Hannah Henri
TFI Suppport
Tribeca All Access® 2007
Logline
A neurotic lesbian committed to playing the field changes her mind when she meets Hannah Henri.
Akiva Penaloza
Director/ Screenwriter/ Producer
Akiva Penaloza is a passionate Mexican woman who hails from New York City. She graduated from Pepperdine University in 1988, then cut her teeth in the competitive world of women’s service publications. Working her way to Executive Editor, her expertise in the field coalesced in her creating Maternity Fashion & Beauty, a niche publication for a burgeoning pregnancy market. After a successful career creating visual publications, Akiva returned to her dream, filmmaking. She entered the American Film Institute, winning the Target Foundation grant at the behest of Academy Award Winner Diane Keaton. In 2006, she won funding to direct her short, La Chiva, from the Latino Lens Film Challenge sponsored by Mercury and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). She is a storyteller committed to telling stories that are passionate and filled with value. Akiva Penaloza lives in Queens, New York.
Joan E. Deraval
Producer
Like Barbra and Woody, Joan Deraval is a true Brooklyn native. Growing up in the richly diverse neighborhood of East Flatbush, she developed a genuine curiosity about what inspires people. The profound images of abuse at the Willowbrook State School expose in the 70's moved Joan to go into Special Education Services, working with children and adults with cognitive differences. Joan pursued her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and established her career as a leader in a variety of not for profit management positions.
Joan made her filmmaking debut in 2006 as the Executive Producer of the Mexican short, "La Chiva". She is now a creative and business partner in ScorpyoFilms, working as a marketing guru and turbo-charged detail oriented producer.