OUR MISSION
We are a diverse group of film activists and creatives who share a common goal: to make a difference through storytelling and increase awareness of the struggles that people face due to conflict and displacement.
OUR VALUES
Human Connection
We are committed to delivering quality production and creating stories with visual and emotional impact. We believe that by capturing the human experience, we can create a connection between our audiences and the people in our films.
Social Responsibility
We are committed to social responsibility and the individual's human rights. We believe it is our duty as filmmakers to use our platform to contribute awareness that might bring positive change.
Writer, Director & Producer
Mimi began her filmmaking journey directing self-taught Super 8mm films before studying cinematography and editing. Inspired by her family's experiences on opposing sides of the Vietnam War, she is writing a novel about this story and was a 2020 nominee for the Allegra Johnson Award for Novelist through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program.
​
Her project, CHILDREN OF WAR, reached Finalist for the 2023 Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant. In 2024, it advanced to the Top 15 for Outstanding Screenplays and Shore Scripts, and placed Semifinalist in the Screencraft competition. It advanced to Quarterfinalist in Stowe Story Labs and Final Draft’s Big Break contest, competing against over 10,000 entries. The script reached #1 on Coverfly’s Red List for Thriller Short multiple times and remains in the Top 1% of all projects on the platform.
​
While working with refugees and marginalized communities at a Women’s Business Center, she fundraised and managed programs that won economic development grants from foundations, federal agencies, and corporate sponsors. Mimi studied feature and television writing at UCLA Extension and earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. She advocates for women, children, refugees, and disability rights.
​
In addition to developing Children of War, Mimi just completed production for DELTA RISING, a proof of concept for a television series. ​​​
Director of Photography ​
Alex survived the ongoing war in Ukraine, documenting and witnessing firsthand the violence and destruction in his country. He began his career in 1999 while still a sophomore at university in Ukraine. While working at a TV station, he honed his skills with the camera, optics, and lighting. He quickly gained experience as he traveled the world filming the reality show “Crossing Europe.” Through his lens, viewers explored the beauty of Paris, the exotic nature of Thailand, and the deserts of Africa.
​
At the age of 24, Alex shot his first feature film, “Restless Days,” as a Director of Photography. This marked the beginning of his work on numerous feature films, where his unique approach to mise-en-scène and lighting set him apart. In 2011, Alex was nominated for and won the “Teletriumph” award as Best Director of Photography of the Year for the mini-series “The Special Dispatch.” His work stands out for its inventive approach to storytelling, marked by a mastery of lighting and composition that captures natural emotions.
​
Since 2010, Alex has expanded his expertise to include directing music videos and TV commercials. Between projects, Alex taught cinematography at the Ukrainian Film School, affiliated with FILM.UA, the largest film studio in Eastern Europe. When the Russian-Ukraine war broke out in 2022, Alex transitioned into the role of military journalist, capturing the raw realities of conflict. His documentary, “Art in War,” includes an exclusive interview with Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine. Other films he contributed to during this period remain classified as the war intensified, reflecting the heightened stakes and sensitivity of his work.
His distinctive cinematographic style blends artistic vision with technical precision, creating visually dynamic frames that convey mood and narrative with remarkable clarity. With twenty years of experience in feature films and TV movies, combined with his firsthand accounts of documenting the war in Ukraine, he will elevate our project to an entirely new level.
Consulting Producer
Anastasiia is a journalist, actress, and a humanitarian filmmaker now working in Los Angeles. During the missile attacks, Kyiv was surrounded and it was too risky to leave. But Anastasiia couldn’t imagine sitting under Russian occupation without food and water, as this situation had happened in Bucha and Irpin. She took a chance and fled to Poland with her partner and beloved dog, carrying minimal clothes and two emergency bags.
​
While finding refuge in Poland, she struggled for several weeks not knowing if her parents were alive when her hometown, Kherson, was left without electricity, water, or connection as all power and communication infrastructure were destroyed.
Anastasiia is currently immersed in expanding the production of the feature documentary, MARIUPOL SURVIVORS, which won Best International Film at the Santa Fe Film Festival in 2023 and was selected for the Los Angeles Independent Women Film Awards.
​
As a consultant on our project, Anastasiia brings firsthand experience and insight, offering invaluable perspectives to illuminate the stark realities of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Costumes / Production Designer
Anna is a couture dress designer from Dnipro, Ukraine. Within three hours of the first bombing, she packed two bags, gathered her two children and a stroller, and began a grueling three-day journey to the Polish border. Despite recovering from a recent surgery, she endured the trip without food or sleep, carrying immense trauma from the experience. After a month in Poland, she refuged to Miami and eventually resettled in Los Angeles.
Fashion has been Anna's passion since childhood. She began designing costumes for dolls, then for movie heroines, later for herself, and eventually for fashion shows and her daughter. In 2021, Anna debuted her couture dresses at Odessa Fashion week in Ukraine. Her work has earned significant recognition in the fashion industry, including being a finalist at the British Art Festival in 2022 and a Top 10 finalist at the Fashion and Film Awards in Russia in 2020 before the invasion.
​Her creative journey has evolved into a multifaceted career that includes managing child actors. She crafts images for their headshots and profiles, helping them discover roles they can embody. She continues designing dresses under her label, Pannacouture. Her designs are a fusion of artistry and heritage, reviving the beauty of Ukrainian traditions.
Katherine Nilsen
Production Manager/Co-Producer
Katherine is from Whidbey Island, Washington. She is a digital artist/painter who dons various roles on set, ranging from video editor to producer and set dresser. She kickstarted her editorial career as an apprentice to documentary filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan at UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television.
Katherine holds Associate degrees in Film Studies, Film & Television Production, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. She founded the non-profit Expressive Technology Coalition (ETC), dedicated to supporting a nurturing community for the convergence of arts and technology through media production, creative mentorship, and career advocacy for underserved individuals.
Anna Maistrenko
Second Assistant Director
Anna is an actress and model from Ukraine. Committed to her heritage and community, Anna served as an interpreter during the influx of Ukrainian refugees to the U.S. She has lent her voice and presence as a spokesperson, emcee, and project manager for the Ukrainian Art Center of LA, a non-profit that has stood with Ukraine from the first days of war.
With an MBA degree from Switzerland, she has worked with hundreds of people as a hospitality executive in Europe, Asia, and America. Now, Anna's mission is to merge her multifaceted talents and experiences to bring compelling and compassionate stories to the big screen.
Consulting Producer
A Canadian-American writer/director/producer, Lisa has made eight short films which have played in 100+ film festivals. Her anti-gun violence short Thoughts and Prayers played in 56 film festivals. Her screenplays have won the CineStory Screenwriting Awards and the Nashville Film Festival Grand Jury Prize; her scripts reached the Finals of the Nicholl Fellowships, PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, and Script Pipeline TV Competition.
Lisa has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from UCLA. She was a participant in the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. In late 2023, Lisa graduated summa cum laude with an AA degree in cinema production from Los Angeles City College. A graduate of the Second City Conservatory, Lisa performed improv comedy at crappy coffeehouses all over LA.
Olajide Kay Hamed
First Assistant Director
Olajide is an American screenwriter, producer, and director, acclaimed for his debut short film Sunset & Vine, which earned an Official Selection to compete in the 2022 Cannes Short Film Festival. Raised in Houston, Texas, his early exposure to cinema ignited a lifelong passion for the art form.
Following his graduation from Hampton University, Olajide ventured into entrepreneurship, managing retail clothing stores and founding Trend Setters Magazine in South Carolina. Relocating to Hollywood in 2013, he immersed himself in filmmaking and continues to master his craft.
Tim edits animation for television series, designs motion graphics, and produces videos. His recent work in 2023 includes Lego ® Dream Zzz, Trials of the Dream Chasers, The Legend of Vox Machina, Hi-Fi Rush, and Q-Force.
​
Tim holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin and studied directing at UCLA Extension.
Editor & Visual Effects Supervisor
Sound Mixer & Operator
Alexandre is a Brazilian filmmaker and a graphic designer. Beginning his career across South America, he worked with magazines, film companies, and sports channels. In Brazil, he taught graphic design classes for an institution that helps low-income families. After moving to Los Angeles two years ago, Alexandre has been focusing on a career in sound mixing and sound operation for features and short films.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in graphic design and has been studying digital filmmaking and cinematography.
​
Check out his portfolio
Follow him on Instagram: @a.cebolado
Ethan is from Sausalito in Northern California. He is a photojournalist and filmmaker who covers local and international news, including the war in Ukraine, immigration in Mexico and Lebanon, wildfires in California, and civil unrest in the United States and the Middle East.
Ethan has been on assignment for the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Bloomberg. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and international news outlets.
First Assistant Camera
and Grip & Electric
