I had the pleasure of speaking with the filmmakers of the 'Competitive Edge' Shorts film block at the 25th Anniversary season of the Tribeca Festival.

The description for this block is: These narrative shorts pack a punch as sports and performance take center stage.

ISABEL LAMERS| Director & Writer of 'Kaya (ᜃᜌ)'

Isabel Lamers is a Filipina-German actor, director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Shaped by her mixed-race heritage and upbringing, Isabel strives to tell stories from a unique point of view, specifically exploring larger societal issues in intimate, character-driven narratives. She also aims to give a voice to women-empowering stories. Isabel’s notable acting credits include the Cate Blanchett let “Tar”, “Club Zero” (a 2023 Cannes Palme d’Or nominee) and “SISA” which was a main selection at the Black Nights Tallinn Film Festival. She also co-wrote and starred in the award-winning short “A Dozen Suns”, which received a nomination at the Cannes Short Film Festival, and “A Serious Game” which won the 2025 Audience Award at FilAm Creative.

JORDAN BRITT | Director & Writer of 'Freestyle'

Jordan Britt is a New York City– based film director from North Carolina and a recent graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned a BFA in Film & Television with a minor in Anthropology. Her work centers on personal history and identity, often approached through a global perspective. Her NYU senior thesis film, Freestyle, was selected to premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival. Her films also include Girl Builds Rocket, a 16mm narrative short now in post, as well as BAD, SUGAR!, an upcoming short film. She founded Moonwatch Pictures, an independent production company, and has interned at Protozoa Pictures and Artemis Pictures. In 2025, Jordan was named a Soho House x Creative Futures Fellow, a year-long fellowship through which she is developing her debut feature.

MISHA CALVERT | Director & Writer of 'Fault'

Misha is an award-winning writer, director, and showrunner based in New York. She has created five digital series, including Strut (2018 Tribeca Film Festival), which campaigned for an Emmy in 2022, and All Hail Beth, commissioned by BRIC TV. Her 2026 projects include Pink Flags, starring Raye and Sawyer Spielberg; The Fuckboy Diaries, a comedic series about modern dating; and Candy, a musical short created in partnership with singer-songwriter Kate Eberstadt. On the feature side, Misha is developing two narrative dramas. Misha’s work is high-concept and visually driven with a focus on gender, mental health, power, and the female experience. She is the recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant and was a finalist for the Bechdel Residency in 2024. Misha works as a career strategist via her educational company, Vermilion and The Vermilion Podcast, and she is currently on staff as a teacher at Sundance Collab. To see more of Misha’s work, check out www.mishacalvert.com

RAN RAN WANG | Director & Writer of 'I Think About Killing You'

Ran Ran Wang (She/Her) is a Chinese American writer-director. Her feature screenplay IF I HAD YOUR FACE was featured on the 2023 Black List, and is currently in development at MGM/Orion with Closer Media producing. In 2024 she was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the Rideback Rise accelerator program. She is attached to direct DYING IS FINE, a feature film selected for the 2025 Sundance Producers Lab. She is represented by Sukee Chew at Hopscotch Pictures and Erica Ling at WME.

MARIA SOFIA HERNANDEZ | Director & Writer of 'La Lucha de Lucîa'

Maria Sofia Hernandez is a Mexican-American filmmaker and actress based in Brooklyn. She grew up on the border between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, CA. Her debut short film “La Lucha de Lucía” had its New York Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, it has also screened at Cinequest in San Jose, CA. Maria Sofia’s background as theater director and actor led her to film when she was looking for a medium that encompassed visual arts, music and her love of storytelling. She has worked on various short film sets behind and in front of the screen, and she received the Latino Public Broadcasting Digital Award Fund to finish post-production for La Lucha de Lucía. She strives to create work that makes space for the voices of Latinos, and underrepresented communities in the U.S. and around the world.

JEAN-LUC AND DESIREE MWEPU | Co-Directors & Writers of 'Ultimatum'

Also starring Desirée Mwepu

Special Thanks to Ben Thompson and Alan Seales

Sponsor:

Thank you to our sponsor Studio Pilates South Slope and Studio Pilates Cobble Hill!

Check out the Intro offer here for Studio Pilates South Slope and the Intro Offer for Studio Pilates Cobble Hill.

6 classes for only $60!!!

Thank you to Welcome to Times Square.com

Host:

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.mentorsonthemic.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you like this episode, check out:

⁠Becoming... VP of Shorts Programming of Tribeca Festival Ben Thompson

Watch Tribeca Shorts Film Roundtable panel "Love Fictionally" with Kaily Morgan Smith, Drew Van Steenbergen, Ty Molbak, Maggie and Tyler Brown