Board of Directors
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Hillary Hanak-Newman
President
Hillary Hanak-Newman is an award winning Director of Photography who has been in the film business for over twenty years. Growing up in West Chester Pennsylvania, she moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue filmmaking. Over the course of her thirteen years in Los Angeles she owned her own Grip and Lighting company, while working as a successful DP and Gaffer on everything from low budget to big budget productions. She is a proud member of the IATSE Local 728 Union in Los Angeles. She worked with the Foo Fighters on their documentary film “Sound City” and TV shows “Sonic Highways.” After moving back to Philadelphia to be closer to family, she has been successful in making a name for herself in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas. She has also become a leader in 360 Virtual Reality in the Philadelphia area, and has even traveled internationally to shoot VR. The quality of her work and her attention to detail is what sets her apart from the others. Dedicated to making the production’s vision come to life in an artistic way is her passion.
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Dafna Yachin
Vice President
Dafna has written, produced and directed award‐winning television, film, national commercials, educational programs and multimedia campaigns. Her projects have aired on CBS, ABC, Discovery, History Channel, Sprout and SyFy. She has been instrumental in creating lasting series formats for both cable and syndication, as well as launching engaging crossplatform initiatives for both NGO and Commercial clients. Dafna has an innate skill for identifying talented individuals who are great innovators and collaborators.Partnering with change‐makers and production teams in over 30 countries, Dafna is focusing her documentary and online initiatives in the Humanities, Justice and Women’s Rights arenas.
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Kelly Murray
Secretary
Kelly Murray is an award-winning writer, director, and producer based in the Philadelphia area. A self-taught filmmaker, Kelly worked in art and production roles on independent films and commercials before stepping behind the camera to tell her own stories. In 2016, her directorial debut, The Astronomer, was awarded the Curatorial Choice Award (Best in Show) at The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE. She has directed and produced narrative short films and documentaries (3:13, Your Wreckless Heart, A Renewed Spirit, Halfway to Fifty) each of which aim to elevate stories told from the female perspective. Kelly has lectured on filmmaking and screenwriting at Haverford College, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University. Kelly’s writing credits include QVC, The WC Press, Delaware Business Magazine, and Odyssa Magazine. Kelly is currently a Contributing Writer for Accidentally Wes Anderson, an internationally renowned travel and photography platform that highlights distinctive architectural locations from around the world.
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Suzanne Landau
Board Member At Large
Suzanne Landau is a creative producer with over 17 years of rich and varied experience in television and film production. Suzanne produced television commercials for the advertising firm of Young & Rubicam where she managed multi-million dollar budgets for clients like Xerox, Dr. Pepper and Fisher Price. Prior to her tenure with Y&R Suzanne worked on Hollywood films and television shows for studios such as Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Currently, she is focused on producing compelling video and new media projects for businesses and dynamic non-profit organizations. Suzanne went to Temple University where she graduated from the School of Communications and Theatre.
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Betsy Braun
Board Member
Betsy Braun is an Emmy award-winning television programming and production executive with over 20 years’ experience in developing, launching and overseeing local and national television productions. She is currently the Director of Programming for WHYY, Philadelphia’s PBS Television station. Betsy started her career in market research and communications at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia before moving to NY to pursue a position in television programming. Switching coasts, Betsy was the VP, Research at Universal Television where she helped launch the first syndicated reality dating show, Blind Date. As a senior programming executive at Warner Bros. and then at NBC, Betsy oversaw various syndicated tv programs including Change of Heart, The John Walsh and The Jane Pauley Show. Betsy returned to local television as the Director of Programming and Communications for WCVB-TV, Boston where she earned an Emmy for the annual holiday tree lighting broadcast. Betsy is happy to be back in Philadelphia, her hometown, where she can freely root for the Phillies and Eagles and eat soft pretzels every day.
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Phuong K. Nguyen
Board Member
Phuong Nguyen is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Women’s Film Festival in Philadelphia, PA. In 2013, Phuong was also the Festival Director for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and is a former board member of the organization. She has also worked as a production consultant for a short film piece called “In My Little Corner of the World, Anyone Would Love You” that was presented in London in spring of 2016 and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in summer 2021. Phuong was chosen to be a film juror for QFlix Film Festival 2016 and 2019 and The Philadelphia Film Festival 2019. She is also a partner of a production and distribution for the company 3 Left Handed Women, where they help distribute and produce film and media content made by or about women.
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Alfreda “Fre” Howard
Board Member
Alfreda “Fre” Howard (Faces By Fre, LLC) began her career as a Professional Makeup Artist in her hometown of Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan 20 years ago. Her talents span from “Beauty to Bruises”. Fre keeps herself busy as the Head Hair and Makeup Designer for Temple University’s Opera Theatre, The Curtis Institute of Music‘s Head Hair and Makeup Designer for the Opera Department, as well as special events, weddings, photo shoots, video shoots and television/film projects. As an artist, Fre is constantly researching the latest trends, is skilled in Ventilating Wigs, Air Brushing, Body Painting, Special Fx Makeup, Men’s Skincare and learning new skills and techniques as well as selecting the best products to work with for each job and client. Fre continues to develop herself and her skill as a Professional Makeup Artist by Continued education classes and courses, attending IMATS and Makeup shows as well as building her knowledge in new products daily.
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Jenna Lam
Board Member
Jenna is a storytelling creative who finds joy whenever development or production engages with the community for this is when the imagination begins. With her fellows at The Southeast Asia Diaspora Project 2019 Change Lab, Jenna wrote the comic, “Brenda”, and an evolving animated film “Under the Dust”. Both stories ponder the questions: what if children of refugee immigrants saw themselves presented highly in Euro-centric history books or, even as royalty? Jenna co-created “Ambitious,” a mini digital series about an Asian-American college dropout, where the mandate is to place women in leadership positions. An over thinker or a Gemini Moon, she found some enjoyment with production coordinating where ultimately it’s putting pieces together for larger puzzles. Recently, she has helped push “See Us In The Wildfire”, a fashion-focused film with spoken word to speak out against anti-Asian hate crimes. Jenna is a proud graduate of Temple University.