Valaira Sa-Ra was born in Bronx, New York City of French West Indian descent and currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband. Having obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Management, she has developed both a passion & commitment to the world of fashion and entertainment at a very early age. As an entertainer and entrepreneur, her attraction & enthusiasm for the fashion and entertainment industry eventually grew into establishing her production company MiVUE Productions. As a former model, Valaira’s diverse artistic abilities & talents have created wonderful opportunities for her which includes modeling for PZI Jeans, Mizani, Creme of Nature, The World Natural Hair Show, Fro Fashion Week, The Bronner Bros Shows, The Black & White House, Jessica McClintock, Express, Limited, and many more. She also appeared in Essence, Heart and Soul and Elite Style Magazine. Today Valaira is working in Los Angeles as an Actress, Producer, Director and Host. Her company MiVUE Productions has produced short independent films, web series, talk shows and featured documentaries”.

​TY SMITH (writer/director) is a photographer, filmmaker, and poet from Denver Colorado. Though he considers SEVEN MINUTES OF DREAMS his “official” filmmaking debut, Ty has had success as a creator of award-winning comedic shorts: SOCIAL RECOVERY (about a man who attempts – with brief success – to put down his phone) screened at the Aurora Borealis Film Festival in 2017, winning Best Actor and the Audience Choice Award; RECONNECTING won Best Picture the following year. Ty is known online for his surreal photographs exploring themes of isolation, the uncanny, transcendentalism, ennui, and introspection. He cites his biggest influences as Donald Glover, Gordon Parks, and Jamie Fox, all of whom are multi-talented and work across mediums: “they showed me that I don’t have to be one thing; I can make music, films, take photos, and express myself in all these different ways without any limitations.”

​Trevor Edwards has always been a creative individual. Born and raised in Wilmington, DE he was first introduced to the world of film by his two eldest brothers; one who showed him a
flip book and the other who introduced him to sketching. At a very early age he spent time creating artwork in a multitude of different medias including comic books, characters, scenes, sketches, paintings, photography, and much more. Trevor earned his Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University in Graphic Design with a minor in Visual Communications. Trevor specializes in Black Taboo and Black Sci-Fi storytelling. Much of his writing style is that which defies conventions and set standards. Trevor’s main goals are to be a TV writer, VFX editor, and animator.

First time filmmaker, Thomas LaVeist (The Skin You’re In), is the Tulane University Dean of the School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. He is a leading public health researcher who has worked on African American health 3 decades.

DIRECTOR of:   A Mother’s Journey 

Sosiessia Nixon is a fiction writer who shares a passion for screenwriting. She has always been a lover of pen and paper and believes great stories whether true or not can inspire and motivate great change in society. On the other side of her life, she works full-time as a Paralegal and International Tax Advisor.
Sosiessia has a penchant for storytelling and has written and produced a number of short films. She has served as a ghost writer on many international projects, and is currently the head writer at iKon Media Jamaica, a job she does part-time.
Sosiessia was a top ten finalist in the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) Propella, a script to screen initiative for her screenplay Annie.
Sosiessia is also the creative mind behind many music videos as she serves as a writer for Link Creative Source on music video projects to include the likes of Shaggy, Buju Banton, Sean Paul, Spice, Popcaan, Dre Island just to name to few.

Photographer and audiovisual director, remained in photojournalism for 10 years, participated in artistic residency in Montevideo (URUGUAY) Iberescena in 2013, Artistic Residency in Cochabamba (Bolivia) in 2014. He made short awards such as O Menino do Dente de Ouro (2015), a film that won the Gostoso Show, RN; Peitinho Couscous (2017), awarded at the Vitoria Film Festival, ES; The Traditional Brazilian Family Katu (2020), award-winning film at the Brasilia Film Festival. Currently Rodrigo Sena ends Encantarias, a TV series that portrays religions of Afro-indigenous array and develops his first feature film. He began his research in the universe of Afro-indigenous religions in 2003 and maintains his approach and studies to this day. Having this object as a starting point for the execution of some of his films Rodrigo Sena expands its realization with the creation of Cine Terreiro, a film festival that addresses themes related to the sacred. He also develops projects through his production company Ori Audiovisual.

Rock White has a passion for storytelling. His film education was delivered at the University of Oklahoma and he has spent several years working onset and producing content. This is his first feature film.

​DIRECTOR of: Fruit

Rhythum is an American writer and director from Dallas,TX. He also is a recording artist and producer. Rhythum’s born name is Troy Hicks. Rhythum has written and Directed two short films, several music videos and various projects. He is currently writing his first feature film, which will begin production in 2022.