Sandi Klein's Conversations with Creative Women

Christina Fontana - Filmmaker/Editor

Christina Fontana has been a force in the film and tv industry for more than two decades. She was an editor on documentaries and unscripted tv projects for Fox, NBC, CBS, Netflix, A&E, The History Channel to name a few, and received an Emmy nomination for her work on The Amazing Race. Christina makes her directorial debut with "Relentless," a 6-episode true crime series that tells the story of 21-year-old Christina Wittaker, who disappeared from her home town of Hannibal, Missouri. Using more than 400 hours of footage, "Relentless" also chronicles the journey of a filmmaker who becomes dangerously caught up in the story she's telling.

Jessica Harrop - Head of Development and Production at Sandbox Films

It's not often we see a woman's name next to the title: Head of Development and Production. But that's exactly what Jessica Harrop does for Sandbox Films, a new mission-driven documentary company. An Emmy-nominated filmmaker in her own right, Jessica has dedicated her career to making movies that inspire passion about science. Her passion is contagious and we know you'll be inspired by this accomplished, committed, creative woman.

Ekwa Msangi - Filmmaker

Director, screenwriter, producer, instructor - all describe Tanzanian-American filmmaker Ekwa Msangi, who divides her time between Kenya and New York. Her latest project and first feature film, is the award-winnIng and critically acclaimed FAREWELL AMOR. It tells the story of an Angolan immigrant, whose wife and daughter join him in the States after a 17year separation. It is powerful, emotional, life-affirming. Ekwa's goal as an artist is "to transform our society's images and relationships with African cultures and to empower African filmmakers in telling their stories." Join us as Ekwa, direct from Nairobi, shares her story.

Inna Blokhina - Journalist and Filmmaker

This is a first for me - having a conversation with a creative woman in Moscow! Inna Blokhina, a journalist who worked at several major Russian television networks, also happens to be a filmmaker. She formed her own company, "Inwaves Production," and in 2012 completed her first full-length documentary, ON THE WAVE. Believe it or not....it's all about...surfing in the Soviet Union! Who knew? That was followed by her latest film, the award-winning SHE IS THE OCEAN. It follows 9 women from around the world, whose profound love for the ocean, is the 'tie that binds.' Plenty to talk about with this female force of nature! 

Kate Hackett - Filmmaker, Editor

Kate Hackett is another creative woman whose career involves the big screen.  She happens to be an Emmy winner for her editing expertise on the Netflix series, CHEER, which chronicles the high stakes cheerleaders face. Her editing credits include the Emmy winning series, LAST CHANCE U and the Sundance documentary HALF THE PICTURE. Kate has directed art films for large screen concerts and her latest project, OLEANDER, is a short about a sexually active teen who wages a social media war against her Christian abstinence program. Kate plans to make OLEANDER into a full length feature. 

Sara Bernstein - Award-Winning Producer and Executive Vice President of Imagine Documentaries

Sara Bernstein is Executive Vice President at Imagine Documentaries, the documentary division of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment. Her latest project, REBUILDING PARADISE for National Geographic and directed by Howard, chronicles the devastating firestorm that ravaged the city of Paradise, California in 2018. Before joining Imagine, Sara was Senior Vice President at HBO Documentary Films. Needless to say, we cover a lot of ground with this 'cinematic' producing powerhouse!

Jessica Swale - Olivier-Award Winning British Playwright, Theater Director, Filmmaker, Screenwriter

Talk about a creative woman! Jessica Swale fits that bill and then some. Her first play, Blue Stockings, premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013. Then came Nell Gwynn, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Jessica is making her feature film debut with the newly released period drama, Summerland. She also wrote the screenplay. We know you'll enjoy meeting this accomplished, passionate, fascinating woman.

Ferne Pearlstein is Back - Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor

She's baaack! And we're delighted to share another conversation with the very creative and accomplished Ferne Pearlstein. While we catch up on Ferne's latest projects, we also focus on her 2016 feature film, THE LAST LAUGH, which is all about finding humor in a crisis seen through the lens of the Holocaust. As we try to deal with and wrap our heads around the COVID-19 nightmare, many have been connecting to THE LAST LAUGH, to help us cope with this crisis and, for that matter, this new normal. There's lots to talk about in this open, frank, and yes, upbeat conversation.

Barbara Miller and Leyla Hussein, Filmmakers & Social Activists

You are about to meet and get to know two extraordinary, passionate, committed women. Swiss filmmaker Barbara Miller* is the woman behind the powerful documentary #Female Pleasure. It follows five courageous women from different cultures as they struggle for justice and equality as they take charge of their own bodies. And one of those women is Leyla Hussein, a Somali-born, British psycho-therapist and social activist who was genitally mutilated at the age of seven. She has made it her mission to fight against female genital mutilation or FGM, as well as for the sexual determination of Muslim women worldwide. This is one empowering, moving, critically important conversation.

Prune Nourry, Artist

Born in France and based in Brooklyn, multi-disciplinary artist Prune Nourry works in sculpture, performance and video and was living her life, when in 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's a journey she shares in the first person film, "Serendipity." By doing so, Prune discovered new meaning in her impressive body of work and its serendipitous relationship to her own survival and mortality. She shares that and so much more in this truly fascinating, riveting and inspiring conversation.