Collaborators

Rachel Schmidt Director/Producer 

Rachel Schmidt is a documentary filmmaker, photographer and activist. Her work is focused on community building and how media can be used to bridge economic, racial and cultural divides. Rachel has directed and produced independent film projects with grass root community groups across the globe. She has filmed in volatile situations in West Africa, Mexico, Thailand, and Jamaica. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria in 1991 and graduated from the Independent Film Program at Langara College in 2004. Most recently, Rachel worked in a senior post in government where she produced award winning short documentaries about the lives of people with developmental disabilities. She brings creativity, passion and an impressive twenty-two year background in social work and teaching to her film projects.


Lee K. Toepfer - 6kidsProductions

Lee K. Toepfer is an independent producer and the founder of 6kidsProductions. She brings a twenty-year background in finance to the 'business side' of film-making. Lee hails from Virginia and is the oldest of six kids, hence the name of the production company! She is passionate about producing meaningful projects and working collaboratively with talented artists. 6kidsProductions merges both the artistic and business sides of film-making to produce important stories of our times, like the story of the Mayan Q’eqchi’ women in 'Defensora'. She is excited to be a part of the team.

Adele Hinkley- Photographer 

Adele Hinkley is a passionate photographer who is motivated by the power of photography and it's potential to express and invoke human emotion. Last year she attended the National Geographic Expeditions Photographic Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Adele is deeply moved by the stories of the Mayan Q'eqchi' women, this will be her second trip to Guatemala and she hopes her work will help raise awareness about the injustices of some mining practices.