Maayan Laufer is the founding partner of Palms for Life, a global nonprofit dedicated to social development for marginalized populations, and the creator of the Ceres Food Film Festival. With a mother who worked for the UN, Maayan grew up in developing countries, shaping her commitment to being a responsible global citizen.  She went on to study Environmental Biology and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Passionate about storytelling, Maayan’s background in acting and filmmaking nourish her work with Ceres, which challenges audiences to rethink food and their relationship to it. Maayan lives in Brooklyn with her two magical children, loves rain, dark mornings, and drinks copious amounts of tea.