THE FILMMAKERS
Julie Anne Koehnen, Writer/Director/Editor
Koehnen's filmmaking career has been distinguished by critical recognition and substantial grant support. In 2020, she was curated by Film Fatales for their "Women with Vision; Then and Now" showcase at the prestigious Walker Art Center, featuring her award-winning short film Master Servant. This recognition led to significant funding from the National Endowment of the Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. In addition to her filmmaking awards, Koehnen's writing has been recognized when she became a top 10 finalist in the competitive Stowe Story Lab fellowship for her pilot script Summit Avenue and was further validated as a top 10 finalist in the New York International Screenplay Awards.
Koehnen honed her technical skills during a successful editing career in Los Angeles before making the bold decision in 2017 to pursue filmmaking and screenwriting full time. After this move she went on to make her films Master Servant (2019), Awakening (2021) and Aperture (2023).
Fulfilling a long held desire, Koehnen earned her degree in Studies in Cinema & Media Culture from the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts in 2023. Koehnen is a successful filmmaker who bridges independent artistic vision with professional industry standards.
Ryan Grams, Producer
As the owner of Uptop Films, Ryan has served as executive producer and director of photography for several award winning commercials and independent film projects. Ryan is both a filmmaker and a technologist with a keen eye on the latest tech especially as it relates to film production and distribution.
Ryan has a knack for putting together a winning team and helping to make sure everyone stays on the same page.
As soon as Ryan commits to a project, he excels at seeing it through to completion at a high level of excellence.
This is Ryan’s first feature length project, but as a life- long entrepreneur, he’s ready to see his dream of producing feature length films come to life.
