CREW | CAST | Industry Mentors
Writer / Director / Producer – Gregg Helvey
Student Academy Award® Winner, GREGG HELVEY, has traveled the world to film in countries such as El Salvador, China, Kenya and England on projects ranging from National Geographic and BBC1 documentaries to independent fictional films. As a filmmaker, Helvey seeks to combine his passion for social justice with powerful story telling.
Helvey wrote, directed and produced “Kavi,” the winning film of the 2009 Student Academy Award® gold medal in the narrative category. “Kavi” was filmed entirely on location in India and tells the story of a young boy who wants to play cricket and go to school, but instead he is forced to work in a brick kiln as a modern-day slave. Kavi must either accept what he’s always been told, or fight for a different life even if he’s unsure of the ultimate outcome. More information is available at www.KaviTheMovie.com
Helvey’s other award-winning work includes the documentary, “Overexposed,” which examines how pornography affects men. Dr. Drew, Adam Carolla and other cultural pundits comment on the issue as the cameras follow two men trying to navigate the rocky road of love, sex and intimacy in the age of virtual fantasies. More information is available at www.OverexposedTheMovie.com
Helvey received his M.F.A in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and his B.A.s in English and French from the University of Virginia.
email: Contact@KaviTheMovie.com
Cinematographer – John Harrison
JOHN HARRISON is a cinematographer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he majored in Spanish and spent his junior year living and studying in Cadiz, Spain. In 2004, he moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He graduated in 2008 with an MFA in Film Production. While at USC, his cinematography was twice awarded the Thomas Bush Award for Excellence in Cinematography. Recently, his work has screened at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals and won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Student Film, 2008. John currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jen, and is available for assignment. For more information, please visit his website: http://www.blueskyhill.com
Editor – Chris Witt
CHRIS WITT has a heart for redemptive storytelling and has made that his focus for the projects he chooses to collaborate on. Along the way, he has picked up several accolades for his editing. His feature film, “Clear Lake, WI”, starring Michael Madsen, won the Audience Choice for Best Feature Film at the 2008 Boston Film Festival. “Clear Lake, WI” also garnered Chris a Best Editor award at the 2008 Wild Rose Film Festival. Chris’ film “Stained”, for which he won Best Editor during the 2008 168 Film Project, has also been recognized for nine other awards. Chris’ documentary “A Ripple of Hope” won Best Documentary at the 2008 Harvest Moon Film Festival and the Audience Choice for Best Documentary at the 2008 Heartland Film Festival. Chris Witt currently resides in Los Angeles where he works as a Picture Editor in both film and television. Please visit his website: http://www.chriswittfilms.com
Producers – Guneet Monga + Harish Amin
HARISH AMIN is one of India’s most respected film professionals. He is a one-of-a-kind production manager and producer, with a keen interest only in helping to create beautiful films. Speaking Tree Films is his way of giving back to the industry which has given him so much over thirty years. Harish has a skillful eye for spotting fresh talent and assembling a passionate and professional production team. To his credit he has successfully managed productions for directors such as Mira Nair, Wes Anderson, Fabio Carpi, Joel Fargues, Vincenzo Tarquini, Vic Sarin, Farhan Aktar, Gustad and Homi Adajania.
More info coming soon…
First A.D. – Vikas Chandra
VIKAS CHANDRA was chosen as one of the Top 50 young filmmakers in India in 2004 at the Osians film festival. In 2006, he worked on A Green Agony, a film made on the impact of climate change in the Sundarbans in India. The film was shown on Discovery and was nominated for the Green Oscars.
Vikas has worked across the Indian film and TV industry starting with documentaries, moving on to commercials, short films, feature films and is now writing for films and TV. He has directed over a 100 songs and a couple of episodes for Indian television. Vikas is based in Mumbai, India, and is currently working towards his first feature film, a bitter-sweet tale of a Korean couple settled in New Delhi, India.
Second A.D. – Hanish Kaila
Info coming soon…
Associate Producer – Margaux Helvey
MARGAUX HELVEY is the Associate Director of the Society and Business Lab in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. Margaux received a dual degree in business (MBA) and social work (MSW) from USC, and she received her bachelors degree from the University of Virginia. Margaux has applied her strengths toward the fundraising, pre-production and publicity of “Kavi.” This is her first film.
Sound Design – Gentry Smith
GENTRY SMITH hails from Dallas, Texas. He has done sound work for numerous independent films and television projects, including “Real World: Brooklyn” and sound design work for JibJab.com. He holds an MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California, and a BA in Studio Art from Arizona State University. He has worked as a cartoonist, Tarot reader, illustrator, masseur, graphic designer, proofreader, video store clerk, lackey, purveyor of fine used books, and human guinea pig.
Music – Patrick Kirst
PATRICK KIRST hails from Germany, and is one of Hollywood’s next generation of film composers providing a fresh and unique voice in the film music industry. His most recent credits include the documentary Humanity United: At the end of Slavery, produced by the International Justice Mission (IJM), and additional music for Disney’s first Nature Documentary release Earth, based on the BBC’s hit show Planet Earth. In 2007 he joined the adjunct faculty at USC. He is honored to be part of the incredibly talented pool of faculty members and enjoys sharing his experience as an artist in today’s highly competitive film music market.
CAST – cast members’ info coming soon
“Kavi” – SAGAR SALUNKE
“Samrat” – ULHAS TAYADE
“Father” – RAJESH KUMAR
“Mother” – MADHAVI JUVEKAR
“Arvind” – DEBU BATTACHYARA
“Vishal” – RISHI RAJ SINGH
“Guard” – MUKESH BARAHTI
Industry Mentors
Various industry mentors from both the Indian and American film industries have served as mentors throughout the process of this project.
Faculty Mentor - BRUCE BLOCK is a producer, author and visual consultant whose career spans over 30 years. He also teaches seminars on visual structure in storytelling at University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. Block has produced such films as Something’s Gotta Give (2003), What Women Want (2000) and Father of the Bride (1991).
Sound Mentor - KEVIN O’CONNELL is a 20-time Academy Award nominated sound re-recording mixer. He has mixed such films as Empire Strikes Back, Top Gun, Memoirs of a Geisha and Transformers.
Editing Mentor – KEVIN TENT has over 20 years experience editing motion pictures. His editing credits include such films as Sideways, Blow, The Golden Compass, About Schmidt and Election.
Script Mentor - BART GAVIGAN is a writer and filmmaker who runs clinics for major European and Hollywood screenwriters. He is an advisor to the Sundance Institute and has acted as advisor to Equinox and British Screen in Europe. He wrote and produced Luther starring Joe Fiennes.
Casting Mentor – UMA DA CUNHA is a top casting director in India. She has casted for leading directors such as Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”, “Kamasutra”), Deepa Mehta (“Earth” and 2007 Oscar nominated, “Water”), Jane Campion (“Holy Smoke”), Aamir Khan (the British extras in “Lagaan”) and Dev Benegal (“English August”). She has worked with prestigious Indian directors such as Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal and Buddhadeb Dasgupta.
