Barento Taha

Barento Taha is a filmmaker from Columbus, Ohio - but now based in Los Angeles attending USC's Film & TV Production MFA program. He recently completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Epidemiology at Ohio State researching Black maternal/infant health and health inequalities. While actively completing his Bachelors in Neuroscience and his MPH - Barento had taught himself how to direct, produce, shoot, and edit his award-winning documentary, Risk Factor. Barento had been preparing for a career as a physician, but after witnessing the effects of infant mortality in his community, he began learning about film as a means of making a change. The journey to completing this film has served as a life-changing lesson in making a difference and furthered his desire to create more meaningful films. In 2021, Barento was awarded the Joel Schumacher x Sophia Crenshaw Scholarship where he honed his filmmaking skills at The Gotham and further developed his advocacy skills working in the Social Impact Division of MTV Entertainment Group.