Gopika Ajayan is a video journalist and reporter from India. Ajayan received her PGDM in Broadcast Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism and MA in International Relations from Stella Maris College. Prior to joining Columbia Journalism School’s documentary cohort, she produced “The Irulas of Killai,” a film about a fishing community whose livelihood was threatened by the Chennai floods, and “Mavilar,” a video about a tribe who uses bamboo as a percussion instrument.

Annick Laurent is a journalist and photographer from New York. Before studying documentary filmmaking at the J-School, Laurent earned her BS in Biology from Spelman College. Laurent was also featured in “Sisters Song: Awaken/Chroma: Red for Elevate,” a showcase part of ELEVATE, a public art program hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; her portraits explored gentrification in Atlanta from a feminist perspective. Her interests include race and gender relations, culture and the environment.