Experience the Magic of Demsala Nan

Anvar Hassanpour is an independent Kurdish filmmaker. With over two decades of experience, he has created and produced a diverse array of films, including documentaries, experimental works, film essays, and narrative films. Anvar earned a BA in Cinema Art, and an MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University; currently, he is pursuing his PhD in the Communication department at UCSD. His scholarly work focuses on the concept of totality in film production, exploring its significant impact on both the form and content of cinematic works. As an immigrant filmmaker, he delves into the complex interactions within the political economy of film production. His debut feature narrative film, "Demsala Nan" (The Bread Season), is currently under consideration for its premiere on the international film festival circuit.

Emeer Hassanpour is an independent filmmaker and a graduate student at the University of Southern California, specializing in Cinema Studies. Engaged in both practical and theoretical projects, he brings a diverse skill set to his academic pursuits. Emeer served as the former president of the Chicago Experimental Film Society and is the founder and chief editor of Cine Bizarre Journal. Before his first feature film, he directed and produced several short documentaries and experimental films, showcased in multiple festivals and public screenings.

Nicoletta Vangelisti is an independent producer currently based in San Diego, CA. She produces films, audio content, digital print media and other forms of creative expression. Recent films include: Pandemic Bread (dir. Zeinabu irene Davis); Sydney & Kim (dir. Hazel Katz); Demsala Nan (dirs. Emeer and Anvar Hassanpour); and Stars of the Northern Sky (dir. Zeinabu irene Davis). Nicoletta began her production career in New York City and in partnership with Palestinian artists living and working in the West Bank where she contributed to the growth of a robust story production industry. She is the founder of Casa di Vangelisti, a production support house providing critical services to alternative independent media makers. Nicoletta is also completing her PhD in Communication and Critical Gender Studies at the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on the relationship between cultural philanthropy and cultural production at the social margins. Nicoletta specializes in creative development and works with an artist-centered approach to production. [more at www.nicolettavangelisti.com]

José Homer Mora Acosta, a Honduran Sound-engineer, chief/operator and Sound-Mixer, professor at Cinema Schools (regulary at Altos de Chavón) Born 25 July 1988 in Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Studied Ad & Communication in UNITEC, Laureate Universities, then went to Cuba for Cinema and Sound Studies at the EICTV. His primary occupation is the authenticity of Sound: above all he likes building the whole universe of sound of one film, through every stage from production to post production sound-mixing. His work has been presented in several Film Festivals such as Rotterdam Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Toulouse Latin America Film Festival, FID Marseille, Lima Latin American Film Festival, Bildrausch Filmfest Basel. He is also a Founding Member of STEMS GROUP SRL, (San Tranquilino Editors, Mixers and Sound Recordists).

In 2003, while a third-year architecture student at Dicle University, Yavuz Akkuzu  was accepted into the acting course at the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality City Theater. While receiving acting training, he also had the opportunity to practice in small roles in the City Theater’s productions. In 2005, he joined the main cast of the City Theater, where he acted in at least two different plays each year.

During his professional acting career, between 2010 and 2015, he studied "Theater History and Theory" at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History, and Geography (DTCF). In 2015, he taught Theater History and Acting at the Aram Tigran and Cegerxwîn City Conservatories in Diyarbakır. In the same year, the Kurdish edition of his compiled book, Kurdish Theater History, was published by Peywend Publishing, and the Turkish translation was released by Evrensel Publishing in 2016.

When the government-appointed trustee shut down Kurdish art institutions in November 2016, he founded the Amed City Theater in February 2017 with 15 theater artists, embarking on an independent theater journey.

Şîlan Alagoz was born in 1980 in Iğdır. She graduated from the University of İnönü, majoring in mechanical engineering. She studied theater for three years at the Academy of Performing Arts. In theater, short films, and feature films, she has worked both as an actress and as an assistant director. Currently, she is a theater artist in the city of Diyarbakır.

Özkan Şeker 27 Kasım 1993 yılında Diyarbakır'da doğdu. İlk, orta ve lise öğrenimini Diyarbakır'da tamamladıktan sonra 2014 yılında girdiği Aram Tigran Kent Konservatuvarından 2017 yılında mezun oldu ve aynı yıl Amed Şehir Tiyatrosunda "Sê Ezezok" adlı çocuk oyununda yer aldı ve 2017 yılından bu yana aktif olarak Amed Şehir Tiyatrosunda oyunculuk yapmaktadır.

Şahabettin DAĞ began his theater career at the Diyarbakır Art Theater in 1987 and started working at the Municipal City Theater in 1990. Currently, he continues his work as an actor at the Amed City Theater. He has also acted in several films and TV series.

Erdal Kaya began his theater career in Batman as an amateur. He graduated in Turkish Language and Literature. In 2007, he joined the City Theater of the Afyonkarahisar Municipality, where he began working as a professional actor in 2012. Later, he continued acting at the City Theater of the Batman Municipality. Currently, he works as an actor and director with the "Yenisahne" theater group and the "Amed City Theater" in Batman.