Immersion Workshop Instructors
Haile Gerima : Filmmaker and Educator
Haile Gerima is a seminal figure in independent cinema, celebrated for his powerful depictions of African and African-American experiences. Raised by a teacher mother and a playwright father who resisted Italian colonialism, he was deeply influenced by classical Ethiopian storytelling traditions. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1967, he studied at UCLA, becoming part of a movement challenging mainstream cinematic narratives.
His notable films include Ashes and Embers (1982), Teza (2008), and Sankofa (1993), which won Best Cinematography at FESPACO. Gerima co-founded Mypheduh Films, Negod Gwad Productions, and Sankofa Video, Books & Café in Washington, D.C. He is Professor Emeritus at Howard University and received the Vantage Award from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2021.
Alan Ferguson : Filmmaker and Educator
Alan Ferguson is a director and cinematographer renowned for impactful music videos and commercials. He received a Grammy Award for the music video Jon Batiste’s Freedom (2022). Ferguson has directed videos for top artists including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, and Janelle Monáe. Holding a Master's Degree in classical guitar, he considers music essential to his creative process.
Ferguson continues to work across various filmmaking roles, including producing and cinematography.
Bradford Young : Filmmaker and Educator
Bradford Young, A.S.C., is an acclaimed cinematographer recognized for his distinctive visual style. He won the Sundance Cinematography Award twice, for Pariah (2011) and both Mother of George and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013). In 2017, he became the first African-American cinematographer nominated for an Academy Award for Arrival (2016). His notable works include Selma (2015), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and the mini-series When They See Us (2019).
Young has also collaborated on video installations displayed in museums worldwide.
Daniel E. Williams : Filmmaker and Educator
Daniel E. Williams is a filmmaker, cinematographer, and professor of film production at Bowling Green State University. A Howard University alumnus, he has earned awards from Eastman Kodak, Paramount Studios, and the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities. His films have screened internationally and at the Kennedy Center and the Hirshorn Museum in Washington, DC, the Juneteenth Atlanta Film Showcase, the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival in San Francisco, the San Francisco Black Film Festival, and the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago.
See a sample of his work here: Play Day
Russel Santos - Filmmaker and Educator
Russell Santos is a professor of film and video studies at George Mason University. He was nominated for an MTV Award for Best Editing for Lizzo’s Good As Hell (2019) directed by Alan Ferguson. Santos was cinematographer and editor for the National Education Association's project Graduation Day, shot entirely in Washington, D.C.
As an active professor, he is passionate about sharing his filmmaking expertise with students and aspiring filmmakers.