SEEfest Volunteer Spotlight – Nejra Kravic

SEEfest cannot exist without the fabulous interns and volunteers who are working behind the scenes day in and day out, especially between January and May. We’re putting the spotlight on these dedicated cinephiles who make the annual festival a reality.

Nejra Kravic comes to Los Angeles by way of Sarajevo. She’s a Media Studies major at Pomona College.

Here’s Nejra, in her own words…

What attracted you to volunteer for SEEfest?

I have volunteered at film festivals before and wanted to continue being a part of a community that cherishes film as an art form, all while bringing together viewers and artists alike.

How long have you been involved with SEEfest and the Festival and what volunteer positions have you held?

This is my first year as an intern at SEE fest and I could not be more excited! I have volunteered at the 2019 festival.

Are you involved in the film industry? If so, what do you do? How did you get started?

I have an enormous interest in the film industry, and besides volunteering for a couple of film festivals and working at Pomona College’s film equipment service, I am also a Media Studies major looking to pursue a professional career within the field.

What’s your favorite film and why?

That might be one of the hardest questions ever! I feel like I am always going through ‘’phases’’ with certain filmmakers and genres. Right now, I am a huge fan of Andrei Tarkovsky, a famous Russian director, and the majority of his filmography. I enjoy the inherent poeticism of his films, as well as his appreciation of one’s relationship with nature.

Tell us a bit about your life: where are you from; what do you do for a living; what do you love about Los Angeles and how long have you lived here?

I am from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and currently a rising junior and an international student at Scripps College in Claremont, California. My favorite part about Los Angeles, besides the incredible weather, is the abundance of things to do around the city. I like going to the movies, exploring museums, bookstores and coffee shops, or simply hanging out with some friends at the beach.

What do you look forward to most about working with SEEfest?

Before becoming an intern at SEE fest, I was always involved with film festivals during the actual event season. I would love to take part in everything that comes prior, and learn more about what it actually takes to keep a film festival running throughout the year.

Please say hello in the comments and welcome to Nejra Kravic to SEEfest!

Click the button below to learn more about becoming a SEEfest Volunteer.

Psst! Please do us a favor and subscribe to the SEEfest YouTube Channel. We’ll be posting a lot more videos there this season!

SEEfest Volunteer Spotlight – Alex Blazina

SEEfest cannot exist without the fabulous volunteers who are working behind the scenes day in and day out, especially between January and May. We’re putting the spotlight on these dedicated cinephiles who make the annual festival a reality.

Alex Blazina comes to Los Angeles by way of Croatia. He’s studying film at California State University, Los Angeles and is a filmmaker, photographer, and storyteller, whose skills are an ideal match for creating fun, short content for social media. SEEfest is tapping into Alex’s talents for filmmaking to document behind the scene activities as SEEfest 2019 comes into being. You’ll be able to see Alex’s short films on our YouTube Channel, Facebook, and Instagram.

Here’s Alex Blazina, in his own words…

What attracted you to volunteer for SEEfest?

I was born and raised in Croatia, which is in the Southeast of Europe, so I have a strong connection with events and films from that area.

How long have you been involved with SEEfest and the Festival and what volunteer positions have you held?

This is my first volunteer year.

Are you involved in the film industry? If so, what do you do? How did you get started?

I am not involved in the industry. (Editor’s note: take a look at a recent video Alex shot on a road trip.)

What’s your favorite film and why?

Stanley Kubrick – The Shining. It’s a masterpiece that every film student should watch for its amazing cinematography and camera work that we all use today in our films. It is a film that defined the dolly tracking shots and long hallway scenes.

Tell us a bit about your life: where are you from; what do you do for a living; what do you love about Los Angeles and how long have you lived here?

I am from Croatia, born and raised. Moved to Britain to study film. Currently, I am in LA, doing a year abroad program studying film as well. What I love about LA is how different it is from other cities. You have everything you want here (sunshine, beach, ocean, mountains, skyscrapers, desert and many more). And also there are a lot cultures here. You meet people from different parts of the world, with great life stories. 

What do you look forward to most about SEEfest2019?

Meeting people from the industry, seeing great films and just helping others find out about our past and culture.

Alex Blazina in front of Disney Hall, Los Angeles

Please say hello in the comments and welcome to Alex Blazina to SEEfest!

Click the button below to learn more about becoming a SEEfest Volunteer.

Psst! Please do us a favor and subscribe to the SEEfest YouTube Channel. We’ll be posting a lot more videos there this season!

SEEfest Volunteer Spotlight – Izaura Avitia

SEEfest cannot exist without the fabulous volunteers who are working behind the scenes day in and day out, especially between January and May. It’s high time we put turned the spotlight on these dedicated cinephiles who make the annual festival a reality.

To kick off the series of posts, we’re pleased to introduce you to Izaura Avitia, a new addition to the SEEfest Team and intern for this 2019 season. (more…)

Volunteer Spotlight: Nick Bergen

SEEfest Staff Writer | April 5, 2015, 10:47 AM

Nick Bergen is a musician and composer for visual and interactive media. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, he has extensive experience in arranging and producing music and has written and produced music for mobile games, advertisements, and television.

Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Macnelly

SEEfest Staff Writer | November 16, 2014, 8:05 PM

Get to know Julia Macnelly, SEEfest 2014 Festival Coordinator and World Traveler. 

Здрасти от България!

I’m writing to you from Tryavna, a very small and equally quaint town in the center of Bulgaria that is known for artisan crafts like wood carving, silver filigree, and icon painting. We also have cobblestone streets and a clocktower that sings an operatic rendition of a famous local poet’s verse every night at 10 pm, seriously. I’m living here for the year on a Fulbright grant, teaching English to the students in 8-12^th grades at Petko Slaveikov uchilishte (school). The town is situated within the Balkan mountain range, so you can basically walk ten minutes in most directions for beautiful razxodki (hikes…did I mention this blog post is also a Bulgarian language lesson?)

I’ve made several trips around Southeastern Europe in the last few years, so in some ways it feels very familiar being here in the region—but mostly my life feels so completely different. I am learning the ways of the Bulgarian school system (lots and lots of bureaucratic busywork. Your signature is literally required at least 3 times per day for various things) and trying to communicate with my very welcoming colleagues in Bulgarian (I have so far heard that I either have a Czech, Polish, Croatian, Russian, Slovenian, or Romanian accent, but never an American one, so maybe I’m on my way?) I’m also starting a chapter of the BEST Foundation (Bulgarian English Speech Tournament, http://bestfoundation.bg/) at my school, which means I will be coaching students in performing prose, poetry, original work, and debates, all in English—obviously they’re brave souls!

I will be here through the end of the school year next June, which means, sadly, that I will have to miss SEEfest’s 10^th anniversary. I had such a wonderful experience working with the festival for the first time this past May and can’t wait to rejoin the team when I’m back in the States. I have loved sharing my stories about Southeastern Europe with friends and family, and so I’m truly proud to be a part of this event which brings this slice of the world to an even wider audience. I hope this year is the best yet, and I look forward to keeping up with the festival from overseas.

– Julia

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Volunteer Spotlight: Shae Popovich

I was born in Niagara Falls, Canada and moved to LA after winning a green card in the lottery. I’ve been an actor for many years but in 2002, with the drumbeat of war in Iraq, I put my acting on the back-burner and got involved in social justice causes. I was the Associate Director of a non-profit peace and justice organization called Office of the Americas from 2007-2010. While there, I was fortunate enough to be sent on two fact-finding delegations in the Gaza Strip and Cairo, as well as work with several organizations including Codepink, and the ACLU. I have a passion for social justice!

 

Currently, I work part-time as an Assistant and Manager of a small business and I’ve recently returned to my love of performing and recently shot an indie film entitled “Citizens United” and will be guesting on a web series in Vermont entitled “Queen Dad”. I write poetry, I am learning to play guitar, I love to read and play tennis and study conversational French.

 

I am pleased to be helping out with SEEfest 2015. One of my favorite pastimes is watching foreign films and documentaries and SEEfest has an amazing lineup of films. SEEfest’s promotion of the cultural diversity of Southeast Europe in it’s presentation of films from the region, provides me with a window into the area where my father and his family are from in Serbia as well my mother’s family in Croatia. SEEfest’s incredible leader, Vera Mijolic, is a pleasure to work with. I first volunteered for Vera many years ago when she ran the International Rescue Committee and I am happy to be back with her and the hard-working and oh so fun volunteers!

Support international cinema in Los Angeles and new film talent from South East Europe. Donate here!