Myles Yaksich
WRITER / DIRECTOR
Through his short films, Myles Yaksich has created an appealing body of work that explores human experience on a global scale, with a particular focus on the complexity of self-discovery through interactions with strangers. Living abroad for more than a decade has undoubtedly informed his work, whether it be the grieving workaholic who searches for answers in the elderly passenger beside him (“Poppies”), or the young academic who questions his sexuality after an intimate pen-pal relationship (“Erin”). His films tap into universal themes that expand the definition of home, family and belonging.
Myles’ feature debut, “Albatross”, is a progression of this trajectory. His unique perspective and interest in stories about societal groups establishing roots, and the contrast between progress and tradition are laced throughout the narrative. Working with an intensely collaborative and supportive team has enabled Myles to exercise his strong creative control, ultimately making his debut film, “Albatross” so fascinating, fresh and powerful.
Myles’ films have screened around the world at over 40 festivals (including premieres at the Academy Qualifying LA Shorts Fest), receiving over 30 awards including Best Writer, Best Director and Best Film.
JAMES MARK
PRODUCER
James Mark is a Chinese-Canadian producer/director who began his career in film as a professional stuntman and fight choreographer working on titles such as Marco Polo, Pacific Rim and Scott Pilgrim VS the World.
In 2016 James directed his first feature film “Kill Order” which was later released by RLJE Entertainment. Most recently James produced and directed the feature film “Enhanced” starring Alanna Bale, George Tchortov and Adrian Holmes. The film is set for release by Vertical Entertainment in March of 2021 after playing multiple festivals including the Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2020.
Jennie Lew Tugend
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Tugend has produced some of the industry’s most memorable franchises: The Free Willy trilogy, Lethal Weapon 1,2,3 and HBO’s Tales from the Crypt.
Producing credits include One Missed Call for Warner Bros. and two episodes of Showtime’s “Master of Horror”, Local Boys starring Mark Harmon and Star Kid, which received an Award of Excellence by the Film Advisory Board; and for MGM, the rom-com,, Return to Me starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver; Radio Flyer for Columbia Pictures and Scrooged for Paramount Pictures starring Bill Murray, and was instrumental in the development and production of The Goonies and The Lost Boys.
Currently, Tugend and her partners are developing NY Times best selling novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet with Oscar and Emmy nominated director Bing Liu; and Japanese manga MPD Psycho.
Tugend is a member of the Producer’s Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America.
Dylan Chapgier
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
“Shooting any kind of project during a global pandemic is a very big challenge, yet, we adapted and succeeded. On my end, it made time management even more crucial, I had to work fast, yet make sure what we were getting was of the best possible quality. I relied much more on available lighting, and we restricted camera movements. I think we pulled through with flying colors as I’m extremely proud of the work that’s in this film.“
As a Los Angeles native, Dylan has always been enamored with the film industry, and has continued to carry his passion for photography into film production.
Since receiving his MFA in Cinematography from UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television, he’s gone on to shoot over 50 projects, including seven UCLA MFA Thesis projects, a Feature Documentary in Fiji, a portion of the feature film The Heyday of Insensitive Bastards, and Music Videos for Will.I.am, India Love, Rench and DLP.
He’s been brought out to shoot projects around the world, including Utah, Alaska, Brazil, Costa Rica, Fiji, England and France. His work has been featured in film festivals around the world, and he’s won multiple awards, including Best Cinematography from the IMDB’s Independent Shorts Awards in 2019.
Christopher paunil
COSTUME DESIGNER
“Working with Myles on creating the looks for Albatross was an amazing experience; I had always dreamt of designing costumes for a film, and this was the perfect first film project for me given my love for 1950s fashion - my favourite era. My interactions with Myles, the actors and the crew were all great, especially with the beauty department! It was definitely a wonderful experience and learning opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to do it again!”
Filipino-Canadian fashion designer and educator Christopher Paunil has been creating all his life. Born and raised in Toronto, he began his fashion career in 2003 after studying fashion design at George Brown College. Upon graduating and working for Toronto-based designers, costume and apparel companies, he started his namesake label in 2010 specializing in bridal and eveningwear. His accolades and achievements in fashion have taken him around the world and has helped garner high profile clients and retailers. Today, his designs continue to sell internationally and are seen on celebrities, Hollywood red carpets, runways, fashion and news publications, television and will soon make their film debut with his first feature film Albatross. Christopher is passionate about animal and LGBTQ+ rights, and is an advocate for inspiring youth through the arts and arts education. He has been actively involved with Toronto arts charity UforChange since 2009 as their fashion mentor, and has taught at George Brown College and The Toronto Film School.
Nicholas Pike
COMPOSER
“Musically, Albatross has been a fabulously rewarding experience because it required three distinct types of music! An operatic aria performed by rising young soprano Liv Redpath, secondly a mysterious and disturbingly hypnotic piece used as a tool in psychoanalysis and lastly, the score - which morphs between overwhelming romance and hallucinogenic phantasy. Prepare yourself for an emotional and satisfying journey!”
Emmy award-winning Hollywood composer Nicholas Pike has scored films ranging from the family- oriented Captain Ron, Return to Me and Virginia’s Run to darker films like Fear Dot Com, Sleepwalkers and The Shining mini-series.
He has also scored large scale music videos including Michael Jackson's Ghost, You Rock My World and Will Smith's Wild, Wild West. Most recently he scored Amazing Stories for Steven Spielberg and the Apple + streaming service, as well as the documentaries 100 Years about Native American activist Elouise Cobell, Fiddlin’ about the roots of Bluegrass music and the upcoming Viva Verdi!, which features his composition Sweet Dreams of Joy performed by international soprano Ana Maria Martinez.
Nicholas is known for his innovative use of instruments and sounds to create music, while also exhibiting a wide stylistic range and facile command of both orchestral and electronic composition.
MARIANA BENEVELLO
EDITOR
“Letting yourself into Myles’ universe is always exciting. You never know what to expect, but one can be certain to be taken to unexplored waters where fantasy merges into reality. And I knew it wouldn’t be different with Albatross. As the dailies would come in I would see myself more than curious, but anxious to see the next day.”
Born in Brazil, having lived in Berlin, Los Angeles and now based in New York, Mariana was always fascinated by a multicultural world and storytelling, whether listening or building stories in the edit room. Always moved by the curiosity and the desire to explore.
With more than twelve years of experience as an editor and assistant editor, Mariana worked on a wide range of content, from feature documentaries and unscripted TV shows, to short narrative films and branded content. Her work has aired on two major Brazilian cable networks and has been screened and awarded at several festivals around the globe.
In 2017, the documentary “80 e Tal” was a Newport Beach Film Festival Official Selection and won Best Editing, Best Film, and Best Soundtrack at the International Surf Film Festival Anglet, in France. Most recently she worked on projects for Vox, Hulu, YouTube Originals, Quibi, Globosat and more.
Lazaro Hernandez
VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR
Lázaro Hernández is a young, Salvadoran film maker and visual effects artist, specializing in live action and digital animation. He is a graduate of Verita's University in Costa Rica.
His short films have been screened around the world and have won awards at international festivals. In 2008 the short One by One won the Best Production of all categories in the Festival Icarus Central , and was selected and exhibited at international festivals , including Cortocircuito of New York, The Festival of Vienna in Austria, and Rtyle France.
In 2009 the short film The Wooden's Dog won Best Short Film in the black hummer category of the Pixels El Salvador Festival. In 2010, the film was an official selection in the animation festival Cutoutfest of Mexico and La Noche de los Cortos in Peru.