Tina has been part of the film, television and theatre scene in Canada for more than 30 years as an award winning actress, producer, writer and director. She is a graduate of Ryerson University Film Studies and Alumni of Academy Award winning Norman Jewison's C.F.C. ( Canadian Film Centre).
Critics have called her a "visionary" creating works of "faith and healing."
Her breakout feature "Rumi-Turning Ecstatic" has screened in 19 countries to date, and been translated into 3 languages. It was the recipient of the Brilliant Light Film Festival L.A. "Best Director" award, 2010.
"Animating the Golden Rule..." a half hour journey through the world's main religions- features the art, drama and voices of teenaged youth as they bring to life one of the most universal Moral Ethics worldwide.
"Animating... " won Best International Short at the Interfaith Harmony Film Festival, Los Angeles 2013. She is a board member for the Coalition for Quality Children's Media. Both projects were picked up by educational Distributor CHOICES VIDEO, Los Angeles CA.
Earlier films include "Secret Survivors" (Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival) "Grandview the Lost Years" (Golden Sheath award) and "Real Bodies, Real Beauty ,Real Lives ..." a film examining women and real beauty, Executive Produced by Canadian Fashion Icon Linda Lundstrom.
Tina is an outspoken advocate & activist on the issue of Chronic Pain. She has spoken at TEDX YOUTH, CAMH, GILDA'S CLUB and the UNITED NATIONS among a variety of international venues. Her current passion is to raise awareness regarding the lack of resources and research available for Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain.
Tiffany Hsiung Director Of Photography, Canada
Tiffany Hsiung is an award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto. Whether it is filmmaking or teaching, Hsiung’s work has taken her through and beyond the diverse communities of her hometown, and well across the globe. Her socially conscious work and dynamic artistry sparks a unique energy in the stories of marginalized individuals and communities.
Hsiung’s approach to storytelling is driven by the relationship that is built with the people she meets. By shooting much of her own work, Hsiung obtains unobtrusive access to the stories she captures.
Hsiung is a graduate of Ryerson University, where she studied film production. She was the recipient of the Norman Jewison award.
Her award winning short film ‘Binding Borders’ (2007), screened in film festivals internationally and propelled her to direct the RCI/CBC six-part mini series on Beijing’s first ever Olympic Games, ‘A New Face for Beijing’ (2008). Since 2009 Hsiung has been documenting the lives of 3 survivors of military sexual slavery in Korea, Philippines and China during World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army for her debut feature length documentary The Apology (2016) a National Film Board of Canada production. With a successful world premiere at Hot Docs International Film festival, The Apology was one of the festivals top 10 films and at the International premiere in Busan International lm festival (Asia’s largest film festival). The Apology took home the Busan Cinephile Award for best documentary. The film has currently secured U.S and Korean distribution. Hsiung’s work is fundamentally based on cross-cultural and intergenerational themes set to inspire younger generations and viewers to learn about their own cultures - and social responsibility in the global community.
Katie McPherson Field Producer Zanskar, India/ Montana Unit
A Montana native, Katie moved to California in 2005 and began producing documentary films from her pursuits as a professional whitewater kayaker. Her drive to tell stories with substance and explore the unknown has sent Katie to the deepest gorges in Asia, to the backchannels of the Nile river in Africa, and to the thickest jungles in South America directing extreme sports, and environmental documentaries. Katie worked in marketing and business development for non-profits and Silicon Valley start-ups before she returned to her home in film production. Katie is methodical in uncomfortable situations and disciplined in harsh environments. She currently works as a producer for major TV networks such as CBS, A&E, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide. In January of 2017 Katie and her husband Ryan launched Good Blood Media, a documentary content company. They are currently working with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to bring healthcare to Northern India and save what the Dalai Lama calls "the last authentic Buddhist culture". Katie digs deep to find stories that bring intrigue and new perspective, and she aspires to progress the entertainment standard. When she is not on a shoot, you can find her skiing the backcountry of Montana, retrofitting her home on wheels for the next adventure, and surfing past sunset.
Chalet Studio / Communications Pre- Production Facility
Chalet Studio a residential recording studio, was established in 1985. Over the past 29 years, they have recorded some of Canada’s top musicians, including Rush, The Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, Platinum Blonde, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Great Lake Swimmers, and most recently, Measha Brueggergosman and Crown Lands. Chalet Communications offers design & video production services to both musicians and corporate clients.
David Chester Pre - Production Editor
David Chester is a multi-media producer, musician and owner of Chalet Studio. He has worked with many of Canada’s top musicians and produced video for corporate clients such as Rouge Valley Health System Foundation, LeafGuard, Toronto Region Conservation, Markham/ Ajax Pickering Board of Trade, Visionary Media Inc. and Room 217.
Eugene Weis Editor, Director, Producer
Eugene Weis has been working as a Documentary feature film editor with top directors and industry professionals in the Canadian film business for the last 10 years. His keen sense for storytelling has allowed him to craft films tackling important social issues, which have gone on to accrue numerous awards and accolades.
Recent works include: Metamorphosis (Velcrow Ripper & Nova Ami) Produced by National FilmBoard Of Canada, Magic Pills and The ForbiddenShore - Grand Jury Prize Best Documentary 2016 , Gasparilla International Film Festival.
Eugene edited Milk, which explored the issues of infant feeding and the commercialization of birth around the world. Milk premiered at Hotdocs 2015 and was nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the 2015 Hollywood Film Festival. He was nominated for Best Editor (2015)Madrid International Film Festival.
The Poet of Havana (Editor) follows the life and career of Cuban native Carlos Varela was winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Doc at the 2015 Gasparilla International Film Festival and winner of Jury Award (Best Documentary 2016 Edmonton International Film Festival.) It aired on HBO in the U.S. and Canada.
Who The F**K Is Arthur Fogel (Editor) examined the high-octane global live music industry and the quiet man at its very center- featuring stellar interviews, performances & appearances by a Who's Who of stars and insiders; with U2, Madonna, The Police, Lady Gaga, Rush and more. For this, Eugene garnered a nomination for Best Picture Editor by the Canadian Academy of Motion Pictures (2015). It aired on HBO Canada and Epix.
Eugene sits on the Board of Directors for the prestigious AluCine Latin Film and Media Arts Festival, is a voting member of the Canadian Academy of Motion Pictures as well as a member of the Canadian Cinema Editors (C.C.E).
Yanekah Jacobs Researcher/ Pain Activist, Canada
Yanekah graduated with honours from the Women & Gender Studies program at York University where she investigated and exposed various issues related to Chronic Pain. Currently pursuing a Master's Degree in the Critical Disability Studies program, Yanekah's advocacy focuses on both the lived experience of people suffering with chronic pain and their caregivers. Her research evaluates the social, political and structural issues related to these experiences in an effort to increase education, ignite attitudinal reform and encourage better health care options and practice for those living with Chronic Illness. Yanekah is also a proud mom to two year old Olivia, a ray of sunshine on even the gloomiest of days.
Ryan McPherson D.P. Director of Photography U.S.A. Zanskar,India /Montana Unit
Ryan has honed his craft as a cinematographer over the past decade and is the epitome of a camera ninja: light on his feet, tactical, aware, and relentless. Ryan often shoots in stressful situations and in technical, dangerous and remote terrain. He possesses an acute attention to detail and captures emotion filled moments with a unique visual signature and a certain empathetic respect for those difficult scenarios. Ryan is an Emmy® award winning cinematographer and has shot on a variety of hit shows including: "Life Below Zero", "Ice Road Truckers", "Wicked Tuna", "Swords", "Man Hunt", "Port Protection", "Deadliest Catch", to name a few. Between extensive rigging & waterproofing A/V systems, motion controlled time lapse photography, licensed drone piloting, and years of run-and-gun, ENG experience, he covers a lot of ground cinematically speaking, with a diverse set of skills that allows him a level of flexibility while on set, at the same time minimizing the over-all footprint of the production. Ryan has shot on location in 6 out of the 7 continents, 20+ countries, but has a deep appreciation for Brazil where he has explored and documented over 40 undiscovered rivers, armed merely with camping gear, rations and camera equipment tucked in the back of a whitewater kayak. When he is not in "the trenches" with his camera, you can find him paragliding high above the Sierra Nevada Mountains, driving cross-country in his 40-foot home on wheels with his wife or traveling the back roads of Nepal on a three-dollars a day
Bob Schubring Executive Producer USA
Bob is a Chemical Engineer by training. When Bob was six years old, his father, a successful inventor, conceived the first nonvolatile computer memory (a copper sheet with a thin-film ferroelectric surface) that stored one byte of information. It was to become the forerunner of multi-gigabyte memory sticks.
Following his graduation from Wayne StateUniversity in 1980, Bob’s curiosity and desire to make a difference in the world - led him to perform chemical synthesis at the former Michigan CancerFoundation, work for a hazardous-waste reduction firm, and pioneer a line of cleaning solvents that could be fermented in aerated water, rather than burnt.
The latter invention led to an Army subcontract through General Dynamics Land Systems investigating a range of uses for the technology, from dye-penetrant weld inspection to composites fabrication, to environmental cleanup of the possible aftermath of a terrorist attack.
Bob founded Invisible Hand Films, an American Production Co. to produce documentaries that encourage independent thought.
Together with Director/ Producer John Holowach in the film classic , “High" he demonstrated how a public fear of marijuana created a thriving smuggling industry, opening U.S. borders to foreign drug cartels. That same fear denied valuable treatment to patients with serious diseases who could have benefited from specific compounds in widespread medical use more than 80 years ago.
