2 Fest 2 Furious

Allegra Madsen is originally from the Great Dismal Swamp on the coast of Southern Virginia. In search of lands less dreary, she moved to California and attended the California College of Art where she received her MA in Curatorial Practice. Her interests in art, cultural production, and public programming have been centered on building a platform for cultural activity that promotes deep community investment. Film has played a critical role in achieving this mission. Allegra is currently serving as Executive Director of Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. In both her current role and her previous position as Frameline’s Director of Programming, she has been devoted to working in and with diverse communities to develop programs that are accessible, inclusive, and promote critical cultural dialogue. Madsen was previously the Director of Programming at The Bayview Opera House one of San Francisco’s historic cultural centers where she created the Black Light Cinema screening series with the goal of providing a platform for the voice of San Francisco’s last Black community. She also developed and programmed the PROXY Outdoor Film Festivals.

Clint Bowie is the Artistic Director of the New Orleans Film Society, where he manages the curation of the organization’s year-round programming. He has served on review committees for ITVS, Creative Capital, NEA, FilmNorth, and Latino Public Broadcasting, and has spoken on panels organized by Sundance Institute, Firelight Media, Center for Asian American Media, Palm Springs International ShortFest, ArtHouse Convergence, and others. He has served on the board of directors for the Film Festival Alliance and Advisory Board for the Overlook Film Festival. He previously worked as a print journalist at publications across the country.

Linda Eaddy is the Film Programming Director and a Co-Founder of the Denton Black Film Festival (DBFF). Her work with the DBFF is deeply rooted in her desire to promote underrepresented stories in film and media, giving Black creatives a platform to showcase their work.

Laurie Weltz is an award winning feature director and screenwriter, whose debut film Wrestling with Alligators was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker Magazine wrote, “The lovely debut boasts excellent performances and a strong story…Weltz’s background in various aspects of film production shows in the film’s sense of grace, control and confidence…it deserves an audience beyond the festival circuit.” Laurie’s second feature film About Scout, based on her award winning script (PAGE and Champion Screenwritings Award), had its international premiere at The Rome Film Festival and was released theatrically as well as on VOD. She is currently in development on her third feature The Night Swimmer with Evenfield Entertainment as well as a TV series entitled The Narrative. Laurie has a masters from NYU Film School, and her award winning thesis film At Five and Twenty-Five, was picked up by USA television. She was chosen as one of “25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2022” by the International Screenwriters Association. Laurie has worked as a freelance director and editor for television, music video, and branded content. Her work has twice been nominated for ACE awards, for HBO’s Shock Video and A&E’s Heroes.