River Gallo

River Gallo (they/them) is a Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, writer, model, and intersex activist born and raised in New Jersey. Their feature "Ponyboi" premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. River wrote, produced, and starred in the film, making it the first narrative feature created by and starring an out intersex artist in cinema history. "Ponyboi" is based on their 2019 short film of the same name that was executive produced by Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
 

In 2023, River was the subject of the critically-acclaimed feature documentary "Every Body" directed by Academy-award nominated director Julie Cohen. They were also a directing mentee of Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative, shadowing episodes of "American Horror Story: Delicate." In the commercial space, River has directed advertising spots for Facebook, Maison Margiela, and has modeled for Crocs. For their work in the arts and on social justice issues, River made the 2023 OUT 100 list and won a GLAAD Rising Star Media Award. River was named one of the 10 LGBTQIA+ Film and TV Creators on the Rise in 2023 by Indiewire.