Novika Ishar, Partner and Chair of Entertainment Law at Romano Law, regularly advises filmmakers, production studios, and talent. She has worked as production counsel on films such as THE IRISHMAN and YELLOWJACKETS, podcast projects such as It’s Open with Ilana Glazer, and many others.

It was while majoring in sociology and film studies at UC Berkeley that director Eric Lin decided to dive into the world of filmmaking. Now, he is best known for his cinematography work on the critically acclaimed feature films such as THE EXPLODING GIRL, THE SOUND OF SILENCE, HOUSE OF SPOILS, I SMILE BACK, and HEARTS BEAT LOUD, which have all premiered at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, and Toronto. Early in his filmmaking days, Lin’s own New York University MFA short documentary, MUSIC PALACE, gained notice and played at influential festivals such as Telluride and New Directors/New Films.

His feature directorial debut, ROSEMEAD, stars Lucy Liu in a performance that Variety called “a revelatory turn” and “career re-defining.” ROSEMEAD premiered to critical acclaim at Tribeca and went on to screen at festivals such as Locarno (winning the Audience Award, the Prix du Public), Bentonville (winning the Best Narrative Feature award), Hawaii, SCAD Savannah, Morelia, Sao Paolo, Golden Horse Film Awards, as well as MoMA’s The Contender series. It is distributed by Vertical Entertainment.

Thavary Krouch serves as the Deputy Director of Film for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she supports both studio and independent productions filming across New York City. With over a decade of experience in film production and public service, she is dedicated to fostering a thriving, inclusive film industry. Before joining MOME, Thavary worked at the Chicago Film Office and built her foundation in independent filmmaking. As a writer and director, her work explores themes of family, identity, and resilience through both narrative and documentary storytelling.

Eva Lipman is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who grew up in New York City. Character driven stories with lasting impact connect her body of work across documentaries, episodic and short-form films, installations and live events. She produced HBO's JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY, Academy Award nominee and winner of the 2016 Sundance Audience Award and 2016 Primetime Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Other recent credits include 2023 Sundance Film Festival Premiere ABC News/Hulu's PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS, 2020 Emmy nominee Netflix's DEVIL AT THE CROSSROADS and Netflix's WHO KILLED JAM MASTER JAY. Eva began her career in the Performing Arts and trained professionally at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center. She was awarded an artist fellowship from the Wurlitzer Foundation and is a graduate of McGill University.