CREATIVE TEAM

THE FACULTY

2024 EDUCATORS, CURATORS, and lecturers

Ashten Falter (she/her) is an Austin-Based Film and Theater Artist and Educator. She graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from Rider University and is completing her Digital Video Certificate at Austin School of Film. She is a proud member of Women in Film and Television of Austin and is a part of the Producer Program at Austin Public. 

Ashten has worked on indie shorts & music videos and is currently in production for her music video ‘Not Yet,’ a piece featuring three local musicians set to Debussy’s ‘Claire De Lune.’ Her latest music video is “Moon Over My Shoulder,” featuring local singer-songwriter, James Hearne. She has over 15 years experience working with youth in arts education through Christian Youth Theater of Austin (Director, Stage Manager, Choreographer), Brentwood Christian School (Music Director, Choir Director, Choreographer), Cedars International Academy (Volunteer Theater Teacher), and multiple dance studios in the Northeast. She is excited to bring her love of filmmaking and arts education to our youth programs this summer.

Carleton Ranney (he/him) is a filmmaker based in Austin, TX. At 17 he was named a “Movie Maker to Watch” by the Austin Chronicle and Movie Maker Magazine. His debut feature film, JACKRABBIT, was a participant in the 2014 IFP Narrative Labs. The film’s world premiere was held the following spring at the 2015 TRIBECA Film Festival. JACKRABBIT was picked up for distribution by Gravitas Ventures and released in March of 2016. Carleton is a two time recipient of the Austin Film Society’s Texas Filmmakers Production Fund Grant.

Cordelaine (Corey) Kline (he/him) is an Austin based industry filmmaker and educator. Kline has worked as an Assistant Camera/2nd AC on 3 feature films since arrival in Austin and is what you would call a “rarity” in the industry. He is both skilled in production (DP) and post-production (editing and color correcting). In addition to his on-set expertise, Corey is a certified training instructor for DaVinci Resolve. Kline graduated from the University of Iowa Cinema Program.

Edward Santiago (he/him) is an award winning screenwriter of the 2015 Shriekfest Independent Horror Film Festival and also a Finalist for the 2014 Shriekfest and the 2015 Oaxaca Film Festival. Edward holds a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Full Sail University.

Faiza Kracheni (she/her) is a multimedia artist and musician living and working in Austin, Texas. Her work primarily focuses with film, in such formats as Super 8, 16mm and 35mm drawing inspiration for her work from subculture movements such as punk, fetish, and religion/ritual. Her work has screened in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Oklahoma and Austin. She is currently working on a new film to premiere in Summer 2017.

Gary Gibich (he/him) is a graduate of the University of Texas Film School and an instructor of Adobe After Effects CC (Creative Cloud) and Adobe Premiere Pro CC courses at the Austin School of Film. Gary has worked professionally in Film and Broadcast Television. He has also written a book based on a true WWII story entitled Patton’s Lost Platoon, which was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist in 2010. Gary continues to write novels, scripts and short form projects, and remains actively engaged in production and post-production.

Illyana Bocanegra (they/them) is a communication designer living and working in Austin, Texas. They have 5+ years of visual communication design in TV/Film, print media, and web applications; Technical expertise in producing, directing, and making creative content for individuals, brands, small businesses, and non-profits. When Illyana is not designing or making videos you can find them helping people say sorry with their current project, Now Accepting Apologies.

Jeanne Stern (she/her) is a creative professional and multi-platform artist in digital media, animation, film, video and editing currently working and living in Austin, Texas. Her past work has screened at a variety of festivals and galleries around global including: PBS, The Smithsonian, South by Southwest and Heather Henson's traveling Film Festival. She holds an MFA in Film from the University of Texas and a BA in Studio Art from Connecticut College. She has been teaching both youth and adults within digital art creation and instruction for the past 5+ years including teaching at the University of Texas (Austin).

John Valley (he/him) studied film and theater at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. His training in directing came from Emeritus Professor of directing, Tisch Jones, who founded the Darwin Turner Action Theatre which brought students into classrooms and community centers around the state to explore social and political topics. Since his move to Austin, John has directed over 40 music videos and a feature film that he also produced, wrote and co-starred in. He has also appeared in over 30 stage productions and numerous films, including Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 independent feature Red 11 and reality series, Rebel Without A Crew.

Myrriah Gossett (she/her) is an independent podcast producer in Austin, TX. She has close to 10 years of production experience and just this past spring managed to produce over 50 podcast episodes in just 10 days. She does not recommend doing that to anyone. You can hear her on mic as a co-host of the Star Trek Discovery Pod, and her name in the credits for the Founding Media Podcast Network, the new relaunch of the Bedpost Confessions Podcast, Creative Queso Podcast, Seen with Miranda Podcast, FOGO: Fear of Going Outside Podcast, and more.

Rhitu Basu (she/her) holds an MFA in Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin. Rhitu was born in India, raised in Zimbabwe, and lived in Texas for over 25 yrs. She recently moved to Nova Scotia, Canada and teaches film at NSCAD University there. Prior to her move, Rhitu was responsible for developing curricula and teaching at Austin School of Film with a focus on minority cinema and representation on film.

Tania Romero (she/her) is Nicaraguan filmmaker, teacher, and scholar, has a degree in Psychology with a Film Studies minor and a Master’s in Media Studies. She has worked on several film projects and her credits include editor for a feature documentary “Ya Basta” (2007) which screened at South by Southwest Film Festival, script supervisor for the Cannes Film Festival selected shorts “Sarathi” (2010), “Clay” (2012) and assistant director for “A Perfect Cocktail” (2013). She was also producer/director/editor for the short documentary “Helmets from Heath”(2013) which won Judge’s Choice at the Faces of Austin competition. Her film “Quinceanera” (2015) won a San Francisco Film Award of Merit, was an official selection at the Official Latino Short Film Festival and was screened at the Mexic Arte Museum. Her short “Silla de Ruedas” (2015) was an official selection at the Icaro International Film Festival in Guatemala and the Central American International Film Festival. Recently her short documentary “Even with their nails” was screened at Cannes, Cine las Americas in Austin, and won an Icaro Award in Guatemala for Best Documentary Short.

Todd Thompson (he/him) is a sound engineer and professional musician with degrees in Media Production from Florida State University and Recording Arts from the University of Southern California. He has his M.A. in Media Studies from the University of Texas. He is currently an undergraduate audio production professor at the University of Texas (Austin) and leads audio classes at Austin School of Film. His professional credits include audio work on the recent feature films Hateship/Loveship (dir. Liza Johnson), To the Wonder (dir. Terrence Malick), The Hot Flashes and The Boynton Beach Club (dir. Susan Seidelman). He directed and edited the short documentary “A Lifetime in Repair” which played at the Austin Film Festival and took 1st place in the Graduate Student Assembly Film Showcase at UT. He owns the Austin recording studio Dharma Bomb Studios and is also a singer/songwriter in the the Austin band The Memphis Strange.

Travis Ward (he/him) is a Texas professional Cinematographer and Video Producer. For the past 8 years, Travis has been working professionally in the Austin film industry behind the camera - from narrative shorts and features to corporate and individual creative clients. In 2017, he made the jump to being a self-employed filmmaker full time. In addition to his on-set expertise, he also a freelance editor and colorist, primarily using DaVinci Resolve in his toolbox.

William F. Reed (he/him) is an Independent Filmmaker living in Austin, Texas.  He began his career in Los Angeles working in production on projects like, Star Trek (2009), Tenacious D in the pick of Destiny (2006) and Epic Movie (2007).  In 2010 he formed Rude Boy Pictures under which he has written, produced, directed and edited Music Videos, Short Films, Documentaries, and Narrative Features. 

William was one of the handful of film lovers who helped create the Hill Country Film Festival (HCFF) where he still serves as Technical Director and Film Programmer.  He also works with the Lone Star Film Society as a Lead Programmer for their annual Lone Star Film Festival (LSFF) as well as Lead Instructor for the summer film camps that LSFF and HCFF present each year.  

William has been teaching Film Production, Cinematography and Post Production for 7 years and is very excited to join the faculty at Austin School of Film. 

Zachariah Williams

bio coming soon

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2023 BOARD members

Anne Goetzmann Kelley
Co-Founder

Ron Wilson
Attorney at Law, Former Texas State Representive

Leslie Pool
Community Activist

ADVISORY BOARD

2023 ADVISORY BOARD members

Melvin Ferebee
Attorney at Law and Filmmaker

William N. Goetzmann
Director, International Center for Finance at the Yale School of Management,
Documentary filmmaker and producer

Mariko Masuoka
Principle Associate and Projects Manager, Cesar Pelli Associates Architecture

Debra Dennett
Co-Founder Center for Young Cinema, Patent Attorney Reed & Scardino LLC