Join Kevin Toyama for a live roundtable with Will Nava, Freesia Gaul, David Thulin, and Lauren Meichtry, four of the participants of this year’s Maker Faire Two-Minute Film Festival whose short films were chosen for screening at Maker Faire Bay Area 2026.
Will, Freesia, David, and Lauren will share their creative visions and talk about how they focused their maker skills through the lens of cinematic storytelling. From set design to miniatures to prop making, their films show the amazing things that can happen when imagination meets innovation.
Special guest Jesse Velez, owner and lead designer of Raptor House FX, will provide his insight on the use of practical effects in film and offer tips for budding filmmakers.
The Maker Faire Two-Minute Film Festival debuted in 2025 to encourage makers to showcase their skills in the universal storytelling vehicle of film. Judges for 2026 entries included Industrial Light & Magic Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Leven (Severance, F1: The Movie); Women in Film SF Bay Area Board Member Nil Unerdem (SF Short Film Festival official selection Pearl in the Window); Post-Production Producer Kayla Lane (The Mandalorian, The Irishman); and Raptor House FX Lead Designer Jesse Velez, who has created animatronic and puppetry projects for Netflix, 20th Century Fox, and Sony Pictures.