GPFF Board of Directors
Marelize Dingman, Chair
Kurt A. Alter, Treasurer
Melva Akens
Khalil Bey
Nani Doromal
Boris Garbe
Rey Perez
Susan Scrupski
Executive Director
Nina Streich
Artistic Director
Kelly DeVine
Festival Manager
Lori Turchin
Webmaster
Joe Ruggeri
Volunteer Coordinator and Community Outreach
Ashlyn Williams
Public Relations
Jennifer Bisbee
Bisbee & Co.
Branding & Design
Shanon Larimer
Larimer & Co.
Trailer Production
Wesley Brown
Cicero Studios
Community Outreach
Keerthi Ramachandran
Gi Gronowski
Accounting Services
MSL CPAs and Advisors
Volunteers
Niska Baddio-Escalade
Diego Guarderas
Morgan Hemphill
Ken Jenkins
Britt Keenan
Donovan Powell
Sol Ramos
Priscilla Rose
Allison van Tilborgh
Nina Streich, Executive Director, has extensive professional experience in film/television, politics and event planning/logistics. A lifelong activist, Nina Streich lives her commitment to working for a better, more peaceful world by using her varied professional background as the Executive Director of the Global Peace Film Festival. When she was first hired to create a film event, she didn’t even know the local area code. Her vision was to work in collaboration with the local community, using the arts – particularly film – to inspire positive social, cultural and personal change.
Her professional career highlights include cutting trailers for over 50 major studio and independent feature films, producing documentaries, serving as Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, managing the Newport International Film Festival and creating and running the Global Peace Film Festival since 2003. Among her festival highlights are the creation of the K-12 student peace art exhibit through Orange County (FL) Public Schools, developing relationships with diverse community and arts organizations and the opportunity to work on international festivals in Japan, Korea, Israel and Jordan, and Nepal.
Kelly DeVine, Artistic Director since 2006, envisioned a rethinking of the traditional festival model from a passive event into one fully realizing the power of film and the arts to inspire and motivate. Working from a shared belief in peace as a process for dealing with conflict rather than an unattainable end, Kelly pairs films with local, national and international groups, creating a community-centered hub that educates and inspires, as well as providing the resources to empower citizens to become change agents in their own lives.
In addition, Kelly has consulted in various capacities for impact projects for noted, award-winning documentaries such as Bully, How To Survive A Plague, Revolutionary Optimists and others. Kelly is a long-time film acquisitions and programming professional, most recently as a Consultant to Cinetic Rights Management/FilmBuff in New York and the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI). She was a key member of the Acquisitions team at IFCTV for nearly 8 years where she covered the independent feature film and short film market, negotiating hundreds of film acquisitions. As part of the GPFF team, Kelly consults with filmmakers regarding story development and festival and impact strategy. She regularly serves as a reader for numerous grant programs including ITVS, and on juries for film festivals.
Festival manager Lori Turchin was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She started her education at Brooklyn College and transferred to San Diego State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications & Film.
Lori moved to Los Angeles to embark on a 20+ year career in film, TV, video and still productions. Starting at a top-rated commercial production company in L.A., Lori worked in just about every aspect of production and post-production, eventually landing as a Producer working predominantly in the field of high-end TV commercials.
She has worked with many notable filmmakers and craftsmen such as Directors; Rick Levine, Adrian Lyne, David Fincher, and Tony Scott and D.P.’s, Gordon Willis, Stuart Dryburgh, and Phillipe Rousselot.
Lori started at Full Sail University in 2004 teaching Screenwriting and has been with the History of Motion Picture Arts as an Associate Course Director since 2007, teaching on campus and online. She also taught Film History as an Adjunct Instructor at UCF. during Spring 2019.
In addition to her teaching duties, Lori has been working with the Global Peace Film Festival since 2015. Lori is also the FusionFest Film Curator for the MYgration Short Film Contest since 2018.