ABOUT gmff
green mountain film festival
The 26th Green Mountain Film Festival returns March 18-21, 2027 in downtown Montpelier, Vermont. established in 1997, The non-competitive green mountain film festival showcases narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts from all over the world! Nestled in the hills of Central Vermont, the gmff is both a warm community to celebrate the best of world cinema and a home for young filmmakers and new ideas.
The 2027 Gmff is presented by the montpelier bridge.
We are grateful for your support to make this coming year’s festival a beautiful and expansive weekend of international and local film!
The GMFF Team is composed of local Vermont filmmakers, festival programmers, nonprofit professionals, and film enthusiasts. learn more and connect with us below!
festival director
Phayvanh Luekhamhan
Phayvanh was Montpelier Alive’s Executive Director from 2011-2014, and has been a staunch supporter of collaborative, creative community building.
She is co-creator of PoemCity, former coordinator of Montpelier Art Walk, and piloted the City’s parklet project. Phayvanh spent five years on VTDigger’s business team, growing the digital ad revenue fourfold with combined digital ad management and new product development.
She later went on to work with LION Publishers, a national organization that supports independent news businesses in the US and Canada. Currently, she is executive director for the Center for Arts and Learning, a nonprofit arts hub in downtown Montpelier. She cooks, crafts, and conspires during her free time.
Contact Phayvanh at director@gmffestival.org
festival programmer
Sam Kann
Sam Kann (they/she) is an artist and programmer working across dance and film. Most recently, Sam directed a music video for Maria BC’s single “Lacuna” and produced the music video for Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift.”
Sam’s previous work has been shown at The Flynn, the Provincetown Film Festival, and Middlebury College, as well as DIY venues and non-traditional spaces including the Off Center, Life World, and various parking lots around New England. Sam founded the Plex Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary arts event in Burlington, and they have been the programmer at GMFF since 2023.
Contact Sam at programmer@gmffestival.org
Sponsorship Manager
Theresa Murray-Clasen
Born and raised in upstate New York, spending summers in and around Bennington VT, it was a great job that led Theresa to Vermont.
After completing two and a half years in the US Peace Corps/Micronesia, she traveled the state working with regulated utilities while leading the Vermont Department of Public Service’s Consumer Advocacy Division.
Following the birth of two daughters, her professional work has crossed a variety of public sectors; sustainable food systems in public schools, food security within community, the advent of nonprofit digital media, and real estate.
She has served and continues to serve on numerous non-profit boards including "All Brains Belong," a community medical practice that focuses on neurodiversity and equitable inclusion within community, and the Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools Partners in Education.
A long time community volunteer, she is a fervent believer in collaborative, creative community building.
Contact Theresa at theresa@gmffestival.org
creative director
Christopher wiersema
Christopher Wiersema (he/him) is a Vermont based award-winning media artist, educator, and arts administrator, working in experimental film, documentary practice, and community media.
Originally from the Chicagoland area, Christopher’s film and video work has screened internationally and been featured on Vermont Public, Indiana Public Media, and Democracy Now! His experimental documentary film, Rough Blazing Star, was the 2024 winner of the Vermont Public Award for Best Documentary at the Made Here Film Festival in Burlington, Vermont. In 2020, Christopher started the Vermont Youth Documentary Lab, which in 2027 is relaunching a state youth filmmakers contest in partnership with Vermont public.
Christopher lives in Central Vermont, with his partner and their two sons, where he serves as Executive Director of Mad River Valley Television and a Lecturer in Media Studies at Norwich University.
contact christopher at info@gmffestival.org
Associate Programmer
Emma Garrison
Emma is a video producer and editor who grew up in Vermont and spent a long time living on the west coast before returning to the green mountain state to put down roots.
She studied film and electronic media at the University of Denver and has been working as a producer and editor for over a decade. Over the years she has worn countless hats under a variety of titles, you might call her a jane-of-all trades when it comes to all things video production.
She currently works with documentary film-makers on research and development to get projects off the ground.
Contact Emma at emma@gmffestival.org
Community Liaison Schools
Jolynda Burton
A vocal performance major at NYU, Jolynda spent a number of years as a performing artist and arts administrator in New York City after college. In 2017, she returned to her home state of Vermont with a breadth of nonprofit management experience gained in NYC and Philly. She has worked with Just Basics, the nonprofit that runs the Montpelier Food Pantry, is very active with the school community, and served 4 years on the board of MRPS Partners in Education (PIE).
Jolynda joined Monteverdi Music School at the end of 2022 to expand music education opportunities and strengthen the 40-year-old community music school. Her favorite thing is connecting the community with the arts in innovative, unexpected, and beautifully human ways.
Social Media Coordinator
Katie Gorson
Katie Gorson (she/her) initially supported the Green Mountain Film Festival as a member of their screening committee in 2023-2024.
in 2025, she joined the team as the social media coordinator. Currently, Katie is a freelance videographer, video editor and social media manager located in Brooklyn, New york.
Before landing in Brooklyn, Katie worked as the Production Services Coordinator at The Media Factory in Burlington, Vermont, as well as a camera operator for the Vermont Lake Monsters, Vermont’s premiere baseball team.
A community made media enthusiast, Katie still volunteers at her local community media center in Brooklyn to brings people’s shows to life!