Persons
Diana Chan
Diana Chan is the Director of Finance & Operations at BAVC Media, responsible for the organization's financial and operational strategies by conducting financial analysis and providing actionable recommendations to enhance operational efficiency and financial health. Prior to joining BAVC Media in January 2026, Diana began her career in Accounting before pivoting to Finance with footprint in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. When not at work, Diana enjoys watching movies, animes, and tv shows with her cat BaoBao, winning at Magic the Gathering, and catching Pokemons while vacationing. She is also a coke addict.
Emily Cohen Ibañez
Filmmaker Emily Cohen Ibañez pairs lyricism with social activism in her work, advocating for labor and environmental justice. Her feature documentary, FRUITS OF LABOR, about a teenage farm and factory worker, had its World Premiere at SXSW 2021 and broadcast on PBS POV | American Documentary. Cohen Ibañez works as a one-woman band to directing a 10-person team on set. She has taught at NYU, CUNY, UC Santa Cruz, and the Latino Film Institute. She has completed two feature films, eight short films, and published nine written essays. Her films have screened at SXSW, Black Star, Ambulante, and SFFILM International [...]
Zander Constien
Zander Constien is the Membership and Programs Assistant at BAVC Media, responsible for maintaining member relations and supporting program administration. He works closely with the Marketing Department to aid BAVC Media's organizational outreach and community engagement efforts. Zander graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BFA in Cinema Studies and a BA in Spanish Language. He moved to San Francisco in 2024 and now works at the Roxie Theater and BAVC Media, assisting independent filmmakers at these two iconic Bay Area non-profits. Zander is an experimental animator who has screened at a variety of festivals such as, Nevada [...]
Victoria Fajardo
Victoria Fajardo is the Preservation Technician & Audio Specialist at BAVC Media, Victoria is responsible for the technical aspects of preserving, and digitizing a/v media collections. As BAVC Media's Audio specialist, Victoria works on all audio-related components from transferring ¼ inch reel to reel tape to being our in-studio recording engineer. Victoria Initially joined BAVC Media as an Audio Technician in 2021, she has since joined the team working on the preservation of both audio and visual media with a focus on uplifting and amplifying the voices of marginalized and historically underrepresented communities, while also ensuring cultural accessibility for future [...]
Joanne Parsont
Joanne Parsont is the Director of Strategy at the EMA Foundation, supporting a dynamic impact network of small social impact organizations and an internal team of rising young professionals. She also oversees the development and management of EMA’s storytelling and learning resources platform, rhizōma. For nearly three decades, Joanne has worked as a media education specialist and film festival programmer specializing in children’s and documentary films, working with festivals and film arts organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationwide, including five years as the first Director of Education at the San Francisco Film Society (now SFFILM) and seven [...]
Vatsala Goel
Vatsala Goel is a San Francisco-based DP specializing in documentary, narrative, and brand films. Her work has premiered at Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, earning a Peabody Award nomination, an Oscar shortlist, and an NAACP Image Award. Featured on Netflix, HBO, and Amazon, she has taught at SFSU, led workshops at CDWC and IWCC, and is an ASC Vision Mentorship honoree. Born in Kolkata, India, she holds an MFA from the FTII, India. Vatsala has collaborated on films that have premiered at major US festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, earning accolades including a Peabody Award nomination, an Oscar shortlist, and [...]
Stanley Ng
Stan has been teaching at BAVC since 2018, when he retired as a digital/semiconductor electronics engineer. As a sound engineer, he has been a production sound mixer and a postproduction sound designer on over a hundred short films, thanks to his longtime collaboration with the Scary Cow filmmaking collaborative. He has also contributed to award-winning TV shows and documentary/profile shorts as a producer, shooter, and editor. Stan has been recognized for his public access video productions five times by the Association for Community Media (Western Region) and at the national level. His film audio work has been recognized in several [...]
Ken Schneider
Ken Schneider, ACE, is a Peabody winning producer and editor who believes in the power of film to affect hearts and minds. Ken has edited over 40 feature-length documentaries, focusing on war and peace, human rights, artists’ lives, American history, and contemporary social issues. Ken co-edited the Oscar-nominated Regret To Inform, a film the New York Times described as “unforgettable … exquisitely filmed, edited and scored.” Ken has professed Films he edited have won primetime and documentary Emmys, three Peabodys, a Columbia-Dupont, IDA (International Documentary Association) awards, an Indie Spirit, top awards at Sundance, other major festival awards, and have [...]
Mateo Sof Allier Lechuga
Mateo Sof is an Animation Instructor and Program Specialist for the NextGen Program. They create curriculum for this program, as well as lead students through various different animation techniques and software. Mateo Sof Allier Lechuga is a mexican multimedia artist with a focus on animation. They graduated from California College of the Arts, where they specialized in Experimental Animation. After teaching art classes in various schools, and being a 3D animation guest instructor at CCA, they are joining BAVC Media. They have completed three short films, with their thesis being screened at the historic Roxie Theater. They graduated from CCA [...]
Michael Banerjee
Michael Banerjee is a Community Engagement Specialist at BAVC Media, handling BAVC Media's engagement with San Francisco via social media, newsletters, and in person outreach at schools. Michael's first introduction to BAVC Media was in 2023 as a Bridges fellow after graduating from UCLA with an English BA and a film minor. He has done lots of small jobs for BAVC Media, and is happy to officially join the club. He has completed BAVC's PG&E Editing Fellowship and Bridges Fellowship. Michael likes to spend his time playing video games, writing scripts, and watching movies.
