JOSEPH GRANDA
Joseph Granda has a multifaceted career in the entertainment and art worlds. Trained in NYC under the esteemed William Alderson in the Meisner technique, Joseph's journey spans stage, film, and visual arts.
As the Head of Film Development at Merkel Media he has produced several notable projects.
ADAM SEIDEL
Adam Seidel is a Wisconsin-born writer and director, and recovering music industry journalist. His sci-fi feature, Alien Intervention, is currently enjoying worldwide distribution via Vision Films.
His plays have been produced off-broadway and abroad, and are published by Broadway Play Publishing, Smith and Kraus and Applause Books.
BEN GOLDMAN
Ben Goldman started Afterlife Road Production in 2017, combining his documentary filmmaking and journalism background with his passion for the paranormal. Previous work includes “(After)Life,” which debuted as a Finalist in the 2023 Fear Faire Film Festival; and the acclaimed podcast "Filming The Supernatural" was listed as one of Apple's Top 50 most popular Film/TV Interviews show. “Dweller,” directed alongside Sarah Lienard, is Afterlife Road Productions’ third and most audacious film.
SARAH LIENARD
Sarah Lienard, a paranormal investigator and member of AfterlifeRoad Productions since 2017, is driven by a deep-seated fascination with the unseen. Her work is characterized by the rigorous integration of paranormal investigation with extensive, scholarly research into the occult and esoteric, including comparative mythology, folklore, and historical occult texts. Her works include her cinematic vision telling the stories of these lesser explored questions which lurk at the edges of all that we know.This meticulous research underpins her creative output, evident in publications like "After(Life)" and "Dweller," where evocative poetry and insightful writing are interwoven with her findings. As co-director of "Dweller" alongside Ben Goldman, Lienard translates her profound, research-informed understanding and otherworldly artistic vision into a compelling cinematic experience.
JOSHUA LAND & VICTOR FINK
DON’T GO CAMPING and CALL YOUR WIFE
Joshua Land and Victor Fink are a directing team who met as undergraduates at Johns Hopkins University and have collaborated on five feature films. They run the production company MindInMotion, based in Baltimore MD, and specialize in grounded naturalistic storytelling, focusing on stories about individuals trying to find their place in societies filled with uncertainty.
Joshua and Victor are MidWest WeirdFest alum. Their feature film BAD WITCH won the festival’s “Best Horror Film” award in 2020.
IAN STEVEN
THE SKY, THE CANVAS, AND EAU CLAIRE
Ian Steven is the creator and storyteller behind Alien Wisconsin, a YouTube series that explores extraordinary encounters and the profound ways they impact people's lives. A photographer and videographer by trade, Ian's fascination with the unexplained began in childhood when his mother revealed her own UFO sighting. Through Alien Wisconsin, he weaves together documentary storytelling and striking visuals—often captured with his skills as a photographer, videographer and drone pilot—to spotlight personal stories of the paranormal across Wisconsin.
Ian’s work reflects his broader passion for understanding human experiences in the face of the unknown, a theme that also shaped his earlier photography documenting queer communities in Wisconsin. Deeply engaged with the politics of the UFO movement, Ian creates compelling narratives that bridge local folklore, personal transformation, and the ever-expanding conversation about the unexplained.
BENJAMIN CAPPS
Award winning filmmaker and stop motion animator Benjamin Capps came to Chicago after receiving his degree in Theatre from the University of Missouri, Columbia. While an undergraduate, Benjamin founded The Inner Below in order to produce his own experimental theatre, with an emphasis on expanding on Antonin Artaud's theories of Theatre of Cruelty.
Having written, directed, produced and acted in numerous stage-productions, Benjamin transitioned to film-making, now having made ten short-films. His current focus is Retro Science Fiction, Body Horror and Stop Motion experimentation. Additionally, he has been a professional musician for over twenty five years.
MICHAEL BASHA
Michael Basha is a writer/director from Detroit, Michigan who now lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Beginning his career in the arts as a published writer of short fiction and poetry, Michael studied filmmaking at USC's School of Cinematic Arts where he received his MFA. After graduation, Michael wrote and directed his short film CRUTCH-TAP which premiered at the Oscar-Qualifying Urbanworld Film Festival. One of his feature scripts, SANG FROID, made it onto the BlackList in 2022 and is currently in development. He's currently repped by Matt Rosen at Rain Management Group.
JOE LUEBEN
Joe Lueben is a high school English teacher, father, and sometimes filmmaker based in Brooklyn.
BENJAMIN HINZ
DEAD ASTRONAUT: THE SWAN AND THE CRAB
Benjamin Hinz started his life over in 2020 by abandoning his successful effects pedal company Dwarfcraft Devices in favor of returning to college to earn his degree in animation. To guarantee his acceptance into the animation program at UW-Stout Hinz teamed with his colleague Nathan Moody to produce a short animated film called Dead Astronaut: Planet iBall. While the first outing was still in production Hinz began working on his second narrative short, a sequel to his psychedelic space freakout. With some monetary help from executive producer James Hancock Hinz spent the next four years working on Dead Astronaut: The Swan and the Crab while earning his degree, raising three kids, navigating a pandemic, moving across town, losing two dogs, training a new one, and maintaining a marriage.
Benjamin’s next work will be a team effort - a capstone film at UW-Stout. He is currently looking for work, preferably in the animation, film, or comics industry.
NICK ROHR
DESERT LIMINAL - SWEET WILLIAM
Nick Rohr is the creative director that runs Lemon Pulp Studios, both an independent comics and zines publishing label as well as an internationally awarded traditional animation studio. You can find the work on Instagram @lemonpulpstudios.
His animated music video DESERT LIMINAL - SWEET WILLIAM screens as part of the BEST OF THE MIDWEST shorts block.
DANIEL WHEELER
Daniel Wheeler is a multidisciplinary artist based in Wisconsin, celebrated for his innovative approach to visual and auditory storytelling. With degrees in fine art and audio production, Daniel's work seamlessly blends traditional techniques with modern experimentation. His achievements include grants and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, gallery representation in New York City, and recent film awards from both NIFA and MIFA for his latest venture into short film.
Inspired by Wisconsin's haunting forests and driven by themes of faith, doubt, and the supernatural, Daniel's art challenges perceptions and invites introspection. Blurring the lines between reality and imagination, his deeply personal work reflects a fascination with the unexplained. Whether through visual installations, experimental audio, or narrative film, Daniel's art resonates with emotional depth-sparking curiosity and leaving lingering questions long after the experience.
BLAKE MILLER
Based in Chicago, Blake grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and started making films about his family and friends in high school. He graduated with a degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University, has directed over 20 short films, a feature documentary, and spends way too much time reviewing movies on Letterboxd.
STEVE CHAPPELL
STEVE CHAPPELL is an illustrator, musician, sculptor, and filmmaker. He has authored and drawn graphic novels(Stark Plug Book, Understanding Ed Gein), designed books(Comics In Wisconsin), illustrated book covers(Goodbye Wisconsin, Under A Lucky Star), album covers and cds (We Duet Right, Nothing But My Name), and carved one store sign (The Froth House). He has made many films and won awards for TRILOGY OF TEAR! (Best Animated Short at MIDWEST WEIRDFEST 2020), and ED GEIN INTERVIEW (Best Animated Film at MLC Awards 2021). Chappell also built a two ton concrete cat tomb, and most recently completed a nearly three-foot Muffler Man statue... but, that is another story for another day.
PETER HOUSE
Peter House is from Cincinnati, OH and currently resides near Chicago, IL.
He has been producing digital marketing content as a Cinematographer/Director/Editor with INDIRAP Productions since 2014.
With an intrigue in various subgenres of Horror, he develops narratives to reflect that passion.
LUCAS ALEXANDER KURMIS
Mainly described as "weird," Lucas Kurmis is a singer songwriter from Minneapolis Minnesota. Lucas' music ranges from folk-punk, to indie rock, to spoken word, to noise-rock. Lucas' focus is often on guitar, as he's played since his teens, but he uses strings, drums, and a toy casio keyboard in his own style.
NICK HARKINS
Nick Harkins is a writer based in Milwaukee. He has an Mfa in film production from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Hobbies include cycling, music, and photography. He aspires to create character driven dramas with genre elements.
GERARDA LAHRY-KEPPLER
Gerarda has lived in Iowa her entire life. She has performed on stage in a multitude of productions over the last 40 years. While her “official” onscreen debut was as an extra in Field of Dream, Obit is her film acting debut.
JOE TEDESCO
Joe spent a few years working with his brothers, Alex and Ben, in the commercial production space but ultimately decided his passions extended further. By day, he works for Delta Airlines out of Minneapolis, but he moonlights creatively whenever possible to collaborate with them still.
Usually, Joe records and/or creates musical compositions for them, but on Obit, Joe helped secure some needed funding and PR. Like his brothers, he is passionate about this subject and is proud to help bring awareness to such an important subject matter that often goes overlooked.