The Production Team
AMIR FARESS / DIRECTOR
Amir’s fascination with films arose at an early age, with a keen interest in movies that were banned in the post-revolutionary Iran and available only in secretive underground markets. This fascination later morphed into a broader interest in history and politics, subjects Amir studied at UCLA and NYU. Upon graduating, he worked as an interpreter, traveling widely throughout California. The thousands of cases he witnessed over the years provide fodder for the many stories he intends to bring to the screen, starting with Ghost Light.
Amir’s writings have appeared in The Guardian, PBS, and Observer.com.
The Production Team
KOUROSH AHARI / PRODUCER
Kourosh Ahari is an Iranian auteur filmmaker who moved to the US from Iran at the age of 18 and has spent more than a decade in the US with its dramatically different culture and beliefs, giving him a unique perspective that he subtly brings into the world of his films. After moving to the US, Ahari graduated at the top of his university class, receiving the Excellence in Film Directing Award. His fascination with the human condition/psychology and mining the universe beyond what is generally perceived is at the core of his work. This perspective has shaped a distinct and unique style that has landed his films at several internationally prestigious film festivals, including Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Fest, Napa Valley Film Festival, Edmonton Film Festival, Fajr Film Festival (Iran’s most prestigious film festival) and more,
winning several awards. He most recently directed the critically-acclaimed Iranian horror film ‘The Night’ starring Shahab Hosseini, which became the first US-produced film to receive a license to release theatrically in Iran since Iran’s revolution. Ahari previously directed the award-winning short ‘Generations’, backed by Tom Hanks and has directed films for immersive new technologies, like Barco Escape’s three-screen cinema technology. Ahari has also produced several short films, including the Iranian short, ‘Numbness’, which has been selected at over 80 film festivals around the world and has won more than 9 awards.Kourosh is currently in post on his follow-up feature - the remake of the award winning Lei Zheng-directed Chinese film Parallel Forest, which stars Aldis and Edwin Hodge alongside Danielle Deadwyler.
The Production Team
ALEX BRETOW / ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Alex is a Bay Area-native American filmmaker and producer who got his start at the Emmy Award-winning Bodega Studios in New York, before studying under producer Glenn Williamson (‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’). Dedicated to underrepresented stories and storytellers, his award-winning films have premiered at many prestigious film festivals around the world. He works in the unique space of both a creative and logistics producer, bridging the gap between creative integrity for the artist and the logistics required to put together an efficient production. Bretow most recently produced Ahari’s raved about Iranian horror-thriller film ‘The Night’ starring Shahab Hosseini, and produced Ahari’s Tom Hanks-backed short ‘Generations’. With Ahari, he also produced the 9-time award-winning Iranian short film, ‘Numbness’, which has premiered at over 80 film festivals, and helped create the James Gunn Independent Filmmaker Award for accomplished filmmaker James Gunn (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) to support the creativity and furtherance of independent filmmaking. Bretow has a deep love for the art of cinema and strives to bring stories to life that resonate truthfully within people’s hearts.
The Production Team
ALEXIS BRONTE / LINE PRODUCER
Alexis is a screenwriter and development executive whose scripts have won several awards. Prior to her executive work in development, Bronte was mentored by two award-winning screenwriters of Disney/Universal hits and a Golden Globe/BAFTA-nominated director, who she continues to consult with today. She later worked as a script consultant and on several independent features, eventually landing on Disney’s Christopher Robin. Bronte has a unique grasp of story that connects on both a deep personal level and large scale. Bronte started as Head of Development at Mammoth Pictures in 2021.
The Production Team
ROBYN COBURN/ PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Robyn is a writer, production designer & set decorator of independent films, textile artist, and theater designer. In 1990 she gained a Bachelor of Creative Arts with Honors, majoring in Theater Design and Technology from the University of Wollongong. In addition to designing, she has been a theater technical director, stage manager, scenic painter, stitcher and sound designer. She taught theater tech to actors at Ensemble Studios, while working as the resident designer and technical director of The Rep Theatre, the Studio's graduate theater company in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
The Production Team
SWINDA REICHELT/ COSTUME DESIGNER
Originally from the former East German Republic, Swinda's venture into Dance, Theatre, Costume & Couture Design began as a passion since her childhood. Swinda began to apply her knowledge of body movement, light and environment to her work which developed into her unique method of creativity that would expand over time. Swinda was the lead designer at the Avant-Garde Fashion Show "Off-Line Berlin '90", She appeared on MTV Europe, Designed for the Komische Opera Berlin, Opera Gasteig/Munich and Millennium Awards Show with a speech from G. Schroeder (German Chancellor) for Life-TV. In 2001 Swinda relocated to Los Angeles expanding her portfolio in Feature Films, Los Angeles Theater and Opera.