2024 High School Film Festival

Location: Miracle Theater, 535 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003

The annual DCIFF High School Competition is led by High School students themselves!

Meet the 2023 High School Competition Coordinators

John Monaco is a Sophomore Student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the Cinematic Arts Department. He is a graduate of the Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop at New York University and is passionate with regard to all aspects of filmmaking.

Phone Number: 571-305-3585

Email: MonacoJohn07@gmail.com

Maddy Waldman is excited to be working with fellow high schoolers who share the same passion for film as her. She is sixteen years old and a junior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Maddy is incredibly in love with the art of film and the process of filmmaking and hope to someday inspire and move people all around the world with her films.

Sa’kiya Nicholas is an 18 year old high school senior at Oxon Hill High School. She has an interest in the writing, directing, and cinematography aspects of filmmaking and aims to major in Film and Media Arts in college.

Our Sponsors

For any questions, email us at dcindiefilmfest@gmail.com

Meet Our Panelists - Canary in a Gold Mine

Mikhail Kogan, MD is a geriatrician with The GW Medical Faculty Associates and an associate professor of Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Dr. Kogan is Medical Director of GW Center for Integrative Medicine and in addition to multiple research and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Kogan serves as an associate director of the Geriatrics Fellowship Program. Dr. Kogan also serves as associate director of the newly formed GW Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Fellowship.

Barbara Koeppel is a Washington DC-based investigative reporter who writes about socioeconomic, political, labor, foreign policy, criminal justice and military issues. She was the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Theodora Scarato MSW is Executive Director of Environmental Health Trust (EHT), a scientific think tank that publishes research and educates policymakers on environmental health issues. EHT scientists are among the leading independent voices calling for reducing wireless worldwide. EHT sued the FCC for ignoring science related to wireless radiation, and in 2021 the U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit ruled in its favor.

Joseph Sandri is the President of the National Spectrum Association. Joe is CEO of Thought Delivery Systems, Inc., which is active in 5G infrastructure operations, applications, and research & development through its Cardinal Communications division. Mr. Sandri has been an executive officer with multiple publicly traded corporations.

Jonathan Mirin is the co-founding Artistic Director of Piti Theatre Company, an award-winning touring troupe based in Western Massachusetts and Switzerland. His critically acclaimed plays have been produced across North America and Europe. He also co-founded Hilltown Health, a grassroots organization dedicated to leveraging safe technology for healthy, sustainable communities. “Canary in a Gold Mine” is his first documentary.