Team

Luisa Dantas (She/her) – Director

Luisa Dantas is a Brasilian-American multimedia storyteller whose work centers on race, place, and social justice. She has produced, written and directed narratives that span genres and modalities, including animated and live-action fiction and traditional and interactive documentary, that feature complex and nuanced protagonists from traditionally underrepresented communities. Her most recent film, Rip Tide, premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival and has screened festivals around the world. She also wrote and co-directed MINE, an animated web series about an unraveling utopian community set in the near future, premiered at the Tribeca film festival and won best web series at American Black Film Festival.  

Luisa also served as the director and Executive Producer Rise-Home Stories, an innovative project funded by the Ford Foundation, which brought  together artists and advocates from all over the country to collaboratively harness the power of narrative in the fight for housing, land, and racial justice. Their award-winning body of work includes an  animated web series, children’s book, non-fiction podcast, interactive site, and video game that have engaged multigenerational audiences around the world.

Naeema Jamilah Torres (she/her) – Producer/Impact Producer

Naeema Jamilah Torres is an independent award-winning filmmaker and Impact Producer. Through her work, she aims to amplify stories that unpack notions of womanhood, complex ethnic identities, and legacies in the Americas through visual and audio mediums. As a filmmaker her work has screened at a number of festivals, including New Orleans Film Festival, San Francisco Doc Fest, and St. Louis International Film Festival. She recently served as an associate producer for The Parole Room podcast, an Audible Original which won a 2025 George Polk award.

Naeema has directed and produced social justice storytelling content for foundations across the US, and has worked on branded content for companies including Walgreens and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day. In addition to creative storytelling work, Naeema has developed and led multiple film and media impact campaigns, collaborating with filmmakers, organizers, and artists across the U.S. to equip communities to use storytelling to take action and celebrate extraordinary work. She also serves as the Executive Director of Mezcla Media Collective, a non-profit facilitating resources and advocating for equity for 750+ BIPOC women and non-binary filmmakers in Chicagoland. When not working, Naeema enjoys eating Caribbean and Thai food, listening to comedic podcasts about crimes and scamming, and riding her bike along Lake Michigan.

Mo Banks (they/them) — Digital Communications director

Mo Banks is a strategic communications professional with over eight years of experience leading mission-driven campaigns across digital, print, and multimedia platforms. With a deep commitment to narrative power and social justice, Mo specializes in developing communications strategies that mobilize communities and drive systemic change.

Their work spans national nonprofits, small business owners, and independent filmmakers—most recently as the Communications Lead for Fined Out, a multimedia project exposing the injustice of fines and fees in the U.S. legal system. Mo brings expertise in content creation, media relations, brand development, and digital engagement, with a strong focus on accessibility, authenticity, and impact.

When not at work, Mo can be found brewing homemade beer, battling their wife and 4 kids in Mario Kart, or shouting unsolicited commentary at the TV during a sports game.

Jolu Productions

JoLu Productions was founded in 2000  by award-winning independent media-maker Luisa Dantas. The name pays homage to her late father José, and symbolizes her Brasilian roots and lived experience as a first-gen Latinx artist shapeshifting between cultures. They are a full-service multimedia production company that harnesses the catalytic power of storytelling to galvanize audiences across genres and formats, including documentary, cutting-edge interactive content,  short fiction and non-fiction films, web series, and branded digital content. Their social-justice projects focus on a spectrum of pressing issues from land+ housing justice, to immigration, to environmental justice, all viewed through the lens of race and place. Jolu’s work centers the under-represented voices and perspectives of impacted communities, both behind and in front of the camera.