ANN HU (Director)

Writer, producer and director Ann Hu’s feature film debut, "Shadow Magic," won several international prizes, including the Chinese Academy Award and the Presidential Award in China for Best Film.  The film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival.  It was released by Sony Classics in 2001.

Among the earliest students to emigrate from mainland China after the Cultural Revolution, Ms. Hu came to the United States in 1979 to pursue higher education.  After receiving a degree in Business Administration from New York University, and achieving a successful career in the world of finance, Ms. Hu decided to become a filmmaker.  In 1992, she took courses at the NYU Film School and subsequently completed a 16mm narrative short, "Dream and Memory."

"Beauty Remains" is Ms. Hu’s second feature film.  The film premiered in China this past February during the Chinese New Year / Valentine’s Day holiday week and opened at #1 at the Box Office, drawing millions of admissions.

Ms. Hu is one of the few Chinese directors from mainland China to work in the United States, and is currently developing her next film projects as international co-productions.  She is committed to utilizing her unique position as someone with one foot on each of two continents to expand the horizons of filmmaking in both America and China.  She is also working on a television talk show, which is expected to air in both America and Asia.
 

BETH SCHACTER (Co-writer)

Beth Schacter is a former theater producer and director whose credits include "Joe Fearless," "The Invisible Hand," "Spring Awakening" and "Imperfect Love" off-Broadway.  Ms. Schacter was the Artistic Director of the off-Broadway theater company New York Performance Works where she developed new plays and directed readings, workshops and productions.  She also was Managing Director of Dixon Place, the Obie Award-winning performance art space. 

Her script, "Normal Adolescent Behavior" was part of the 2004 IFP/LA screenwriters’ lab, where she worked with Neil LaBute and Jeff Stockwell.  Schacter received an MFA in Screenwriting in 2004 at Columbia University with honors; at Columbia she was an FMI Scholar and received the Kathryn Parlan Hearst award as an outstanding woman screenwriter.
 

MICHAEL ELDRIDGE (Co-writer)

Michael Eldridge is a screenplay and documentary writer with years of experience and over 120 programs to his credit, including the Emmy-nominated "Attack on the Pentagon."  He is currently the head writer for a new strip on Fine Living, "Auction House," through his production company, Barataria Productions.  Eldridge has optioned two of his original screenplays, "April 22nd" and "Redeeming the Time," and has a number of projects currently in development, including "Steel Wheels" (Huge Pictures), "Fool," and "Cold Irons Bound."  In addition, Mr. Eldridge works as a freelance script doctor and as a writing instructor (most recently Second City, Gotham Writer’s Workshop, and for the Zoetrope: All Story/Gotham 2001 Retreat).
 

WANG BIN (Co-writer)

Wang Bin has been the chief screenplay writer for the world renowned, Chinese film director Zhang Yimou for the past two decades.  Mr. Wang has been actively involved in the process of initiating and implementing all Zhang’s screenplays including "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers."  These releases earned critical acclaim and box office success in both the Asian and the North American markets (the latter also earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Film).  Other films on which Mr. Wang has collaborated with Zhang include "To Live," "Shanghai Triad," "Not One Less," and "Road Home."

Wang has lived a colorful life throughout the changing times in modern China.  In his youth, he began his career in the Chinese military.  After serving five years as a reconnaissance officer, Wang left the service and went on to hold positions as a librarian, a journalist, a researcher of literature, an editor, and a freelance writer.

Wang worked closely with American writers Beth Schacter and Michael Eldridge on Ann Hu’s  "Beauty Remains" to give the film a mark of Chinese authenticity while retaining its distinctly Western style.
 

IRA DEUTCHMAN (Producer)

Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films for twenty-seven years, having worked on over 130 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time.  He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and in their respective times, helped define the independent film business.

Currently Deutchman is President and CEO of Emerging Pictures, a New York-based digital film production and exhibition company.  Deutchman is also a partner in Redeemable Features, an independent production company that he founded to develop and produce a wide range of theatrical and television programming.

Among the over 60 films he acquired and released at Fine Line were Jane Campion’s "An Angel at My Table," Gus van Sant’s "My Own Private Idaho," Jim Jarmusch’s "Night on Earth," Robert Altman’s "The Player" and "Short Cuts," Roman Polanski’s "Bitter Moon" and "Death and the Maiden," Alan Rudolph’s "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," Mike Leigh’s "Naked," and the award-winning "Hoop Dreams," until recently the highest grossing non-music documentary in history.

Prior to Fine Line, as President of The Deutchman Company, he provided marketing consulting services for such films as Steven Soderbergh’s "sex, lies, and videotape" for Miramax, Charles Burnett’s "To Sleep With Anger" for The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Whit Stillman’s "Metropolitan" for New Line Cinema.

Previously, Deutchman was one of the founding partners and President of Marketing and Distribution for Cinecom Entertainment Group, the film distribution company known for such diverse releases as Merchant/Ivory’s "A Room with a View," Jonathan Demme’s "Stop Making Sense," Gregory Nava’s "El Norte" and John Sayles’s "The Brother From Another Planet."

While at United Artists Classics, Films Incorporated and Cinema 5 Ltd., highlights included Lina Wertmuller’s "Seven Beauties" and "Swept Away," Barbara Koppel’s "Harlan County, USA," Jean-Jacques Beineix’s "Diva," and Francois Truffaut’s "The Last Metro."  While still in college, he organized and marketed the midwest premiere of John Cassavetes’s "A Woman Under the Influence."

His screen credits include Associate Producer of John Sayles’s "Matewan;" Executive Producer of Jonathan Demme’s "Swimming to Cambodia," Gary Sinise’s "Miles From Home," Paul Bartel’s "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills," Matty Rich’s "Straight Out of Brooklyn," Stephen Gyllenhaal’s "Waterland," Maggie Greenwald’s "The Ballad of Little Jo," Alan Rudolph’s "Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle," Paul Auster’s "Lulu On the Bridge," Wayne Wang’s "Center of the World," Daniel Noah’s "Twelve," Anthony Jaswinski’s "Killing Time," Loren-Paul Caplin’s "The Lucky Ones," and Amy Wadell’s "Brothel;" and Co-Producer of David Anspaugh’s "The Game of Their Lives."  Deutchman was the Producer of Tony Vitale’s "Kiss Me, Guido," Sarah Kernochan’s "All I Wanna Do," Mark Christopher’s "54," Adam Davidson’s "Way Past Cool," Bob Gale’s "Interstate 60," Tanya Wexler’s "Relative Evil" ("Ball in the House") and Ed Radtke’s upcoming "Superheroes."  He was also Consulting Producer on the CBS sitcom "Some of My Best Friends."

Deutchman is an Associate Professor in the Graduate Film Division at Columbia University, and is the Chairman of the Independent Feature Project.

He is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a major in film.
 

SCOTT KEVAN (Director of Photography)

Equally at home shooting an intimate epic in mainland China as he is filming gross-out horror comedy, Kevan served as director of photography on last year’s sleeper hit, "Cabin Fever," directed by Eli Roth and executive produced by David Lynch.  Kevan also served as second unit director of photography on Steven Shainberg’s 2002 indie hit "Secretary" starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal. 

Kevan has been honored with best cinematography awards at several prestigious film festivals including the 2003 Ashland Independent Film Festival (for the film "Bug," directed by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay), and the NoDance Film Festival 2001 (for the film "The Woman Every Man Wants," directed by Gabriela Tagliavini).

Well-versed in shooting in HD24P, Kevan has recently shot the digital features "The Hollow" and "The Job."  Among his numerous television credits are: the F/X Network’s "American P.I.," Lifetime’s "Destination Weddings," PBS’s "Lords of Mafia," TNT’s "The Secret KGB Files," VH-1’s pilot "Smash," and The Sci-Fi Network’s "Roswell: Cover-Ups & Close Encounters."

Kevan most recently completed work on director Ariel Vroman’s "RX: Sin Re Cetra" starring Colin Hanks, and director David Marfield’s "Deep Water;" both films are currently in post-production.
 

SARA THORSON (Editor)

Thorson is a twelve-year veteran of New York City’s film community.  She has assisted award-winning editors, Thelma Schoonmaker, Francoise Bonnot, and the late Geraldine Peroni on Martin Scorsese’s "Kundun," Julie Taylor’s "Titus," and Tim Robbin’s "Cradle Will Rock."  Her most recent credits include documentary "Phish: IT", a concert for PBS and "Loopy," a narrative short. 

Currently Thorson splits her time between editing and teaching film editing at New York Film Academy.  She is presently editing Valentine’s Day a short film by writing/directing team Derick & Steven Martini.

"Beauty Remains" is her first collaboration with Ann Hu.
 

SASHA GORDON (Composer)

Sasha Gordon was born in St. Petersburg, Russia where she began studying piano at the age of five.  After immigrating to the United States, she continued her musical studies at the Mannes School of Music.  Later, as a student at Brown University, Gordon composed an original musical and began scoring independent films.  She also continued studying piano and performed several piano concertos with the Brown symphony orchestra.  Upon graduation, Gordon pursued her Masters degree at the Mannes College of Music and was commissioned to write an original score to William Wellman's 1927 Oscar-winning "Wings."  The score was debuted live in New York City and Paris.  Gordon has scored several independent films and documentaries as well as co-directed an operatic short film that debuted at the Avignon Film Festival.
 

SERIOUS BUSINESS PRODUCTIONS/TRAVIS HARRISON & ANDY ROSS (Source Music Composers)

Serious Business Productions was founded in late 2002 by Columbia University alumni Travis Harrison and Andy Ross.  The partnership began in a modest roadside shack on the south shore of Long Island by recording local artists and producing jingles and music-for-picture for PBS, the Madison Square Garden Network and JSM Music.  Soon, the operation outgrew their suburban locale and Travis and Andy moved back to New York City, eventually settling in a sprawling Brooklyn loft-space.

Since its inception Serious Business has maintained a balance between rock & roll production and music for picture. The company has composed original music for a variety of acclaimed shorts including "Fists of the Saugatuck" and "Salty Beef," and made their feature film debut by composing jazz and classical source music for director Ann Hu’s "Beauty Remains." Beyond their film work, Travis and Andy have churned out dozens of dazzling records for a parade of phenomenal NY rock artists such as their own Unsacred Hearts, A10 and Man In Gray, whose Serious Business recorded “Incommunicado” was selected by the Village Voice’s Chuck Eddy as one of the top ten singles of 2003.
 

CAROL WELLS (Production Designer)

As an Art Director and Production Designer, Carol Wells has worked on Television Commercials, Print Ads, Music Videos, and Independent Films since 1988.  Ms. Wells has been fortunate to experience projects around the world with clients such as Nike, Lexus, Coca Cola, and music icons Ray Charles, Peter Gabriel, and Hole.  She has worked extensively with top tier directors including Pam Thomas, Albert Watson, Matt Mahurin, Michelle Mahrer, and Charles F. Stone III.

Having originally trained as a painter at Parson’s School of Design, Wells has worked as a Graphic Designer for 7 years, before being coerced into joining the dysfunctional yet addictive club of independent film and music video in 1988.  While deliriously working on Urban Fairytale in 1990 with Michelle Mahrer and Lisa Rinzler, Wells had this epiphany: life never seems to live up to the promise of film.  “I am trapped,” she confesses.  “Happily, forever.”