Special guests

2023 Special Guests

Each year, Film Fest Tucson brings industry guests to Tucson to share their films, their knowledge and insights about the world of film and television. This year we are pleased to announce a great lineup of guests from across the country.

Rachel Ward

Actor / Director

Award-winning actor, director, and writer Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds, Against All Odds) will join our screening of her documentary Rachel’s Farm which follows her journey to make her Australian farm a regenerative model.

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Nic Davis

Director / Producer

Nic Davis, Emmy award-winning director, cinematographer, and producer joins us with his film Ivan Doig: Landscapes of a Western Mind. His career has included feature documentaries on a variety of subjects including music and environmental issues.

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Emilia Berjón

Award-winning Actor

Emilia Berjón was recently nominated for an Ariel Award (the equivalent of an Academy Award in Mexico) for “Best New Actor” in Trigal. She is the daughter of renowned Mexican actor Arcelia Ramírez.

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Denny Tedesco

Director

Director Denny Tedesco joins us with his new music documentary, Immediate Family. This film is a follow-up to his critically acclaimed doc, The Wrecking Crew, which is considered one of the top 50 music documentaries of all time.

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Guillermo Munro Palacio

Writer, Sonora

Author Guillermo Munro Palacio will join us following the screening of Sonora, which is based on his book “La Ruta de Los Caidos.” He has also published six novels, a book on regional history, and more than 100 short stories.

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Leo Matchett

Co-founder & CEO of Decentralized Pictures

Leo Matchett is a Technical Emmy Award winner who grew up in Toronto and has lived in Los Angeles for 12 years working in film production. He brings a balance of knowledge in film, technology, and crypto assets. As an early adopter of Bitcoin, Leo began conceiving ways to bring blockchain technology, its auditability, and efficiencies to the filmmaking lifecycle. His primary goal is talent discovery and helping those creative thinkers concentrate on what’s important – the creative.

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Michael Musante

Co-founder of Decentralized Pictures & Vice President of film production and acquisitions at American Zoetrope

Michael Musante is vice president of film production and acquisitions at American Zoetrope, and a co-founder of Decentralized Pictures Foundation, Inc, As executive in charge of production at American Zoetrope, he is overseeing development and production of several feature films, including Fairyland, as well as the Broadway Production of The Outsiders Musical. Most recently he is an Executive Producer of Gia Coppola’s Mainstream starring Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolfe, and Jason Schwartzman.

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