Filmmakers

 

MICHAEL COLLINS, DIRECTOR

Michael is the founder of Thoughtful Robot, a production company based in New York City committed to crafting compelling social justice films that galvanize change. In 2005 he directed Caught in an Injustice, a one-hour documentary broadcast on Spanish national television that received Special Mention of the Jury at the 15th International TV3/Actual Awards. In 2010 Michael’s short film, Gerthy’s Roots, shot on location in Haiti about a community driven reforestation initiative, was made possible by the Mandela Day Tribeca All Access Award. GIVE UP TOMORROW, his first documentary feature film seven years in the making, about a young man wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in the Philippines, premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Best New Director; won the Audience Award at the Sheffield Doc/Fest: won the Human Rights Award at Docs Barcelona; and won the Activism Award at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival.

MARTY SYJUCO, Producer

Originally from the Philippines, Marty moved to New York City in 2000, and worked at USA Films and then Focus Features booking the theatrical releases of independent, commercial, and Academy-Award-winning films. In 2004 he took a leap of faith to pursue his passion: documentary filmmaking. In 2005, he co-produced the one-hour documentary Atrapado en la Injusticia, which was broadcast on Canal Cuatro on Spanish national television. The evolution of the story and the reception and acclaim from the Spanish public spurred him to expand the short into a feature-length documentary. Together with filmmaking partner Michael Collins, Marty has spent the last six years in production on GIVE UP TOMORROW, working to bring this striking story from his homeland to a broader Western audience.

 

 

 

eric daniel metzgar, editor, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Eric Metzgar is a Brooklyn, New York-based filmmaker. He owns and operates Merigold Moving Pictures. In 2006, he completed his first documentary feature-length film, The Chances of the World Changing (which he directed, produced, shot and edited). For his direction of the film, Eric was nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award and was broadcast as part of PBS’s prestigious POV series in 2007. Eric’s second documentary, Life. Support. Music, was broadcast on POV in 2009 after playing theatrically in New York City and Italy. Eric’s third and latest film, Reporter, premiered in competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO in February 2010. It was nominated for the International Human Rights Film Award, presented by Cinema for Peace. Eric is also an award-winning cinematographer and has shot for several Oscar-nominated directors. He is currently developing new fiction and non-fiction material.

RAMONA DIAZ, Executive Producer

Ramona Diaz is a Baltimore-based filmmaker whose credits include Spirits Rising, an hour-long documentary about women’s role in the 1986 People Power revolution in the Philippines, and Imelda, a full-length documentary about the former first lady of the Philippines. Imelda won the Cinematography Award for documentary at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Released theatrically in the United States and the Philippines, it screened in more than 50 film festivals around the world and was broadcast on US National Public Television’s Independent Lens in May 2005. Ramona is currently in post-production on The Learning, a documentary film that follows several Filipino teachers in Baltimore across their first year teaching in America. Both Imelda and The Learning received support from the Sundance Institute, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), and ITVS.

STEVE BENNETT, Co-producer, post supervisor

Steve Bennet is a New York based independent producer and member of the Producers Guild. As the line producer for NOW on PBS and the business manager for its producing company JumpStart Productions, Mr. Bennett oversaw the financial and business affairs for the weekly documentary-oriented news magazine program from 2005 through 2010. His independent documentary film work has included co-producing roles on films such as A Dream in Doubt and Sumo East West, and providing consulting support on such films as Kokoyakyu, Water Flowing Together, and Herb and Dorothy. He recently produced a broadcast hour on Keep A Child Alive about Alicia Keys’ work with AIDS relief organizations in South Africa with Viramune Generic medicine.

Carmen vicencio, co-producer

Born and raised in Manila during the last half of the Marcos dictatorship, Carmen developed a keen appreciation for the importance and power of media at a very early age. She immigrated to New York at age 16 and set out to become a broadcast journalist a few years later. Discovering filmmaking along the way, however, she’s since built a career in Asia and New York as the Assistant Director, Post Production Supervisor, Line Producer, Director and Producer of award-winning short and long-form content for film, tv and digital media. She also guest programs for film festivals and arts collectives, and is currently Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Producers Guild of America East.

JOSHUA Z. WEINSTEIN, Cinematographer

Joshua Z. Weinstein is a director/cinematographer. Flying On One Engine, his feature documentary debut, premiered at the SXSW and was featured at Best of the Fests at IDFA. Flying On One Engine was broadcasted in Germany, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, and Israel. The film won the Estonian Peoples Award. Additionally, Joshua’s camerawork can be seen in Morgan Spurlock’s film Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fans Hope and Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stone documentary Shine a Light.

ADAM CRYSTAL, Composer

Adam is a composer and musician working out of New York City. The trajectory of his work encompasses scoring films, documentaries, commercials, fashion videos, and modern dance pieces. In addition to classical music he has performed and worked with various bands including, Fischerspooner, My Chemical Romance, Sean Lennon, The Pierces, The Citizens Band, and Beirut. In addition, Adam was recently awarded several commissions to write original music for modern dance that premiered at the Joyce Theater in NYC in June 2011.