Utah Filmmaker Showcase: Gender Expansive Local Shorts

Bianca Cline has had a prolific career as a cinematographer making films and commercials around the world. Bianca was the cinematographer on the A24 Oscar Nominated feature film Marcel The Shell With Shoes On which played in theaters around the world in 2022.

In 2021 Bianca photographed the Netflix limited series Murder Among The Mormons with director Jared Hess. In 2023 she lensed the feature film One of Us, starring Kit Connor, as well as completing photography for the feature film Rust. In 2024 Bianca filmed the limited series Truth&Conviction in Lithuania.

Bianca believes cinematography has the ability to help an audience feel all the things in a film that go unsaid. Cinematography has the ability to convey the subtext of a film to an audience without them realizing it. How the subtext of a film is conveyed, depends on the point of view of the artist and their life experiences.

Chantelle Squires is an award-winning director and producer with over 20 years of experience in narrative filmmaking, documentaries, non-scripted television, and music videos. She directed and produced Jane and Emma, a historical drama released in theaters in 2018 starring Danielle Deadwyler, as well as Reserved to Fight, a feature-length documentary that received finishing funds from ITVS and aired nationally on PBS.

Her work in television includes producing the third season of The Generations Project for BYUtv, which won an Emmy for the episode Natalie, and serving as a producer on the BYUtv series Grace Notes, which was nominated for a GMA Dove Award. Chantelle is currently a director and producer at Kaleidoscope Pictures, where she continues to develop compelling projects across multiple genres. Beyond her filmmaking, Chantelle is deeply committed to fostering the next generation of storytellers. She is an adjunct film professor at Brigham Young University, serves as the Vice President of Utah Women in Film and Television, and is a member of Film Fatales. Her work is driven by a passion for telling meaningful stories that inspire, uplift, and connect audiences.

Erika Cohn is a Peabody, Emmy and DGA Award-winning filmmaker who Variety recognized as one of 2017’s top documentary filmmakers to watch and was featured in DOC NYC’s 2019 “40 Under 40.” Most recently, Erika directed/produced the New York Times Critic’s Pick and Peabody and Emmy Award nominated BELLY OF THE BEAST, featuring the 2021 Oscar shortlisted original song, “See What You’ve Done” by Mary J. Blige. This powerful exposé of human rights abuses in women’s prisons opened in theatres and was broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens series last fall.

Her current releases also include The New York Times Op-Docs short film, WHAT YOU’LL REMEMBER, a beautiful portrait of a family who reframes their experience of homelessness, now playing in theatres and major film festivals. Previously, Erika directed/produced THE JUDGE, a Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated film about the first woman judge appointed to the Middle East’s Shari’a courts, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS’ 2018 Independent Lens series. She co-directed/produced, IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST, an Emmy award-winning, feature documentary about young Pacific Islander men pursuing their dreams of playing professional football, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS’ 2016 Independent Lens series.

Erika grew up attending the Sundance Film Festival as a native Utahn, where she first began her career. She studied at Chapman University (California) and Hebrew University (Jerusalem) and has degrees in Film Production, Middle East Studies, and Acting Performance. In 2013, Erika founded Idle Wild Films, Inc., which has released 3 feature documentaries, 2 short films, and produced numerous branded content and commercial spots, including Gatorade’s “Win from Within” series, for which she received a 2016 Webby award nomination. In her spare time, Erika is an avid documentary photographer, music editor and performing artist. Erika is currently in development with her fiction feature debut and is represented by APA. Erika is represented by APA.

Judi Bell is the CEO of Iconic Media Productions, but she began her Entertainment Industry career as a child actor and model. Judi began working on films in 1989 and excelled at a variety of crew positions, including: Producer, UPM, Line-Producer, Director, 1st AD, 2nd AD, Script-Supervisor, Production-Designer, Prop-Master, Set-Decorator, Set-Dresser, Art-Director, Art-Department-Coordinator, Scenic-Painter, Graphic-Designer, Costume-Designer, Costume-Supervisor, and Publicist.

Films that Judi worked on include: Forrest Gump, The General’s Daughter, Ace Ventura, Die Hard, GI Jane, Carrie 2, Patch Adams, The Green Mile, The Gift, O, The In Crowd, The Patriot, Happy Campers, Legend of Bagger Vance, Apocalypto, Carrie, as well as several shorts and TV Productions, like Brothers and Sisters. Judi worked at Paramount Studios for 3 years, has been involved with Sundance since 2005, was a part-time instructor at Video Symphony, and owned a successful prop-house for 10 years. Judi is passionate about helping others and making a positive difference.

With over 18 years of Industry experience, Marcie has worked as a Producer, Production Manager, Production Accountant and AD with both large studios and independent production companies.

Her most recent credits include the Production Manager for a National Sony commercial starring Post Malone, a co-producer on the Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and the Supervising Producer for the short film,  Your Daughter, ClytnyAnn.  She is an adjunct instructor at Utah Valley University teaching classes in Film/TV Production. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA)

As Executive Director at Utah Film Center, Mariah utilizes her extensive knowledge of nonprofit management, marketing, fundraising, board governance, community, and government relations. Her 20+ years in external relations includes eight years working for an international children’s music festival and over 17 years as an art and culture reporter for SLUG Magazine and 23 years with Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. She currently supports her community by serving on the board of the Motion Picture Association of Utah, St John’s Community Child Development Center, and Utah Arts Alliance.

Miriam Footer is a seasoned Assistant Director based in Park City, Utah with decades of experience across feature films and commercials.  After graduating with a BS in Radio, Television and Film from Northwestern University she began her trek west.  The idea was LA, but she stopped in Park City to ski. This is where her career began, starting as a production assistant and advancing steadily through the ranks; PA, Production Coordinator, Production Manager, 2nd Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Director. She has worked on a plethora of commercials with brands such as: Oreo, Toyota, Nissan, Sony and notable films such as The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) and Fallout (2023).

Miriam is a proud member of the Directors Guild of America. She has a reputation for exceptional leadership on set and seamless coordination in a fast-paced environment. Her expertise includes managing day-to-day shoot logistics and ensuring the creative vision alignment between all parties. Miriam brings clarity, calm, and precision to every set. Her track record reflects deep knowledge of workflow, collaborative spirit, and ability to elevate storytelling through strong production focus and creative partnership.

Renny Grames is an award winning producer, director and actress. She and her partner, Boston McConnaughey have amassed an impressive following, with their original content garnering over a quarter of a billion views online. This viral success caught the attention of industry giants, leading to collaborations with top-tier brands such as Reebok, Nokia, Sony Pictures, Google, Gatorade, and Coca-Cola.

Renny’s most recent project, Alien Country, a sci-fi comedy feature film, was released in 2024, was featured in the New York Times as a top top sci-fi movie to stream right now and won the Grand Prize for the Best Comedy Feature Film at Flickers International FF and is now available on all platforms.