KATE BECKINSALE – ELIZA GRAVES
English actress Kate Beckinsale is revealing herself to be one of films’ most versatile and charismatic actresses. She first came to the cinema audience’s attention in Kenneth Branagh’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and subsequently appeared as the heroine of John Schlesinger’s COLD COMFORT FARM, Whit Stillman’s THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO opposite Chloe Sevigny, Jonathan Kaplan’s BROKEDOWN PALACE opposite Claire Danes, and in the British comedy SHOOTING FISH. Additional film credits include HAUNTED opposite Aidan Quinn, and Manuel Fleche’s MARY LOUISE OU LA PERMISSION.
In 2001, Beckinsale starred opposite Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett in Disney’s epic PEARL HARBOR. She starred opposite John Cusack in SERENDIPITY, opposite Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldham in TIPTOES and opposite Christian Bale and Frances McDormand in the ensemble drama LAUREL CANYON. Other film appearances include starring opposite Hugh Jackman in VAN HELSING, the lead role in the hit vampire tale UNDERWORLD, and the sequel UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION for Sony Screen Gem. Beckinsale also starred as screen legend ‘Ava Gardner’ in Martin Scorcese’s THE AVIATOR, in the thriller VACANCY opposite Luke Wilson, and the comedy blockbuster CLICK opposite Adam Sandler. More recent films include the independent drama SNOW ANGELS opposite Sam Rockwell and directed by David Gordon Green, and the independent drama FRAGMENTS (AKA WINGED CREATURES) opposite Forest Whitaker and Dakota Fanning.
Her television appearances include playing the title role in A&E;’s “Emma” and in “One Against the Wind” for Hallmark Films. On the stage, she has appeared in Clocks & Whistles, Sweetheart, and the British National Touring production of The Seagull.
In 2009, Beckinsale starred in the dark comedy EVERYBODY’S FINE opposite Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore. That same year, she also starred in the independent political drama NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH opposite Alan Alda and Matt Dillon, which garnered great recognition for her accolade worthy performance. Beckinsale starred in the fourth installment of the UNDERWORLD franchise reprising her role of “Selene” in UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, and the hit thriller CONTRABAND opposite Mark Wahlberg. She recently appeared in Len Wiseman’s TOTAL RECALL opposite Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel. Up next, Beckinsale can be seen in the independent drama TRIALS OF CATE MCCALL opposite Nick Nolte and James Cromwell. The film tells the story of a former hotshot lawyer, estranged from her family, who takes on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
JIM STURGESS – EDWARD
Jim Sturgess’ breakthrough into film came in 2007, playing the lead role in Julie Taymor’s critically acclaimed musical romance ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007). Since then he has worked consistently on the big screen amassing an impressive list of credits.
Following his success in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, Sturgess was cast in THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, opposite Natalie Portman, and Robert Luketic’s 2008 box office hit “21”, alongside Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey.
He recently starred in CLOUD ATLAS opposite Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon. Based on David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, the film explores how the actions of individuals impact on one another in the past, present and future. Tom Twyker, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachoswki directed and produced the film, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.
Other notable credits include Lone Scherfig’s ONE DAY opposite Anne Hathaway, Philip Ridley’s critically acclaimed UK release HEARTLESS, Peter Weir’s fact-based THE WAY BACK, starring opposite Colin Farrell and Ed Harris, ASHES opposite Ray Winstone and Lesley Manville, UPSIDE DOWN opposite Kirsten Dunst and Kari Skogland’s award-winning independent film FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING, starring opposite Sir Ben Kingsley in the drama based on Martin McGartland’s shocking real life as an undercover spy who infiltrated the IRA. The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and Sturgess was nominated for the 2009 Vancouver Film Critics (VFC) Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Canadian Film.
Sturgess will next be seen starring in Giuseppe Tornatore’s THE BEST OFFER opposite Geoffrey Rush. The film premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and tells the story of an eccentric art expert who meets a mysterious woman who changes his life forever. Also upcoming for Sturgess is ELECTRIC SLIDE, in which he stars opposite Patricia Arquette, Chloë Sevigny and Isabel Lucas.
SIR BEN KINGSLEY – DR. LAMB
After earning an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Ben Kingsley continues to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each role. In 1984, Kingsley was awarded the Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India. Kingsley went on to earn three additional Oscar nominations for BUGSY (1991), SEXY BEAST (2000) and HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (2003), his roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a sturdy vice president in DAVE to the scheming Fagin in OLIVER TWIST. Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly international star.
Kingsley was most recently seen in IRON MAN 3, where he joins the cast in the role of “The Mandarin”. Kingsley has also completed production on four films; A COMMON MAN, a psychological thriller directed by Sri Lankan film maker Chandran Rutnam; THE PHYSICIAN, an adaptation of Noah Gordon’s best-selling novel which follows a young Christian born into poverty in 11th Century England who ventures across Europe into Muslim-dominated Persia to better study the emerging study of healing; the Independent comedy A BIRDER’S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING about a young boy who thinks he’s made the discovery of a lifetime and escapes on an epic road trip with his best friend to solidify their place in birding history; and the Summit Entertainment film ENDER’S GAME due out later this year about an unusually gifted child who is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future alien invasion. Based on the novel of the same name, the film is directed and written by Gavin Hood.
Kingsley was seen in Sacha Baron Cohen’s THE DICTATOR following his role in Martin Scorsese’s HUGO, alongside Baron Cohen and Chloe Moretz. HUGO was released in 2011 and earned five Academy Awards. Kingsley also starred in Martin Scorsese’s 1950s drama SHUTTER ISLAND, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams as well as Jerry Bruckheimer’s PRINCE OF PERSIA, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton.
He starred opposite Penelope Cruz in the sexually charged ELEGY directed by Isabel Coixet, and was nominated British Actor of the Year by the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Giving further perspective to his work, Kingsley starred in two films at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival; The Audience Award winning and Grand Jury Prize nominated THE WACKNESS, in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller TRANSSIBERIAN, as a mysterious traveler opposite Woody Harrelson. He also starred in 50 DEAD MEN, a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more lighthearted crime comedy WAR, INC. opposite John Cusack.
Steeped in British theatre, Kingsley marked the beginning of his professional acting career with his acceptance into the Royal Shakespeare Company in l967. From roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Brutus in Julius Caesar and the title roles in Othello and Hamlet, among others. His more recent and diverse stage roles include those in The Country Wife, The Cherry Orchard, A Betrothal and Waiting for Godot.
Kingsley’s film career began in l972 with the thriller FEAR IS THE KEY, but his first major role came a decade later in the epic GANDHI, directed by Richard Attenborough. He followed this Oscar-winning performance with such early films as BETRAYAL, TURTLE DIARY, HAREM, PASCALI’S ISLAND, WITHOUT A CLUE (as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine’s Sherlock Holmes) and THE CHILDREN opposite Kim Novak. During the ‘90s Kingsley distinguished himself through such roles as Mayer Lansky in BUGSY, SNEAKERS, SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER and DAVE. In 1994 he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable supporting role as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s seven-time Oscar winner SCHINDLER’S LIST.
During the past decade, Ben Kingsley has remained a coveted and ubiquitous talent. Beginning with such films as RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM? and the Oscar-nominated role as a brutal gangster in SEXY BEAST, he received his most recent Oscar nomination in 2004 for his performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly acclaimed HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. Among his films in the last several years are Roman Polanski’s OLIVER TWIST, the crime drama LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, John Dahl’s YOU KILL ME and the Roman Empire saga THE LAST LEGION.
MICHAEL CAINE – DOCTOR SALT
Michael Caine is a two-time Academy Award® winner. He received the Best Supporting Actor award for his work in Woody Allen’s HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, which also saw him nominated for a Golden Globe® and a BAFTA Award. Additionally, he took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for his role in Lasse Hallström’s THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award® and earning Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations.
Caine has garnered four Oscar® nominations for Best Actor, the first coming in 1966 for the title role in ALFIE, for which he also received a Golden Globe® nomination and a New York Film Critics Award. He earned his second Oscar nod, as well as a Golden Globe® nomination and an Evening Standard Award, for the part of Milo Tindle in 1972’s SLEUTH, opposite Laurence Olivier. His role in EDUCATING RITA brought him his third Oscar® nomination, as well as Golden Globe® and BAFTA Awards. He gained his latest Oscar®, Golden Globe® and BAFTA Award nominations for his work in 2002’s THE QUIET AMERICAN, for which he also won a London Film Critics Circle Award.
Caine previously won Golden Globe® and London Film Critics Circle Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination, all for Best Supporting Actor, for LITTLE VOICE. He won his latest London Film Critics Circle Award for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s period drama THE PRESTIGE. It was his second film for the director following their collaboration on the 2005 hit BATMAN BEGINS, in which Caine played Bruce Wayne’s butler and confidant, Alfred. In 2008, he reprised the role of Alfred in Nolan’s blockbuster THE DARK KNIGHT and subsequently, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. In 2012 he completed working with director Sandra Nettleback on MR. MORGAN’S LAST LOVE, based on the novel “La Douceur Assassine” by Francoise Dorner. He most recently completed work on Louis Leterrier’s NOW YOU SEE ME, with Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.
Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite in South London in 1933 and developed an interest in acting at an early age. Upon his discharge from the Queen’s Royal Regiment and Royal Fusiliers in 1953, he began pursuing his career. Taking his stage name from the title “The Caine Mutiny”, he toured Britain in a variety of plays and began appearing in British films and television shows.
In 1964, Caine landed his first major film role as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead in ZULU. The following year, he starred in the hit thriller THE IPCRESS FILE, earning his first of 37 BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayal of secret agent Harry Palmer. However, it was his Oscar®-nominated performance in the seminal sixties film ALFIE that catapulted Caine to international stardom. During the late 1960s, he went on to star in 11 films, including THE IPCRESS FILE sequels, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, GAMBIT – earning a Golden Globe® nomination, HURRY SUNDOWN, WOMAN TIMES SEVEN, DEADFALL, THE MAGUS, THE ITALIAN JOB and BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
Over the next two decades, Caine starred in more than 40 films, including Robert Aldrich’s TOO LATE THE HERO, X, Y AND ZEE – opposite Elizabeth Taylor, John Huston’s THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, HARRY AND WALTER GO TO NEW YORK, Richard Attenborough’s A BRIDGE TOO FAR, the Neil Simon comedy CALIFORNIA SUITE, Brian De Palma’s DRESSED TO KILL, John Huston’s VICTORY, Sidney Lumet’s DEATHTRAP, Stanley Donen’s BLAME IT ON RIO, John Frankenheimer’s THE HOLCROFT COVENANT, Neil Jordan’s MONA LISA, and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, for which he received a Golden Globe® nomination.
Since then, Caine has starred in such films as BLOOD AND WINE, QUILLS, MISS CONGENIALITY and AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER. His more recent film work includes Gore Verbinski’s THE WEATHER MAN, Alfonso Cuaron’s CHILDREN OF MEN, the title role in the independent film HARRY BROWN, and reuniting with Christopher Nolan in 2010’s smash hit INCEPTION. He lent his voice to Lord Redbrick in GNOMEO & JULIET and also appears in JOURNEY 2: MYSTERIOUS ISLAND for New Line/Warner Bros.
Also an author, Caine wrote an autobiography entitled “What’s It All About?”, as well as “Acting on Film”, a book based on a series of lectures he gave on BBC Television. His latest memoir, “The Elephant to Hollywood”, was published to much acclaim in 2010 by Henry Holt and Co. in the United States.
In the 1992 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Caine was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.), and eight years later he received a knighthood.
DAVID THEWLIS – FINN
Actor, writer, director David Thewlis was born and bred in Blackpool. At the age of 18 he moved to London and enrolled at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1984.
His first major film role was as the rambling street philosopher Johnny in NAKED, directed by Mike Leigh, for which he was named best actor by the National Society of Film Critics, the London Film Critics Circle, the Evening Standard, the New York Film Critics’ Circle and the Cannes Film Festival. The same year he appeared on television as a sexual predator named James Jackson in Prime Suspect 3, opposite Helen Mirren and Ciarán Hinds. Through the 1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, including RESTORATION (1995), BLACK BEAUTY (1994), TOTAL ECLIPSE (1995) with Leonardo DiCaprio, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU (1996), DRAGONHEART (1996) and SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (1997) opposite Brad Pitt. He was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for DIVORCING JACK (1998), and played Clov in a (2000) television film of Samuel Beckett’s ‘Endgame’. Notable appearances also include Bernardo Bertolucci’s BESIEGED (1998) and Paul McGuigan’s GANGSTER NO. 1 (2000), opposite Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell. Thewlis also appears as an SS Commandant of a Nazi death camp, father of the main character in THE BOY IN THE STIPED PYJAMAS.
In 2004, Thewlis was cast as Remus Lupin in HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN. He did not have to audition as he was director Alfonso Cuarón’s first choice for the role. He reprised the role in four other films in the series.
More recent credits include Terrence Malick’s NEW WORLD, Roland Emmerick’s ANONYMOUS, Steven Spielberg’s WAR HORSE and Luc Besson’s THE LADY.
Thewlis will next be seen on the big screen in Dean Parisot’s RED 2, Terry Gilliam’s ZERO THEOREM and Bill Cordon’s THE FIFTH ESTATE.
As a director, Thewlis was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film for HELLO, HELLO, HELLO (1995). He has also written, directed and starred in the feature CHEEKY (2003).
Thewlis’ novel, The Late Hector Kipling was published in 2007 by Picador. Colin Greenland of The Guardian called it a “pleasingly destabilising” take on the art world.
BRENDAN GLEESON – ALIENIST
Internationally-acclaimed Dublin born actor Brendan Gleeson’s will soon be seen in the WB feature ALL YOU NEED IS KILL with Tom Cruise, directed by Doug Liman, Calvary (which sees him reunite with THE GUARD director John Michael McDonagh), THE GRAND SEDUCTION directed by Don McKellar and THE SMURFS 2 directed by Raja Gosnell.
A former teacher, Brendan left that profession to pursue a career in acting – his first love – and joined the Irish theatre company Passion Machine. His rise to fame began when he appeared in Jim Sheridan’s THE FIELD and the lead role of Michael Collins in THE TREATY, followed by a number of small roles in such films as FAR AND AWAY and INTO THE WEST. It was his role as Hamish in BRAVEHEART alongside Mel Gibson that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.
He landed his first starring role in I WENT DOWN, which was followed by his acclaimed role as gang leader Martin Cahill in John Boorman’s THE GENERAL. His performance gained him awards for not only Best Actor at the 1998 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards and Best Actor at the 1998 ALFS, but also awards from the London Film Critics and the Best Actor award at the 1999 Irish Film & Television Awards.
In 2009, Brendan was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for his role in Martin McDonagh’s IN BRUGES, in which he starred alongside Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. In the same year Brendan won an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and an IFTA for best Actor in a Lead Role in Television for his portrayal of Winston Churchill HBO movie Into the Storm, directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television and a BAFTA for Leading Actor for this performance.
Brendan is of course also well-known for his role as Professor Alastor Moody in the HARRY POTTER films, as well as the role of Sergeant Gerry Boyle in John Michael McDonagh’s THE GUARD (2011).
2012 saw the release of SAFE HOUSE directed by Daniel Espinoza, THE RAVEN directed by James McTeigue, and Albert Nobbs, directed by Rodrigo García. Other film credits include the role of August Nicholson in M. Knight Shyamalan’s THE VILLAGE, COLD MOUNTAIN directed by Anthony Minghella, Ridley Scott’s KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO directed by Neil Jordan, Wolfgang Peterson’s TROY, BLACK IRISH directed by Brad Gann, STUDS directed by Paul Mercier, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE directed by Mike Newell, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF PHOENIX directed by David Yates, John Boorman’s THE TIGER’S TAIL and BEOWULF directed by Robert Zemeckis, John Woo’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, Steven Spielberg’s AI, John Boorman’s TAILOR OF PANAMA and COUNTRY OF MY SKULL, Danny Boyle’s 28 DAYS LATER, and Martin Scorsese’s GANGS OF NEW YORK, PERRIER’S BOUNTY directed by Ian Fitzgibbon, GREEN ZONE directed by Paul Greengrass, also starring Matt Damon.
Brendan is also the voice of Abbott Ceallach in the animated feature THE SECRET OF KELLS, the Pirate with Gout in PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS, the narrator of the Irish-language documentary SEACHTAR NA CÁSCA, as well as the voice of Conor in Cartoon Saloon’s SONG OF THE SEA.
Brendan is an accomplished musician, and plays the fiddle.
BRAD ANDERSON – DIRECTOR
Brad Anderson is an American writer/director whose work encompasses both prestige independent and studio filmmaking. Anderson is an accomplished, award-winning filmmaker with a diverse body of work, but is best known for his elevated psychological thrillers and atmospheric horror films such as THE CALL (2013) starring Halle Barry and THE MACHINIST (2004) starring Christian Bale.
Anderson is also a prolific director of original series and episodic television including “Fringe”, “Boardwalk Empire”, “The Wire” and “The Killing”.
Other film credits include: VANISHING ON 7TH STREET (2010), TRANSSIBERIAN (2008), SESSION 9 (2001), HAPPY ACCIDENTS (2000), NEXT STOP WONDERLAND (1998) and THE DARIEN GAP (1996).
MARK AMIN – PRODUCER
Mark Amin founded Sobini Films in 2001 to produce specialized and mainstream theatrical motion pictures. Most recently, Amin produced the Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions release GIRL MOST LIKELY starring Kristen Wiig, Annette Benning and Matt Dillon, FILTH, based on the acclaimed novel by Irvine Welsh and starring James McAvoy, and Nu Image’s STONEHEARST ASYLUM, starring Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine. Amin’s past credits with Sobini include THE PRINCE AND ME and the new age classic PEACEFUL WARRIOR. Under Amin’s direction Sobini Films has a strong record of making quality movies including Sundance award winner STREETS OF LEGEND and DGA Award nominated and National Parenting Publications Gold Award winner AN AMERICAN GIRL STANDS STRONG. Amin is producing a number of exciting projects that are currently in development including ZORRO: REBORN, a theatrical reboot of the lucrative Zorro franchise, and A MOMENT TO REMEMBER, a remake of the Korean hit by the same name, with Ben Lewin (THE SESSIONS) attached to direct.
In addition to his work at Sobini, Amin served as Vice Chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment. During Amin’s nine year term as Vice Chairman and member of the board of Lionsgate, the company’s revenues grew from $184M to $1.2B and the company’s market cap grew from $80M to $1.5B. During the same period, Lionsgate produced and distributed such critically acclaimed films as MONSTER’S BALL, which earned Halle Barry an Academy Award® for Best Actress, and CRASH, which won the Academy Award® for Best Picture.
Prior to his work with Lionsgate and Sobini, Amin founded Trimark Holdings, Inc. and served as the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until the company merged with Lionsgate. Under his leadership Trimark soon developed into one of the entertainment industry’s leading publicly traded, independent production and distribution companies. Amin’s past credits include the critically acclaimed EVE’S BAYOU starring Samuel Jackson and FRIDA, distributed by Miramax Films, which garnered six Academy Award® nominations.
BRUCE DAVEY – PRODUCER
Academy Award® winner, Bruce Davey is a partner in ICON Entertainment alongside Mel Gibson. Sydney-born Davey has produced many films including APOCOLYPTO, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, PUSH and BRAVEHEART for which he won an Academy Award®. Davey began as Gibson’s accountant after being recommended by the actor’s running coach on GALLIPOLI. After becoming Gibson’s business manager, the two men founded ICON ENTERTAINMENT in 1989.
Other notable credits starring Mel Gibson include; Wim Wenders’ MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, box office sensation WHAT WOMEN WANT, Oscar nominated MAVERICK starring Jodie Foster and James Garner, and HAMLET with Glenn Close and Alan Bates.
CHRISTA CAMPBELL AND LATI GROBMAN – EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Founded by executives Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman in 2011, Campbell-Grobman Films has proven to be an aggressive force in the filmmaking community. In the past two years, they have produced seven films for multiple companies across Hollywood, including such high profile projects as TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (2013), STRAIGHT A’S (2013), REALITY SHOW (2013), BRAVE MISS WORLD (2013), A CASE OF YOU (2013), and THE ICEMAN (2012), starring Michael Shannon and Winona Ryder. Driven by their passion for film, Campbell and Grobman enjoy working within a wide spectrum of genres, ranging from horror to romantic comedy, action, and documentary. Their films have been showcased in several renowned film festivals across the world, including Toronto, Venice, Montreal, and WorldFest-Houston, where their documentary film THE RESORT (2012) took home the Special Jury Award.
The duo show no signs of slowing down. In addition to STONEHEARST ASYLUM, they have two other projects currently in the works; the comedy SQUIRRELS TO THE NUTS starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and Brie Larson, and the newly acquired action script CRIMINAL, penned by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg (THE ROCK).
AVI LERNER – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
The Chairman and founder of Nu Image, Inc., Millennium Films and all related companies. With more than 350 films to his credit, he is one of the most experienced, prolific and successful independent producers of our time.
Born and raised in Haifa, Israel, Lerner began as manager of Israel’s first drive-in cinema. In 1979, Lerner anticipated the explosion of home video rental, which led to his pioneering the largest specialized video distribution company in Israel, and becoming a partner in the country’s largest theatrical distribution company.
In 1984, he executive produced the remake of King Solomon’s Mines. He then sold his Israeli company and relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he founded the Nu Metro Entertainment Group. The company’s interests grew to include owned and operated theaters; a video distribution division representing top studios and independent companies; and a production arm that made over 60 features distributed worldwide by major studios. Lerner eventually sold Nu Metro to join MGM/United Artists.
In 1992, he moved to Los Angeles and opened Nu Image, Inc., focusing on production and distribution for the home entertainment market. In 1996, he launched Millennium Films, which produces theatrical motion pictures.
Under the Millennium Films label, Lerner has produced such films as Expendables 1 & 2, Rambo IV, Righteous Kill, Brooklyn’s Finest, The Mechanic and the 2013 box-office hit, Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler.
The company’s forthcoming pictures include Before I Go to Sleep, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, and STONEHEARST ASYLUM with Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine. The Expendables 3 opening in August 2014, stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to their roles in the first two films. Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford join the all-star cast along with Kellan Lutz, MMA star Ronda Rousey, welterweight boxing champion Victor Ortiz and Glen Powell.
MARK GILL – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Former Miramax Films and Warner Independent president Mark Gill was named President of Millennium Films in July 2011, with particular focus on development, packaging, production and marketing.
Gill has 25 years of film business experience and a production track record of more than $1 billion at the box office.
He most recently was the CEO and co-founder of The Film Department, an independent movie production and finance company, which produced the worldwide hit Law-Abiding Citizen. In the three prior years, Gill served as the founding president of Warner Independent Pictures. During his tenure, the company produced 15 films and earned 11 Oscar nominations, notably for MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Gill previously spent eight years at Miramax Films as President of Miramax/L.A. He was involved in the production or acquisition of more than two dozen films, among them were THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, CENTRAL STATION, APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, IN THE BEDROOM, AMELIE, THE QUIET AMERICAN, FRIDA, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE, CITY OF GOD and UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN.
He joined Miramax in 1994 and served three years as the company’s marketing chief, based in New York. Among the films he marketed: PULP FICTION, SCREAM, GOOD WILL HUNTING, TRAINSPOTTING, THE POSTMAN/IL POSTINO, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.
Before joining Miramax, Gill worked for six years at Columbia and TriStar Pictures, culminating in a three-year tenure as Senior Vice President in the marketing department. He worked on such films as THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, AWAKENINGS, BOYZ N THE HOOD, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA,IN THE LINE OF FIRE, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, THE PRINCE OF TIDES, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, and TERMINATOR 2.
Prior to joining Columbia, Gill worked for nearly four years at Rogers & Cowan, the publicity agency. Before that, he served as a general assignment reporter for Newsweek magazine and for the Los Angeles Times.
RENÉ BESSON – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Has served as Producer on Director Simon West’s “The Mechanic”, starring Jason Statham as well as “Stolen,” starring Nicolas Cage. He also was Executive Producer on “Iceman” Starring Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans and James Franco as well as “Stone,” starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, “Trespass” with Nicole Kidman, “Straight A’s,” starring Luke Wilson and Anna Paquin, and “Drive Angry” with Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D”.
Through his association with Millennium Films, Besson has overseen production on the box office hits, “The Expendables,” starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone, “Righteous Kill,” starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, as well as “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call,” starring Nicolas Cage, “Leaves of Grass,” starring Edward Norton, and “Solitary Man,” starring Michael Douglas.
DAVID HIGGINS – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
David W. Higgins is President of Production for Mark Amin’s feature film production company Sobini Films. His recent films include SEXY EVIL GENIUS, a dark comedy starring Seth Green & Katee Sackhoff; JUJITSUING REALITY, an award-winning short documentary about Scott Lew, a screenwriter paralyzed by ALS who continues to ply his craft; and BURNING BRIGHT, starring Briana Evigan and Garret Dillahunt, for which he wrote the story. At Sobini Films, Higgins has a futuristic re-imagining of the ZORRO franchise in development; a remake of the Asian blockbuster A MOMENT TO REMEMBER with Ben Lewin (THE SESSIONS) attached to direct; and BLACKWELL with Lily Collins attached to play groundbreaking journalist Nellie Bly, all under his watch.
Simultaneously, Higgins runs the independent company Launchpad Productions alongside Angelique Higgins. His credits include the indie hit HARD CANDY and multi-festival winner DISFIGURED. Under the Launchpad banner, Higgins has GALLOWS HILL, a bi-lingual supernatural thriller shot in Bogota, Colombia, starring Peter Facinelli and Sophia Myles, currently in post; Rose McGowan attached to direct the indie drama A GOOD MOTHER and is shopping a television series based on his original graphic novel, THE VAULT.
Higgins is also a Co-Producer on both the $200 million grossing comedy BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE and its sequel.
As an executive, Higgins has worked in the industry for fifteen years, including stints with the producers Martin Bregman, Dan Jinks, Mark Gordon, David Friendly and Marc Turtletaub. He has set up multiple projects at nearly every studio in town and has a long list of relationships with writers, directors, agents, studio executives and outside financiers. He is also a frequent guest lecturer for both the Communications and MBA departments of the University of Texas at Austin and sits on an advisory board for the groundbreaking Burnt Orange Film Financing Fund.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Higgins worked as an assistant at Brian Grazer & Ron Howard’s Imagine Films and Writers & Artists Agency before becoming an executive.
CAMI WINIKOFF – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
As President and co-founder of Sobini Films, Cami Winikoff has shepherded a diverse range of features and franchises since the company’s origin in 2001. Titles include SEXY, EVIL GENIUS, starring Seth Green, Anthony Michael Hall, and William Baldwin; the new-age classic, PEACEFUL WARRIOR, starring Nick Nolte, in which Cami orchestrated an impressive second theatrical release; HBO’s contemporary American Girl film CHRISSA STANDS STRONG, which was honored with the 2009 Gold Award from National Parenting Publications; THE PRINCE AND ME, starring Julia Stiles for Paramount Studios, which has spawned two successful sequels; and the fast-paced racing film STREETS OF LEGEND, nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Her future projects include an adaptation of the hit Korean film, A MOMENT TO REMEMBER, with acclaimed director Ben Lewin (THE SESSIONS) attached. Winikoff has also successfully completed a deal with Sony Pictures to acquire the rights to the highly commercial Zorro franchise for an upcoming motion picture.
As Chief Operating Officer for Trimark Pictures, Winikoff oversaw all of the company’s finance and operations, business and legal affairs, theatrical distribution, home entertainment, international and television distribution, and headed the production of over seventy-five films. Winikoff’s production credits while at Trimark include Kasi Lemmon’s award winning directorial debut, EVE’S BAYOU, starring Samuel L. Jackson; FRIDA starring Selma Hayek; KICKING AND SCREAMING, Noah Baumbach’s cult classic debut; and Mira Nair’s KAMA SUTRA. On the genre side of the company, she was at the helm of numerous films, many of which became lucrative franchises, including the notorious LEPRECHAUN films. Winikoff capped her tenure at Trimark as a key player in negotiating the merger with Lionsgate, which was the genesis of Lionsgate’s position as the most powerful independent company in the film industry. Following the merger, Winikoff served as Executive Vice President, where she was at the forefront of building Lionsgate’s executive team and facilitating its profitable business plan.
JOSEPH GANGEMI – SCREENPLAY
Joseph Gangemi was born in Wilmiington, Delaware, in 1970. He sold his first short story while an undergrad at Swarthmore College, where he studied neuroscience, graduating in 1992. After college he worked a series of odd jobs, including dishwasher, waiter, Kelly Girl, newspaper book critic, private investigator’s assistant, and Russian translator (though he doesn’t speak Russian)… eventually falling into a corporate job as a communications consultant for large petrochemical companies.
With the publication and film sale of his first novel (written under a pseudonym) in 1998 he was able to quit his day job and write full time. The novel won the Bram Stoker Award given by the Horror Writers of America. Shortly thereafter he stumbled across the rarely-anthologized Poe story “The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether,” which became the inspiration for STONEHEARST ASYLUM. Written on spec, it sold to Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions in 1999. Gangemi’s second novel, INAMORATA was published by Viking in 2004 and is currently in development at Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil Films. Gangemi has worked as a screenwriter for most of the major studios, including New Line, TriStar, Warner Brothers, Sony Animation, and Paramount Pictures. He has twice sold hour long dramas to ABC and has written for NBC’s horror anthology “Fear Itself”. He co-wrote the movie WIND CHILL (Sony, 2007) starring Emily Blunt and produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh. His adaptation of the novel GO WITH ME begins filming in late 2013 with Anthony Hopkins. He recently sold supernatural TV series STREGA to A&E.
Gangemi has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, and Italy, and currently makes his home in Philadelphia with his wife and two young children. Of STONEHEARST ASYLUM Gangemi notes, “The movie reflects my lifelong love of gothic fiction, as well as my interest in the history of medicine. Originally pitched to my agents as ‘A Hammer film made by Merchant and Ivory,’ it’s my hope that with Poe’s pedigree, the stellar cast and romantic subplot, STONEHEARST ASYLUM will appeal to a wider audience than might normally see a genre picture.”
THOMAS YATSKO – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
As a director of photography Thomas Yatsko has collaborated with director Brad Anderson on at least five projects. Their work on STONEHEARST ASYLUM marks the second time that the duo has matched up on a feature film. Their last feature film, THE CALL starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin which was released by SONY, opened up #2 at the box office.
Thomas Yatsko started as a well known camera operator, working on feature films such as DEEP IMPACT, THE BANGER SISTERS, and STARSHIP TROOPERS. Thomas then took the jump to Director of Photography working on TV series such as CSI MIAMI, E RING, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, FRINGE, and TOUCH.
Last year Thomas was an integral part of the helping launch the pilot and first season of BATES MOTEL for Showrunner Carlton Cuse and the A&E; channel. The highly acclaimed series, in which lead actress Vera Fermiga was nominated for an Emmy this season, has an eerie and timeless look that owes a lot to the strong shooting of Thomas Yatsko. Recently, Director Brad Anderson and Thomas shot a pilot called INHUMAN for JJ Abram’s Bad Robot, which was picked up by the FBC network.
Thomas has been known to push the envelope to create very unique looks for each project he works on, and he was excited to work on a project with Kate Beckinsale and Jim Sturgess, as well as Sir Ben Kingsley, and Sir Michael Caine.
ALAIN BAINÉE – PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Alain Bainée was raised in Paris, where he studied architecture at L’ École Spéciale d’Architecture. Passionate about film, he began working as a production designer and moved to Spain in the early 1990s. As one of the most respected art directors in the industry, he has worked with many accomplished directors, including Pedro Almodóvar whom he worked with on his first film, KIKA, in 1992.
Among Bainée’s distinguished credits are CAROL’S JOURNEY, directed by Imanol Uribe, and FRAGILE, directed by Jaume Balagueró. Bainée has been celebrated for his work with Gaudí Awards for his Art Direction on TRANSSIBERIAN (2008) and BLANCANIEVES (2012), as well as a Goya Award for BLANCANIEVES.
He has been recognized by his peers and currently serves as a member of the board of La Academia De Cine Español in the category of Art Direction. Sharing his enthusiasm for film and his experience in the industry, he has taught master classes in Austria and Spain.
Additional credits include; EL DETECTIVE Y LA MUERTE, BETWEEN YOUR LEGS, MEAN SPIRIT, THE MACHINIST, the Woody Allen directed VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s INTRUDERS.
THOMAS OLÁH – COSTUME DESIGNER
Thomas Oláh studied Fashion Design at Vienna´s University of Applied Arts under the tutelage of many distinguished professors including Vivienne Westwood. Since 1995, he has run his own studio and workshop, specializing in the design and manufacturing of costumes for film and theatre.
Focusing on designing for period pieces, his recent work includes JEW SUESS (2010), directed by Oscar Roehler, and MEASURING THE WORLD (2012), directed by Detlev Buck, both of which got him nominations for Best Costume Design at the German Film Awards. THE PHYSICIAN, directed by Philipp Stölzl, is scheduled for release in December 2013.
STONEHEARST ASYLUM is his second work with director Brad Anderson, after collaborating on TRANSSIBERIAN in 2008.
