PHYLLIS TOBEN BANCROFT (Director) is an authentic human with gravitas who, as a director, evokes spirited performances by creating trustworthy relationships with her talent and her teams. She has directed and produced numerous short films and theater performances in NY & LA.  Having cultivated a keen intuitive insight, her work has explored the loneliness, fractured relationships, corroded self-worth and troubled family systems that embody everyday Americans. With an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute Conservatory, she has directed three episodes of the Emmy-nominated web-series Send Me & is the winner of the BET Lens on Talent Competition, which granted her a $100,000. to make her award-winning film, Burned. As a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Arts Partner, CEO and Master Teaching Artist of the Red Balloon Playroom, Ms. Bancroft has directed over twenty student films through her film bootcamp for underserved middle and high school students. Her dedication to Arts Education doesn’t stop there. In 2015, Phyllis founded the Bancroft Scholarship for Women of Color at the A.F.I. Conservatory. In July 2020, Ms. Bancroft will launch KidsMovieFest.com, an online film competition for kids 13-18 years old. Twitter: @ptoben