interviews
Encounters with filmmakers and festival’s news

Antony Acheampong
Director of BOY
Antony Acheampong is a highly acclaimed actor whose works has spanned across Film and TV across the world stage. As a young boy, he was enamoured by the griots within his Ghanaian culture and started practicing the skill of taking a tale and making it flourish in film via acting and now directing. His career has seen him in multiple feature films including working with Oscar nominated Directors such as a Jim Sheridan; Harry Potter Director David Yates and more. Acheampong’s talent has led to him starring in series on the largest television networks such as ABC, ITV and PBS to name a few.
Being an actor first, Acheampong has always been awed by cinema and allured by the art of film making; an interest which deepened further when working with revered Directors. This led to his directorial debut with BOY; an award-winning film which explores ideals pertaining to masculinity and loss.
Filmography
Jarri – Of Kings and Prophets
Kanam – The Legend of Tarzan
Mendo – My Foolish Heart
Robert Deveaux – Granchester
Wale – The Power
Being an actor first, Acheampong has always been awed by cinema and allured by the art of film making; an interest which deepened further when working with revered Directors. This led to his directorial debut with BOY; an award-winning film which explores ideals pertaining to masculinity and loss.
Filmography
Jarri – Of Kings and Prophets
Kanam – The Legend of Tarzan
Mendo – My Foolish Heart
Robert Deveaux – Granchester
Wale – The Power

Joyce Porter
Actress of Stairs
Joyce is a Chicago based actress, who has also worked in other parts of the U. S. After she received her M. A. in theater from Northwestern University, she became a professor at Moraine Valley Community College, near Chicago, where she taught theater, film, humanities and speech for many years. She also directed numerous plays. She took early retirement to focus on acting. She worked both on stage and on camera for several years before switching to on camera exclusively. She has acted in 60 films, and some commercials and TV. A highlight was a small role in “Better Call Saul”. She was pleased with every aspect of “Stairs” and when the director left the film industry decided to submit it herself. She is not related to the director.

Sam Gostnell & Max Sznewajs
Directos & Producer of Sheep Hills
With a body of work dating back to 2004, Sam made his directorial debut at 8 years old and has been behind the camera ever since. He likes to say his focus has evolved from short LEGO Star Wars films and Lord of the Rings ripoffs into documentary filmmaking and most recently narrative shorts. Having grown up in rural Southern Oregon, Sam brought his personal experience to the world of Sheep Hills.
Max Sznewajs is the Co-Founder of Dark Time Entertainment. Originally a Detroit Michigan native, he set his sights on Los Angeles and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2017 with a BA in Film & Television Production and an award winning short film under his belt.
His keen eye for great storytelling attracted him to Sheep Hills, and his eventual partnership with Jack Paal to found Dark Time Entertainment in the winter of 2019.
Max Sznewajs is the Co-Founder of Dark Time Entertainment. Originally a Detroit Michigan native, he set his sights on Los Angeles and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2017 with a BA in Film & Television Production and an award winning short film under his belt.
His keen eye for great storytelling attracted him to Sheep Hills, and his eventual partnership with Jack Paal to found Dark Time Entertainment in the winter of 2019.

Tegen Short
Writer, Producer and Actress of Regulars
Tegen Short is a British-based actress who wrote, produced and starred in her debut short film, Regulars. The film addresses the “cruelty within all of us and the complicated and twisted nature of relationships, and the unpredictability of humanity”. Tegen has appeared in US and UK television and is classically trained. This is her first writer and producer credit. Regulars has been screened at multiple global film festivals and has secured interest to develop into a feature film. Tegen continues to develop multiple other projects alongside her acting career.

Kristen Yuan and Mild Kamolluck Niamkongkit
Directors of GASLIGHT
Kristen and Mild are recent graduates of Ringling College of Art and Design’s Computer Animation program. Gaslight is their senior thesis and both their first films. Kristen is currently based in Los Angeles as a Story Artist for Netflix Animation. Mild is currently based in Bangkok as an Animation Arts Lecturer at King Mongkut Thonburi University, and an Art Director for EEZ Studios.
@gaslight.film
@kris10yuan
@mild_niamko_art
@gaslight.film
@kris10yuan
@mild_niamko_art