionally in theatre, film, and television. Most recently, Christopher’s film, Caper, which he co-created and stars in, had its World Premiere at SXSW Film Festival in March of 2025. He was a founding member of The Commedia Company, a NYC-based company devoted to reimagining and updating performances in the Commedia dell’arte tradition. He is also a founding member of the WüfPak, a NYC-based comedy ensemble dedicated to creating funny shows with it roots in the Clown/Commedia tradition. Film credits include Caper, Paradise City, and Naked Singularity. Television credits include Ramy, Future Man, FBI, CIA, Manifest, God Friended Me, Delocated, and Sweetbitter. Tramantana currently teaches Acting, Clown and Commedia dell’arte at NYU Tisch, and Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. www.christophertramantana.com