Directors Composers Panel

With work presented at the Tribeca Film Festival 2024; Alex Wakim‘s original music-based book, Dust and Ions, co-written with Yara Zgheib, slated for publishing with Rose Metal Press; and an upcoming premier at the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, his unique musical aesthetic has led him to push barriers in sound and story. His music is also found scoring Julianne Moore, being featured in the Raindance Film Fest, Woodstock Film Fest, DOC NYC, off-Broadway at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, the National Portrait Gallery, and more. His experimentation with traditional Arabic instruments and tropes, such as the ney, to create unique synths and worlds of expression in film have led a cinematic Middle-Eastern album to be published with APM, as well as recieving the Reel Change Grant for his work on Nay Tabbara’s film, Ebb & Flow, premiering at Tribeca. His second album, Chasing Moons, has also received acclaim, released under the Artists Recording Collective label. Based in NYC, collaboration is key to Wakim’s approach to creating. He also loves stargazing, history, and subtly heartbreaking stories – and is currently developing Nour, an album about his grandmother’s life and exile, as well as An American in Beirut, a dark comedy about the power of laughter.

Allyson Newman is an Emmy nominated composer whose work can be heard on The L Word Generation Q (Showtime), Partner Track (Netflix), and First Day (Hulu). In 2024 she was nominated for two Society of Composers and Lyricists awards for her work on The L Word Generation Q and for the documentary Commitment to Life. Allyson was selected as one of twelve participants for the Spot the Composer program at the Marché du Film in Cannes 2024. Allyson’s past work includes the multi award winning documentary feature Limited Partnership that premiered on PBS Independent Lens in 2015. Allyson then went on to score the Emmy nominated (2016) series Her Story, and in 2017 participated in the BMI Conducting Workshop. Following this Allyson scored Kusama-Infinity which premiered at Sundance 2018 and was released theatrically around the world. In 2019 Allyson collaborated with Oscar-winning directors Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein to score State of Pride which opened the SXSW Film Festival. Also, that year Allyson scored A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem which had its premiere at Tribeca, as well as Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound which premiered at Cannes. Most recently Allyson scored the Hulu film Diane Von Furstenberg: Women in Charge which opened the Tribeca Film Festival June 2024. Allyson is the co-president of the Alliance for Woman Film Composers!

Jina Hyojin An is a South Korean composer based in Los Angeles. Her burgeoning list of collaborations and projects include Exploding Kittens (Netflix), an animated series based on the most beloved game, XO Kitty (Netflix), a spin-off TV series of the To All the Boys franchise, Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (Netflix) starring Vanessa Hudgens as well as the Emmy-winning documentary 38 At the Garden (HBO), world premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. Jina has worked closely with Academy Award-winning composer Mychael Danna on numerous feature films, such as the Academy Award-nominated animated feature The Breadwinner (Cartoon Saloon), On the Basis of Sex (Focus Features), a biographical drama based on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life, Onward (Disney/Pixar) starring Tom Holland, Where the Crawdads Sing (Sony Pictures) and many others. During her studies at Berklee College of Music, Jina was awarded the highest honor – The Georges Delerue Award, in recognition of her original voice and sincerity in her music. Jina was also part of the 2020 AWFC Mentorship Program through which she was mentored by Golden Globe-nominated composer Harry Gregson-Williams. In 2021 she was named one of 8 composers to participate in the NBCUniversal Composers Initiative. Apart from her work in film and TV, her music Soultide won the 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Awards in the Action/Adventure category. Jina‘s musical imprint – sincere with its imaginative and unconventional creativity – is a reflection of her innovation, and a catalyst for her rapid ascent in the entertainment industry – and hopeful ascent as Ziggs in the League of Legends universe.

Nay Tabbara is a Lebanese filmmaker based in New York, and a recent MFA in Filmmaking graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts — where she also teaches Editing as an Adjunct Professor within the Graduate Film Department. Before moving to New York, Nay built her on-set experience working as an assistant director on numerous award winning pictures, most notably The Insult by Ziad Doueiri (2017 Academy Award nominee). Born and raised in Beirut, Nay‘s stories center around her upbringing, and are inspired by her experience as a Lebanese woman existing within a largely hybrid society. She is a 2021 Sundance Uprise and Doha Film Institute grantee for her upcoming project Ebb & Flow. Her most recent short film Frayed Roots premiered at the 2020 Raindance Film Festival and has toured the circuit in several other Academy-Awards qualifying film festivals.

Sherise Dorf is a writer, director, producer, and founder of Tralaloo Productions, living in Los Angeles. Sherise spent her twenties working as a magazine editor/writer in New York City, where she realized her love of writing about authentic women, their journeys, storied relationships, and complex family dynamics. After moving back to LA, she continued to freelance for various publications while writing spec scripts, and raising her daughter. Sherise first jumped into independent filmmaking ten years ago to co-produce a micro-budget feature. Now in her 50s, she’s been actively directing and producing her own projects and has served as a producer on several other indie sets. The Everything Pot is her feature directorial debut.

Shirley Song is an Australian born Chinese composer who resides in the sunny city of Los Angeles. She is known for her work in composing music for various notable productions, including the upcoming Netflix TV show, Exploding Kittens, the Amazon Prime film, Five Blind Dates, the TV show spin off of To All The Boys film series, XO, Kitty (2023), the Netflix Romantic comedy, A Tourist’s Guide to Love (2023) as well as the 2021 Christmas Netflix film Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star, featuring Vanessa Hudgens. Shirley has also contributed to numerous TV shows and films, including the 2020 Pixar film, Onward, the 2019 The Addams Family animation, the HBO Max TV show, Julia (based on the life of renowned chef Julia Child), Disney’s Mira, Royal Detective, the second season of the CBS series, Strange Angel, Netflix’s Alias Grace, the Oscar nominated film The Breadwinner, and the Dreamworks/Netflix animations, Tales Of Arcadia: 3Below, Wizards, and Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans created by Guillermo Del Toro. A graduate of the University of Sydney/Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Composition)(Hons.) degree and Berklee College of Music’s Film Scoring diploma, Shirley‘s concert music has been performed at prestigious venues across Sydney, including the Sydney Opera House. In 2023, Shirley was selected as one of twelve composers for the Composer Filmmaker Accelerator program at the Vancouver International Film Festival (2023), where her piece was recorded and performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she is among eight composers chosen for the NBCUniversal Composers Initiative (2024-2026). When Shirley isn’t composing or playing music, she can be found spoiling and pampering her furry friends, attempting to pat every dog she encounters, and training kickboxing and Muay Thai at her fight gym.

Shruti Kumar is a composer, producer, and conductor working in NY, LA, and London. In the film and TV sphere, she has a wide range of experience from scores to songs. Recently, Shruti began collaborating with film composer Daniel Hart (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story) on the scores for AMC’s Interview With The Vampire and Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy. She scored the Alicia Keys documentary Uncharted (dir. Beth Aala) which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Other recent projects include the animated festival favorite Passage (dir. Asavari Kumar) as well as Esther In Wonderland (dir. Stephanie Bollag) which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. She is currently completing the score to Daddy (dir. Christian Coppola) and The Wonder People (dir. Dorte Verner). Previously, she spent time working at Remote Control Productions for Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer, and Stephen Hilton. In songwriting and production, she has collaborated with artists including We Are King, Alicia Keys, Vampire Weekend, Shirley Manson, Nas, No Doubt, and Fiona Apple. She prides herself on her ability to fuse genres. Songs she has produced or written have received several film and tv placements over the years. She has performed at venues ranging from Le Poisson Rouge (NYC) to The Walt Disney Concert Hall – where she composed, arranged, and conducted a sold out tribute to Yoko Ono with the LA Phil and Gxrlschool (featuring artists such as St. Vincent, Shirley Manson, Sudan Archives, and more)- the LA Times called this “a vision for the way forward.” Shruti’s upcoming album, Nodding Terms featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra has already been featured by the BBC and NPR. She hosts a global radio show Let’s Shake On It on dublab, which challenges genre through collaboration and encourages discourse surrounding the challenges of the music industry. She founded Sound Travels – a community and educational resource for musicians during COVID and beyond. Shruti is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute and Screen Scoring programs. She completed her undergraduate studies at both The Juilliard School and Columbia University and completed her Masters’ degree in composition at NYU.

Trish Dalton stands out in the film industry as an award-winning director, gaining acclaim for her HBO Sports documentary Student Athlete. This groundbreaking work exposed the underlying injustices in U.S. college football and basketball, propelling her to be recognized as one of People magazine’s “Women Changing the World” in 2020 for her advocacy in legislative reforms to safeguard college athletes’ rights. Her latest documentary, Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, co-directed with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, is a powerful homage to von Furstenberg’s life and her trailblazing role in empowering women across multiple generations. Dalton’s films consistently showcase stories of inspiration, creativity, and resilience. Her notable works include One Night Stand, Bordering on Treason, and Southmost USA, earning her accolades and recognition from film festivals and organizations worldwide. Leading a production company that specializes in engaging, personal story, social impact videos. Dalton creates informative and mission driven content for brands, non-profits, and governments, garnering such notable clients as Capital One Spark, Conde Nast, Pepsi, Nike, illy, Cole Haan, Microsoft, Kashi, The Global Ocean Commission, and the Presidency of Senegal.

Musical Polymath Wynne Bennett is a record producer, songwriter, composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist who has been manifesting herself at the forefront of experimental pop and contemporary music. A featured producer on Janelle Monae’s GRAMMY-award nominated album (Album of the Year) Dirty Computer, specifically acclaimed single “PYNK” feat. Grimes (GRAMMY-award nominated Best Video). Additional work includes collaborations with HAIM, serpentwithfeet, and GRAMMY-award nominated songwriter Tayla Parx (Khalid & Normani, Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco), with whom she has several releases on her first album We Need To Talk (Atlantic) and 5 releases on her new album Coping Mechanisms with a Tank and the Bangas feature. She also produced and co-wrote Chinese hit single Guang Dian by artist Xiao Zhan which sold over 100 million digital copies in china and made it to the Guiness Book of World Records as the The fastest-selling digital track (China) with a reported 25.48 million downloads in 24 hour and became the #7 biggest selling song globally of 2020. Well known for her writing and production collaborations with Twin Shadow, her work can be heard on critically acclaimed albums Forget (4AD), Confess (4AD), Eclipse (Warner), and Caer (Warner). Studying under the wing of Sun Ra’s manager and pianist Barry Harris, Bennett began playing piano at age 7 at the Harlem School of the Arts, with a focus in classical and jazz. Making her Kennedy Center concert pianist debut at age 18, she has since performed for global audiences, drawing from her background and musical identity in Harlem, playing hip-hop, jazz, and classical, gracing the stages of Carnegie Hall, Spoleto Festival, Afropunk, Coachella, the Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House and more. While working as an improvising accompanist for modern and ballet dance classes at Juilliard, Tish, Alvin Ailey, and Martha Graham, Bennett found ways to begin producing, composing, and becoming a touring/session musician.