Team

“The Thomas Farm Films camp was an incredible experience for our boys! They both attended an arts school for elementary and had the opportunity to participate in theater productions every year, and are both talented actors. As they are growing up, they are less interested in theater due to the “coolness” perception of pre-teens. This film camp was the perfect bridge to help continue their acting careers. They had a blast and were exposed to all aspects of professional film production, including original scripts, make-up, costuming, location scouting, shooting, editing and a wonderful showing of their movie on a big screen. There was even a “red carpet” event on the showing night. It was a blast and we plan on sending the boys again! Thank you Thomas Farm Films!”

Kari Lee Anderson Thomas

TF Films Founder & Producer

Joshua M. Thomas

TF Films Founder & Director

Previous TFF Films include: We Ride(2019), The Spaghetti Monster(2019), Gopher Dreaming(2019), Retirement(2019), Blood Sisters(2019), Slotter Room(2019), Retirement 2: Salt On The Road(2021), Paradise(2021), High Road(2021), Yesteryear(2021)

JOSHUA THOMAS is a father of 4 and an organic farmer by day…and yet he seems to always find a way to follow his passion for film and screenwriting. In the midst of family and farm life, Josh returned to school in 2017, receiving his Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco State University in 2020. Out of necessity, his four kids were cast members of his thesis film—The Maroon Bomber was made during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, while our county had a shelter-in-place order. Josh scrapped his original film plans and came up with this short documentary film idea that could be shot entirely on the family farm. The Maroon Bomber has been selected and screened at 36 film festivals across the USA and abroad in Australia, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, & Canada…earning several awards.

Josh is co-founder and creative engine of Thomas Farm Films, Inc., which is a film production company that he and his wife launched in 2019, which currently focuses on teaching children the craft of filmmaking. Josh has extensive experience in documentary, but his passion is narrative filmmaking. His work has screened at numerous film festivals across North America, Europe and Asia. He is also a prolific screenwriter and has completed a vast amount of scripts, both short and feature length.

Christiana Charalambous

Born and raised in Cyprus, Christiana graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Film Production and an emphasis on cinematography. She worked as a Director of Photography for TED in Cyprus and shot commercials for brands such as Evian, Nescafe, and Uber.

In addition to her commercial work, Christiana has shot numerous short films and three indie feature films. “Healed,” featuring Guinevere Turner (American Psycho) and Todd Lowe (True Blood, Gilmore Girls), was awarded the coveted ReFrame Stamp from The Sundance Institute, while “The Influencer” was distributed in the US and internationally in 2020 by Breaking Glass Pictures.

With a deep technical understanding and a strong passion for visual storytelling, Christiana strives to create memorable images that evoke emotion in viewers. She feels right at home when she works with people who share similar sensibilities and want to create work that comes from an honest place.

Previous TFF Films include: Clementine(2019), Lost On Barduino(2019), Midlife Crisis Band(2021), The Times We Were Living In(2021)

Asali Echols

ASALI ECHOLS is a Bay Area filmmaker and film editor, whose work has screened in festivals across the country and worldwide. Her directing credits include the narrative short Fast & New (2019), the animated documentary The Violin Upstairs (2019) and the award-winning short documentary Lion on the Mat (2021). Asali is also a dedicated cinema educator, and loves sharing the magic of filmmaking with the next generation. She teaches undergraduate film production at San Francisco State University, and can’t wait to come back for another summer at Thomas Farm Films.

Previous TFF Films include: W.U.B.L.O. (Weird Unidentified Baby-Like Organism)(2021)

Matt Pierce

MATT PIERCE is an animator and illustrator from Monterey bay. He is a graduate of CSUMB’s cinematic arts program and has years of experience teaching kids about video production. He is a fan of professional wrestling, David Lynch, and John Carpenter. His biggest fear is big faces. Like REALLY large ones. Like you open the door and it’s just ALL FACE filling up the hall. That would really make him jump.

Paul Bronisław Kmiec

Paul is filmmaker living and working in San Francisco and the Northeast. Paul has written and directed six short films; each of his films have screened and won awards at festivals nationwide and abroad. He earned his BFA in Filmmaking from the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory in New York and his Master’s in Film & Television from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He is a Film Instructor at SUNY Purchase College Film Institute and the resident Acting for Film Instructor at the International Theatre & Dance Project in Greece. Paul also serves on the advisory board of the Vermont Production Collective, 501(c)(3). His latest project, which he produced and co-conceived, Read Em’ & Weep, took home the Best New England Film Award at the 2023 Provincetown Film Festival. His short, Stay for Tea, won Best Fiction Film at the 2021 Vermont International Film Festival and was featured on PBS. Stay for Tea also won the Audience Favorite Award and the Gondry Award at the 2020 Austin Arthouse Film Festival. In 2019 Paul’s film, Skye, won Best Direction and Best Actress at the Symi Int’l Film Festival in Greece. He recently wrapped on a short film he co-produced in Greece starring Dimitris Katalifos and a short film in San Francisco he co-directed and produced, premiering this winter.

Returning for her second summer at TF Films, the director of Lizards From Space (2022)

Jessica Schlegel

Jessica Schlegel is a filmmaker who loves hearing and telling stories. Her day job includes freelancing in the Grip & Electric department in the Bay Area. A true example of ‘a grip with a script.’ She enjoys working on pieces that are character-focused and contemplative. Jessica received her MFA from San Francisco State University.

Returning for his third summer at TF Films, the director of Monster in a Box (2021) and Bakersfield (2023)

Noah Weisel

Noah Weisel is the Filmmaking Program Lead at Seattle Film Institute, where he teaches surly college students who are way less fun and interested in makin’ movies than the awesome campers at Thomas Farm Films. He makes his own movies, too, and also writes his own Bios. He’s excited to return to TFF for his 3rd summer on the Farm!

Jimi Bear Gleitsman

Jimi Bear Gleitsman was born and raised in the Santa Cruz mountains. He holds a B.A. in film from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. He’s worked as director, writer, and editor for numerous independent projects. Since 2013, he’s worked with the City of Santa Cruz in various youth-leadership positions. He recently wrote and directed the award-winning Santa Cruz Teen Center’s horror short film Worst Day of School (2023). He’s passionate about comedic storytelling and teaching art to kids. He loves surfing, nature, and his dog.

His passion for film started with acting in the Cabrillo College Theater where he performed in numerous plays and musicals. He then transitioned to acting for film with a “featured extra” role in Jordan Peele’s US (2019), and then many other roles in UCLA grad student films. During his time at UCLA he developed a love for animation and directing. Since graduating college he has transitioned from being in front of the camera, to behind it. He’s excited to continue working with amazing people and share his love for filmmaking and storytelling with the next generation.

Pablo Riquelme

Pablo Riquelme started as an actor in Spain when he was 11 and decided to get behind the camera around the same time to direct his first short films. Since then his work has been selected in prestigious Film Festivals like Sitges Horror Film Festival and Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. He directed his first feature movie in 2010, “Armengola. La leyenda”, and after five years working as a film critic and getting a Media Studies Degree in the movie studios CIUDAD DE LA LUZ, Pablo moved to Los Angeles, California, to study film directing at UCLA. In Hollywood, Pablo directed the promotional videos of the singer and Vogue magazine model Josh Beech, and his thriller “Dead Flowers” is now available on Amazon Prime Video. It’s won eight awards including best movie, and best screenplay. He’s currently living in San Francisco, California, where he became a Diplomatic citizen by the Fulbright Commission. His newest work, “Heads Will Roll”, stars the famous Horror Film icon, Tony Todd (Candyman). Pablo is also working in Hollywood in the development of several feature films and TV shows for companies and producers such as Sony Pictures, Secuoya Studios, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Stein, Laurence Mark, Gus Van Sant, and others.

Previous TFF Films include: The Task(2021), Twitch(2021)

Sarah Horn

Sarah Horn is a filmmaker local to Monterey County, and is stoked to return to Thomas Farm Films this summer! Sarah is a graduate of CSUMB’s film & media program, and is finishing up her first school year as a photography & dance instructor at Notre Dame High School. Her favorite film projects of last year were definitely the two films made with TFF kids last year, Twitch and The Task. Looking forward to another great year!