2025 General and Student Fellows
Mónica Álvarez
Mónica Álvarez is a documentary filmmaker with a Master’s degree in Documentary Filmmaking from TAI School of the Arts in Madrid. Her career began with short films such as "Venus y Arturo" (2011), showcased at numerous Mexican festivals. Her feature-length debut, the documentary "Bosque de Niebla" (2017), premiered at FICUNAM, where it received an Honorable Mention and the Best Cinematography Award at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Fest. The film was selected for prestigious festivals including SXSW, Margaret Mead Film Festival, Morelia International Film Festival, and Festival do Rio, among others. Available on Amazon Prime in over 20 countries, it was certified by the United Nations as Mexico’s first fully eco-friendly production.
Mónica is currently working on "Voices from the Earth", a documentary exploring the cultural significance of psilocybin mushrooms in Oaxaca, reflecting her commitment to cinema as a tool for cultural and social transformation.
Tom Laffay
Tom Laffay is a self shooting film director and visual journalist specializing in long term documentary investigations in Latin America. Based in Colombia since 2016, he covered violence against human rights defenders during the country's fractured peace process and currently works extensively on critical issues facing the Amazon - Indigenous and social movements, energy transition and extraction, and trans border issues.
He is a member of RISC combat medical training class XVII and a recipient of a Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting grant for investigating and documenting mercury trafficking in the Guiana Shield. Tom is bilingual (English / Spanish) and his films have been published by The New Yorker, TIME Magazine, ARTE, National Geographic, International Crisis Group, VICE, El Espectador, InfoAmazonia, among others.
"Tigre Electrico" is his first feature documentary film, spanning 5 years collaborating with the Siona Indigenous People chronicling their use of Yagé in their ethno-political struggle for survival along the Putumayo River.
April Fan
April Fan is a Chinese documentary filmmaker currently pursuing an MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts (MFAEDA) at Duke University. Her work reflects a deep sense of humanistic care, focusing on social issues and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. Through her documentaries, she aims to ensure that minorities are both heard and seen. April excels at telling intimate and heartfelt stories, often using a warm and lighthearted style to explore the connections between individuals, community culture, and daily life. Over the past two years, she has been farming in her hometown of Xinjiang while documenting the experience in a short documentary series that has gained significant online popularity. Currently, she is delving into experimental filmmaking, striving to develop her unique artistic aesthetics within the realms of experimental and documentary arts.
April is currently producing “Through the Eyes of the Qian Shou Qing: A Chinese Psychedelic Story,” a documentary exploring the roots and modern use of psilocybin in China.
Walter David Marino
Walter Marino is studying documentary filmmaking at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He grew up in San Diego. His mother is a daughter of Mexican immigrants and his father immigrated from Costa Rica at five years old. Walter’s love of documentary film began with admiration of his parents’ photography.
Walter’s work is influenced by his Latino culture. Pride, machismo and mental health are often explored themes. His current film covers his father’s use of psilocybin to aid his recovery from divorce, addiction and jail.
Walter’s career began in the Marine Corps from 2008-2015. In 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Following his military service, he said his passion for documentary work deepend when he learned that it didn’t have to be obvious, clean or smooth. That it could be art, it could be emotion and it could be as creative as he wanted.
Walter is also the recipient of the Jim Marshall Fellowship.
Efrem Plawner
Efrem Plawner is a West Coast-based filmmaker and photographer currently studying Cinematography at Chapman University. With a deep-rooted passion for photography passed down from his father, Efrem’s creative work blends a surreal, dreamy aesthetic with innovative visual storytelling. His projects focus on integrating art and multimedia to explore social issues, utilizing the subjectivity of visual media to provoke thought and inspire meaningful engagement. Efrem is committed to pushing the boundaries of documentary filmmaking and continuously refining his craft to create transformative, thought-provoking narratives.
Efrem is joined by Jackson Dinsdale as a co-director and head editor of this project. A third-year student at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Dinsdale is pursuing a B.A. in Public Relations, Advertising, and Entertainment Marketing, with minors in Humanomics and Political Science. With a passion for post-production, Dinsdale has established himself as a skilled editor and is now expanding his potential with this directorial debut.
Efrem and Jackson are currently working on “Spores of Life: The Psychedelic Revival of the Jewish Spirit,” a documentary about how psychedelics are transforming spiritual practice within Judaism.