Award-winning Japanese-American filmmaker with more than 14 years in broadcast television as a news producer and reporter, both in the U.S. and Japan as well as a former professional chef.

Battlefield: Home – Breaking The Silence is her first film, and was inspired by her own experiences as military child during the Vietnam War.

As the daughter of a Japanese survivor of the bombing of Japan, and a combat U.S. Marine, Anita is very experienced with the heartache of trauma and the fallout of war. Having lived both stateside and abroad during her 20 years under the military umbrella, Anita’s insight into the military community brings an often forgotten perspective of how war impacts every family member.

Aside from creating Battlefield: Home, Anita has also worked on the award-winning reality series, “The Amazing Race,” served as Military Liaison for Jon Gries’ film, Pickin’ & Grinnin’, and has assisted on other small projects. Currently, she is a co-collaborator on “Paging Dr. Faustus,” an upcoming multi-media play, in addition to working on her second documentary currently in production.

Anita is an active member of several organizations including the International Documentary Association, Film Independent, Alliance of Women Directors, and NY Women In Film & Television.

Anita holds a Master’s of Science in International Conflict Analysis & Resolution and undergraduate degrees in Sociology/Psychology, as well as a degree in the culinary arts.

Jolt

Cristina is Executive Director of Jolt, an organization building political power and influence for Latinos in our democracy. She is a nationally recognized advocate and leader in the Latino community. She was named “Hero of the New South” by Southern Living Magazine and hailed by the New York Times for her success with Workers Defense Project (WDP).

Resetting the Table

Melissa is the co-founding Executive Director of Resetting the Table, an organization dedicated to building dialogue and deliberation across political divides. Melissa was also the founding director of Encounter, an organization dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be agents of change in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Melissa was awarded the Grinnell Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, which honors demonstrated leadership and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change. An alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program, Melissa has lectured and taught in hundreds of Jewish communal institutions, universities, and forums on four continents. She was ordained as a Conservative Rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary and graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude.

Founder and Creative Director of Motus Theater

Kirsten’s work uses original theater to support community conversation on critical issues. Kirsten and Motus have won numerous awards including for “Rocks Karma Arrows,” a multimedia performance exploring Boulder history through the lens of race and class; “Do You Know Who I Am?,” in which young undocumented immigrant leaders perform their own stories; “SALSA Lotería,” a bilingual production in which Latina immigrants perform stories of challenge, resilience, and courage; and Let the Body Speak– an autobiographical performance that explores the history of women’s lives through the history of their bodies.