MEET THE TEAM

Mystelle Brabbée, Festival Director Before becoming Director of the Nantucket Film Festival in 2012, Mystelle Brabbée curated the festival program for sixteen years, ten of those as Artistic Director. Almost since its inception, she has stewarded the film program, including the line-up of as many as 75 feature, documentary and short films; As Artistic Director, she has been responsible for the overall creative direction of live programs, including the Screenwriter Tribute hosted by Brian Williams, the All-Star Comedy Roundtable Presented by Ben Stiller, the Staged Readings series, Late Night Storytelling, and the Teen View Filmmaking program. Brabbée has been the Senior Programmer for DOC NYC, a documentary festival at the Independent Film Center New York, and Director of Acquisitions for article27, a London-based film rights syndicator. In 2005, Highway Courtesans, a documentary shot in India that played over thirty-film festivals and garnered several awards along the way was released theatrically in the US. She has taught in the Graduate Film Department of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Bill Curran, Festival Producer Bill oversees operations, marketing, staff management, and administration for the Film Festival and year­round programming. He has been on the NFF staff since 2010. Outside of NFF, he has worked at the Hamptons International Film Festival since 2009, most recently as an Assistant Programmer, and served on the screening committees for the Tribeca Film Festival and the Sarasota Film Festival. Prior to his Festival career, Bill worked in television production for Leopard Films, Inc. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in Film/Video. In his spare time, he can be found in any of New York City’s repertory movie houses catching up on classic and foreign cinema.

Daniela Bajar, Film Program & Education Director Daniela is the Film Program & Education Director, having been the Film Programmer for the last three years. Daniela has also curated independent series, such as Fuego: The Films of Isabel “Coca” Sarli, for the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Additionally, Daniela serves as the Programs Manager for the Spanish cultural organization Pradga dedicated to promote Spanish and Latin American film in the US, and is the Founder­Director of the boutique distribution company Magic Lantern. She has been a juror for the Student Academy Awards, the Fusion Film Festival, and the University of Arizona’s School of Theatre, Film and Television Thesis Film Screenings. Daniela’s work at film festivals includes the Hamptons International Film Festival and HBO’s New York International Latino Film Festival. Daniela holds an M.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University and a B.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Film of Argentina. She co­authored the film The World Against Me and has written and produced several Argentine television shows. She has taught screenwriting and creative writing at the University of Palermo and has served as script consultant for a variety of production companies, screenplay competitions, and writing labs.

Jess Byers, Festival Coordinator As Festival Coordinator, Jess coordinates advertising, promotional materials, and office administration for the Film Festival. An Oregon native, Jess hopped over “the pond” to study at The International Film School of Paris (EICAR), where he achieved his B.F.A. in International Film Production. Post graduation, he returned to the West Coast, interning at Outfest L.A. as a development and programming assistant. After finishing his contract, he packed his bags for New York where he found a job working for independent filmmaker and activist, Ira Sachs, as a social media and development assistant. Missing the festival world, Jess joined the NFF team in January 2013 to further pursue a career in non­profit arts administration. His favorite movie theater experience will always be, getting dressed up as a teenager to go to monthly cult film screenings at his local indie theater.

Beth Emelson, Signature Programs Producer Beth produces the Signature Programs for the Film Festival, for maybe 16 years. She is a theater producer and has been the Producing Director for Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, and Naked Angels; and on the staffs of Lincoln Center Theater, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The New York Shakespeare Festival, and Folger Theatre, where she is currently. She has also produced several short films and a comedy series for HBO, and worked for the Tribeca Film Festival.

Nicki Doyamis, Development Manager Nicki has been a part of the film festival world since 2010, starting right here at NFF as an intern in the Development Department. Currently she is the Development Manager, overseeing all sponsorship relations. She has worked at a variety of film festivals over the past four years, most recently at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival. Nicki is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film and Television. In­between film festival­hopping she still stays true to her creative side by being on a film sets whenever possible, as well as pursuing her own filmmaking dreams.

Holly Waterfield, Development Consultant & Special Events Director Holly is lucky to have planned and executed parties and events at NFF for a long time. Prior to that she served as NFF’s Development Director where she leveraged her long-standing relationships in the media and marketing worlds to support and grow NFF.  As a NYC based Event Producer & Designer, Holly has produced events and managed large collaborations for industry leaders – USA Network, Anthropologie, Net-a-Porter, The Nantucket Film Festival, Anthropologie, Knoll, and Benjamin Moore.

 

Public Relations Agency
FRANK PR
Lina Plath
Clare Anne Darragh

Art/Graphics
Brand Content

Programming Associate
Denise Hughes

Outreach Coordinator
Allyson Morgan

Guest Relations Manager
Lily Singer

Teen View Program Director
Jay Craven

Teen View Jury Coordinator
Rick Colon

Catalogue Editor and Copywriter
Natalie Danford (www.nataliedanford.com)

Web Programmer
Chris Sterbank (www.chrissterbank.com)

Graphic Design Consultant
Cielle Charron

Ticketing & eCommerce
Tribeca Ticketing

Bookkeeper
Rob Diaz

Legal Services
Law Offices of Robert L. Powley
Robert L. Powley

Programming Interns
Jonathan Levin
Abena Opam