RUBA NADDA (Writer/Director) is a critically and internationally acclaimed Canadian filmmaker. Cairo Time (2009) set to have its worldwide premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation. Cairo Time is set in Egypt with producer Daniel Iron and Killer Films as executive producer and starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig.
Her films include Sabah (starring Arsinee Khanjian) and 13 shorts (Aadan, Blue turning grey over you, Black September, I would suffer cold hands for you, Laila, Slut, Damascus nights, The wind blows towards me particularly, So far gone, Do nothing, Wet heat drifts through the afternoon, Interstate love story, lost woman story) Her films have been shown over 500 times in film festivals around the world with over 30 retrospectives of her work. She is currently working on her next feature films, An October Gale and Abu Muna both with Daniel Iron as producer.
DANIEL IRON (Producer) After graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1987, Daniel Iron was legal counsel at Telefilm Canada for five years. He joined and eventually became a partner at Rhombus Media where he produced the acclaimed feature film, Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by David Wellington, as well as co-producing the Oscar-winning The Red Violin from Francois Girard, and producing the award-winning Last Night, directed by Don McKellar as well as McKellar’s Childstar. Iron also executive produced Guy Maddin’s Saddest Music in the World, Jennifer Baichwal’s acclaimed documentary, Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles and Peter Wellington’s Luck. At Rhombus, Iron was also producer on numerous television production, including The Four Seasons and Don Giovanni Unmasked, two performing arts films, the Gemini-nominated series Foreign Objects, written and directed by Ken Finkleman, Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen, a performance/documentary directed by Larry Weinstein, Elizabeth Rex, a television film based on Timothy Findley’s play, the acclaimed Slings and Arrows, a six part comedic television series, and Beethoven’s Hair, a documentary directed by Larry Weinstein.
In January 2004, Daniel left Rhombus to create his own production company, Foundry Films Inc. Foundry has produced Northern Town, a CBC series set and shot in the Yukon, It's Me Gerald, a six half-hour series for Showcase and in 2005 Last Exit, a TV movie with CTV directed by John Fawcett). In 2006 he produced Manufactured Landscapesthe theatrical documentary on acclaimed photographer, Edward Burtynsky, directed by Jennifer Baichwal which won best Canadian film at Toronto International Film Festival, the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards for Best Canadian Film and Best Documentary of 2006 as well a Genie for Best Documentary. The team has also now completed a third documentary, entitled Act of God, which is in current theatrical release. Daniel also produced Sarah Polley’s debut feature Away From Her staring Julie Christie and Olympia Dukakis, which was released in the US by Lionsgate in May, 2007 and garnered six Gemini awards and two Academy Award Nominations. Daniel acted as executive producer of Fido, a large budget feature by Anagram Pictures in Vancouver. Daniel’s most recently completed production is Cairo Time, written and directed by Ruba Nadda and starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig. Daniel has just wrapped production on The Bang Bang Club, starring Ryan Phillippe, Taylor Kitsch and Malin Akerman, a South-African co-production written and directed by Steven Silver and Act of Dishonour, shot on location in Tajikistan. Recently completed documentary productions include The Man Who Saved Geometry, directed by David New and Toscanini in His Own Words, directed by Larry Weinstein. As well, Iron is currently developing numerous other feature and television productions.
DAVID COLLINS (Producer) Managing Director of Samson Films, one of Ireland’s leading independent film and television drama production companies, co-founded Strongbow Film & Television Productions with John Kelleher in 1985. The company’s productions include Eat The Peach, the Channel 4 television series “When Reason Sleeps” and the Revcom/ABC production “Act of Betrayal.”
Collins also co-founded Radius Television, one of Ireland’s largest independent TV companies, producing over 60 hours a year of new programming for Irish and overseas broadcasters.
He is Chairman of Film Makers Ireland, the representative association for Irish producers and directors, and he is also on the board of directors of Ireland’s EU MEDIA Desk and the recently established Irish Screen Commission. He is also a member of the European Film Academy and a board member of the Film Institute of Ireland.
Samson has been awarded Incentive Funding by the European Script Fund and has a wide range of film and television projects in active development. Recently Collins has established a joint venture television drama company with Ed Guiney of Temple Films to specialize in long-running drama series for the international market. This company has been provided Company Development Funding by the Media II Programme.
Samson has developed strong links with many of the major film and television funding agencies in Ireland, the UK and Europe. In the last five years, Samson has produced and co-produced film and television projects with funding from, among others, Universal Pictures, British Sky Broadcasting, Channel Four, the Irish Film Board, the Northern Irish Film Commission, BBC Television, BBC Worldwide, British Screen, Eurimages, RTÉ, and has accessed significant funding from private Irish investors.
In addition to its own production portfolio Samson has worked in production partnership with a wide variety of independents through Europe, including Road Movies (Germany), Parallax (UK), Zephyr Films (UK), Victoria Film (Scandinavia), Fandango (Italy) and The Shooting Gallery (New York).
Samson also provides budgeting, location and logistical support on a regular basis to incoming feature films and television series, and can access funding where appropriate from the Irish Film Board, RTÉ as well as from Section 481 incentive pools.
Collins' recent feature film credits include: Little Foxes, Eden, Once, True North, Asylum, Blind Flight, The Honeymooners and The Abduction. Television credits include: Dan & Becs,” “Bachelors Walk,” “Hide and Seek,” “Pure Mule,” and “Watemelon.
CHRISTINE VACHON (Executive Producer) Christine Vachon produced Todd Haynes' controversial first feature, POISON, which was awarded the Grand Jury prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she has gone on to produce some of the most acclaimed American independent films including Far From Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don’t Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Happiness, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, I Shot Andy Warhol, Go Fish, and Swoon. Christine, along with partner Pamela Koffler, runs Killer Films.
Recent Killer releases include Todd Haynes' I’m Not There, starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, and Michelle Williams. Cate Blanchett received both Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was also nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards, notching a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett.
Christine also produced Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt’s directorial debut, Then She Found Me, starring Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler, and Matthew Broderick; and Tom Kalin’s Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore and Stephen Dillane, which premiered in official selection of Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Consolidating her foray into original television movies with the 11 Emmy nominations of Mrs Harris, Christine produced An American Crime (world premiere on Showtime), a true-crime drama starring Catherine Keener, Ellen Page and James Franco, with Keener getting an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a mini-series or a movie.
In 1994, Christine was awarded the Frameline Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lesbian and Gay Media and, in 1996, with the prestigious Music Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement by New York Women In Film And Television. For her work on Far From Heaven, she was honored by the New York Film Critics Circle, and received the Producer of the Year Award from the National Board of Review. Killer’s movies have received multiple awards and nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the Oscars), the Emmy Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the Golden Globes), and the Independent Spirit Awards. Christine and Killer have also received special tributes from the South By Southwest, Cinequest, Provincetown, Rhode Island, Woodstock, Deauville and, most recently, the Locarno Film Festivals. Most notable, on the occasion of Killer’s 10th anniversary in 2005, the company was feted with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art.
Christine is the author of two books: A Killer Life: How An Independent Producer Survives Deals And Disasters In Hollywood And Beyond (Simon and Schuster, 2006); and Shooting To Kill: How An Independent Producer Blasts Through The Barriers To Make Movies That Matter (Avon, 1998). Both books were Los Angeles Times bestsellers.
CHARLES PUGLIESE (Executive Producer) is currently the head of development at Killer Films, where he has been for over six years. In addition to Cairo Time, Charles recently co-produced Jordan Scott's Cracks, starring Eva Green and Juno Temple and Matt Aselton's Gigantic, starring Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel and John Goodman, which premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.
In 2007, Charles co-produced Todd Haynes' acclaimed film concerning Bob Dylan, I'm Not There, which starred Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Prior to that, Charles associate produced Douglas McGrath's Infamous, which starred Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock and Daniel Craig.
In addition to his feature film duties, Charles heads up Killer's new television division, developing and pitching TV projects to network and cable venues. Charles is a graduate of Vassar College and began his career in the production and acquisitions departments of Miramax Films.
CLAIRE WELLAND (Co-Producer) has worked on a remarkable range of feature films, television and
documentary projects. Her work has taken her on location to Sir Lanka, Malta,
and Morocco. And most recently Egypt and South Africa.
Claire began her career producing a number of high profile documentary series
for Turner Broadcasting, Discovery Channel and Canal Plus.
Her past projects include the critically acclaimed feature film Water that was
nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign film. Recent Feature films
include Paramount Vantage’s How She Move, and Cry of the Owl starring Julia
Stiles. In Television, ABC ‘s 4-hour TV mini-series, The Path to 9/11 tracing
intelligence gathering from the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing to the tragic
events of 9/11. She has also worked on television productions for Showtime,
Paramount and Columbia Tri-Star.
Most recently, she co-produced The Bang Bang Club, with Ryan Phillipe, Taylor
Kitsch and Malin Ackerman chronicling combat photographers in the last days of
apartheid. Claire joined Daniel Iron as a partner in Foundry Films this year.
LUC MONTPELLIER (Director of Photography) Images created by award-winning Director Of Photography Luc Montpellier have entertained and provoked feature film audiences, festival cinephiles and television viewers for over a decade. From the textured dramatic palettes of Ken Finkleman’s Foreign Objects, to the dream-like images of Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World, starring Isabella Rossellini, Luc’s vision is timeless and poignant, illustrating a mature balance between art and technology, freedom and form. His touch has elevated the successes of feature films like the award winning Khaled (Ashgar Massombagi), which earned Montpellier The Haskell Wexler award for Best Cinematography at the Woodstock Film Festival and the gambling adventure Luck, directed by Peter Wellington, which won Best Narrative Feature at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin Texas. Montpellier’s reputation is punctuated as much by the finished images on the screen as by the vital approach he brings to process. Select credits include: Sabah, directed by Ruba Nadda, a love story starring Arsinée Khanjian and Shawn Doyle; The Cry of the Owl, directed by Jamie Thraves, the biopic mini-series Hemmingway vs. Callaghan, directed by Michael DeCarlo that earned Montpellier a Gemini Award for Best Photography in a Drama; the comedy Confessions a Sociopathic Social Climber (Dana Lustig) starring Jennifer Love Hewitt; Ken Finkleman’s At The Hotel for CBC; Clement Virgo’s feature Poor Boy’s Game; Sarah Polley’s Away From Her; and Paolo Barzman’s Emotional Arithmetic starring Gabriel Byrne, Susan Sarandon and Christopher Plummer.
NIALL BYRNE (Composer) studied Piano and Composition at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He
was awarded first prize at the 1992 Dublin Film Festival's music competition,
chaired by composer Michael Nyman. Since then he has composed music for
feature films and television dramas both in Ireland and abroad. With support
from the Irish Arts council, he attended seminars on film music by Ennio
Morricone at the Chigiana Music school in Sienna, Italy. He has received four
IFTA award nominations for Best Music. Website: www.niallbyrnecomposer.com
TAMARA CONBOY (Production Designer) is a prominent young Irish designer. As an Honours graduate from one of Ireland’s leading Art colleges, she has found her niche in the world of film and television.
Her career has been varied, ranging from interactive multi- media in conjunction with Trinity College Dublin, to designing a complete range of baby and children’s clothing for Dunnes Stores, a major European chain-store.
Tamara has always encouraged film education and indeed has herself been involved in various workshops with organisations such as Film Base and Moonstone International.
The main focus of her last 13 years has been in the world of film and television. She has worked in the capacity of graphic designer and Art director on a variety of projects including Space Truckers, The Medallion, In America, Bloom, King Arthur and Isolation.
Tamara has worked with a number of designers and directors of international renown.
She has now begun designing herself full time, with projects such as Once giving her this opportunity.
BRENDA BROER (Costume Designer) studied fashion design at Ryerson 1988 and got her first taste of costume designing for McGill’s Savoy Society while studying at College LaSalle 1992. Her historical knowledge, combined with her costume design, production skills, and fashion savvy has led her to work in a wide variety of genres and productions in theatre, dance, feature film and television. Brenda’s credits include Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth, Peter Wellington’s Luck, Clutch, directed by Chris Grismer, Hurt, directed by Steve diMarco and Lepidultrous, directed by James Cooper.
TERESA HANNIGAN (Editor) In her role as editor, Teresa has had the good fortune to work on many highly acclaimed film and television productions. There is a diversity of theme and genre in the projects she has helped to shape, which include the arts documentary, “Artemisia”; some of Canada’s best television drama including the Gemini winning series “The Eleventh Hour” and the CTV mini-series “Would Be Kings”, for which she won a 2008 Directors Guild of Canada award for outstanding picture editing; and TV movies and feature films including “Playing House” and Sabah.