Janet Rose, Founder/Director

Former broadcast journalist and nonprofit executive, Janet is passionate about the unique relationship between horses and people, equine welfare and wildlife conservation.  She is a former director of international wildlife film festivals, currently director of Horse, Human and nature-William Kriegel Foundation and founder of Horse Haven Montana, an equine rescue, adoption and education organization,  a not-for-profit “parent” of EIFF.  Janet is also a member of the Equine Experiential Education Association.

EQUUS INTERNATIONAL was founded in 2011, as a labor of love in the hope that one of the first international equine film events could have a large impact on equine welfare worldwide. EQUUS INTERNATIONAL® aims to raise awareness, improve equine welfare, promote the value of the equine/human bond and increase understanding of all things “horse.” EIFF celebrates the full spectrum of the equine world and the individuals who tell their stories.

Listen to an interview with Janet about EIFF on Horsemanship Radio on the Horse Radio Network.

Nat Forcier, Communications & Social Media Manager

Nat is an acclaimed web and graphic designer whose favorite pastime is being with animals and writing.  She began writing poetry on a rock in the middle of Rattlesnake Creek as long ago as she can remember and holds a degree in English Literature. Drawing on her nonprofit experience and love of horses, film, and Montana, Nat gives her all, time and talent, to support the work and mission of the EQUUS INTERNATIONAL Film Festival®.

 

L.A. Sokolowski, Equinista and Media Advisor

L.A. is an award-winning equine journalist and horsewoman or equinista as she likes to refer to herself = (fashionista + equestrienne) She is a 2016 winner of AHP Equine Media and Syracuse Press Club awards for excellence in horse sports journalism. The six-time (2008-2015) American Horse Publications Equine Media Awards winner and finalist, and two-time consecutive winner of the Freelance Equestrian Journalism award, led Equestrian Press support for the 1996 Atlanta Committee and Olympic Games and has continued to offer media consultation to an elite stable of clients while maintaining a byline throughout today’s top equestrian lifestyle and sports media.

Lynda MacLeod, Consultant – Corporate Philanthropy & Sponsorships

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

EIFF’S Advisory Committee is comprised of esteemed equestrians and individuals from a wide range of fields, who are passionate about equine welfare, horse-human well-being and impact of equine film.
Each individual brings a deep understanding and interest in the equine world and the role of media through the EQUUS INTERNATIONAL Film Festival.

2020 Advisory Committee

Antonia Wolf is no stranger to the way of the horse. As a child she dreamed of one day owning her own horse, and in her adult life went on to train many students in the art of horsemanship. Even when life required her to sell her facility, her love for these animals did not wane. She has a deep understanding of their magnificence, and this has given her, as a photographer especially, a special knack for capturing their spirit in motion. Her images speak to their mystery as creatures and their core beauty.  Antonia fell in love with the wild horses of Pryor Mountain and Utah. Tracking the shape of their wildness has been a personal journey.  Antonia explores creation in all its forms: human life, the natural world, the animal world. Each of her images tries to tell a particular story, held in time. Each of her images—even the most otherworldly landscapes—tries to unearth a humanity that could easily have been overlooked.

Diana Webster, Esq (White Earth Band of Ojibwe)
President/CEO of the Native America Humane Society
The Native America Humane Society (NAHS) was formed in 2014 after Diana Webster received a call from her cousin on a reservation in northern Minnesota to ask why she saw Diana volunteering to help dogs in Mexico on Facebook and not helping reservation “rez” dogs. Diana, a California attorney, knew from her family and from her work with tribal justice systems at the Tribal Law and Policy Institute that Native people on reservations and in urban communities still lacked access to resources and help for their families and their pets despite recent economic development through gaming. With NAHS, she works to empower Tribal nations and Native communities in humanely managing their animals while acknowledging their tribal sovereign rights, traditions and culture, and the competing social challenges that still impact human health, safety, and happiness.