Our Mission
Spark Filmmakers Collaborative (SFC) envisions an open and loving society that recognizes and values the similarities and differences between us.
Our stories help us see ourselves in each other, dismantling stereotypes perpetuated by lack of representation.
SFC spreads cultural awareness while inspiring and supporting voices of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual identities, and income levels to self-represent through film/video by:
- Introducing marginalized community members to storytellers and storytelling that reflects their voices and experiences
- Co-developing programs that honor the voices, values and traditions of marginalized creators while compensating them for their insight and experience
- Building cultural awareness with free and accessible short film screenings that amplify diverse perspectives often overlooked in mainstream media
- Sharing low cost and free instruction related to the basics of visual storytelling, grant writing and video/film self distribution
- Collaborate with other organizations and individuals to create programs that combine resources and expand outreach to community benefit
Diversity & Inclusion Statement
Spark Filmmakers Collaborative envisions an just and loving society based on the recognition of our similarities and appreciation for our differences.
Our stories help us see ourselves in each other and help dismantle dominant cultural narratives that divide us.
Spark Filmmaker Collaborative inspires and supports voices of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual identities and income levels to share their visions and points of view via films and videos 5 minutes and under.
- Film/video production can be a complex and expensive undertaking
- Building an audience and breaking into the entertainment/media industry pose different challenges
- Success requires building and maintaining professional relationships, and meeting ever-changing industry expectations in an opaque profit-driven system
Our DEI Action Plan
We are committed to developing programming for independent creators to share their work, build connections, grow their storytelling skills, and learn the business side of filmmaking.
We build collaborative partnerships with organizations of like mind to amplify each other, grow our communities, and expand opportunities for independent creators—always focusing our actions on:
- Intentionally removing barriers to participation through advocacy
- Building coalitions with Black, Indigenous, and community partners of color
- Prioritizing the recruitment of board, staff, and teaching artists of color
- Actively supporting anti-racism advocacy efforts
- Mentoring the next generation of leaders
Meet SFC’s Executive Director and Wonderful, Creative, & Community Minded Board of Directors
Lukia Costello
Founder & Executive Director, Board President | (She, Her)
Lukia is a Ukrainian-American artist, filmmaker, editor/VFX artist, and serial social entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience fostering artistic collaboration and producing public events in Western New York.
Lukia has served as a judge for the Buffalo 48 Hour Film Project, Kinofilm Festival UK, and Buffalo International Film Festival. Her volunteer work includes administrative level and board service with local organizations such as:
- Artspace Buffalo Alliance
- The Ukrainian American Civic Center
- Buffalo International Film Festival
- University Heights Arts Association
- Frontline Arts Buffalo
Steve Rosenthal
Board Treasurer | (He, Him)
Steve founded the video/digital film production company Caramax Studio, which produces documentaries, narrative films, industrials, and commercials for broadcast and the internet. Steve is a Director of Photography, Editor, Digital Colorist, and FAA licensed Remote Pilot. His documentary Go Gentle has been viewed over 50K times on Amazon Prime.
Steve is also a musician and was a founding member of the Amherst Saxophone Quartet. He’s been a board member of Chamber Music America, the American Composers Forum, and a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dorothea Braemer
Board Member | (She, Her)
Dorothea has been providing access to video training and production facilities to historically underserved communities as the former Media Center Manager and Program Director at Scribe Video Center and the former Director of Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Arts Center. Currently the Co-Director of the Termite TV Collective and active member since 1994, Braemer has produced numerous half-hour television programs for this award-winning video collective covering a broad range of cultural, social, and political themes.
Braemer’s personal media work has been broadcast nationally on PBS and exhibited internationally at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media). She has received grants and awards from the Sprague Foundation, the Bread and Roses Community Fund, the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, the Puffin Foundation, and the Samuel S. Fels Fund.
Braemer has taught film analysis and video production in the Communications Department at Villanova University and is currently an Assistant Professor at SUNY Buffalo State’s Communication Department. She also serves on the board of Locust Street Art in Buffalo, NY.
Roma Mandzyk
Board Member | (She, Her)
Roma is a dedicated digital technology professional and passionate community leader committed to amplifying Ukrainian-American cultural initiatives. As a Product Owner at M&T Bank, Roma brings strategic expertise in project management and marketing communications to her professional and philanthropic endeavors. An active member of Buffalo’s Ukrainian-American community, Roma has been instrumental in supporting advocacy efforts, including co-producing Spark’s Believe in Ukraine event on February 24, 2024. She is a former board member of the Ukrainian-American Civic Center (Narodnij Dim), where she helped advance the organization’s mission of maintaining cultural heritage and community connections.
Tracey B. Wilson
Board Member | (She, Her)
Tracey has worked in New York, Los Angeles, and many places in between, acting in everything from dramatic theatre and soap operas to quirky independent films and sketch comedy. She has been an actor/writer/director for award-winning short films, and toured North America four times with Lady Gaga as a performance art photographer—an opportunity that led to publishing the book Heal This Way—A Love Story with Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters in support of LGBTQ & bullied teens.
She plays the titular role in the newly released feature Trew’s Calling and stars in the spin-off series Diary Of A Lunatic. Tracey’s solo series Characters of the Quarantine has entertained people during the pandemic. Her next big project is Breeding Awesome, a documentary feature assembled from 15 years of private video journals.
Tracey is also a sought-after live event host, specializing in family entertainment at major sporting events and high-energy charity events nationwide.
Kaitlyn Lowe
Board Member | (She, Her)
Kaitlyn is a multi-disciplinary freelance artist and arts educator from Brooklyn, NY. An editor, filmmaker, photographer, painter and sewist, Kaitlyn fell in love with filmmaking at Buffalo State College pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Production. Her mostly documentary-based work is informed by her 12 year background in poetry. She refers to herself as The Galactic Griot, a poet who uses their work to tell stories that transcends time and space.
Curatorial Partners
Terry Jones
Curator & Community Advisor: Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program (He, Him)
Terry Jones is a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, who are located in western New York State. Terry is passionate about sharing his Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history and culture through his film works. He strives to find a balance between entertaining and educating his audiences. Terry is pursuing his MFA in film at York University in Toronto, Ontario. TornJersey Media, his company, is an upstart Independent Indigenous media production company founded by a Haudenosaunee filmmaker.
Terry serves as Secretary on the Board of Trustees at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum on the Seneca Territory. Previously, Terry served as Vice Chairman/Secretary at American Indian Community House in New York City, as well a panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts. He also served as an official selector at the 2011 Native American Film + Video Festival – National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institute) in New York City.
Anastasia Kirii
Curator: Believe in Ukraine Film Program (She, Her)
Anastasia is a filmmaker, scriptwriter, and advertising copywriter from Ukraine.
She studied film direction and later marketing strategy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and
worked on numerous production, film, and advertising projects. Her latest short film
reflects her experience flying the war and is now being shown all over the world
reminding people how important it is to support Ukraine.
Community Advisors
David Cloyd
Community Advisor | (He, Him)
David has led what could only be called an eclectic musical life. He began as a pianist at the age of 4 and spent the next 20 years adamantly pursuing classical music as a pianist and woodwind multi-instrumentalist, completing his Bachelor of Music Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. He began teaching music and performing live—everything from chamber music and pit orchestras to local rockabilly bands, while also teaching himself how to play bass and guitar and as many instruments as possible in various original bands, eventually writing and singing his songs in some of them. While completing college, he won an internship through the Joni Abbott Music Foundation to move to NYC and work at EMI Music Publishing. Soon after, he left it all to pursue his passion: writing songs and making records.
Christopher Gallant
Community Advisor (He, Him)
Chris Gallant is an authority on visual journalism, documentary and broadcast production. In 2007 he graduated from the University at Buffalo’s Department of Media Study where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in media arts production. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Digital Media and Communication Department at Hilbert College. Previously, Gallant served at the University at Buffalo as an adjunct professor for three years. He is also involved in the media arts community and served on the Board of Directors at Squeaky Wheel, Buffalo’s Media Arts Center for several years. Chris Gallant’s full-time professional career spans over 17 years of Industry work.
Veronica Manning
Community Advisor | (She, Her)
Veronica Manning is a writer, filmmaker and playwright who lives in Newark, NJ. Her most recent creative work — a silent, micro short film called “The Key” — was a finalist in the 2021 Micromania Short Film Festival. Veronica also founded the NuArk Theater Collective in 2010, at a time when independent theater was virtually nonexistent in Newark. Veronica produced and directed a showcase called “THE COLOR BLUE: Three Short Stories of Love, Lust and Loss”, which premiered in Newark in July 2011.
Veronica holds a BA in Organizational Behavior and Communication from NYU-SPS and an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management from NYU Wagner, where she is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service.