OUR MISSION

The Universal Film Festival was founded in 2007 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA and is now an international intercontinental event hosted annually in the Heartland of America.

Our festival is honored to be one of the top 100 Film Festivals and we are proud to have over 230,000 followers and 5,000 publications distributed globally.

Each year filmmakers from over 100 countries submit over 2,500 films to our festival with those numbers increasing every year. 

We present our festival in a historic theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri with 40 screenings taking place during our 3-day festival event, attracting filmmakers and filmgoers, critics, and movie enthusiasts from around the world, and are considered a significant launching ground for up-and-comers in the film industry. 

In addition to the many festival events, we present an online “Global Village Showcase” experience unique to each host city and country spotlighting artists, merchants, services, and brands distinctive to the host city and country.

Universal Film Festival’s core philosophy is to increase the audience of independent filmmakers and encourage their unique cinematic vision and artistry while providing an excellent career-changing opportunity to network and promote their films to local, national, and international audiences. 

The Universal Film Festival mission is to provide a credible and accessible venue for these talented filmmakers, our international audience of all ages and backgrounds, and our industry partners.

 

Ben Bahmani

Founder & CEO

 

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Universal Film Festival

Team Members

Ben Bahmani

Founder & CEO

Trace Shapiro

Executive Director

Jennifer Taylor

Director of Marketing & Partnerships
Director of Social Media

Marjan Kia

Director of Social Media
Technical Director

David Freedman

Technical Director
Public Relations/Emcee

Abbie Santana

Public Relations/Emcee
Director of Public Relations

Amy Baker

Director of Public Relations
Assistant Director of Marketing

Lindsay Rose

Assistant Director of Marketing
Official Photographer

Shadi Ameri

Official Photographer
Director of Operations

Kevin Walsh

Director of Operations
Executive Secretary to Senior Executive Director

David Peterson

Executive Secretary to Senior Executive Director

Joseph Allen

Director of Photography Videography

Negar Vand

International Ambassador

Frank Ovji

International Ambassador

Universal Film Festival

Board Members

Amir Ardebili
Amy Baker
Ben Bahmani
Frank Ovji
Joseph Allen
Kevin Walsh
Lindsay Rose
Milton Jeffries
Stephen Bahmani
Tom Raithel
Toni Skelton
Zoran Savic