Dr. Cara Ogburn started her film festival journey in 2011, serving as the seasonal Panels Producer for the Milwaukee Film Festival for two years before joining the year-round staff as Education Manager in 2013. Since then, she has held many titles at Milwaukee Film and in 2020 was named Artistic Director; in this role she leads the organization’s artistic vision and strategy as well as the programming and marketing teams for its two annual festivals and two year-round cinemas. Cara is the immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the national Film Festival Alliance and is engaged with various national efforts to strengthen our field.

Christy LeMaster (she/they) is a programmer, educator, and producer interested in collectivity, platform, and collaborative processes. She is currently the Director of CineYouth and Shorts Lead Programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. Previously she served as Artistic Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre and the Maryland Film Festival from 2020-2023. LeMaster worked as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago from 2017-19, organizing programs and exhibitions for the Commons, the museum’s site for art and civic engagement.  In 2008 she co-founded Chicago’s cooperatively-helmed microcinema, the Nightingale and oversaw operations at the space until 2018.  LeMaster also taught media theory at Columbia College Chicago, has been a movie critic on WBEZ, and an editor of CINE-FILE.info. Her writing has been published by INCITE Journal of Experimental Media, Brooklyn Rail, and Green Lantern Press. 

With over a decade of experience in the film festival industry, Lauren has built her career around amplifying emerging voices in cinema. As the Programming Director of the Nashville Film Festival, she curates compelling lineups that strike a thoughtful balance between entertainment and education — creating emotionally resonant experiences while promoting media literacy. Her journey began at DePaul University in Chicago, where she earned a degree in Media and Cinema Studies. Before Nashville, she served as Education Manager at Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival, roles that deepened her passion for supporting the next generation of filmmakers and her commitment to new voices in cinema.

Raul Benitez has been a Latino film programmer in Chicago for over 16 years. For Full Spectrum Features Raul programs the Chicagoland Short Series. Raul is also  the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, and formally the After Dark and shorts programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. Raul also programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Chicago Underground Film Festival, and Des Moines Latino Film Festival.  Raul has been named a Chicago Film gem by New City Chicago for 2015,17,19 and in 2023 Raul was inducted to the Film Gem Hall of Fame. For Pixquid Raul is their Programming manager. Raul was also named an Esteemed Artist by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and received a DCASE grant for his Chicago/Mexico City Filmmaker exchange program. Raul is on the board of the Chicago Film Society, Chicago Screens, and  formally at Chicago Filmmakers.

Bryan Wendorf is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the longest-running underground film festival in the world. Since launching CUFF in 1994 while working at a Chicago video store, he has championed bold, unconventional cinema and helped shape the landscape of underground film. In addition to his work at CUFF, Wendorf has curated film programs for institutions such as Conversations at the Edge at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Mana Contemporary, Transmediale (Berlin), and Revelation Film Festival (Perth). He has served on juries at Slamdance, Onion City, CIMMFest, and more. His writing on film, music, and pop culture has appeared in Indiewire, Newcity, and Wormwood Chronicles. He studied fine art and communications at Columbia College Chicago.

Phil Davis is an animator, filmmaker, and musician residing in Baltimore. He was born and raised in rural New Hampshire where he learned to throw rocks, pop wheelies, collect insects, and draw cartoons. He holds a BFA in Film Art from Syracuse University and an MFA in Imaging and Digital Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.