2026 Girls Night Out
Short Film Festival
2026 GNOSFF PANELISTS
Meet Director Jodie M. Cordell
Jodie Cordell is a storyteller at heart, kicking off her career by earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington. She made a name for herself with human interest stories and later utilized her skills in marketing and content creation. Returning to her love for story, she recently acquired an MFA in Film Production from Full Sail University. Jodie is passionate about extracting stories from everyday life, invoking deep emotions, and driving social commentary through filmmaking, especially as a writer/director. She is particularly thrilled to empower women by elevating their voices. Collaborative and driven, Jodie breathes stories to life—usually fueled by a good cup of coffee.
Meet Director Dr. Nyla Hazratjee
Dr. Nyla Hazratjee is an American-Muslim filmmaker. As a first generation Pakistani American, her work focuses on the minority subculture experience in America. She is an award winning filmmaker (The Persian Version-Winner Sundance 2023, The School Duel- Winner Deauville American Film Festival 2025, Six stars- Hollyshorts 2025) host, lecturer, TEDx and key note speaker and founder of NY/LA Production, a non profit production house dedicated to changing the narrative of the Muslim American Female in film and television through independent media. She is also a double board certified specialist physician, and an involved mother of two sons. She recently directed a feminist film with a female BIPOC crew which will have major impact. She recently directed a feminist film with a female BIPOC crew which will have major impact.
Meet Filmmaker Madeira
Madeira recently graduated from Flagler College with a degree in Cinematic Arts. This is her senior film. "I Don't Dance for You" follows four dancers in a pole studio that serves the Daytona Beach area. They share their personal stories along with their thoughts on the feminine experience and the negative perception of pole dancing.
Meet Film Editor and VFX Artist Jalen Williams
I'm Jalen Williams, a film editor and visual effects artist based in Florida. My journey into post-production began when I started shooting and editing my own videos. What began as a creative outlet quickly grew into a passion for creating content.
While earning my bachelor's degree in Information Technology from Florida A&M University, I developed my skills in Premiere Pro and began taking on music video projects. As I worked on more videos, I became fascinated by the visual effects featured in Cole Bennett's Lyrical Lemonade productions, which inspired me to teach myself Adobe After Effects.
In the Fall of 2023, I attended Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, where I earned my MFA in Post Production. It was there that I discovered the depth of narrative filmmaking and the role editing plays in shaping character, emotion, and story. What I once viewed primarily as a technical craft became a powerful storytelling tool, and I found myself drawn to the creative process of building a narrative in the edit room.
Today, I work across editing and visual effects, combining technical precision with a passion for storytelling. Whether I'm crafting a narrative scene, creating a visual effect, or collaborating with filmmakers to bring their vision to life, I am always excited by the opportunity to create work that connects with audiences.