Ava Zabelski has had the privilege to work as a director, cinematographer, and editor of two documentary short films. Additionally, she volunteered at the DC Palestinian Film Festival in 2024 and 2025.

Our Regards to Palestine follows the founders of Quartertonez Music, a Palestinian music school in Washington DC as they prepare for a fall showcase. Zabelski co-directed, filmed, and edited the short film which premiered at the Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies Film Festival.

Just Dance is an ethnographic study of DC nightlife culture and tackles the question of why Gen-Z hesitates to dance when going out. Ava filmed, directed, conducted on location interviews at 10+ nightlife locations in DC. She further edited and presented the short film as part of Georgetown University’s Filming Music Film Festival.

Ava worked as a Sound Production Assistant for Georgetown University’s Nomadic Theatre and Black Theatre Ensemble’s 2026 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. She researched sound effects, set up equipment, and operated the sound board for 10+ shows.

Ava Zabelski has extensive experience in Canva, WordPress, Mailchimp, and Instagram. She has led social media campaigns for Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies Department and the D.C.-based nonprofit Negotiation Works. Further, Ava recently interned with Dot Lemon Productions as a media intern. In this position, she was an assistant to the founder, Remon Hayes, and aided in cultivating DC Zesty Story where she created short-form social media content. Ava researched interviewees, conducted interviews, operated camerawork, and edited the content resulting in engaging pieces that captured D.C. local artistic culture.