Introducing our Fellows
We are proud to introduce our esteemed fellows for the 2024-2025 cohort.
Amy Bench
Amy is a Sundance-supported, Emmy award-winning, and Oscar-shortlisted director and cinematographer. Her work explores immigration/migration narratives, communication access for the Deaf, reproductive justice, and LBGTQ+ rights, and involves both animation and live action. Her short animated documentary "More Than I Want to Remember" (2022, Paramount+) won an NAACP Image Award, a Social Impact Media (SIMA) Award, an Emmy, and was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2023. "More Than I Want to Remember" won Best Animated Short at the Tribeca Film Festival, Best International Short Documentary at Hot Docs, and is distributed by MTV Documentary Films. Her most recent short documentary, “Breaking Silence,” (2023, Independent Lens) won both the Jury Award and the Audience Award at SXSW, and the Impact Award at DOC NYC. She is currently developing her first feature documentary, “Walker,” with support from the Sundance Documentary Fund and Catapult. As a cinematographer, Amy collaborates closely with directors, often working in the cinema verité tradition. She was the cinematographer on the Emmy award-winning short “Trans in America: Texas Strong” (2019, Conde Nast). “Texas Strong” grew into the feature “Mama Bears, (2022, Independent Lens). Amy has collaborated as a cinematographer on “Zurawski v Texas” (2024, Hidden Light Productions), “Every Body” (2023, Focus Features/NBC), and “You Are What You Eat” (2023, Netflix), among others.
Angela Chen
Angela Chen is an American filmmaker born and raised in the heart of Texas. Known for her strong emotional storytelling and visually captivating style, she seeks to unite thought-provoking perspectives, invoking inspiration through deeply realized characters and topics. Her narrative feature is the recipient of the Russo Brothers’ AGBO and AFI’s Development Grant. A finalist for Tribeca Film Institute's Untold Stories, Angela has also received grants from the New Texas Voices AFS Grant and ITVS Diversity Development Fund. She has enriched her craft through programs such as Visual Communication’s Armed with a Camera, the International Storytellers Lab in Italy, and the Women in Film Mentorship program. Angela’s films have earned accolades from over 100 film festivals with premieres at SXSW, Tribeca, and the Austin Film Festival. Amassing over 15 million views, Angela has directed commercial projects with global brands including Sony Pictures, Google, YouTube Originals, Audi, and Kia. As a Global and Senior Creative Director, Angela worked at HTC VIVE and Moth + Flame VR, pushing the boundaries of storytelling into immersive mediums. Angela is a Directing graduate from the American Film Institute Conservatory MFA program in Los Angeles and studied Film and Television at the University of Texas at Austin with a minor in Asian American studies. She currently resides in her home state of Texas in Austin.
Gabriel Ornelas
Gabriel Ornelas is Executive Director of Cine Las Americas, a multicultural organization based in Austin, Texas, USA. Celebrating 27 years, Cine Las Americas, offers theatrical screenings of films made by and/or Latinos or indigenous peoples of the Americas. Films from Spain and Portugal are also included, enhancing a truly Pan-American cinematic experience. Throughout the year, the organization showcases film screenings representing over 20 countries and produces the annual five-day Cine Las Americas International Film Festival. Gabriel's experience focuses on managing cultural arts programs and events, venue coordination, and supporting the performing arts. His work has included managing a statewide film program with the Texas Film Commission, producing large municipal events, and a variety of conference and event management work at universities. He resides in Austin, TX and draws from his cultural and personal experiences of growing up growing up in the border region of El Paso, TX, USA.
Stephen Reeves
Stephen Reeves serves as the executive director of Fellowship Southwest. Established in 2017, Fellowship Southwest is a Christian network of churches and individuals practicing compassion, persuing justice, and building new connections. Fellowship Southwest’s work includes the creation and support of a network of ministries serving the needs of migrants on both sides of the southern border. Reeves has spent nearly twenty years serving at the intersection of faith and public policy. He is committed to educating, equipping, and encouraging Christan advocates in the public square. He has been a longtime leader in the effort to reform predatory lending practices including payday and auto title lending and an active advocate for immigration reform and the rights of asylum seekers. He is the co-author of The Mission of Advocacy: A toolkit for congregations published by Nurturing Faith in August 2020. He previously served in Atlanta, Georgia as the Director of Advocacy for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and as Director of Public Policy and Legislative Counsel for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission (CLC) where he directed the work of the Citizenship and Public Policy office in Austin and was a registered lobbyist. He is a native of Austin, Texas, a member of the State Bar of Texas, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and the Texas Tech University School of Law. Before joining the CLC, he served as Staff Attorney for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) in Washington, D.C.