Co-Producer, Co-Director & Co-Editor:
An independent filmmaker since l967, John Knoop has also been an active cinematographer whose documentary credits include: We Are Here Together (with Karina Epperlein), N is a Number, Thanh's War, In the Light of Reverence, Voices from Inside, Maria's Story; Poison in the Rockies; Louie-Bluie; Where the Heart Roams, and The Highly Exalted. Among the films Knoop has produced and directed are: River out of Time, Report from Iraq, El Nuevo Amanecer, Cafe Nica, Shadow Master; Mother, Memories of the Hunt, World’s Fastest Hippie, Penumbra, Farm, and Sea of Cortez. From l990 through 1996 Knoop worked with correspondent Elizabeth Farnsworth as co-producer and cameraman on forty-one short documentary reports from Asia, Latin America and the U.S. for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He is currently finishing his memoir On the Move; A Nomad Filmmaker’s Journal. johnknoop.com

Co-Producer, Co-Director & Co-Editor:
A native of Germany, Karina Epperlein has worked in Europe and the U.S. for the past 34 years as a filmmaker, theater artist and teacher. Karina’s work is always looking for the “light in darkness,” addressing the themes of transformation and healing. Her earlier video pieces Labyrinthian (1984) and i.e. Deutschland (1988) were followed by the documentaries Voices From Inside (1996, women in prison & their children), Women's Rites (2000, Anna Halperin’s Expressive Art Therapy), I Will Not Be Sad In This World (2001, portrait of 94 year old Armenian woman who survived the 1915 genocide), and We Are Here Together (2003, with John Knoop, chronicling a charter high school experiment & the young people’s growth). Karina’s short film Phoenix Dance (2006, one-legged dancer’s return to the stage) has been screening in more than 100 festivals and theatres all over the world. It was “short-listed” for the 2006 Oscar Nomination for Short Documentary, and has won twelve awards, including a Golden Gate Award from the San Francisco Int’l Film Festival. In 2008, she finished the portrait In the Shadow of Huma’s Wing: Somatic Psychotherapy with Louise Barrie. www.karinafilms.us

Cinematographer:
Andrew Black is a Director of Photography whose work includes documentary and feature films. Mr. Black's work has been for broadcast and has appeared on PBS, BBC, The Learning Channel, Channel 4, Sundance Channel, Discovery Channel, IFC and others. As well his work has been released theatrically and for home distribution. He worked with Michael Moore on Fahrenheit 911 and Sicko. He shot The Weather Underground by Sam Green, nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary Feature category. He annually shoots Global Focus, a PBS show that features environmentalists from around the world. He works extensively internationally having traveled to over thirty countries. He resides in San Francisco, California.

On-line and Motion Control Editor:
Born in Santiago, Chile, Aleixo Goncalves is an experienced director and editor of both documentaries and television. Mr. Goncalves has over ten years of experience as a television director for TV Chile, where he developed a number of music and travel programs and short documentaries including Tiempo Libre, What’s Left of Paradise, Religious Architecture, and Frecuencia Latina. Since moving to the United States in 2005, Mr. Goncalves has drawn on his television experience to launch a career as an independent filmmaker. Recently, he has worked as an assistant editor for numerous documentaries including Archeology of Memory (about an exiled Chilean musician who returns to his country to perform for the opening of a memorial at the concentration camp where he was imprisoned), Trimpin: The Sound of Invention (portrait of a German inventor and musician who creates musical instruments from scrap metal), and Ragiñ Epu Mapu: Voices of Elders & Youth (the story of a South American indigenous people’s struggle for identity). 

Composer:
Elizabeth Vandervennet is a musician and teacher, and her musicianship spans a wide variety of creative experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to her post as Principal Cellist of Vallejo Symphony, Elizabeth is currently a member of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, and Marin Symphony. She performs chamber music with a variety of ensembles. Elizabeth performs, records, and composes with Rosin Coven, the premier Pagan Lounge Ensemble, a musical genre proudly birthed in the San Francisco Bay Area. Elizabeth adds a wide variety of influence to their avant-garde collaborations. She also participates in the Amy X Neuburg and Cello Chixtet ensemble, an electronic “avant-cabaret” journey. Elizabeth Vandervennet received a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation she received high honors in Music Theory as well as a Minor in Arts Administration. Her Master of Music in Cello Performance is from Carnegie Mellon University. www.cellobeth.com