meet the Makers & shakers
Crew
Florencia Manóvil is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to the U.S. at 18 to study film at Emerson College, where she graduated with a B.A. in Media Arts.
A multilingual translator and subtitler, certified Nutrition Educator, writer, feminist and mother to a joyful toddler, Florencia is excited to showcase Oakland in her debut feature film as a Writer/Director.
Past films include Saturday Night (2002) and Belén (2004).
Rhoda Jordan (producer) is an LA-based screenwriter, producer and actress.
In 2005, Rhoda created, produced, and co-directed Macho, an explosive variety show that performed live at Hollywood’s Stella Adler Theater and filled the theater throughout its run. Rhoda has also starred in five feature films that achieved substantial distribution in the consumer marketplace. Her body of acting work has secured her a cult following among thriller and horror fans alike. Most recently, Rhoda wrote, produced and starred in Rule of Three, an independent feature thriller.
Cast
Sonia Montejano (“Fiona”) grew up in Austin, Texas. She moved to California to attend college at Stanford University. During her sophomore year, a rigorous biology schedule and yearning for a creative outlet pushed her into the exciting world of acting, where she took part in many campus and community theater productions, including "The Vagina Monologues", "Zuit Suit" and "In the Blood". After a two-year hiatus from acting upon graduating in 2006, she auditioned for the character of "Fiona", moving her acting from the stage to the screen. This is her film debut.
Giovannie Espiritu (“Mara”) earned her Hollywood merits with her role as medical student “Ludlow” in NBC's long-running hospital drama ER. She has also appeared on Fox's Bones, and in the critically-acclaimed Gilmore Girls. The Manila-born actor has been cast in various internationally-produced independent films as well. She won the female lead in the local movie "American Yearbook", although the producers originally wanted a Caucasian actress for the part. Giovannie is also a domestic violence awareness and prevention activist, donating her time by directing benefit productions of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, and is on the Board of Directors for CORA (Communities Overcoming relationship Abuse). Check out her website!
Kathreen Khavari (“Paloma”) is a native of Oakland, California, and has loved acting since childhood. Her passion for acting came from a combination of watching as many movies as she could since she was old enough to realize what a movie was, and her wild imagination from being an only child. Film influenced Kathreen’s life so much that after watching the movie Outbreak in the sixth grade, she became highly interested in the field of infectious diseases and went on to receive two degrees in field. After completing graduate school in London, Kathreen came back to the Bay Area and decided to revisit her love for acting. She has since been in local movie productions as well as theater, including a contemporary stage adaptation of Antigone.
Melissa Valentine (“Henna”) Melissa Valentine is a native to Oakland, CA. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she studied theater and creative writing. Happily residing in the San Francisco Bay Area again, Melissa is currently engaged in her own writing pursuits. Melissa starred in Florencia’s short film “Belén” (2003).
