Who We Are

The team

We are a group of committed film directors, camera operators, sound and lighting technicians, editors, and producers who work together to make documentary films on socio-economic, cultural and environmental issues.

We dive deep into the heart of the topic, taking unique and varied approaches. We submerge ourselves in the making of films that impart memorable, exquisite emotional, artistic and aesthetic experiences - films that offer new insights and understandings, promote compassion, cross-cultural awareness, justice, and environmental stewardship. We direct our films to ensure complex issues are communicated clearly, and subject matter is explored, revealed and critiqued in engaging and gripping ways that inspire positive outlooks for local communities, the human race and the living environment.

Directors

NICOLETTE BURFORD DE OLIVEIRA

Nicolette worked for over 10 years in community forestry and rural development in different parts of the world. With a deep love for ethnic dance and theatrical arts, she was a dancer before becoming a social forester. In 2008, she decided to use her knowledge and experience to create documentary films on environmental, cultural and social issues and support others with similar aspirations. She holds a PhD in Environmental Science, a Masters in Forestry and It's Relation to Land-use and a BSc in Agroforestry.

Nicolette takes part in all manner of undertakings including identifying film projects, carrying out research, film directing and contributing to the design and delivery of community film projects. She works closely with others to hone visions and creativity into compelling films that bring the hidden to view and inspire new ways of looking and thinking.

JORG WAGNER

Jorg has directed and produced art and documentary films for art galleries, non-governmental organizations and museums. filmography includes Invisible Community, a short documentary commissioned by the Museum of London in conjunction with the Brazilian Embassy. Naz Project London, a short documentary which explores HIV/AIDS prevention amongst communities of South Asians, Muslims, and Africans living in London. This project includes interviews with several authorities on the subject including BBC presenter George Alagiah. His most recent feature documentary film Akong A Remarkable Life tells the story of Akong Tulku Rinpoche, an important Tibetan lama who pioneered Tibetan Buddhism in the West. This film won six international awards and is being screened in more than 30 countries.

He has a BSc in Photographic and Electronic Imaging Sciences, and a Masters in Film and Television Studies from the University of Westminster. He currently teaches film-related courses at Morley College and at the University of Westminster.

MASSIMILIANO GUELFI

Massi, a gifted video editor with expertise in colour grading and video enhancement, has over 10 years professional experience in these crafts, building upon a strong photography & cinematography background. He has edited feature films, short films, documentaries and high-end corporate videos in the UK and Europe (Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Honolulu Film Awards, Angaelica Film Festival and the AOF International Film Festival). He has worked as a post-production supervisor and consultant. He truly believes in Picasso's saying that 'Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.'

daniel gal

Award winning director and cine-matographer based between areas known as UK and Israel and working without geographic boundaries. Hailing from the mountains of the unsettled city Jerusalem, Daniel engaged in films early on as a cinematographer. Years later, shriek of wind led him to start making his own films in addition to his cinematography work. Since he has been involved in motion pictures, arts, activism, human rights and actions even he cannot explain with words, his main output still remains films. Among his works as a director and DoP are ‘Children’s Story’, ‘The Ninth President’, ‘To See if I’m Smiling’, ‘The Fading Valley’, ‘Nine to Five’, ‘Yes, Miss Commander!’ and many more.

Production / Post-production Team

- Matthias Djan

Matthias is an Assistant Producer on our docudrama Remembering Ada film project. A Director of Photographer and Producer, he specialises in narrative film making, working on short films, documentaries, feature films and online content. He has worked with large production companies such as Universal Pictures, but usually works on independent films. Matthias truly discovered his passion for film making whilst at university; he graduated from Lancaster University with a degree in English Language and Creative Writing. During his years there, he joined the university's large Film Production Society, becoming its Vice President. In this role he oversaw many projects, taught film making and got stuck in on many sets. His goal is to continue telling stories which inspire audiences, and broaden their understanding and perspective of our world.

- George Russell

Born and raised in Staffordshire, I have recently graduated from a History BA at University College London and have also completed an MA in Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Nottingham. During my studies, I have specialised in gender history and US race relations. This work mainly focused on social constructions and how they have been historically formed and manipulated. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the Remembering Ada Salter project that focuses on a pioneering woman, who challenged contemporary notions whilst simultaneously adhering strongly to her own beliefs.

- Chika Ekemezie

Chika has been working in the television industry as a producer for daily topic based programmes for over a year. Graduating with a Ba Hons in Journalism from the renowned University of the Arts - London College of Communication, she discovered the full depth of her passion for filming and producing while working on her final project. London born with roots in West Africa her interests in music, film and television are eclectic. Having worked mainly on short form documentary projects she aims to transition to bigger productions.

In addition to her experience in the film industry, she is a dedicated youth worker, something she has devoted herself to for many years.

- Rui silveira

Since graduating in Audio & Music Tech at Anglia Ruskin in 2012 in Cambridge, Rui has worked in various productions in a variety of roles ranging from sound recordist, editor, mixing engineer, sound designer to sound restoration. From an early age, he has been fascinated by the way sound travels and by how it can be recorded and manipulated to achieve certain ends. He enjoys working in a pressured environment where there is no room for mistakes and deadlines need to be met. It raises his awareness, creativity, and attention to detail to a level where he finds it very enjoyable and lively to work.

His keen interest in TV and film has led to his broadening his knowledge and skills in roles such as vision mixing and camera assistant. In the last couple of years he has branched out into video editing.

- Dawn Collins

Dawn is a performer, filmmaker, massage therapist, editor, writer and researcher. She lectures in Asian Religions. Interested in healing arts, lived religions and ritual dance of the Himalayas, her did research work for a British Academy funded exploration of contemporary ritual expression in Bhutan and a documentary film about life in the Welsh valleys with renowned British filmmaker Michael Grigsby. She studied documentary and ethnographic filmmaking under Mike Yorke at University College London, has an MA in Buddhist Studies from SOAS and her doctoral thesis from Cardiff University is entitled ‘Presence in Tibetan Landscapes: spirited agency and ritual healing in Rebgong’.

Dawn trained as a dancer at the Ballet Rambert School and the London Contemporary Dance School, where she went on to supervise MA dance students. She has over twenty years’ performance experience in various dance styles and is a member of the dance troupe Ziloka, performing dance and music from Guadeloupe. She collaborated as a filmmaker on Fong’s Witness: Portraits of Women Who Dance and as assistant choreographer & performer in The Countess Alex Zapak’s Bank of Imagination Theatre’s multimedia production ‘Nuit’.

- Abbie Barnes

Abbie is a 21-year-old semi-professional filmmaker specialising in making documentary-films on adventure expeditions and wildlife conservation. She made her first film 'Palm Oil' when she was 13. It won the Young People's Trust For The Environment Film Competition and led to her speaking in the European Parliament about the devastating effects of palm oil production and the importance of labelling ingredients. She strives to encourage her audiences to 'Spend More Time In The WILD' for the benefit of mental and physical wellbeing, as well as increasing their appreciation of the natural world around them.

She has produced films for different companies and events — from the United Nations and Jurassic Coast UNESCO team, to town councils, educational charities and fundraising events. Her goal is to communicate her passion for seeing individuals dream big, move outside of their comfort zone, and chase whatever sets their soul on fire, and overcome any setbacks they may face along the way. Abbie also runs guided wilderness walks, works as a personal trainer, running coach and class instructor. She is a qualified bushcraft instructor and currently studying for a BSc in Geography and Environmental Science.

- Raphael Pereira

After graduating with a first class BA honours in Television Production, Raphael gained a lot of experience working voluntarily as a producer/director, and freelancing in production and postproduction houses. These opportunities have enabled him to gain practical experience and technical understanding in all three different stages involved in the creation of a project; pre-production, production and post-production. One of his short 10-minute documentaries about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was screened at Moving Picture Company (MPC) and nominated for the Royal Television Society (RTS) student awards in 2013.

Until recently, he worked as an Editor for a TV Programme which goes live three days a week on My Channel (Sky 203) and as a Vision Mixer (making live cuts) for 4 programmes (some weekly and others daily). He has a Masters degree in film editing from the National Film and Television School.

- AZIM QIZALBASH

Since graduating from London Metropolitan University in 2004 with a BA Hons Degree in Film and Broadcast Production, Azim has worked for several TV channels as a Camera Operator. He has now decided to work as a freelance videographer which has opened the doors to a much wider variety of projects. His speciality is documentary film making, which has most recently seen him travelling to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, post-revolution Tunisia, Ethiopia and Pakistan. His desire is to use his position in the media as a way of spreading knowledge and greater understanding of the world in which we live.

- Andrea David Farnocchia

Born in an Italian tourist town that offers few opportunities to build a career in film making, Andrea graduated from the University of Pisa in Cinema and Multimedia Production. His passion for moving images started at an early age. He has always been interested in the power of different media to combine expression of emotions and thoughts. He moved to the amazing city of London in 2011 to gather and develop experiences and ideas from the city's cultural mix for films. Fully submerged in the DSRL era, and with his abundant enthusiasm and curiosity, Andrea's cinematographic portfolio is rapidly expanding along with his skills in editing, colour grading, time lapsing, pixellation, hyper lapsing, slow motion and so forth.

​The team