About the team
Luis De Filippis (Director, Writer, Producer) is a Canadian-Italian filmmaker whose work has played at festivals such as TIFF, Rotterdam, and Sundance where her
most recent work, For Nonna Anna received a Special Jury Prize. Luis’ debut feature, Something You Said Last Night, which is Executive Produced by Julia Fox and The Florida Project‘s Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri, had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Luis’ films explore the complexities of family, the bond between generations, and the realities of living as a transwoman. Through her work with The Trans Film Mentorship Luis uplifts the voices of other trans filmmakers; recently the program wrapped its second iteration on the HBO show Sort Of and plans are underway for its third run on the upcoming Jackie Shane documentary.
Jessica Adams (Producer) Jessica’s global footprint and vision imparted in the work she produces comes innately from having spent her life around the world. Born in Luxemburg, she is a UK, French and Canadian citizen; and currently resides in Toronto.
Jessica brings her vast knowledge, experience, and insight from the feature film space to Adani Pictures. Through her company JA Productions, she has presided over both domestic productions and complicated international co-productions. Her films have premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, had representation by Memento, UTA, and Elevation; sold to Showtime and Hulu; and starred talent such as Richard Dreyfuss and Felicity Huffman. She has been nominated as one of 5 Canadian Producers to Watch at Cannes 2018; one of the top 25 producers in the 2018 Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices cohort; and one of 5 Established Producers for the competitive CMPA IndieScreen Awards at TIFF 2019. Her Producing credits include feature films The Space Between, Astronaut, Tammy’s Always Dying, Ariel, and Something You Said Last Night.
Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy (Executive Producers) are an American producing duo. For more than two decades they have developed and produced award winning Film, TV, Theater, and branded content with many of the industry’s most talented individuals and entertainment companies. Their projects have played at major festivals around the world including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, NYFF, Locarno, SXSW, and Tribeca. Their projects have been represented at award ceremonies including the Oscars, Golden Globes, Gothams, WGA, DGA, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Awards. At the top of their long list of collaborators stands Sean Baker, with whom they have partnered on his past three films (Starlet, Tangerine, and The Florida Project).
Jennifer Konawal (Executive Producer) is a Manager/Producer at the Top Bi-Coastal Management Company Washington Square Films. Previous to this position, Jennifer spent 15 years at The Gersh Agency, representing Talent and Literary clients. Washington Square Films is a production and management company with offices in New York and Los Angeles. The company’s films have been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards (winning one), Seven Independent Spirit Awards (winning one), received two Peabody Awards, and been nominated for, and won dozens of other awards and honors. WSF’s films have premiered at every major film festival including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, New York and Sundance. Recent feature film projects include: Abel Ferrrara’s Tommaso (to premiere at Cannes, 2019), starring Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara’s feature documentary, The Projectionist (Tribeca, 2019), Michael Tyburski’s The Sound of Silence (Sundance, 2019), starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones.
Juila Fox (Executive Producer) Italian/American actress, author, and artist JuliaFox made her feature film debut as the female lead of Uncut Gems, opposite Adam Sandler. From the critically acclaimed Safdie Brothers, the film premiered at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival and screened in competition at the Toronto International Film Festival. With a Christmas 2019 theatrical wide release, it’s remains one of the most successful releases A24 has had to date.
Previous credits include her role in the start-studded ensemble cast of Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, opposite Benicio Del Toro, Ray Liotta, Don Cheadle and Matt Damon. She plays the wife of Ray Liotta and the lover of Benicio Del Toro in the 2021 HBOMax film.
Also an artist, Fox’s memoir, Down the Drain, will be released on October 10, 2023, from Simon and Schuster in the US, and HarperCollins in the UK. Her successful podcast Forbidden Fruits is currently airing its second season exclusively on Spotify.
Additionally, Fox wrote and directed Fantasy Girls, a short film about four teenage girls living in Reno, Nevada, who risk their lives by attempting to perform in a talent show while there is a kidnapper on the loose. The film is a story of friendship, survival, and the innocence of childhood, taking an impassioned look at the ever-growing epidemic of child sex trafficking not only in Nevada, but across the country
As well as being an accomplished designer, photographer and artist, Fox co-created the fashion line Franziska Fox, a womenswear line aimed at empowering women. In 2016 she presented her first solo photography show Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in New York City, which featured art she shot with her 35mm during her time living in the Louisiana bayou post-Hurricane Katrina. The next year she presented her art show R.I.P. Julia Fox, which featured her own paintings.
Born in Italy and raised in New York City, Fox studied at The New School and was a fixture in the NY fashion and club scene growing up.