DER Filmmaker

Courtney Hermann & Suree Towfighnia

Courtney Hermann is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator from Portland, Oregon. She recently received the Outstanding Faculty Award at the Art Institute of Portland where she is an Instructor in the Digital Film and Video Department. Her most recent documentaries include Standing Silent Nation (2006) and Left on Wild Road (a work-in-progress). She is former faculty and co-tech coordinator (with Suree) at the Rabiger Center for Documentary at Columbia College.

Suree Towfighnia is an independent filmmaker, director of photography, and freelance producer from Chicago, IL. Suree's documentary, Tampico (2006), winner of the Studs Terkel Award, chronicles a woman's struggle to survive through street performance in the subways of Chicago. Suree is currently in development on a documentary about everyday stories in Iran. Her shorts and films have screened in many festivals.

Courtney and Suree's film Standing Silent Nation is currently being boadcast nationally on PBS.