Tamika Guishard, C'02
Tamika Guishard is a first-generation American born of Kittitian heritage in East New York, Brooklyn. With the mind of a Ranger, heart of a teacher and soul of a dancer, she taught middle school before completing NYU Graduate Film. She believes in the powerful fusion of education and cinema, collaborating with school districts, Tribeca, National Parks, and on Leech Lake Reservation to make “films that help” and mainstream marginalized voices. To this end, her passion project “Rhythm in Blues” inspired by dance theatre she produced as a Penn undergraduate—with proof of concept recognized by Oscar-qualifying festivals—will be shot, written, directed, co-produced by, and starring Black women. Furthermore, her award-winning TV pilot, inspired by her experiences as a Park Ranger, amplifies the untold history of NYC’s African Burial Ground. With Guishard Films certified as a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise, Tamika is currently Director of Communications & Development for Mastery Transcript Consortium, a holistic, academic movement to value the whole child.
Film Title: Black
Running Time: 11 minutes
When a reformed drummer cannot get his caffeine fix on the anniversary of his brother’s death, ancestral rhythms guide him to the truth buried deep below his city streets.
Coffee. For some it’s a nice-to-have, but for the majority of drinkers it’s a must-have. A socially accepted drug, caffeine is a fix that binds us. From classroom teachers to executives, gas pumpers to prison guards and artists, we have all needed it, irrespective of demographics. It functions as an armor of sorts—like most vices—affording us courage that is tangible yet temporary.
Black Man faces every obstacle on this fateful day in his attempts for a strong, black cup, much like we all have. However, similar to how coffee’s true origins are Ethiopian, Black Man has no idea that his journey for coffee is bringing him closer and closer to his African ancestry, a homeland where his forefathers are indigenous.
While a man tries to get a cup of Joe, Black unlocks portals into masculinity, ancestry, and grief on this bumpy road. His journey forces viewers to address the age-old dilemma of pursuing what we want versus accepting what we actually need.
Jean Chapiro, C'21
Jean Chapiro is a senior studying Cinema Studies, Communication, and Visual Studies. Originally from Mexico City, Jean is an aspiring film and television director/producer. In her work, she is interested in exploring themes such as experiences of embodiment, encounters, transnationality, and modern myths through fiction and non-fiction narratives.
Film Title: Hambre: Hungry for Life
Running Time: 14 minutes
What is hunger? And what do we hunger for?
This personal and poetic documentary explores the journey to overcome anorexia by coming to terms with all that being hunger for life implies. By approaching this concept from a physical, emotional, and spiritual perspective, viewers are invited to partake in this transformative journey. Through the collective voices of a Triathlete, Chef, and Yogi, hunger becomes a medium of empowerment that defies the often portrayed “ ideal” found in magazines, film, and television of what women should look like, who women should be, and what women should strive to hunger for. As a result, Hambre: Hungry for Life offers a lens of acceptance and analysis through which viewers will come to understand that certain forms of hunger are natural, powerful, and extend far beyond craving food.
Film Title: Repudium
Running Time: 4 minutes
When we allow our fear to run free and take hold of our imagination even a bowl of spaghetti can turn into a monster.
Peter Decherney, Professor, Cinema and Media Studies
Co-Director
Peter Decherney is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and teacher. He is Professor and Director of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and has been an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scholar, a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, and a U.S. State Department Arts Envoy to Myanmar. He has directed documentary and virtual reality films in Asia, Africa, and the U.S. Most recently he directed the award-winning virtual reality documentary series THE HEART OF PUERTO RICO about artists after Hurricane Maria. He is the author or editor of six books including Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet and Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, and Inside Higher Ed among other places. His open online course on the history of Hollywood has enrolled more than 50,000 learners.
Sosena Solomon, Lecturer, Weitzman School of Design
Co-Director
Sosena Solomon is an award winning social documentary film and multimedia visual artist from Ethiopia. Intuitively selecting subjects and stories, she is particularly interested in spaces of transition and change, acting as a cultural preservationist. Her work, whether presented as a film or an immersive 3-dimensional experience, explores cross sections of various subcultures and communities in flux, carefully teasing out cultural nuances and capturing personal narratives via arresting visual storytelling and cinéma vérité stylings. Sosena has worked for many years in the commercial and nonprofit sectors and has worked as a Director and Cinematographer on many short film projects including “Sole”, a documentary on sneaker culture that premiered on PBS affiliate MINDTV, and “MERKATO,” filmed on location in one of Africa’s largest open-air markets and exhibited internationally as an audio, visual, and sensory installation. Sosena earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Social Documentary Film from The School of Visual Arts in New York, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Television Production from Temple University. She is a recipient of The Leeway Foundation Art and Change grant (2013) and the Transformation Award (2014).
Film Title: Dreaming of Jerusalem (www.dreamingofjerusalem.org)
Running Time: 25 minutes
Dreaming of Jerusalem is a 25-minute documentary short about the Jewish community in Gondar, Ethiopia.
There has been a Jewish community in Ethiopia for 2000 years. The origin of this community is still a matter of speculation and dispute since they were cut off from global Jewish communities until the mid-19th century. Over the last 40 years, more than 100,000 Ethiopian Jews have emigrated to Israel. One group, however, has been left behind, because their families were converted to Christianity by missionaries in the late nineteenth century. Although this group has returned to practicing Jewish religion and customs, they are still largely blocked from emigrating to Israel. Today, approximately 14,000 members of this community remain in Gondar and Addis Ababa, awaiting the chance to complete their journey to the Promised Land.
Jesse R. Tendler, ENG'03, W'03
Actor/Producer
Spanning 30+ years, Jesse’s TV & film acting credits include: The Ellen Burstyn Show (series regular); The Thorns (series regular); The Secret; Are You Afraid of the Dark?; Law & Order; Leaving Circadia; The Unborn; and many more. An actor first, Jesse began producing & directing with the co-founding of Intimation Productions (2007). As Creative Director, Jesse produces and directs a diverse range of projects, including short & feature length narrative fiction films, episodic projects, music videos, commercials, documentaries, and educational content. Past films (Deadbeat, Leaving Circadia, Family On Board, 16mins) have won Best Picture, Best Director, and Audience Choice awards at a multitude of film festivals, including being selected for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 2016 Oscars. A graduate of Penn’s Management & Technology Program, Jesse earned dual B.S.E. degrees in Entrepreneurial Management & Marketing from the Wharton School and in Materials Science & Engineering from SEAS (with a research focus on Renewable Clean Energy Technology and a minor in Mathematics).
Film Title: Frankie
Running Time: 10 minutes
Frankie, a non-binary trans person, crashes their ex-partner’s men-only 12 step meeting, determined to be heard... no matter the cost.
Filmed in New York City, Frankie is a raw and resonant tale of the universal struggle for acceptance. The creative team behind the film hopes it will inspire folks to reexamine the connections between gender, masculinity, trauma, and recovery. A story about the need to be seen on one’s own terms, Frankie centers around a non-binary, trans person mere days after coming out. In a room where men talk about their feelings, this film shifts the question from “How are we different?” to “What makes us the same?”