UNAFF 2023: Session 16
MY NAME IS SIRI 8:00 PM
Director/Producer: Sarah Moshman
Description:
In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Chettipally family has been quietly raising 3 children for the past 30 years. One of their children is the incredibly special Siri, who was diagnosed with non-verbal autism at age 3. Against all odds, Siri bravely fought through many hurdles to create a meaningful life while also learning to communicate like never before. My Name Is Siri is an inspirational story about resilience, a mother’s unconditional love, and a family determined to create a better life for their daughter.
Biography:
Sarah Moshman is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and TEDx speaker whose work has been featured on Upworthy, Marie Claire, PBS, Hulu, CNN, Netflix, and Good Morning America. After directing two short documentaries about female empowerment in young women, (Girls Rock! Chicago and Growing up Strong: Girls on the Run) she set out to direct her first feature doc The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things which has been screened over 1000 times around the US and around the world in schools, groups, organizations and corporations starting conversations about gender equality. With Indieflix as the distributor, the film has been sponsored by major brands like Nordstrom, American Girl and Microsoft to spread this message far and wide. Sarah’s second feature doc, Losing Sight of Shore follows the incredible journey of four women who rowed across the Pacific Ocean. The film was released globally in 190 countries on Netflix. Nevertheless is Sarah’s third feature documentary which takes a look behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time’s Up to shine a light on the sexual harassment crisis and use the power of cinema for change. Most recently Sarah brought her talents to the narrative realm and directed an award-winning short fiction film Unbound about the first mother to go to space starring Lauren Lapkus. Unbound won First Place at NASA’s CineSpace Global Short Film Competition and is set to screen on the International Space Station!
THE SECRET SONG 8:30 PM
Director: Samantha Campbell
Producers: Todd Dayton, Rachel Benson
Description:
The Secret Song chronicles the final months of Doug Goodkin’s fabled 45-year career teaching music to children in San Francisco. Goodkin’s time-tested methods are thrown into disarray as the pandemic forces schools into “distance” learning, and a music program that always prioritized singing and learning “through the ear, not through the eye” has to adapt to an online format. The film shows the dynamism and adaptability that all teachers find and bring forth in the classroom, and how a sense of belonging helps us surmount hardships and adversity.
Biography:
Samantha Campbell is a filmmaker and advocate. She is the president of The Campbell Foundation, an organization committed to the protection of our natural resources, and a trustee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Her work is devoted to pursuing and advancing projects that lift up stories of human achievement, the environment, community, and the arts. Samantha lives in San Francisco, California with her two children. She will enthusiastically join any singalong. The Secret Song is her feature film directorial debut.
Todd Dayton is a San Francisco-based filmmaker whose award-winning work has aired on HBO, Showtime, PBS, MSNBC, Bravo, and many other networks. He has produced both independent and television documentaries, garnering awards from film festivals and broadcast recognition from the CINE Masters’ Series and the Chris Awards. He received a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Rachel Benson is a producer living in San Francisco, CA. Originally born and raised in New York City, she began her career in marketing and advertising before she received her MA in Broadcast & Communication Arts from San Francisco State University. Her documentary work has taken her as far as Uganda and her narrative, feature film, Opal, screened nationally. She produces videos for nonprofits, foundations, schools and small-businesses in addition to running her business curating, cataloging and editing archival footage.
Presented as part of United Nations Association Film Festival.
