2025 GUEST FIlmmaker workshops and panels

To Kill a Wolf filmmaker Q&A | THURSDAY 10/2 | 9PM | THEATER 8

Join us after the screening of To Kill a Wolf for a Q&A with filmmaker Kelsey Taylor (Director, Writer, and Producer)

Kelsey Taylor | friday 10/3 | 5pM | Theater 8

Workshop Title: To Kill A Wolf Case Study: The Making & Distribution of an Indie Film

Alex Wilson | saturday 10/4 | 11AM | theater 8

Workshop Title: Workshop with Alex Wilson

Melissa and Joy Blake | saturday 10/4 | 2pm | theater 8

Workshop Title: Workshop for Writers with Melissa Blake & Joy Blake

Filmmakers Roundtable | SATURDAY 10/3 | 5pm | theater 8

A signature film fest event, meet our guest artists and professional filmmakers as they come together for a discussion and Q&A about the process of creating films.

2025 Festival Guest Artists

Kelsey Taylor

Raised in the wilds of Eastern Washington, Kelsey Taylor attended Loyola Marymount University, earning a degree in Film Production and minors in both Film Studies and Music. Kelsey's career began as a cinematographer and camera assistant, building a strong foundation for visual storytelling before transitioning into directing. Her breakthrough sci-fi short, ALIEN: SPECIMEN, was created through an initiative with 20th Century and has accumulated over 6 million views. Kelsey's debut feature film, TO KILL A WOLF, is a modern reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood told through the lens of sexual grooming. The film premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2024 and opened in cinemas in the summer of 2025. Kelsey is a DGA member and selected by Film Independent as one of six fellows in their 2024 Episodic Directing Intensive. Her next project, THE BAD THINGS, was an Academy Nicholl semifinalist and explores the depths of shame through the complex relationship between a teacher and his student.

Melissa Blake

Melissa Blake is a television writer-producer of one-hour dramas and single-camera comedies for broadcast and streaming. She has worked on a wide range of series across nearly every genre... from fantasy/sci-fi, including Xena: Warrior Princess, Heroes, and Sleepy Hollow, to procedurals Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Wicked City, dark comedies One Mississippi and Based On A True Story, as well as YA drama The Wilds. She’s developed and sold multiple projects, both originals and adaptations, with top production companies and studios, including a current drama pilot set up at Amazon. When not in a writers room or on set, Melissa can be found engaging with the next generation of talent through her work with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & Television, from which she received a Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting. She currently serves on the university’s Board of Regents as well as the Dean’s Executive Council for the top 5 film school, in addition to putting on workshops and panels for the Masters writing program and spearheading a mentorship program she created for the graduates. She additionally serves as a mentor to new members of the Writers Guild of America as well as in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Women In Entertainment program, (in conjunction with The Hollywood Reporter), which provides college prep, support, and scholarships to young women in underserved L.A. area high schools. Melissa has participated as a panelist at international film festivals and presenter in PBS’ acclaimed Fine Cut Speaker Series.

Alex Wilson

Bio coming soon!