KC FIlmFest International
Director-writer-actor
Blake is an award winning director, writer, and actor. His feature film writing and directing debut THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL world premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival to rave reviews and went on to win 8 Grand Jury Awards at film festivals around the globe.
His follow up film THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING (100% Rotten Tomatoes score), based on the NY Times Best Selling novel from Nancy Pickard, starred Maika Monroe, Maggie Grace, Will Patton, and Bonnie Bedelia among others. It world premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival as the opening night film and won 9 Grand Jury Awards on the festival circuit prior to a theatrical release by SP Releasing.
His follow up film THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING (100% Rotten Tomatoes score), based on the NY Times Best Selling novel from Nancy Pickard, starred Maika Monroe, Maggie Grace, Will Patton, and Bonnie Bedelia among others. It world premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival as the opening night film and won 9 Grand Jury Awards on the festival circuit prior to a theatrical release by SP Releasing.
FILMMAKER
Sage Wallace-Williams is from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is a 2020 graduate from the University of Missouri where she received her M.A. in Documentary Journalism; previously, she earned her B.S. in Multimedia Journalism from North Carolina A&T State University. She has worked in several film spaces (including documentary and narrative films), and she has found a home in storytelling and wants to make filmmaking more equitable for all marginalized communities. She hopes to become a development executive and producer for films one day.
Jackson is the director of Temple University's Diamond Screen Film & Media Arts Festival. has served as a juror for the Phoenix Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, and Glass City Film Festival, and acted as the social media director for the Arkansas Cinema Society. Jackson is currently completing her MFA in Film from Temple University and currently developing her first virtual reality experience based on The Yellow Wallpaper short.
Artist-Curator-teacher
Caitlin is an artist, curator and teacher based in Kansas City Missouri. Grounded in the moving image but integrating installation, sound, sculpture, collaborations, curatorial work and community programming, her work investigates the obscure and overlooked landscapes of the everyday. It has been exhibited around the world receiving numerous awards and grants including a Rocket Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Charlotte Street Foundation and Spencer Museum of Art.
Caitlin is a former director of the artist-run space Plug Projects and is a founder of Stray Cat Film Center. She was also the educational outreach coordinator for the Chicago International Film Festival, Director of the Thaw Festival in Iowa City and now curates at Stray Cat. Caitlin is Associate Professor of Film & Media Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she serves as the Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and is a member of the Women’s and Gender Studies and Graduate faculties. Her work is distributed by The Collectif Jeune Cinéma.
WRITER-TEACHER
Leigh Kellmann Kolb is an Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at East Central College in Union, Missouri. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Westminster College, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Lindenwood University. Ms. Kolb’s film and television criticism has been published in print and online publications, and she has been a screener for the True/ False and Citizen Jane film festivals, a juror for the St. Louis International Film Festival, and a board member and programmer for the Riverside Short Film Festival.
His films include award-winning documentary features ICEPICK TO THE MOON, HIT & STAY, and FREAKS IN LOVE; many short films including DAVID FAIR IS THE KING, ALFRED JARRY & PATAPHYSICS, and MANAGERS CORNER; plus music videos for Beach House, Young Fresh Fellows, Meatjack, and many more. He plays drums for Half Japanese, Mink Stole & Her Wonderful Band, The Stents, The Jennifers, and Garage Sale. He is also the electric-ukulele-playing front person for Go Pills. He has been a frequent contributor to zines like Cashiers du Cinemart, Go Metric!, and Counteroid, and is a regular guest on The Projection Booth Podcast.
Kansas City FilmFest International celebrates the power of storytelling as a shared cultural experience through the cinematic arts. Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to learn about film screenings and events year round!
