Lela Meadow-Conner is a Creative Producer and Founder of mama.film – a village at the crossroads of art & advocacy where storytellers, changemakers and nurturers come together to champion humanity through a maternal gaze. She has 20 years of experience in independent cinema exhibition, most recently as Executive Director of Film Festival Alliance (2017-2022.)
Through its curation arm, mama.film operates as a nomadic experience, partnering with regional and national organizations to program films that center women, identity and the human experience. In 2020, mama.film launched rePRO Film, a monthly film and podcast advocating for reproductive justice. In 2021 & 2022 mama.film served as a Satellite Screen for the Sundance Film Festival in Kansas.
She currently serves as Co-Producer on the documentary feature ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’, Producer on the narrative short and feature ‘’Run Amok’, with several other projects in development.
Mallory Martin
Artistic Director • Cleveland, OH
In addition to being the Artistic Director for the Cleveland International Film Festival, Mallory Martin is also a co-founder of mama.filmCLE – the Cleveland branch of mama.film. Working within the film festival industry for over 10 years, Mallory has served on multiple juries, as well as participated in panels and pitch sessions around the world. Mallory graduated from the film program at Ohio University and began her career by working for the Athens International Film and Video Festival, producing public media broadcasts, and writing and directing short films. Mallory has a son, Ollie.
Kylie Brown
Digital Director • Wichita, KS
KylieB (she/her) is a queer, Korean Kansan who cultivates creative communities. Pulling on her experience in live event production, digital management and tech support — aka “moral support for artists” — she supports artists of all mediums to execute their programming. Her work has bridged gaps in Wichita through initiatives including CreativeRush, MULTIBUBBLE, and Down to the Wire™ a 24-hour film race with her latest programming series: Puppet Open Mic + Puppet Karaoke. She has worked as the Media/Project Facilitator for Horizontes , exhibited with WSU Shiftspace, Wichita Festivals, and has been a Curatorial Resident for Paul Artspace near St. Louis. As an occasional musician, #CleotheCello makes special appearances with Josué Estrada. You can find her working as moral-tech support for Artist INC (Live, Express, ALF) and Harvester Arts in organizing events and engaging artists in the community. Currently, KylieB works as the Digital Director for mamafilm, A/V Tech for The Screening Womb, and the podcast editor for rePROFilm. | IG @kblivnfree
Emily Christensen is a writer based in Wichita, Kansas. She is the co-creator, writer and host for the award-winning podcast “Feminist Foremothers,” a collaboration with mama.film. She is a recipient of a Wichita Arts Council Award and a 2020 fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Follow her on Twitter @SchmemilyEmily.
Asha Dahya – author, TEDx speaker and founder of GirlTalkHQ.com Asha was born in the UK, raised in Australia, and now resides in Los Angeles, California. She has spent the last 16 years creating, producing and hosting content for networks such as MTV, MSN.com, Disney, ABC, Nickelodeon, Fox, Nine Network Australia and more. Considered a voice of authority in the feminist media space, she has delivered keynote addresses for Accenture’s International Women’s Day event, UCLA’s Bruin Belles annual conference, and the 2018 Los Angeles March for Moms event where she shared her expertise on Maternal Mortality and Paid Family Leave. Asha has also moderated panels for UN Women, Mount Saint Mary’s University, and EmpowHer Institute. Through her work, Asha focuses on reproductive rights, gender equality, and the representation of women in media. She is passionate about empowering women and girls to take up space, raise their voice and share their story with the world.
Teri Mott
DJ • Wichita, KS
Dr. Julia
Medical Consultant • Boston, MA
Dr. Julia Arnold VanRooyen [Dr. Julia] is a passionate advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights, including access to contraception and abortion care. She is a board-certified gynecologic surgeon with subspecialty training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received her medical degrees and training from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Northwestern, and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Julia worked as a Fellow at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, directing a capacity building program for fistula repair in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and throughout her career has dedicated time and skills to multiple international humanitarian projects, including conducting research on the use of rape as a weapon of war. She has also enjoyed teaching high school biology and reproductive health. Her latest project is a film script, “Red Notice”, a medical-legal drama set in a future where abortion has been banned and the government tightly monitors all pregnancies from conception. Visit her at drjuliaarnold.com.
