Our Team
As a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit co-founder, Colette Ghunim’s soul purpose is to use the power of film and storytelling for those oppressed around the world to be seen, to be heard, and to heal. Her first documentary, The People’s Girls (2016), received over 2 million views and won Best Short Documentary at the Arab Film Festival for its bold spotlight on street harassment in Egypt. In co-production with Kartemquin Films and funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, she is directing Traces of Home, her first feature-length film documenting her inner quest to find home through unearthing her parent’s forced migrations from Mexico and Palestine. Colette is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a nonprofit organization aimed to cultivate a thriving landscape for over 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color in Chicago. Her work has been highlighted on international outlets such as Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, Univision, and TEDx. Colette was selected as a 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leader, 2024 Sundance Institute x ISF Fellow, and was featured on Arab America’s “30 Under 30” list.
COLETTE GHUNIM
Director/Producer
Sara Maamouri is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and editor who has explored a diverse range of topics for over 20 years. Her work touches on social, educational, and political issues, from We Are Not Princesses (2018), which follows Syrian refugees connecting with ancient truths through Sophocles’ Antigone to the Peabody Award-winning film The Judge (2017), the groundbreaking story of the first woman appointed to the Sharia courts in the Middle East. A multilingual Tunisian-American, Sara brings cultural sensitivity to her editing, production, and story development, with an emphasis on social justice and impact driven filmmaking. Her most recent films include For Our Children (SF International festival 2022), and Clarissa’s Battle (Human Rights Watch Film Festival, NYC 2022).
SARA MAAMOURI
Editor/Producer
Dena takruri
Executive Producer Dena Takruri is an award-winning on-air presenter, producer, and author who is known for her bold and immersive reporting around the world. She is a Senior Presenter and Producer at AJ+ (Al Jazeera) where she hosts the docuseries “Direct From with Dena Takruri.” Dena has reported on events of global significance, including Israel’s occupation of Palestine, Europe’s refugee crisis, and tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Her show has been honored with a Peabody Award and two Edward R. Murrow Awards, among others. Dena also starred in and served as a consulting producer for the Emmy and Peabody-nominated documentary series “The Secret Life of Muslims.” Additionally, Dena is the co-author of the memoir, “They Called Me A Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight For Freedom,” which chronicles the life of young Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi and offers a rare, intimate account of Palestinian childhood under Israel military occupation. The book won the Memoir Award at the 2023 Palestine Book Awards.
Keith Wilson is a producer, director, and artist based in Athens, Georgia, whose films have screened at Sundance, the Berlinale, the U.S. National Gallery of Art, documenta14, and the Museum of Modern Art. He is the producer of Joonam (Sundance 2023) and I Didn’t See You There (2022), which won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, the Grand Jury Prize at Full Frame, and a Film Independent Spirit Award. His live documentary performance Moore for Sale (2023) continues to be staged at festivals, museums, and conferences internationally. Keith is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia, and grew up on a cul-de-sac in suburban Atlanta.
Keith wilson
Executive Producer
melissa barrera
Executive Producer“I’m honored to come aboard Traces of Home as EP. This documentary feels particularly urgent and personal for me. Not only because of my love and deep connection to Mexico and Palestine, but because it premieres at a time where it is imperative to address the generational trauma that refugees and their families live with. We are living through and witnessing wars and dispossession at home and abroad and our communities are being directly affected. Through the lens of one Palestinian-Mexican family, TOH poignantly articulates how a family can be affected and the importance of finding the tools to heal that trauma. I hope this doc gives hope and shows a way forward to the people that need it.”
John Leguizamo is a celebrated Colombian-American actor, comedian, and producer born on July 22, 1964, in Bogotá, Colombia. Known for his dynamic performances and sharp wit, he has starred in films like Moulin Rouge!, Carlito’s Way, and John Wick, while also voicing Sid in the Ice Age franchise. A trailblazer for Latino representation, Leguizamo has written and performed acclaimed one-man shows, such as Latin History for Morons, blending humour with cultural commentary. With a career spanning over three decades, he has earned multiple awards, including an Emmy, and continues to advocate for diversity in the entertainment industry.
John Leguizamo
Executive Producer
Dr. Gabor Maté
Executive ProducerA renowned speaker, and bestselling author, Dr. Gabor Maté is highly sought after for his expertise on a range of topics including addiction, stress and childhood development. Rather than offering quick-fix solutions to these complex issues, Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories, and his own insights and experience to present a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them. After 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, Dr. Maté worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness.
Alan Morcos
Co-EPAlan Morcos is a Palestinian American entrepreneur, art advocate, and the founder of Gallery Habibi, a contemporary on-line art gallery established in 2025. With family roots in Jaffa, Palestine, Alan’s connection to Arabian culture and heritage has deeply influenced his passion for art and storytelling. Inspired by his father’s stories of Jaffa and his own deep appreciation for art, Alan founded Gallery Habibi as a space where contemporary artists from the Middle East and its diaspora could share their voices, experiences, and perspectives. His vision is rooted in creating meaningful connections between artists, collectors, and audiences while bringing greater visibility to the diverse cultural narratives of the region. Through Gallery Habibi, Alan seeks to celebrate the richness and diversity of Arabian and Palestinian art, with a particular emphasis on contemporary artistic expression. He believes art can serve as a bridge between cultures, creating opportunities for dialogue, understanding, and connection.
Robyn Calder
Co-EPRobyn Calder is President of ELMA Philanthropies, where she oversees investments focused on improving outcomes for children, and their families and communities, particularly in Africa. In addition to serving on ELMA's board, she serves on the boards of The END Fund, focused on eliminating neglected tropical diseases, and Masana wa Afrika, an Africa-based grant-maker for community-based organizations addressing the needs of children. She is also on the Beginnings Fund investment committee and Last Mile Health’s advisory committee. Robyn lives in NYC with her two daughters.
Co-EPOmar Odeh
Dipti Ghosh
Co-EP
Dan Rybicky is an award-winning director, producer, and writer who tells stories from a queer perspective to inspire conversations about complicated social issues. Past projects include: Almost There, Kartemquin Films' acclaimed feature documentary about mental health and aging in America; and The Trump Trilogy, three short documentaries made between 2016-2020 about arts education (Larry from Gary), women's rights (Stormy and the Admirals), and healthcare (Accident, MD - Vimeo's Best of 2019). Dan is currently in production on two feature documentaries: The Other American, an intimate portrait of John Leguizamo writing and developing his first feature-length play, a "Latin Death of a Salesman" for our time titled The Other Americans; and OpenMe, which celebrates the life of his dear friend Jennifer Farber Dulos, a tragic victim of domestic violence in 2019, told primarily through her voice in the form of the many plays, stories, essays, and letters she left behind.
dan rybicky
ProducerProducer
Capella Fahoome leverages her twenty years of film production expertise alongside her deep commitment to positive psychology to create opportunities and cultures that nurture genuine interactions and evolution. She ignites the stories within people, organizations, and communities and weaves them together using storytelling tools with evidence-based well-being practices to deepen relationships, cultivate growth, and elevate performance. The honor is hers to have worked with executives and leaders across philanthropy, higher education, healthcare, media, and Fortune 500 companies, as well as individuals at important transitions in their lives.
capella fahoome
Producer
Ro Grace (they/he) is a Brooklyn-based experiential educator, which is to say - a decent storyteller. Easily persuaded by the tease of a well-researched tangent and head over heels for healing lineages that have prevailed through and beyond colonization. Guided by the belief that our collective liberation depends on our willingness to be moved, listen deeply, and remember who we are. Experiments in film, sound, and embodied practices are the threads weaving this unfinished (as in, Trans) story together. Also, 13 years as a Yoga and Mindfulness guide helps.
ro grace
Impact Producer
Emma soltani
Impact CoordinatorEmma Soltani is a San Francisco-based creative, specializing in video editing, production managing, and producing. She has been working as a professional video editor and assistant video editor for over three years, having worked on both narrative and documentary films. She also production managed the 68th annual San Francisco International Film Festival and is currently the producer and editor of Rooted in Love, Colette Ghunim’s podcast.