President
Julie Rubio is a multifaceted and award-winning film director, producer, writer, and actor, known for her dynamic storytelling and passion for bringing to light the narratives of those often overlooked. As the President of Women in Film SF Bay Area, Rubio dedicates herself to empowering and elevating women in the film industry, fostering a supportive community for female filmmakers.
Vice President
During Diane Walsh’s twenty+ years as an executive in the L.A. film and television business, she collaborated with seasoned professional screenwriters honed in their craft as she developed, sold and produced movies for broadcast and cable television with creative folks like producer/director Robert Greenwald (The Burning Bed, Outfoxed), Al Ruddy who produced The Godfather – and most notably with Gross-Weston Productions, where she was Emmy-nominated as producer of the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation about childhood AIDS, A Place for Annie, starring Cissy Spacek and Mary Louise Parker. She also thrived on the ‘buyer’ side of the table as Director of Programming for the Family Channel weekly movie night for two years in the late 90’s.
Treasurer
Carol was born and raised in Oakland, California, and formed her own film production company, Blue Carp Productions LLC, in January 2020 to produce some of her screenwriting projects. Prior to that, she has been a screenwriter since 2009. Her family crime dramedy, Ryan’s Treasure Hunt was optioned by Roslin Pictures.
Carol’s passion is to write and produce films that portray positive and important images of women and Asians. She is seeking markets for eight of her scripts. Seven have won or placed in eighteen screenplay contests, most notably, the Write Room Grand Prize for Donaldina: Based on True Events in the Life of Donaldina Cameron (now renamed Jeweled Bird) and Third Place in the Cinequest Film Festival Screenplay Contest for the same script.
Secretary
Originally from Istanbul, Nil Unerdem lives in the Bay Area, CA. She majored in electrical engineering at Stanford and Columbia, and worked at Dolby Labs before pursuing filmmaking. She studied at SFFILM, the Writers Grotto, Script Anatomy, and Sundance Collab, and completed a one-year program at the San Francisco Film School.
Mirroring her own journey, she loves to write about women who undergo an awakening, featuring poetic, grounded comedic characters searching for meaning and connection. Her latest is a 90s "coming of middle age" comedy feature, Lydia’s Electronics Supply & Surplus, about a nerdy woman who struggles to save her electronics surplus store with help from her quirky employees. Her dark comedy feature Human Stalk (Stowe NYX Horror Finalist, Blacklist Real Time Top List, Cinestory Retreat) is about zombie environmentalists and climate change. She also wrote and directed a short drama Pearl in the Window (SF Short Film Festival, Cascadia Women’s International Film Festival, BraveMaker Film Festival). When not writing, Nil is listening to the White Stripes and being a baklava connoisseur.
Board Chair
Darlene is a teacher, public speaker, group facilitator, and emerging producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. After earning her MBA at Yale University, she worked as a public finance consultant for 20 years, founding and operating a nationally ranked company. In 2020, she founded ShadowPower Productions, creating docu-style visual media - documentary films, promotional content, campaign videos, and advocacy shorts. She works with clients as diverse as non-profits, government agencies, educational institutions, political campaigns, religious organizations and volunteer groups.
Board Member
After spending a couple decades as an aviation accident investigator and emergency response manager for airlines, Kelli met some amazing female aviators and just knew their forgotten story needed to be told. As she worked to develop the project and get this story told, she strived to learn more and more about production and the art and business of filmmaking and fell in love with it!
Board Member
Nichole Carlson is a an independent film director dedicated to bold, character-driven storytelling. She wrote, produced, and directed "Maternally Damned," a standout short in the internationally released Sinphony: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology. With over 20 years of experience in independent film production and executive support, she combines creative vision with expert logistical execution to bring compelling stories to life. As a board member of Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area, she is committed to championing diverse voices, fostering mentorship, and building a stronger, more inclusive film industry.