OLYMPIA DUKAKIS- ACTOR
The daughter of Greek immigrants, Dukakis earned her degree from Boston University and worked as a physical therapist while pursuing a stage career. Notable films include Cloudburst, Away from Her, Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland's Opus and Mighty Aphrodite.
Known for her strength and wit, Dukakis won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Rose Castorini in Moonstruck in 1987. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Anna Madrigal in the public television miniseries Tales of the City.
A veteran of the stage, some credits include "Mother Courage," "The Marriage of Bette and Boo," "Rose," "The Curse of the Starving Class," "Elektra" and "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore."
Ms. Dukakis was a founder and the producing artistic director of the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, NJ.
Her bestselling autobiography Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress was published in 2003.
DESIRÉE MATTHEWS- WRITER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, ACTOR
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Desirée has called New York her home for the past 15 years. A graduate of Boston College in Theatre and English, Desirée continued her studies in SF at the American Conservatory Theater, The Actors Center in NYC and with master teacher Olympia Dukakis.
An actor for twenty five years, she has performed in many Off- Broadway plays, independent films, devised theatre projects and commercials. Film credits include "Split," "My Movie Girl," "Howl," and "Lurking in Suburbia."
Desirée is deeply committed to continuing Olympia's legacy of THE INANNA WORKSHOP, facilitating empowerment workshops for women and girls in New York and Westchester County.
This is Desirée's screenwriting debut.
For upcoming projects visit www.desireetmatthews.com
ANNA JONES- DIRECTOR
Anna Jones is a writer/director living in London. She is also an American citizen, having trained as a director at the Yale School of Drama (alumni include Brian Tyree Henry and Meryl Streep) where she met her husband and writing partner, actor/writer Jamel Davall. They co-wrote digital series My America, set in six Uber journeys over the week leading up to the US election in 2016. It was described by Thought Catalogue as "the series everyone should watch before the election", and had a wide festival run, including the LA Film Festival; SeriesFest, Colorado and Hollyshorts. Anna spent over a decade working in the theatre as a director in New York and London, largely focused on new work - either originating new material or directing new plays, developing relationships with playwrights Alena Smith, Tarell McCraney and Stella Feehily among others. To date, she has directed a dozen short films, including The Mechanicals of Hemp (with Harry Enfield and Charity Wakefield) for Riley Productions. She is currently writing Whale Song, a feature about art, love and the climate crisis.
WWW.ANNAGJONES.COM
DAISY ZHOU- CINEMATOGRAPHER
Growing up between Shanghai and rural Pennsylvania, the one constant Daisy had in her life was photography & filmmaking. Though she never expected her hobby of creating stop-motion animations with paper boats and cobwebs to lead anywhere, she surprised herself and her family with an admittance to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she focused on cinematography.
After graduating, Daisy shot over thirty narrative projects and commercial projects for brands like Nike, Lincoln, Chanel, Victoria's Secret as well as music videos, fashion films and documentaries for artists including Margaret Zhang, Banks, Mykki Blanco, Cai Guo Qiang and James Blunt.
Daisy recently directed a commercial short set in the world of Vogue dancing. This caught the attention of Nike New York, who hired her to shoot and direct a new spot featuring transgender international vogue dancer Leiomy Maldonado. The spot premiered ahead of the NYC Pride march in June and was featured on Adweek, the Times, Elle, Allure, and Mic magazine.
JULIA KENNELLY- PRODUCER
Julia Kennelly is a producer and director based in New York City. Her directorial debut, a short film called CHANDLER, premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival and went on to be featured by Vimeo upon its online release. Films she’s produced have been in competition at Tribeca Film Festival, AspenShortsfest, Atlanta Film Festival, Outfest and Palm Springs Shortsfest, among others.
Julia line produces both narrative and commercial work, and recently finished working as a line producer on an upcoming HBO documentary series directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, to air in the fall of 2020. She also produced THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW, a short film directed by Marshall Curry that won the Oscar® for Best Live Action Short at the 2020 Academy Awards.
She is a co-founder of production company Dream City, with producer Karine Benzaria and director/cinematographer Daisy Zhou.
www.juliakennelly.com
KARINE BENZARIA- PRODUCER
Karine Benzaria is a New York based producer whose experience ranges from short commercial form to narrative television. A film graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, her mission lies in bringing global stories to wide range audiences through independent film. Previously at W Magazine she's streamlined production for their documentary content, as well as editorial videos featuring the likes of India Menuez, Carla Bruni, and musician Mykki Blanco. More recently, she 's worked alongside BadRobot and Apple TV on the upcoming series 2020 Little Voice with EP Sara Bareilles. She is a cofounderof Dream City, alongside Julia Kennelly and Daisy Zhou.
LINDSAY SEYFFERT- EDITOR
Lindsay Seyffert came to Los Angeles to pursue a BFA in Theater from California Institute of the Arts as both a writer and actor. Her interests transitioned to post production after taking film classes on a whim at Los Angeles Community College. Soon afterwards, she began an internship at The Park Entertainment, where she was later hired on full-time as an Assistant Sound Editor. During her time there, she worked as an Assistant Sound Editor, SFX Editor and Foley Artist on several independent films including The New Twenty, which was featured at Outfest that year. After going back to school, in 2012 she graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory with a MFA in Film Editing. During her time there she edited a number of short films including Dr. Gutman's Eulogy, Skinny Jo and The Men's Room. Following AFI, she went on to work as an Archival Researcher on the award winning documentary Listen to Me Marlon, for Passion Pictures. Most recently, she has worked as the Lead Assistant Editor on The Meddler with Susan Sarandon, I Ship It, an upcoming musical comedy on The CW Seed, and the 2nd Season of Trial and Error on NBC, featuring Kristin Chenoweth. When not tucked away in a small, dark room with her eyes glued to a computer screen, Lindsay enjoys spending time in the sunlight with her husband and animal menagerie at their Highland Park home.
OLA MASLIK- PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Production Designer born and raised in Poland. Ola's unique talents as a designer for the stage and screen came to light during this time - of marrying a profound understanding of story with production design on a macro and micro level. Her gift for collaboration also began to become apparent as she formed lifelong relationships with directors, writers, producers and actors.
Ola recently wrapped final season as Production Designer on the AMC 80's/90's TV show Halt and Catch Fire, seasons 1 and 2 of Madam Secretary created by Barbara Hall and Morgan Freeman, Adult Beginners directed by Ross Katz and numerous Sundance films including The Skeleton Twins, written and directed by Craig Johnson; ; and Ass Backwards, directed by Chris Nelson.
Ola's work is also featured in Ryan O'Nan's Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best which had its premiere at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.
MORIA SINE CLINTON- COSTUME DESIGNER
Moria is a Brooklyn based Designer. She’s just finished assisting on Ang Lee’s next film that shot on location in Savannah GA. She’s been happy to be part of the team, shopping and assisting on the final two season’s of FX’s The Americans.
Before focusing on the thriving Film and Television industry in the city she calls home, Moria was a Costume and Set designer working on new plays, re-imagined classics and opera. She was named in LIVE/DESIGN Magazine as Young Designer to Watch in 2012.
Notable institutions Moria has designed include The Public Theatre, Atlantic Theatre Co, The Cherry Lane, Women’s Project, The Playwrights Realm, TFANA, Guthrie Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Jungle Theatre, Mixed Blood, La Jolla Playhouse and Yale Repertory Theatre. She was Jane Greenwood’s Broadway Associate from several years when first cutting her teeth in New York.
Moria is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama, where she received the Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in 2009. She has a B.S. in Theatre and in Art from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She received two Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Awards in Design.
She is a member of USA 829 and represented by Bret Adams Ltd Artists’ Agency.
MONICA PALMIERI- ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Originally from Guatemala, Monica Palmieri has been residing in New York for 10 years. She founded along with her sisters the production company MMW productions. Monica has directed and produced the short films The G.O.I.G, Small Talk, Complete Sentences and Black Hole (Icaro Film Festival & Short Circuit New York Film Festival). Her work as a producer includes short films: Datin' Marvin (68th Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner), Meet Me Here, Locked in You, Underwater and Derailing where she was also the lead actress. Monica worked as line producer for the film Split ( Sarasota Film Festival, 2016) by award wining director Deborah Kampmeier.
Monica also produces and directs content for companies like Spin Magazine and Stereogum. In addition, she works as 1st AD for companies like Vice, Comedy Central, Amenic Cinema, La Panda Productions & Yale Productions.
She is an alumna of The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, The Labyrinth Theatre Ensemble Workshop & The Marcelle Bonge Academy.
Since 2012 Monica co-founded and produces the Icaro Film Festival New York.
Monica is developing her ópera prima, which is set to film at the end of 2017.
ARIA FERRARO- KEY HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST
Aria Ferraro is an Italian born and raised artist who has been trained in the arts since a very young age. Aria studied art at "Fame", Art and Performing Arts School, F.H. Laguardia and also obtained a bachelor degree in studio art concentrating in drawing and human anatomy at Hunter College while assisting MOMA & museum resident artists.
In Los Angeles, Aria acquired a Masters in Beauty and Special Effects Makeup from the world's top make-up artistry school, Cinema Makeup School, while training at Hollywood's premiere Special Effects laboratories MEL Inc and B2FX.
Aria's work can be found in features, shorts, commercials, music videos and more.
THE PARLOR- MUSICIANS
Named after a room in the 19th century farmhouse where they live, farm, and create, The Parlor is a project by husband and wife team Eric Krans and Jen O’Connor. The multi-instrumentalist, producer-composers create intimate art-pop intended to reflect some of the most powerful aspects of the human experience. The Parlor gives voice to the meek, strength to the struggling, and brings hope to the brokenhearted. Their unique brand of immersive soundscaping and aural synesthetic-composition is the vessel through which they share their most vulnerable moments with grace and joy, in ways both gentle and thought provoking. Their hope: for listeners to accept the beauty in the wholeness of the human experience.
The Parlor’s music is the sonic corollary to what the couple is bringing to their land, an artisanal re-imagining of an antique dream. Jen O’Connor + Eric Krans make their home in Upstate New York. Their farmhouse is filled with jars of feathers + herbs, piles of broken guitars, trays of wings + claws, upright basses, a sampling synth, braided onions, polyester pants, Casio + Zenith, antique mirrors. Ghosts. They write and record music in a room called the parlor.
The Parlor has performed at the Farm Aid festival alongside music icons Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Dave Matthews. They have opened for Grammy Nominated artists The Lumineers, and have shared the stage with Willy Mason, Deer Tick, Lucius, Langhorne Slim, Man Man, Phantogram, Hop Along, Sharon VanEtten, Y la Bamba, and The Felice Brothers.
WILL MAYO- SOUND DESIGN/MIXER
Will Mayo is a director, producer, and editor living in Brooklyn, New York.
Originally from rural Tennessee, he received a BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
His short films First Night Out (2015) and As Beautiful Inside (2017) screened at dozens of international film festivals and became Vimeo Staff Picks; he has also co-directed branded narrative films for clients like Kodak and Condé Nast.
Will primarily works as a freelance editor, sound designer, and producer for a diverse array of projects. He edited and associate produced The Adulterers, an indie TV series which screened at Sundance Film Festival 2018 and premiered on Sundance Now in 2019; he has also edited and sound designed projects honored by SXSW, Tribeca, Berlinale, and Short of the Week. He also produced and edited Marcy Learns Something New, which won a special jury mention for comedy at Aspen Shortsfest and went on to become a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Will likes to work on projects that spotlight the universal experiences of women, the working class, LGBTQ+ individuals, POC, the elderly, and other communities not widely represented in the American mainstream.