Contessa Gayles is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist, and an Emmy-nominated producer. She tells stories about identity, movement and social change, with a focus on race, ethnicity and gender. From 2014 - 2018, she was a producer at CNN, where she created original series and documentaries, including the feature film, The Feminist on Cellblock Y. She has additionally contributed to VICE, PBS NewsHour, PBS Frontline, CBS, Al Jazeera, Vox and forthcoming documentary features. Contessa is currently creating film and media projects under her production company, Cocomotion Pictures, and has been awarded a 2020 SFFILM FilmHouse artist residency.