TAMASHI

Ashima Shiraishi & Jess X. Snow

New York City native, Ashima Shiraishi was born to Japanese immigrants. Their father, a former butoh dancer, coached and mentored her early career as a child prodigy rock climber. In the full-length documentary ASHIMA (2023) (DOC NYC, Visions Du Réel), Ashima’s world record breaking first female ascent of a V15 at the age of 14 is captured on screen. Now, Ashima is focused on storytelling, and exploring the intersection of climbing, art, culture, ecology, and social justice. They recently wrote and co-directed the short documentary “MUGA” (2024) where they climb and listen to the ancient gneiss of the Ticino Valley, exploring the liminal space where the boundaries between the self and the stone dissolve.

Jess X. Snow is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker, multi-disciplinary artist and author dedicated to envisioning futures where the most marginalized of land and life is sacred. Recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film, their genre-bending short films are currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. They have screened at over 50 film festivals: including BFI London, International Film Festival Rotterdam, SFFilm, BlackStar, Ann Arbor, New Orleans, Durban (Special Mention of the Jury). They a film independent fast track fellow for WHEN THE RIVER SPLIT OPEN. They recently served as producer and cinematographer on WE WERE THE SCENERY (2025 Sundance Short Film Jury Award for Non-Fiction) shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards® and named one of the best shorts of 2025 by Vimeo Staff Picks, Film Comment and Talking Shorts. They were also a cinematographer on the documentary feature, THIRD ACT (2025 Sundance) coming to ITVS and PBS in 2026.