Persephone - A short film by Laurent Rejto

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	LAURENT REJTO – Director As a producer and director, Laurent’s projects include the recent music video for Blondie Mother, as well as music videos for The Felice Brothers, Frankies Gun and Trouble Been Hard. Other projects include The Boneman, about artist Gendron Jensen, Reaching Out With Theatre, and For Love of Julian, narrated by Susan Sarandon. As a writer, Rejto’s work was recently featured in Mixte Magazine. His translation and revision of the French World War II novel, The Reluctant Adventurer, is available on Amazon and other bookstores. Screenplays include Cover-Up and Country Heritage. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, which he attended on a full scholarship, Rejto became an assistant editor, then film editor on documentaries including the Emmy winning Beyond the Altar and the Academy Award nominated Witness to Apartheid. Laurent Rejto is the founder and co-director of the Woodstock Film Festival and the commissioner of the Hudson Valley Film Commission, which creates sustainable economic development by attracting, supporting and promoting regional film production.

	AMANDA WARMAN - Producer A proud graduate of Bard College, Amanda Warman is a film producer and social media consultant. With varied experience, some of her choice credits include: Associate Producer for the documentary film She’s the Best Thing In It, directed by Academy-Award nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and produced by Neda Armian (Rachel Getting Married), Production Manager for the feature length film Family Tree, and Production Manager for the Blondie music video Mother. Other films she has worked on include The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Stuck Between Stations. She regularly collaborates with the Woodstock Film Festival as Executive Assistant to the festival director, as well as the Hudson Valley Film Commission, Independent Film Project (IFP), Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, and Red Hawk Films.. Her background in social innovation and community development have garnered such awards as a StartingBloc Social Innovation Fellowship, Davis Projects for Peace, and a theater research grant in Juneau, Alaska.

	GREG MEOLA - Producer Greg Meola is currently producing a documentary about local dairy farmers. Other recent film work includes art department coordination on the upcoming feature film Francine, starring Melissa Leo and as the lead carpenter on the soon to be released Return starring Linda Cardelini and Michael Shannon. He coordinated production design for the new Blondie music video Mother and for the past two years at the Woodstock Film Festival. Greg has lived in the Hudson Valley for 10 years. Transplanted from New York City, he runs Olive Builders, a company that just completed a new two story, multi-function building (cafe, library, media lab, music room) at The Woodstock Day School. Greg is also an active volunteer firefighter holding the position of Second Lieutenant in the Olive Fire Department.

	ERIK WEIGEL – UPM/Producer Erik Weigel is an accomplished producer and director with a slate of projects that include his award winning film, Gravity, The Bell with Martin Sheen, I think I thought directed by and starring Matthew Modine, the indie feature Charlie, and the 2009 theatrical release, El Camino, which also marked Erik’s feature film directorial debut. He has had the privilege of producing projects with talented people such as Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Natalie Portman, Alec Baldwin and many others. Based in New York City for the past ten years, Erik continues to focus on developing and producing character driven, quality films.

	SHAWN RICE- Assistant Director

	BRYAN CLONINGER – Director of Photography Bryan Cloninger is a Cinematographer and Photographer specializing in Digital Acquisition and workflow with a background in film. He combines filmic craft with cutting edge knowledge of storytelling technology together to make projects full of Art, Passion, and Soul. Bryan focuses on building in the story visually so that all the composition, color, and movement is in discreet service to the communicating the story. He is technologically agnostic and shoots film or with whatever medium best suites the look of the project. Bryan has traveled extensively for various projects and is very familiar on working on and coordinating international teams. He currently shares his time in the south of France and upstate New York. Recent credits include DP and camera operator credits on Lilith by Ophelia Kolb, and camera operator credits on Bruce Beresford’s Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding with Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener, and 2nd Unit DP & Camera operator credits on Vera Farmiga’s Higher Ground.

	PATRICK NERI – Operator The dramatic landscape of the Rocky Mountains surrounding Patrick Neri’s hometown Evergreen, Colorado, nourished from a young age his passion for the visual arts. He started a landscape photography business in 2004 and began his career as a videographer for the Anthropedia Foundation in 2008, a work that lead to extensive traveling and documentation of rural and urban landscapes throughout the United States and France. While he still continues with this work today, his interest led him towards the telling of the more complex visual stories on feature films. This chapter began in 2010 with Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut titled Higher Ground. Later that year, he joined the International Cinematographers Guild and, since then, has worked on 5 feature films with Oscar and Academy Award winning talent. Florent Guinle is a 1st AC, living in the south of France. After obtaining his degree as a camera operator, he began his career working for Canal+, Arte, and France television. He also worked with the Cannes Film Festival, the National Theater in Nice, and numerous commercials. More recently, he has been focused on short films, such as Lilith and Persephone, and the French TV series Urban Comix.
	FLORENT GUINLE – 1ST AC Florent Guinle is a 1st AC, living in the south of France. After obtaining his degree as a camera operator, he began his career working for Canal+, Arte, and France television. He also worked with the Cannes Film Festival, the National Theater in Nice, and numerous commercials. More recently, he has been focused on short films, such as Lilith and Persephone, and the French TV series Urban Comix.

	CHRISTOPHER GRAHAM - Digital Image Technician A graduate from New Paltz State University, Chris's roots in the Hudson Valley run deep and his passion for moving picture technology is mighty. His dedication to the craft of digital cinema is fortified by his desire to learn and grow in an always morphing trade. With years supporting the New York City video production industry, Chris has experienced a wide variety of environments ranging from feature films to network sitcoms and live sports broadcast. An accomplished video engineer, he is accustomed to challenges and always faces them head on with a can do attitude. Some of Chris's outstanding credits include EIC of ABC's Primetime: What Would You Do?, Video Engineer for BOB, Host Broadcaster of the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing, and DIT for the feature film "Higher Ground."

	STACEY ANDERSON – Art Director Stacey Anderson is an award-winning Production Designer and Set Decorator. She has worked on Various Feature Films , Television, and commercial Productions over the past 15 years. Her clients have included Disney, ABC, CBS, King World, and Lions Gate Studios with a long list of successful projects and great experiences. Her love for design is a passion she brings out not only through visual media, but also through commercial and residential design.

	KATIE LOBEL – Assistant Art Director Katie Lobel is concerned with all things aesthetic. Her background in Fine Arts and Design has contributed to her photography, artwork, and décor. She spends her days seeking out beauty, rearranging it, and creating new looks. Katie currently resides in the Hudson Valley. Recently, Katie has worked on Rhymes with Banana and a Technicality of the Spacetime Continuum.

	INGRID PRICE – Costume Designer Ingrid Price from Stone Ridge has had a 30-year love affair with costume design, which gets more passionate with each project. Her real strength is in film and television costume design. The interplay of lighting, set design, and camera work with the costumes is endlessly fascinating. What she enjoy most is collaborating with actors and directors to help create characters that are memorable and true. Clothes make the man or woman, and its exhilarating to find the shirt, hat, or shoe that suddenly pulls the outfit into focus. Select credits include Rhymes with Banana, Nurse Jackie, Criminal Intent, Racing Daylight and Lassie.

	ANNEY PERRINE – Assistant Costume Designer Chicago native Anney Perrine has long been captivated by how people express themselves through apparel, accessories, and personal objects and spaces. Since her teen years she has worked in and explored various corners of the design world, including stationery, interior painting, portraiture, and wardrobe consulting. New to the film industry, Anney feels fortunate to have worked with incredibly talented cast and crew on recent Hudson Valley projects "Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding," "The Last Keepers," "Rhymes with Banana," and "Family Tree."

	ERICA PEARCE - Makeup and Hair Currently located in the beautiful Hudson Valley, Erica Pearce trained at the Make-up Designory (MUD) near Los Angeles, CA. Although she worked steadily in Los Angeles and NYC for 10 years, she decided to relocate to the Hudson Valley and currently works as a freelance make-up artist in and around the area on local and location productions, commercials and photo shoots. Visit Makeup by Erica for portfolio, resume and contact info.

	JORDAN MATTHEWS - Editor

	CHISTOPHER DESANTO - VFX Supervisor Chris De Santo is a visual effects artist specializing in VFX supervision, set survey and match moving within multiple digital workflows. With his wide knowledge of visual effects techniques he successfully leads a distributed team of international artists to meet the demands of any project. Chris strives to bring to life the Directors vision while staying in budget and on time. He accomplishes this by providing solid on set advice, working with an incredible team of hand picked artists with skills specific to the needs of the project and a can-do collaborative attitude. Chris currently lives in Australia, but grow up in the United States and has also lived in Europe for some years. Recent credits include Visual Effects Supervisor and matchmover on Vera Farmigas 2011 Sundance nominee Higher Ground and Visual Effects Supervisor on Bruce Beresfords Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding with Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener.

	MONIQUE CARBONI - Still Photography Monique Carboni began her NYC theatre career as a graphic designer and segued into photography in 2003. She is a member of LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY and THE NEW GROUP, photographing such plays as Hurlyburly (by David Rabe/directed by Scott Elliot), A Lie of the Mind (by Sam Shepard/directed by Ethan Hawke), The Starry Messenger (written & directed by Kenneth Lonnergan), Abigails Party (by Mike Leigh/directed by Scott Elliot), The Fever (written & performed by Wallace Shawn), Jack Goes Boating (by Bob Glaudini/directed by Peter DuBois), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and The Little Flower of East Orange (both by Stephen Adly Guirgis/directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman). She has also shot production photos & poster art for multiple Tony Award winning/nominated Broadway shows, including Spring Awakening (book & lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, directed by Michael Mayer), The Lieuntenant of Inishmore (by Martin McDonagh/directed by Wilson Milam), FELA! (directed & choreographed by Bill T. Jones) and most recently, The Motherfker with the Hat (by Stephen Adly Guirgis/directed by Anna D. Shapiro), where she worked exclusively as Chris Rocks' personal backstage photographer.