Anna-Rose Ii-Epstein 

(Producing Director)

Anna Rose  (she/her/they/them is a queer filmmaker, theatre maker and co-founder of Nothing Without a Company(2008-Present).  Although a native of Texas, she has considered Chicago and the theatre community her home for the last two decades. She fell in love with Chicago while attending the National High School Institute Cherub program at Northwestern.

Soon after, she attended DePaul Theater School, where she feel in love with yoga, and Columbia College Chicago, where she received her BFA in Acting with a minor in Directing. She has performed, directed, assistant directed, assistant taught, and produced over 80 new plays with Nothing Without a Company and various other companies in both Chicago and Hawaii including Kumu Kahua Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Mary Archie Theatre, Redmoon Theater, About Face Theater, Silent Theatre Company, Windy City Performing Arts, and The Center on Halsted.

Anna Rose is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), focusing on energy work and body awareness through breath control. She featured in Windy City Times 2014's 30 Under 30 award with her wife Hannah Ii-Epstein as the first power couple to be honored together in this category. Recipient of "Best Director of the Festival" with the 48 Hour Film Project Chicago for her films Something Different (2018) and Redesign Your Life 2019). In 2024 she received the MAVY'S Award for her volunteer working with the Chicago queer community.

Anna Rose is the creator of TRUE SOCIAL EQUITY IN CANNABIS (2020-Present) her first long form documentary series. She directed Not One Batu: The Film Experience which NWaC just premiered November 2025. She script supervised for a new short film BLOODBOUND (2026) and her latest award winning short, Queer Up the Details, is currently on the festival circuit.