DIRECTORS

Carylanna Taylor is a filmmaker and anthropologist whose career seamlessly blends her academic background with compelling storytelling. After earning a PhD in Applied Cultural Anthropology from the University of South Florida, she co-founded First Encounter Productions in 2012, a production company dedicated to exploring social and environmental issues through film. Her feature film credits include Anya (2019) and Painting the Way to the Moon (2015).

During her MFA in Producing at the American Film Institute, she honed her filmmaking skills, producing several short films and gaining valuable experience with renowned production companies like Bona Fide, The Population, and ImageMovers. Prior to her filmmaking career, Carylanna conducted extensive research and taught in Latin America, focusing on migration, environment, and sustainable development. Her work has been recognized with prestigious awards from organizations such as Fulbright and the National Science Foundation.

Currently, Carylanna serves as Director of Sales and Acquisitions at The Film Sales Company and volunteers for NAMI NYC’s Ending the Silence Program, while developing a fiction feature about mental health in Southwestern Pennsylvania and a narrative series inspired by her anthropological research with Honduran farmers and migrants.