Festival volunteer, Artist & Photographer

Kendra Thompson is a psychology student at Bronx Community College who has been captivated by the arts since childhood. With a deeply insightful nature and a strong humanitarian heart, she naturally looks at the world with empathy, which shines through in her creative projects.

Kendra met Katha Cato in the summer of 2024 while attending one of her workshops on childhood development. After learning about Katha’s extensive background in film, Kendra was deeply inspired to reach out. They connected over a series of phone calls and Zoom sessions to discuss Kendra’s creative aspirations. Generous with her mentorship, Katha extended an open invitation for Kendra to join the festival team as an associate whenever she was ready to explore the film space.

Kendra loves to experiment and create simply for the joy of it. She dabbles in a bit of everything, from graphic design and photo and video editing to capturing life through nature and urban photography. As an illustrator, she works with both traditional paper-and-pen and digital mediums to create simple cartoon drawings and original characters. She also uses poetry as a way to express her strong feelings and perspective.

Right now, Kendra is incredibly grateful to be using her time as a Festival Associate to explore what naturally calls to her. Her main goal is to act as her own archaeologist—digging deep to uncover her hidden talents, seeing what feels right, and expanding her horizons alongside the festival team as she figures out her next steps in the creative world.