Faculty & Staff

Milena Grozeva Levy has written, produced, directed and edited numerous films, garnering awards at festivals around the world. Emily, her 56-minute narrative film, played at the Angelika Film Center in New York as part of the Independent Film Market. She worked at the Cinematics Department at Microsoft. Subsequently, she collaborated with renowned Cannes and Sundance Film Festival award-winning film director Rob Nilsson, editing and creating the visual effects for Presque Isle. Milena also produced the independent feature film, Moonlight Sonata. Milena is a faculty advisor to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Student Chapter at De Anza, the first SMPTE student chapter founded in the Bay Area, and guides students to exercise their leadership skills and build confidence in organizing events and networking with professionals. She studied under filmmakers Robb Moss, Ross McElwee and Dusan Makavejev, receiving a B.A. from the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University. Mentored by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Nancy Schiesari and seasoned editor Nick Cominos, Milena earned her M.F.A. in Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin.

Mark Hamer has 25 years of experience working as an animator, artist, and art director in the video game industry. He has worked at companies such as Lucas Arts, Atari, Double Fine, and Telltale Games and has shipped nearly 20 titles. His work can be seen in classic games such as Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, and Brutal Legend, which was featured in the Smithsonian’s Art of Video Games exhibit in 2012. Most recently Mark was the Art Director on an interactive, animated television series for Netflix titled Minecraft: Story Mode. He has a B.A. in Film (Animation) from San Francisco State University and an M.S. in Education with a concentration in Online Teaching & Learning from California State University, East Bay.

Joshua Losben is an award-winning screenwriter and musician. He was recently selected as a 2019 SFFILM FilmHouse resident, a quarterfinalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and a semi-finalist in the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition. He is the writer and director of numerous webisodes and short films and was a staff writer on the original half-hour comedy Entitled. Prior to earning his graduate degree, Losben toured the country as a singer/songwriter, independently releasing four albums. In 2008, Losben won the prestigious ASCAP Robert Allen Songwriting Award for his original song “Chop Chop.” He is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Writing for Screen and Television M.F.A program where he was named the Jack Oakie Comedy Fellow.

Rachel Silveria is an American film director. She currently teaches production as a full-time faculty member of the De Anza Film and Television Department, where she also serves as a co-faculty advisor for the Society of Media Professionals, Technologists, and Engineers. Rachel spent her formative years studying dance and the contemporary arts. She earned her BA (Hons) in dance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the University of Roehampton in London. “Litost,” her first narrative contemporary dance film, won several awards at international film festivals. She earned her MFA in Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she directed a thesis, feature and audio drama podcast starring Lisa Kudrow. After graduate school, Rachel worked in film and television production for shows featured on HBO Max, Amazon Studios, and Disney Plus.

Genevieve Freckelton is an animator with 17 years of experience working in film, television, and games. She began her career as an animator at KPIX, San Francisco. She then pursued her interest in 3D at Mova Studios, working on TRON Legacy and several RD projects for EA and id Software. She worked as a 3D animator for Animatic Media on the TV series Sesame Street - The Adventures of Kami and Big Bird. Genevieve animated on Arconyx Studios features and continues to consult on projects. Currently, she is sharing her passion for animation and storytelling by teaching. She earned her B.A. in Computer Animation from Academy of Art, and certificates in Character Animation and Creature Animation from Animation Mentor

Warren Haack is a filmmaker who specializes in sound design and post-production services at his studio. He also co-owns Catenary Video Productions, which has produced 15 documentaries on early American railroads. Haack spent eight years working as an editor and sound designer for Harcourt Brace Films in San Francisco before accepting his current staff position in the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University. His most recent film, Santiago Is Santiago, explores the music and dance of Santiago de Cuba, and was shot on location in Cuban streets, homes, and clubs. His documentaries focusing on culture and history have screened worldwide and have won many film festival awards. Haack received his B.A. and M.A. in Cinema from San Francisco State University.

Dennis Irwin is a filmmaker, illustrator, and instructor at De Anza. He received an M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his films have won awards in many festivals and competitions. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, and Fortune Magazine. Former students of his have gone on to successful careers as directors, editors, cinematographers, and writers in the film industry.

Alexandra Lacey is an independent and freelance filmmaker, whose films have screened and been recognized at festivals both nationally and internationally. She has written, directed and edited several short narrative films that focus on women’s stories as seen through the lens of psychology and place, and is in the process of distributing a feature-length documentary, Fiji Memory, Colonial Time, which explores the history and legacy of colonialism in Fiji. In addition, she works as a producer and video coordinator at the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project where she has co-created the multi-media zine (Dis)location: Black Exodus and the award-winning 30-minute documentary Tenants Rise Up: Fighting for Housing Justice in the Bay Area and is a co-founder of Persuasion Pictures. In addition to Alexandra's creative and activist work, she is a passionate educator who has taught and lectured at multiple institutions internationally including current positions in the Film/TV Department at De Anza and in the Cinema Department of City College of San Francisco. She completed her BFA in Film Production and Studies at UC Santa Cruz and her MFA in Film Production at SF State University.

Cole Quirk is a writer/director that has worked on shows including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS), The 100 (CW), Resurrection (ABC), Scream (MTV), Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC), and The Institute (MGM+). She sold a feature to The Hallmark Channel and was a staff writer on Justified: City Primeval (FX). Her short films THE COPIER and ESP which she wrote and directed have screened in festivals worldwide and her upcoming short film LIONS & MEERKATS featuring Nicole Sullivan is set to premiere in 2027. Cole is also a Blackmagic Collective Episodic Directing Fellow. She is an active member of The Alliance of Women Directors and the Television Academy. She has a BS in Crime, Law and Justice from Penn State and an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. IMDB

Ingrid Schulz is an educator, filmmaker, and editor, with her short films screening at festivals worldwide. Her experience as an editor in the film industry includes work at PIXAR, DreamWorks, Laika, and Public Television. She has collaborated on numerous independent films and taught cinema courses at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and internationally at the University of Tallinn in Estonia. Ingrid has also taught film studies in Study Abroad Programs in Italy and Germany, further enhancing her international teaching experience.

Her published work includes Points of View: Three Hollywood Editors Discuss Their Art, a short book that explores film editing through interviews with Hollywood editors. She earned an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. Her work and filmography can be found on IMDb.

Susan Tavernetti, former chair of the Film/TV Department, has written award-winning film reviews and entertainment articles for the Palo Alto Weekly and its sister publications serving the Mid-Peninsula, Marin County and the East Bay. She co-authored the textbook “The Critical Eye: An Introduction to Looking at Movies” and contributed to “American Indians and American Popular Culture,” “Hollywood’s Indian: The Portrayal of the Native American in Film,” “International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers,” the journal “Film & History” and the article “La Représentation des Amérindiens dans un western révisionniste” included in the French Ultimate Collectors Edition Blu-ray of “Little Big Man.” Tavernetti has covered international festivals for Filmfestivals.com and has served on numerous film and screenwriting juries. She appeared in Ken Swartz’s documentary for KRON Channel 4, “San Francisco in the Movies: The Silent Era.” Tavernetti holds an M.A. in Cinema from the University of Southern California

Christina Wright is a film studies instructor, screenwriter, social emotional arts facilitator, and weekly film reviewer and curation consultant for Wayfarer Theaters. Wright currently sits on the Arts Commission for the City of Sunnyvale and the Board of Directors for the San José–Dublin Sister City Program. In addition to teaching in higher education, her practice encompasses facilitating various arts workshops, film screenings, and interactive discussions. She is also writing a book exploring how film drives social discourse in America. Past experiences include roles with San Francisco Giants Video Board Productions, as a Director and Producer for KMVT 15-Silicon Valley Media, Screener for the UNA-Monterey Bay International Documentary Film Festival, eNewsletter Editor for the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, and Arts & SEL Integration Consultant for Bauman Wellness. She founded the after-school program Lights, Character, Action! and developed K–12 teaching guides for Journeys in Film. Wright holds an M.Phil. in Film Theory and History from Trinity College Dublin, a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University, and an A.A. in Speech Communication from Foothill College. Additionally, she holds specialized certificates in performance theatre from the Foothill Theatre Conservatory, character education from the University of San Diego, leadership development and coaching from the Co-Active Training Institute, and social emotional arts from UCLArts & Healing.

Joie holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with an emphasis area in media studies and media production. In addition to her work screened at the SLO Film Festival and the SLO local Palm Theater, she has co-produced, directed, and edited several dance productions and hopes to continue highlighting the world of dance through film. Currently, Joie assists the De Anza Film/Television program as the full-time Equipment Room Manager and Lab Technician where she provides instructional and technical support for students entering the film industry and educates on professional film gear, including cinema cameras, audio mixers, 16mm and 35mm cameras, as well as grip and electric equipment.