Sara Eiden is the Supervisor of Theater Operations at the Maumee Indoor Theater, where she has led programming and operations since 2021. She currently serves as festival co-director for the Maumee Film Festival, overseeing the 2024 and 2025 seasons. A passionate advocate for local arts, Sara was honored with the 2024 FilmToledo “Glassy” award in recognition of her service and dedication to the region’s film community. She studied communications, music, and theater at Bowling Green State University and has a strong background in live performance coordination and community engagement. Outside of her work in film and theater, she’s a proud wife and mom to a spirited five-year-old.

Gregory Mallios (he/him) is a Columbus-based actor, director, voiceover artist, and educator whose passion for storytelling spans stage, screen, and sound. He holds an MFA in acting from the University of Florida and a BFA from Wright State University—where he now shares his craft as an adjunct instructor in the School of Fine and Performing Arts.

For over fifteen years, Greg has worked professionally in both film and theatre, appearing at some of the country’s most prestigious regional theaters and most recently in the Netflix film Shirley. As a director, he brings a bold vision to the stage—most notably with The Sleepwalker of Holstenwall (based on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), one of Columbus’s first immersive theater experiences, which he directed for Columbus Children’s Theater.

Josh Nowak is a cinematographer and filmmaker based in Columbus, Ohio, with a passion for visual storytelling that blends craft and emotion. His short film Night Cafe screened at Cinema Columbus in 2023, reflecting his interest in intimate, character-driven stories. With experience across narrative, commercial, and documentary work, he brings a thoughtful eye and deep respect for the filmmaking process to the jury panel. Josh is honored to support and celebrate emerging voices in this year’s festival.

Vera Bianchini is the Director for the MN Film Program at Zeitgeist and has worked for regional film organizations like MSP Film, Flip the Script Fest, and the Upper Midwest Film Office. Her experience includes speaking on panels for organizations such as FilmNorth, Sound Unseen, and Art House Convergence. Vera’s also worked for Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Chicago International Film Festival, Sundance, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Vera’s mission is to elevate artists and provide underrepresented voices a platform to share and celebrate their work.

Starting out as an elementary school teacher in his early adulthood, Ira has made the transition to film and entertainment over the past several years. The Youngstown, Ohio native is now a filmmaker working primarily as an actor. His works include commercial work and also a few feature length films. He has worked as a producer and director on many projects including the upcoming show NEF, a dramedy about the life of local comic Nef Johnson. Ira continues to work more in the comedy community of Columbus bringing a variety of their stories to more of the public as a producer, director, and actor. He hopes to show that while Ohio can share stories of horror and drama, there is plenty to laugh about as well.  

Micah Tewers is an artist, filmmaker, and philosophical researcher from the United States. His work on conceptions of cosmic justice, epistemology by analogy, and the evolution of aesthetics in nature have been published by Zer0 books, Open Philosophy, and presented at the International Congress of Art History. His films include the features In Search of Pure Content (2021) and Why I’m an Atheist Christian (2025). He proudly serves on the board of directors for Art Possible Ohio, and is also an Emmy-winning film composer, with work commissioned by NPR, The Nature Conservancy, and the United Nations.

Matthew Paul Everitt is the director of the acclaimed short film You Can Go Home Whenever You Want, developed with the Sundance Institute and winner of the 2024 Best Dramatic Short at the Cindependent Film Festival. His other work includes Benny Blue’s comedy special Live From My Mother’s Funeral and music videos for artists such as Michigander, Mt. Joy, and Xavier Omar.

As a dedicated member of the Grand Rapids Film Society, Matthew is passionate about creating opportunities for filmmakers to collaborate and build roots in the Midwest while providing unique theatrical experiences for the community.

Matthew is also the co-founder of Snowy in August, a production company specializing in short films and removing barriers for first-time filmmakers.

Rendy Jones (they/he) is a film and television journalist born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. They are the owner of self-published independent outlet Rendy Reviews, a member of the Critics’ Choice Association, GALECA, and a part time stand-up comedian. They have been seen in Vanity Fair, Them, Teen Vogue, CBC News, and Paste.

Sonia Desai Rayka (she/her) is a documentary filmmaker and cultural worker whose body of work explores political resilience and quiet beauty found in everyday life. She worked as an Associate Producer at Multitude Films on LIFE AFTER (dir. Reid Davenport) and contributed as an archival researcher on DIRTY POP (TIME Studios, 2024) and THE TURNAROUND (Breakwater Studios, 2024), both available to stream on Netflix. She was a documentary, and children shorts programmer at the 2024 Nantucket Film Festival, and regularly collaborates with No Evil Eye Cinema as a virtual teaching facilitator. Before working in film, her career experience includes years in childcare support, education, and immigrant rights advocacy. Her documentary short “Ohio Is in the Heart” was commissioned by Asian American Documentary Network and played at CAAMFest and New Orleans Film Festival; she is currently in production on two documentary shorts tackling themes of migration, placemaking, and artistry.