norbert rodriguez

Entries

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Norbert is now a junior at HSU studying film. He has had a passion for film since early childhood. He is also interested in writing, directing, editing, scoring, as well as learning all aspects of production. As a Co-Director of the 53rd HIFF, he is interested in bringing the many diverse voices of filmmakers who submit around the world and social reflection of their respective cultures into the spotlight.

KAT LUNDAH

Promotions and Historian

Kat Lundahl has earned an Associates in Photography in Nebraska and will graduate May 2020 from Humboldt State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and a Minor in Ethnic Studies. Photography and art have been the main subjects in Kat’s life since she was seven years old and art continues to inspire her everyday. She believes that film is an extremely important tool and it is the duty of the filmmaker to use this tool to create positive change in this world. Kat is thrilled to be given the opportunity to be a Co-Director for the Humboldt Int’l Film Festival for a second year and is looking forward to being a part of the festival’s legacy!

SUSAN ABBEY

Festival Faculty Advisor

This is Susan’s seventh year as a faculty adviser for the fest. Originally from the intermountain west, she has been an educator and actress in theatre for nearly 40 years. Her bridge to film began as a graduate assistant, teaching several classes of the Introduction to Film course, while earning her MFA in Directing at Brigham Young University. Susan’s work in film continued when she took her performance skills to the acting side of the camera: while living in Salt Lake City, she began working in films, television, commercials, print ads, and voice-over projects. She continues to act and direct locally when time and opportunity come together. Susan has been a lecturer in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Dance at HSU since 2007.

Anayansi Prado

Anayansi Prado is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and educator originally from Panama. Her feature documentaries Maid in America, Children in No Man’s Land, Paraiso for Sale and The Unafraid  have broadcast nationally on PBS. Her work has received support from the MacArthur Foundaiton, Ford Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures and many others. Anayansi is a Rockefeller Media Fellow, a Creative Capital Artist, and a Film Expert for the State Department’s Film Diplomacy Program American Film Showcase. http://www.anayansiprado.com

Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne was born in Rome, the son of a sculptor father and professor mother, and was raised largely in Scotland and Laos.  He left Stanford after two years to work as a longshoreman, a bus driver, a pool man and a translator.  

A lifelong asthmatic, he moved to Nebraska for therapeutic reasons and grew so fascinated by the rituals and customs of the American plains that he picked up a movie camera to document them before they vanish forever.  He has made seven feature films and won two Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay. He serves on the boards of the Film Foundation, the Telluride Film Festival, and Film Streams, a cinematheque in Omaha. He is currently at work on his second volume of poetry.  His first, Shadings and Shadowings, was published in 1991.

SJ Main-Muñoz

Prior to directing professionally, SJ worked in production for over 20 years in roles including as freelance Commercial Supervisor and Director of Development. SJ’s short films, including the award-winning LA CERCA and REQUIESCAT, have screened worldwide and garnered dozens of awards including Best Film. Her first episode of TV, NBC/Wolf Films’ CHICAGO MED, aired in March 2020. SJ’s directing is supported by talent labs including NBC’s Female Forward, Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, WeForShe’s DirectHer, FIND’s Project:Involve, NALIP’s Filmmaker labs, and others. As a second-generation Latina, SJ is dedicated to increasing Latino representation behind and in front of the camera.