Out in the Night

Director and producer blair doroshwalther (who identifies as gender non-conforming and uses both male and female pronouns) is a social issue documentary director, experienced production designer, and activist artist with a passion for inspiring social justice through media. blair graduated with a BFA in Film from NYU and was awarded the Adam Balsano Award for social significance in documentary filmmaking for hir short documentary Metsi, on water privatization’s impact on women in a South African township. Hir short documentary Cry Don’t Cry, on bereavement experienced through the eyes of a diverse group of teenagers, won the National Health Information Awards’ Silver Award in 2005. Out in the Night has been recognized and supported by the Sundance Film Institute, Frameline, the Jerome Foundation, Women in Film Finishing Fund and NYSCA. blair was awarded the Joyce Warshow Award from Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, was a Film Independent Fast Track fellow, and a participant at the Sundance Producer’s Summit in 2012. blair has worked at Harlem United, a community-based organization providing care and housing to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Producer Giovanna Chesler’s films address the body, sexuality, and gender. Her feature documentary Period: The End of Menstruation facilitated an international discussion on pharmaceuticals, women’s health, and gender construction and was covered in the The New York Times in 2007. Giovanna’s short documentaries and fiction films have screened at juried film festivals worldwide. Awards include Honorable Mention in Fiction Filmmaking from the University Film and Video Association for Bye Bi Love and Best Student Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival for Beauteous: Stephanie. Her web television project Tune In HPV is a transmedia project connecting sexual health with entertainment. Giovanna is the Director of the Film and Video Studies Program at George Mason University and an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication there, teaching courses in documentary, community-engaged video activism, Fair Use practices, and transmedia for social change. She was selected as a Film Independent Fast Track fellow with Out in the Night.