MICHAEL SKOLNIK
CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

Michael Skolnik is currently directing a documentary film about the last ruling monarch in Africa, King Mswati III.  The film is being financed and produced by Netflix and will be completed in the summer if 2006.  With Rebecca Chaiklin, Skolnik is co-directing a documentary film about Wyclef Jean’s quest to bring peace to his homeland, Haiti.  Michael is also slated to direct a narrative produced by Brian Grazer/Imagine Entertainment in the fall of 2006.

Skolnik most recently co-directed the award winning feature film, "On the Outs," which made its world premiere at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival and he was nominated for a 2004 Gotham Breakthrough Director Award and a 2005 IFP Indie Spirit Award for Best Feature.  In 2004, Michael co-produced two documentaries for HBO: American Undercover series: "Back in the Hood: Gang War II" directed by Marc Levin ("Slam Brooklyn Babylon," "Street Time") and "Heir to an Execution: A Granddaughter’s Story," a film directed by the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.  In 2003, Michael directed "Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius 'Hook' Mitchell," a documentary film about one of the greatest playground basketball legends to ever play the game.  "Hooked" made its world premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival.  Michael also directed award winning "La Esquina Caliente," a documentary about the baseball games between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban National Team.  Danny Hoch’s "Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop," was the first film Michael was involved in, serving as co-executive producer.

In 1997, while an undergraduate at UCLA, Michael Skolnik founded Equal Opportunity Productions (EqOp), an arts organization run entirely by young people.  EqOp’s mission was to bring an eight week theater program into Los Angeles’ most underserved public schools to help address the lack of curricular arts programming in inner-city schools.  Michael is on the board of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Kid Power DC and the Advisory Board of IFP/NY.

REBECCA CHAIKLIN
CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

Rebecca Chaiklin is the co-founder of Article 19 Films and she is currently co-directing a feature documentary entitled "Cry Haiti" with Michael Skolnik, and producing "Bling: A Planet Rock."  Rebecca was both co-director and producer on "The Last Party 2000," a feature documentary on the 2000 presidential elections, which follows Philip Seymour Hoffman as he journeys across American in a quest to explore the state of democracy in America.  "Last Party 2000" was released theatrically throughout the US and Europe.  Chaiklin produced "Poster Boy," an independent feature which premiered in competition at The Tribeca Film Festival and will be released theatrically across the US by Regent Entertainment in the Fall of 2006.  Chaiklin directed "Hardball," produced by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, and she produced "Midnight in Cuba," a feature documentary on Cuba’s Younger generation, which premiered in competition at The Berlin Film Festival.  Rebecca also produced Zoe Cassavettes directorial debut, "Men Make Women Crazy Theory," which premiered at Sundance and was broadcast on Showtime.

FILIPPO BOZOTTI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Born in Milan, Italy, fluent in Italian and French, Filippo Bozotti is co-founder of Article 19 Films.  He is currently a co-producer on feature documentaries "Cry Haiti" and "Bling:" both are currently in production.  He has appeared in “The Sopranos” and Sofia Coppola’s upcoming film "Marie-Antoinette."  In Italy, Filippo is a founding partner of 2night SpA, an Italian based Entertainment Company, supplying entertainment contents to the major Italian Media on different platforms, and providing publicity services to major Italian entertainment venues.  Filippo led the company’s financial and sales team from 2001 to 2003.  He is a Graduate of Boston University in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance.

STANLEY BUCHTHAL
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Stanley Buchthal is both a Producer and international entrepreneur. His Producer credits include John Water's "Hairspray," David O’Russell's "Spanking the Monkey," winner of the Sundance Film Festival; Phillip Haas’, "Up at the Villa" starring Sean Penn and Kirsten Scott Thomas, "The Party's Over," Staring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and "Poster Boy" which will be released theatrically in the fall of 2005..

Stanley Buchthal currently has an entire slate of projects in production. Stanley is the Producer of “Sketches of Frank Geary”, directed by Sydney Pollack, which premiered theatrically at the Toronto Film Festival 2005 and will be released theatrically in the US this month.  Stanley is the Executive Producer on John Kirby’s "American Ruling Class" premiered last year at the Tribeca Film Festival.  He is the Executive Producer on the feature documentary “Paper Dolls” which premiered at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Buchthal, was a Producer on  "All Shook Up " the Broadway Elvis Presley musical. Stanley is the Producer on “Cry Haiti” a feature documentary chronicling Grammy award winning artist, Wyclef Jean’s quest to save his native country Haiti and produce the largest peace concert in history.

SIMONE HAGGIAG
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Simone Haggiag is a Producer, European based entrepreneur, and a world-class musician.

Mr. Haggiag is presently co-producing a feature on Cuba’s greatest musical legend, Beny Moré, as well as several feature length documentaries, including "Cry Haiti" which intimately follows Grammy Award winning artist Wyclef Jean’s humanitarian efforts for the benefit of Haiti. He is also presently collaborating with his father, the noted motion picture producer and businessman Robert Haggiag, on the stage and motion picture production of Sandor Marai’s EMBERS.

Simone graduated from Tufts University.  After starting his career as an investment banker and money manager in London, Simone quickly became involved in a wide range of entrepreneurial activities both on his own and in conjunction with various family-run businesses. Among these is the Rome-based corporation, Dear Cinestudi SpA for which Simone currently serves as Chairman, as well as a range of real estate projects in Europe, the US and Israel; investments in telecommunications and Hi-Tech, co-management of his family’s investment portfolio and extensive film library.

As a musician Simone is a respected and accomplished percussionist who has collaborated, played and recorded with a wide range of musicians throughout the world including Ivan Lins, The Mike Gibbs Orchestra, Bob Moses, Hassan Hakmoun, Richard Horowitz & Sussane Deyhim; The Pan African Orchestra; Italian artists Lucio Dalla, Alex Britti, Sergio Cammarriere; Stefano Di Battista and Nicola Conte, and many others.

ORGANIZED NOIZE

Organized Noize is Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Patrick “Sleepy” Brown.  Hailing from Atlanta, the trio is responsible for breaking open the richness of the local rap scene with “Southernplayalistic,” the 1994 platinum debut from Outkast.  Then in 1995 they produced “Soul Food,” the gold debut from the Goodie Mob.  Organized Noize also produced Grammy-nominated song “Waterfalls” for TLC and “Don’t Let Go” by En Vogue for the “Set It Off” soundtrack.  Organized Noize has also worked with R&B artists Mista, Xscape, SWV, Nivea, Trey Songz, Brandy, and soul legends Curtis Mayfield, Mavis Staples and Earth Wind and Fire.  They produced three songs for Rapael Saadiq’s 2002 Grammy award winning album “Instant Vintage.”  The trio also wrote hip hop mega-hits “So Fresh, So Clean” for Outkast and “Saturday’s (Ooh, Ooh)” for Ludacris.

SOUNDGUILD
Composer

Marco Vitali, Steve Jennings, Gary Foote, Brian Delaney, and Regan Ryzuk are a collective of musicians and producers called Soundguild, a pioneer of collaborative composition.  This approach allows them to bring their diverse musical talents and perspectives to every project, and opens up the creative possibilities of scoring beyond the scope of an individual composer’s knowledge or taste.  Additionally, it affords them the ability to explore musical options further and faster, as well as filter the thousands of composition and production choices better.  Soudguild has composed for MTV, Nick at Nite, ESPN, and CMT.  They have also worked with advertisers including Young & Rubicam, Publicis, Saatchi, and Euro RSCG for various products.

ARTICLE 19 FILMS

Article 19 Films is a New York-based production company, which develops and produces documentaries and narrative films for domestic and international market.  Article19 Films focuses are art, culture, music, athletics, current affairs, social/political and human-interest stories.  The company has two feature documentaries in production: "Cry Haiti" which chronicles Grammy award winning artist, Wyclef Jean in his efforts to bring peace to his homeland Haiti, and "Bling: A Planet Rock" a feature documentary co-produced with VH-1 and The United Nations, on the Diamond Wars in Sierra Leone and how “Bling” culture in the West unknowingly fueled those wards.  The project will take Kanye West, Jada Kiss, Tego Calderon and Paul Wall to Sierra Leone.