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Meet Our 2016 Summer Interns

By Juliana Sakae


From left to right: Katie Huang (Web and Information Technology Intern), Sara Cárdenas (Events Intern) and Dilara “Bristy” Sultana (Events Intern)

We are proud to introduce three amazing women who are helping us serve the documentary community through their IDA internships: Katie Huang (Web and Information Technology Intern), Sara Cárdenas (Events Intern) and Dilara “Bristy” Sultana (Events Intern). Katie’s and Sara’s internships have been generously sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Katie has recently finished her senior year at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and is currently studying Computer Science with a minor in Ethnic Studies. She has just returned from Singapore, where she was studying abroad. Katie chose to intern at the IDA because of her passion for documentaries. “As a student who's been engaged with art and activism, I believe the documentary world has a lot to offer me and the work that I'm interested in. Documentaries have the power to give voice and representation to communities that may not feel accurately represented within mainstream media. They are also a powerful tool for education and informing the public.” Katie is currently assisting the Communications Department with digital marketing, website usability and user experience. Her goal is to obtain a PhD in fields regarding Ethnic Studies, Communication, Critical Gender Studies, Media Studies, Digital Arts, and/or Science Studies.

Sara is currently studying Anthropology and International and Global Studies at Brandeis University. She chose to intern at the IDA because of her interest in arts, social change and visual storytelling. “There's something so intimate and emotional about watching a story unfold before your eyes. I think the non-fiction aspect of documentaries heightens this level of connection. For this reason I believe documentary films can be powerful agents for social change.” Sara was drawn to the IDA's commitment to filmmakers from around the world, since she is constantly seeking to learn about different cultures. Her favorite documentary is Sejdeme se v Denveru which translates to "See You in Denver." It's part of a series of films by Czech filmmaker Jan Šikl called Private Century. “The film was especially poignant for me because I've studied Czech history and culture. It was special to witness this intimate family footage and be able to place it in a complex and harsh historical context.”

Bristy is working on her B.A. in Business Administration at the University of the West. She was born in Bangladesh, and decided to come to the U.S. to pursue her dream to work with theatre and film. “It amazes me to think about how documentaries are making people aware of so many issues. Documentaries have inspired me to even pick my career,” says Bristy about the classic The Golden Age of Hollywood. “Seeing the film about actor's passion for acting was one of the reasons I started to love acting and wanted to pursue theatre.” Sara and Bristy are providing invaluable support to the IDA’s Event department to organizing two of our major events: the 32nd Annual IDA Awards and the Getting Real 2016 conference.

Our most sincere thanks go out to Katie, Sara and Bristy for their hard work and dedication to advancing documentary filmmaking through their IDA internships.