Documentary Panel Discussion
11 am - 11:30 am
Join us for our opening event with a panel of Indiana documentary filmmakers!
Panelists bios below.
Mitch Teplitsky
Haley Semian
Andrew P. Quinn
Hannah Lindgren
André Guima
Mitch Teplitsky (producer-director) is a documentary director, producer and distribution/impact consultant based in Bloomington, IN, originally from New York City. He specializes in telling inspiring stories about people who bridge cultures and create community, from New York to Peru to Indiana. His films have screened on PBS and hundreds of universities, film festivals, and cultural centers around the US and beyond. His new project is about Spencer, IN — the smallest town in America with a dedicated LGBTQ Center that's helping bring people together, revitalize the town and challenge some stereotypes about rural America. www.Mitchellteplitsky.com
Mitch has been producing documentaries for two decades. His projects include Soy Andina, the story of two dancers in NYC who reconnect with their roots in Peru, which aired on PBS and toured Peru in partnership with the US Embassy; Return to the Andes, in which the “Andina” of Soy Andina returns to Peru again to try to become the first woman mayor of her hometown; New American Girls, a web series about three “Dreamers” (undocumented immigrants) for Latino Public Broadcasting and PBS.org; and Earthkeepers, about a husband and wife who left academia to launch a composting business in rural Indiana.
Before producing, Mitch was the first marketing director for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where he helped build audiences for international films and documentaries. He left that position to embark on his cross-cultural and filmmaking journey that led him to Peru, where he produced films, met his wife, and found a second home.
Originally from New York City, Mitch holds a B.S. in Economics from the U. of Pennsylvania. He was a Fulbright Specialist in Peru, and received funding from numerous other film organizations, State Humanities, foundations, public television, and individual donors.
Haley Semian is a documentarian, videographer, a “conduit to share the story untold.” She got her start working at Indiana University Bloomington where she was a part of the IU 2020 documentary series that followed 12 students from the class of 2020 during their four-year experience at the university. She later went on to develop and co-direct a six-part series in collaboration with the Archives of African American Music & Culture titled “AAAMC Speaks.” These works aim to amplify the stories of influential Black figures who have specialized in areas ranging from executive work in the music industry to education, portraying the talent, knowledge, and unique lives of masterful individuals and emphasizing the importance of archiving. The series has been recognized for Best Documentary Short (Indianapolis Black Film Festival), Best Editor (Hoosier Films Festival), Best Documentary (Bloomington Indiana Film Festival), Best TV Series/Pilot/Web (Miami Indie Film Awards) and has been featured in the Heartland International Film Festival. She continues as a videographer at IU’s University Communications & Marketing, shooting and editing work that has been used in the launch of IU Indianapolis, campaigns for regional campuses, etc. as well as freelances in the Indianapolis area capturing the talented dance scene.
Hey, I’m Andrew P. Quinn a Director, Producer, and Entrepreneur. As a teen I discovered filmmaking as an outlet to focus my curiosities for art, storytelling, music, and technology. In an era before YouTube, I was selling DVDs and VHS tapes of my short films to my classmates in middle school. I’m so grateful to have found my passion in life at such a young age and have been able to stick with it for more than 20 years. After college, I founded Bayonet — a Production Company — with my DP/Producing partner Joe Vella. Bayonet has created high end commercials for brands such as Toyota, AT&T, HBO, Maker's Mark, Bacardi, M&Ms, Dunkin’, AARP, Walmart, ESPN, NFL, Marriott and Roche. Bayonet is celebrating twelve years in business as we spun up our sister business, Chop Shop — a cut to finish post house.
As a filmmaker, it’s my goal to use the gifts I’ve been given and the skills I’ve developed to capture compelling ways humans interact with each other and the world around us. As I’ve continued to lead the team at Bayonet and sharpen my skills in the commercial space, our growth has allowed me to focus on developing meaningful nonfiction content for streaming audiences. My debut feature, “Pressing On,” a documentary about letterpress printing and the characters keeping it alive, premiered to a sold out crowd at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The film was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy in 2019 and received praise from Leonard Maltin and The New York Times. It’s now streaming on Peacock. I’m currently overseeing the development of six non-fiction projects on a variety of topics with an assortment of other filmmakers.
Hannah Lindgren is an award-winning Indianapolis documentary filmmaker with over a decade of storytelling experience. Her most recent short film "The Net Makers" was grant-funded by Indiana Humanities as part of their Waterways Film Tour. Her short film "50 Little Birds" was an Official Selection at the 2020 Indy Shorts International Film Festival and won several awards from other festivals, including the "Best of Hoosier Lens Documentary Short Award" from Indy Film Fest and the "2021 Peoples' Choice Award" from the Paddling Film Festival.
Hannah studied Telecommunications and Anthropology at Ball State University and graduated with Honors in 2013. Since then, she has owned her own production company, produced videos for the Time, Inc. magazine brands, worked for Heartland Film, and currently is the Post Producer for Bayonet Media/Chop Shop Post.
André is a Brazilian-Hoosier filmmaker based in Indianapolis. He comes from a multicultural upbringing, having lived in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, that informs his understanding of the world and is foundational to his commitment to representation. André's directorial debut, Two Soles (2022), won best Narrative Short at Indy Film Fest (2023), Best Animation Short at Hollywood New Directors (2023), among others. He recently completed a short documentary, Article 31: Indiana's Tenant Rights Crisis (2024). André's current project, "Mirrors of Common Destiny," tells the story of the two refugee artists from Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the project was one of five finalists in Hoodox's Pitchdox competition. André believes in the power of collaboration, representation, and storytelling above all, and is always looking for ways to use storytelling to make inspire positive change.