Michael Szonyi is Frank Wen-Hsiung Wu Professor of Chinese History and the former Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies (2016-2022) at Harvard University. His books include The Art of Being Governed: Everyday Politics in Late Imperial China (2017) and Cold War Island: Quemoy on the Front Line (2008). He is also co-editor, with Jennifer Rudolph, of The China Questions: Critical Insights on a Rising Power (2018), and, with Jennifer Rudolph and Adele Carrai, of The China Questions 2: Critical Insights into US-China Relations (2022). He is currently writing a modern history of village China. He was recently honored with the title “Honorary Villager of Yongtai County”

S. Leo Chiang is a filmmaker based in Taipei & San Francisco. His short documentary, ISLAND IN BETWEEN, received an Oscar nomination in 2024. His previous feature doc, OUR TIME MACHINE, was nominated for an Emmy & a Gotham Award, and won ten international film festival awards. He directed two episodes of the landmark 5-part PBS series, ASIAN AMERICANS, which won a Peabody Award in 2021. His other films include the Emmy-nominated A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES. Leo has served as a mentor for documentary labs and fellowship programs globally, including the Hot Docs CrossCurrent & Blue Ice Fellowships (Canada), DMZ Docs Lab (Korea), CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum (Taiwan), and AIDC (Australia). Leo is a co-founder of A-Doc (the Asian American Documentary Network), a previous co-chair of New Day Films, and a documentary branch member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The Rev. Dr. Charles L. Howard is called to work for a communal increase in joy, peace, justice, and love. Dr. Howard serves as the University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. He has served as a chaplain in hospice and hospitals, and as a street outreach worker to individuals experiencing homelessness. As an author, his work has been featured in such publications as Sojourners Magazine, The Christian Century, Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Good, Urban Cusp, The Forward, Black Theology: An International Journal, and Slate. He has authored and edited several books, including The Souls of Poor Folk, which explored new ways of considering homelessness and poverty, The Awe and The Awful, a poetry collection and Lenten Devotional, Black Theology as Mass Movement, a call to theologians to expand the reach of their theological work, and Pond River Ocean Rain, a small book about going deeper with a big God. As a teacher, he has taught in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Graduate School of Education at Penn, as well as at The Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia.

Minghua Hsiao is a third-generation publisher of classical religious manuscripts at Freedom Publisher, which was founded in Taipei in 1953 and has successfully preserved and publicized over 1,500 rare and precious religious texts in Daoism, Confucianism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Chinese medicine. This unique experience nourished her interest in religious dialogue and religious liberty. After working as a visiting scholar at the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Minghua decided to found the Freedom Crossing Institute, a US-based nonprofit, to share stories of authentic religious practice and of people who devote their lives to religious liberty.

LAU Kek-Huat is director of "Wild Tomatoes". LAU is a Malaysian filmmaker based in Taiwan. His debut film Boluomi earned him a spot at the Busan International Film Festival and a Golden horse nomination for best new director. The project won him the 2015 Tokyo Talent Award, 2013 Best Script Award in Taiwan, and was selected for La Fabrique (Cinema du monde). His short film Nia’s Door won Best Short Film Award, Sonje Award in Busan International film festival, selected for 38th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. His documentaries Absent without leave and The Tree Remembers still face censorship in Malaysia. He is an alumnus of Golden Horse Academy and Berlinale & Tokyo Talents

Chang Chao-wei is a prominent film director, screenwriter, and producer from Taiwan. He is best known for his award-winning films, such as Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011) and The Assassin (2015). He has won numerous awards for his work, including a Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film and a Golden Horse Award for Best Director. Chang’s style is characterized by a strong emphasis on realism, as well as a focus on historical dramas. His films often explore social and political issues, such as identity, gender roles, and the struggles of minorities. He is also known for his unique visual style, which combines elements of traditional Taiwanese culture with modern techniques.

Liao Yi Ling has spent years immersing herself in real-life settings to uncover the complexities of human nature and hidden emotions. Her work focuses on issues within social systems, such as class and poverty culture, using a philosophical and allegorical narrative style to explore the relationship between individuals and social structures.

Chu Po-Ying is a graduate of the Graduate Institute of Applied Media Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts, and a Director and Cinematographer for Fiction and Documentary. Chu's work is emotionally restrained yet rich in metaphor. He is skilled at using surreal cinematic language to capture the invisible inner emotions of characters in realistic settings.

Pei Yang is producer of "Master Sheng Yen". She is Distinguished Associate Professor at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and Director of the Master's Program in Life Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of Tennessee and specializes in Group dynamics, family therapy, life narratives, meditation, and mental health.

Minghua Hsiao is a third-generation publisher of classical religious manuscripts at Freedom Publisher, which was founded in Taipei in 1953 and has successfully preserved and publicized over 1,500 rare and precious religious texts in Daoism, Confucianism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Chinese medicine. This unique experience nourished her interest in religious dialogue and religious liberty. After working as a visiting scholar at the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Minghua decided to found the Freedom Crossing Institute, a US-based nonprofit, to share stories of authentic religious practice and of people who devote their lives to religious liberty.