Woody Brown was diagnosed with nonspeaking autism at age 2. He was taught as a young child to point at letters to communicate, and despite many challenges, graduated high school with a diploma in 2017. He enrolled in Pasadena City College and it was immediately apparent that he had been previously underestimated as a student. He graduated with two AA degrees, summa cum laude with Honors. He transferred to UCLA and received his BA in English in 2022, also summa cum laude with Honors. Woody won three major writing prizes in his two years at UCLA. He was admitted to the Columbia University MFA Writing program for fiction, where he recently won the prestigious Felipe de Alba fellowship for rising second-year students. He has written a collection of interconnected short stories based on an adult day care center for autistic and disabled persons and is working on his first novel. Join Woody and Mary Brown in a live Q&A via Zoom following the screening of Backwards on Thursday, September 7, 7pm.

Mary Brown enjoyed a 30-year career in the film industry before becoming Woody’s full-time communication partner and caregiver. She was a story analyst for Steven Spielberg for almost 20 years, putting her MA in English from Northwestern University to use. She rejected the common assumption that Woody was ineducable, and she made it her mission to see that he earned a high school diploma. Being Woody’s aide in college turned out to be a grand adventure and the best job she ever had. With letter board in hand, she has accompanied him on a semester abroad at Oxford University, struggled through Critical Theory beside him at UCLA, and is now navigating the Ivy League and the Upper West Side with him at Columbia. Her husband Drew Brown is a patient and supportive TV executive, and she has two other grown daughters who hardly mind that Woody is the favorite. Join Woody and Mary Brown in a live Q&A via Zoom following the screening of Backwards on Thursday, September 7, 7pm.

Dr. Rory Cooper is the founder, director, and CEO of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint venture of the University of Pittsburgh, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Cooper also serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research for STEM and Health Sciences Collaboration and FISA/PVA Distinguished Professor in the Department of rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pittsburgh. He has dedicated his career to improving mobility, function, and quality of life for people with disabilities through advanced engineering in clinical research and medical rehabilitation. Join Dr. Cooper in a live Q&A following Shorts Block 1 about his film Bumps in the Road on Friday, Sept. 8, 7:30pm.

Alex Halpern founded Smoking Cat Films after selling PostFactoryNY, New York’s premiere post-production facility. As a filmmaker, Halpern is known for his award-winning film Nine Good Teeth (Tribeca 2001, HBO/BBC 2002). His short films, documentaries and music videos include For The Children (Richie Havens) and the stop-motion music video Blown Away (Tripping Daisy). His script The Track, a true-crime story set in New York City 1978, won top awards at Rome’s 8 & Half Film Festival, The Florence Film Awards, The Hollywood Gold Awards and Vesuvius International Film Festival. His script 3 Guys Named Nick, an adult cartoon series, won Best Dark Comedy teleplay at the 2023 Austin Comedy Film Festival. His PostFactoryNY credits include BAFTAAcademy Award Winning films: Spotlight, No Country for Old Men, OJ: Made In America,The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and Billions. Join Alex Halpern in a live Q&A following Shorts Block 1 about his film Bumps in the Road on Friday, Sept. 8, 7:30pm.

Rachel Kittner began her career at Maysles Films (Salesman, Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens) where she worked with many respected directors and editors. She went on to edit numerous film and television programs including Scenes from a Transplant: A Cancer Diary for HBO, Ruthie and Connie for HBO (Berlin Film Festival), Risk/Reward for Oxygen (Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Hot Docs and Tribeca Film Festival), Orthodox Stance for BBC (Silver Docs Film Festival), Michael Moore’s The Awful Truth for Bravo, Street Fight for POV (Oscar Nominee, 2006), and This Emotional Life for PBS. She has also directed, produced and edited films for many non-profit organizations and educational institutions such as Planned Parenthood, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and Bard Prison Initiative. Join Rachel Kittner in a live Q&A following Shorts Block 1 about her film Bumps in the Road on Friday, Sept. 8, 7:30pm.

Blake Leeper was born in Kingsport, Tennessee with both legs missing below the knee and has worn prosthetics since he was nine months old. In 2011, Leeper won a silver medal in the World Championships 4 × 100m Relay. Leeper made history by becoming the first double-leg amputee to compete at the USATF National Championships. After qualifying for semifinals, Leeper was broke Oscar Pistorius’ world record. In 2018, Leeper shattered his own world record, becoming the first ever amputee to run under 45 seconds. In 2019, he broke another world record at the USATF National Championships and made history again as the first amputee ever qualifying for the national team and world championships. Leeper ran the 6th fastest time in the world this year—and that also includes able bodied runners. Join Blake Leeper in a Q&A following the screening of Abled: The Blake Leeper Story on September 9, 7:30pm.

In a previous life, Brian Leong was a creative director at a creative agency; more recently, he has been focusing his energies on documentaries and the craft of storytelling. His first foray into documentaries was on Miss Snake Charmer, a film that has won multiple best documentary feature awards in its festival run and has secured distribution for next year. Focusing on human stories with social impact, he has contributed to many short docs with topics ranging from the deportation of formerly incarcerated refugees to the challenges facing small farmers in central California. From first-hand experience, Brian does not recommend getting into a foot race with Blake.  Join Brian in a live Q&A following the screening of Abled: The Blake Leeper Story on September 9, 7:30pm.