KITFO FILM FESTIVAL
SPEAKERS
2024
WONDWOSSEN
DIKRAN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HALLMARK STUDIOS
Wondwossen Dikran is seasoned Film & Television creative / production specialist with interests in developing effective ways to tell unique scripted and unscripted stories with multiple projects from Ethiopia under his belt. For over 18 years, Wondwossen has been writing, producing, and developing content that resonates and inspires audiences globally. As a creative, he has worked on multiple projects that have been sources of joy, intrigue, and inspiration. He's currently the SVP of Hallmark Studios based in Studio, City, CA.
MERAWI GERIMA
DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
Merawi Gerima is an organizer with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, fighting police terror with people power. He also makes films to help build that people power. His 2020 film, RESIDUE, was about Black resistance to gentrification in his hometown, Washington DC. He is currently filming a documentary about the struggle for Community Control of the Police in Chicago and writing a film about the Alabama Chapter of the Communist Party in the 1930’s, which was made up of Black sharecroppers, factory workers, housewives and unemployed people in the middle of the Great Depression, and which ultimately gave birth to the Civil Rights Movement.
HAWENI KESKESSA
VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION, CAPITAL ARTS ENTERTAINMENT
Haweni Keskessa is an Ethiopian-American Film/TV Producer with 16 years of experience, currently serving as Vice President of Production at Capital Arts Entertainment. She began her career in accounting at Tyler Perry Studios and transitioned into Production Management and Line Producing, working with Paramount+, Viacom, Universal, and Netflix. Her recent projects include Netflix's Our Little Secret and One Spoon of Chocolate, as well as MTV's Pretty Stoned and Paramount's Teen Wolf Movie and Wolf Pack series. Haweni is also involved in the Girl Scouts, the Ethiopian diaspora in Atlanta, and co-chairs the Women Impact Network for the Producer's Guild of America. A former teacher, she enjoys spending time with her three children, traveling, and attending community events.
TSEDY GEBEYEHU
PRESIDENT, A FEW GOOD WOMEN PRODUCTIONS
Tsedy Gebeyehu is the President of A FEW GOOD WOMEN PRODUCTIONS, an independent full-service content studio that embraces projects driven by complex and dynamic characters who represent diverse people, places, cultures and concepts. In this role, she leads the day-to-day operations, production, and development for television, film, and digital media projects. Gebeyehu has over fifteen years of experience with credits comprising a wide range of content including scripted and unscripted series, live specials, stage plays, and feature films. She is also an education advocate and a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA).
ADEL NUR
TELEVISION MANAGEMENT PRODUCER/PRODUCER, FOUNDER OF ATOMIK CONTENT
Born in Ethiopia and raised in Rome, Italy, Nur moved to the U.S. at the age of twelve. After earning a degree in architecture from the University of Maryland and working in design on the East Coast, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. In 2011, he produced The Fab Five, ESPN’s highest-rated documentary, and the award-winning feature film Blue Caprice about the D.C. Sniper. Through his company, Atomik Content, Nur has produced films like Invincible, Warhunt, and Affinity, and is developing a limited series on the life of Fela Kuti. He’s also working on projects like Transcontinental with Wayfarer Studios and Kingman with Aldis Hodge attached to star. Fluent in five languages (English, Italian, French, Spanish, Amharic) and conversant in Arabic, Nur is a regular at international film festivals and thrives in the global film market.
ARKIE W TADESSE
CAMERA OPERATOR, DIRECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER
Ethiopian Born Cinematographer/ Photographer based in Los Angeles. Emerson College Boston Film graduate. Over a decade of experience in production mainly in documentaries. DP and Producer of That Alien, Sound (2023) a feature that he DP'd and produced with friends, currently out in a few small festivals. Working on introducing a photography work for the non profit Take Care of Home trying to land a gallery space for it. Just wrapped up a group photo show at Artawi Gallery in Addis Ababa. Now on an ongoing doc work on a for Democracy first, a citizen led organization dedicated to preserving a free and fair election.
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MAHELET GEZACHEW
EXECUTIVE, PRODUCER
Mahelet Gezachew, an Ethiopian-American Executive and Producer based in Los Angeles, holding a diverse background in Film and TV Development, Activism, and Marketing Partnerships. Her recent role was as the Head of Content at D!NK TV based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she produced over 40 episodes of unscripted content across their YouTube platform. Previously, she contributed as a Development Consultant for A FEW GOOD WOMEN and served as a Development Executive building Nike's Sports Film Label. Additionally, she held a managerial position at ARRAY Filmworks, Ava DuVernay's production company, and kicked off her career at Marvel Studios within Global Marketing & Partnerships. Her unwavering passion for storytelling is at the heart of her work, focusing on entertainment, social justice, and crafting purposeful narratives. She is dedicated to fostering creative infrastructure in Ethiopia and throughout the African continent, ensuring the amplification of intentional and globally relevant stories.
GEBAR
DIRECTOR/EDITOR
GEBAR is an aspiring film director originally from Eritrea, Africa. Born and raised in Eritrea, he moved to America at age 11 with his family. He pursued his dream of filmmaking while graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in Cinema. In 2016 he started his own production company called Ordinary Visions. He has directed two short narrative films and a variety of music videos. He started filming music videos in 2016 and has filmed various artists ranging from Blueface, Mozzy, Drakeo The Ruler, rexxliferaj, Fenix Flexin, Lil Bean, AzChike, Young Slo- be, EBK Jaybo, and many more.
SALEM DANIEL
DIRECTOR, FOUNDER OF CUSHY COLLECTIVE
Salem Daniel is an Ethiopian American director and producer based in Los Angeles. Her work is informed by the interplay of culture, migration, and socio-political dynamics that shape one’s identity. Salem’s commitment to unifying the diaspora and rewriting divisive narratives is reflected in her initiative Cushy Collective, a grassroots network that aims to foster Pan-African artistic collaboration.