Marquez is an Afro-Venezuelan filmmaker and music video director from San Agustin, Caracas. His previous documentary, Mamá África (2018), focuses on the timeless cultural connections between Nigeria and Venezuela. He toured Mamá África at film festivals, universities, community centers, and conferences throughout the U.S., Colombia, Venezuela and on-line  in 2019 - 2021. He’s also an experienced musician and has studied salsa, Cuban son, rumba, African-American jazz, and rap. In 2020, he launched Drummer Sessions (@drummersessions), a multimedia hub for percussionists and music aficionados. He conducted interviews with underground Grammy-award winning artists in New York, Miami, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy and Cape Verde. He is currently based in Los Angeles.  This is his second feature-length documentary film.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Charles is a Haitian-German storyteller, historian (UCLA, M.A. ‘19), activist, and journalist with experience in radio and television production throughout the Americas. Her recent work, WE RISE (post-production, 2022), is a documentary short focused on Los Angeles County’s initiative in support of healing justice through the arts and community organizing. Charles is also the founder of Ìyá Global, a coaching, consulting, educational travel, and multimedia hub. 

Oscar-nominated for her producer role in the Sundance Film Festival-winning documentary Gasland (2011), Yibirin has worked as a producer for several projects since. She is the founder of the Venezuelan Film Festival and Director of Development for Maravilla, an arts advocacy organization in New York. In Caracas, she served as the director of the National Cinematheque. She is currently based in Rhode Island.

Calello’s experience spans music videos, short films, web series, television, and documentaries. He is the director of the documentary short film series: Hacer Nuestra América, and cinematographer for the award-winning short Mi Casita Chiquita. He recently won Best Short Film at the V.i.Z Film Fest. Calello has filmed in: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Venezuela among other countries. He is based in Buenos Aires.

Maldonado has more than 20 years of experience working in the audiovisual industry in the US, Venezuela and Chile. After graduating as a Filmmaker with Honors from Fitchburg State College (2000), he worked at Harvard University and Propaganda Films. He’s also worked in advertising for big-budget commercials and in television. Maldonado is currently based in Caracas.

Naranjo is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, and arranger based in Caracas, Venezuela. Naranjo has worked with salsa legends including Willie Colon and El Gran Combo. He  is considered "an undisputed figure of salsa and Latin jazz." He was trained at Venezuela’s Conservatory of Music, the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Orchestra, and studied at Long Island University. He’s traveled to the US, Colombia, and other countries for musical projects. He’s performed at the Barranquijazz Festival in Colombia among artists like Eddie Palmieri. He will serve as the documentary’s principal composer and an interviewee in Venezuela. 

Regnifo is well-versed in traditional Venezuelan and Caribbean rhythms and is a composer for film and television. He is also a musical producer, beatmaker and DJ.  Regnifo's music and sounds have been featured in award-winning films such as Galus Galus (Cannes Short Film Corner 2013) and his work nominated six times with the PEPSI MUSIC awards (2018, 2019, 2020). 

Based in Venezuela, Palma is a music producer, sound engineer, and video editor. His background in rap, hip hop, and other urban musical styles enrich his approach to this work.  

 Born in the Bronx and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Hernandez has over 20 years experience in urban planning, community organizing, and organizational development working with Black and Latino/a/x communities. Hernandez is a Salvadoran social justice consultant and founder of Quilombos Capacity Builders.