Please meet Alesha Alexcee and Riley Jay, the selected mentees of our 2024 Directors Mentorship. Each emerging filmmaker received one-on-one support through five sessions with Simone LeClaire and Atlas O Phoenix, two well-established directors based in the Minneapolis/St Paul region.
Alesha Alexcee is an aspiring filmmaker newly relocated to the Twin Cities. Their background is in stand up, sketch, and improv. They bring their lived experience and their sense of humor to all the work they do. They are passionate about telling stories from marginalized groups, particularly bipoc, trans, and queer people. They are in pre-production of their short film, Transitional Age Youth, which is set to start shooting late spring/early summer 2024. They are excited to learn and explore more of their creativity and voice during this Directors mentorship.
Riley Jay is a freshly aspiring filmmaker with a background in book publishing and Cultural Anthropology. They have a love for documentaries, speculative fiction, and animation. Their favorite book is Octavia Butler's Parable of a Sower by Octavia E Butler, Their favorite song is "When Doves Cry", and their favorite food is a proper bowl of New Orleans Gumbo. Riley has lived in Saint Paul since they were 14 and Minnesota their whole life.
Alesha Alexcee is an aspiring filmmaker newly relocated to the Twin Cities. Their background is in stand up, sketch, and improv. They bring their lived experience and their sense of humor to all the work they do. They are passionate about telling stories from marginalized groups, particularly bipoc, trans, and queer people. They are in pre-production of their short film, Transitional Age Youth, which is set to start shooting late spring/early summer 2024. They are excited to learn and explore more of their creativity and voice during this Directors mentorship.
Riley Jay is a freshly aspiring filmmaker with a background in book publishing and Cultural Anthropology. They have a love for documentaries, speculative fiction, and animation. Their favorite book is Octavia Butler's Parable of a Sower by Octavia E Butler, Their favorite song is "When Doves Cry", and their favorite food is a proper bowl of New Orleans Gumbo. Riley has lived in Saint Paul since they were 14 and Minnesota their whole life.
Why mentorship?
Mentoring is a crucial part of Moonplay’s mission. In an industry where white cis males often have the advantage of increased access to networking, our Directors Mentorship encourages participants to form and sustain important professional relationships that are anti-racist, inclusive, and collaborative. Our goal is to support filmmakers to gain or sustain access to directing careers in independent film so that there is more visibility of gender diversity in the field.