Contributing Artists

Editor: KATE AMEND, A.C.E.

Kate Amend is an award winning American documentary film editor whose career spans more than thirty years. She is known for being a dedicated editor who finds the emotional center of each scene she works with. As a member of American Cinema Editors, Amend is the recipient of an Academy Award and Eddie Award for "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport" (2001); Her film, "Beat: A Black Woman Speaks" garnered her a Grand Jury award in 2003 at the AFI Film Festival, and a Peabody Award in 2005. Additionally, in 2005 she received both the Audience and Jury Awards at the South by Southwest Film Festival for editing and co-producing. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for "The Case Against 8" (2014). She also won an Oscar for "The Long Way Home (1997). She is the recipient of the International Documentary Association's inaugural award for "Outstanding Achievement in Editing." For further credits, please go to IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0024569/

Amend is on the faculty of the Cinema Department at the University of Southern California and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Cinema Editors, and the International Documentary Association. She holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University.

Director of Photography: ARLENE DONNELLY NELSON

Arlene is a director/cinematographer/producer with degrees in philosophy and fine art photography. She made her directorial debut with the award-winning documentary "Naked States" and the sequel, "Naked World" which were broadcast on HBO as part of its "American Undercover" series. "Positively Naked" completed the trilogy and was award the HUGO Award for "Best Documentary: Humanities and Arts." In 2011 she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy as "Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming" on American Masters for "Troubadours: Carole King/James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter". For further credits go to IMBD: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1315333/

Composer: DAVID CAMPBELL

As an arranger, David has worked on over 425 gold or platinum albums.  During his long recording career, albums on which David worked have received 50 Grammys, and his film work has garnered two Oscars for music!  What extraordinary talents and abilities. As a composer his work can be heard in such films as Night of the Comet, Risky Business, All the Right Moves, Backbeat and many others. As an Arranger, he has orchestrated the soundtracks for such films as Rent, Brokeback Mountain, and Dead Man Walking. Numerous songs he has arranged for films, including Phil Collins' Tarzan, have been nominated for Grammys and Oscars. David plays a slew of instruments including the violin, viola and piano, and has played on best-selling albums for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand among many others. Today, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, and many others can currently be heard playing to the arrangements of David Campbell. http://davidmusic.com

"My father always had an ear for the weirder harmonies. That’s probably what he passed to me." ~ Beck

Co-Editor: Stephan Malik

Stephan is a multi disciplinary commercial and film director. With a natural eye for striking compositions, he creates films that not only tell an interesting story, but also capture the organic beauty found inherently within each scene. Utilizing a cinema verité style, Malik strives to film his talent within their own environments, allowing the narrative to unfold through intimate conversations and observed moments. By combining a variety of formats, he creates a look that feels both classically cinematic, yet uniquely modern.

The passion for photography and love of cinema inspired Malik to begin filming his own material at a young age. His work caught the eye of famed recording group Wu-Tang Clan, who hired him to direct a feature documentary about their life and long-awaited album. This film features rare interviews with Quincy Jones, Method Man, RZA, NAS, among others. In 2012, he was a chosen for the New Director Showcase at the DGA Theater in NYC. He has won accolades from AICP, Cannes Lions, and recently an award for commercial of the year for Oral-B, which aired during the Sochi Olympics. http://www.stephanmalik.com