In Production Projects
Nihunavea: My Heart My Center
NIHUNAVEA is a documentary film that reclaims a suppressed history, retracing the complex and often painful legacy of land, memory, and recognition for the Tejon Indian Tribe. The film is set against the vast and contested backdrop of Tejon Canyon in Southern California—a place traversed by millions via the I-5 freeway but little understood— by exploring how history is told, who tells it and how it is carried forward
Fog Eaters
On the central coast of California, environmental toxicologist Peter Weiss-Penzias and his team of researchers find dangerously high levels of mercury in mountain lions. Tracking the mercury down the food web, they realize the toxin is coming from the fog—a beloved icon of California.
Altadena Stories
This feature-length documentary explores the layered history of a California foothill community shaped by generations of migration, resilience, and cultural transformation. Through interviews with longtime residents and on-the-ground cinematography, the film traces the evolution of the neighborhood—from its Indigenous roots and early settlers to its development as a diverse and vibrant African-American enclave. In parallel, the film documents a recent wildfire event and the unfolding efforts to rebuild, raising timely questions about community identity, land use, and the future of culturally significant spaces in the face of change.
Projects
Mad Bad World - Blue Cut Sessions
Unearthed
Unearthed examines the intersections of history, spirituality, colonialism, and contemporary archaeology through the experiences of archaeologists and Native Californians brought together by an excavationWe explore both archeological and Native relationships to excavation to better understand how different people relate to the past, furthering a conversation about the ethical limits and moral responsibility surround this kind of work. Framed in the context of colonial land grabs and a fight for tribal recognition, this is a story about reclaiming access to cultural heritage amidst a history of trauma and dispossession.
Ancient Optics - Ocean
Ancient Optics - Forest
Facing New York Live Performance
Unearthed Trailer
Protect Carrizo Plains National Monument
The Cobblestones and the Temporal: Climbing in the Santa Monica Mountains
The Tunnels
Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, The Tunnels are a grouping of sandstone boulders, ranging from laybacks to overhangs. With Malibu Creek making its way to the ocean, The Tunnels have been shaped by aquatic forces. What has been left behind are inspiring lines that have drawn us to climb these boulders. The beauty of this place has long needed to be shared. From that, this short has been born. The Tunnels is the first episode of what will become a comprehensive visual presentation of the rock climbing in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Sender One Games and Grand Opening
Cargo Builders
National Geographic Young Explorer
I made this short for a Nat Geo Young Explorer grant which he is currently working on in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Reflections on Identity: Jewish People of Olympia
When I first moved to Olympia, Washington to attend The Evergreen State College, I knew little about the city itself and seemingly knew even less of who I was. I was only 22 and it was the first time I lived away from home. At first It did not dawn on me how much intuitively I knew that aspects of my life personally were going to change but I did not have any idea how or why.
Over the years I spent in Olympia, I became sensitive about my cultural heritage, which in a single event culminated in a very difficult experience. The memory is still very clear in my mind. My brother and I were driving back to our house, located near the Evergreen campus, wanting to explore, we decided to take a path that we hadn't before. Right as we were about to make back to Evergreen Parkway, coming around a bend in the road, we saw it flying high in front of what looked like a broken down home. It was a Neo-Nazi flag which is composed with the confederate flag as the background and the swastika perfectly centered. That moment instilled a fear and connectedness I never have felt about being Jewish.
The intentions behind Reflections on Identity: Jewish People of Olympia, was to create a dialogue about a vastly complicated subject. Topics from what its like to be Jewish in Olympia to the effects of the middle east conflicts define our people, our heritage and in a town where such few jewish people live made for a perfect conversation to have. Each interview covers varies topics and is intended to simply highlight a small aspect of what it means to be Jewish in Olympia. Given the timing of this project, I was able to make connections with the Olympia Jewish community Both at The Evergreen State College and the greater Olympia area.
In making this documentary, I have realized that there is not one mode of thought about Jewish though there are similarities in all of our stories, linking us to our lineage. The isolation of the Olympia Jew brings us closer to our roots, friends and family because we do not have the distractions of a larger community, providing us the ability to create what we want to see and be. I have learned to be proud to be apart of this community, to be proud to be Jewish in Olympia in 2013.