CREW
DIRECTOR - HANNA SAWKA
Daughter of a psychologist and an acclaimed artist, Hanna Sawka Hamaguchi was born in communist Poland in 1975. Soon after her birth, the family was exiled for political reasons and settled in the United States. Hanna completed her English/Theater B.A. cum laude with high honors in Theater at Smith College in Northampton, MA. In 1997, the Kosciuszko Foundation awarded Hanna a grant to study at the Polish National Film School. While there, Hanna directed crime re-enactments for a nationally broadcast crime show (Polish National Television). She completed a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Directing in January 2004.
Since 1999, she has produced and directed 5 short narrative and documentary films, which together have garnered 16 festival selections/nominations around the world and awards that include a “Best of the Festival” award for That Sleepless Night at Mediawave in Hungary and an “Audience Choice” for Night Conversations at the Red Wasp Film Festival in Texas.
She has directed two full-length plays. In 1996, she staged an adaptation of "Love Suicide at Amijima" by Chikamatsu Monzaemon at the Hallie Flanagan Studio Theater in Northampton, MA in 1996. In 2002, Hanna directed a politically controversial play, "The Carcass," by Richard Corozine, at the STU Theater in Krakow, Poland.
In 2004, Lake Isle Press published At Hanka’s Table, a culinary autobiography recounting the Sawka family’s survival and success in the art world, which Hanna co-authored with her mother, Hanka Sawka. The book has garnered critical praise from media including the New York Times and National Public Radio.
Hanna is currently working on pre-production of The Voyage, a multi-media spectacle in collaboration with her father, Jan Sawka. Pilots of The Voyage were awarded the Gold Medal in Multi-media at the Florence Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2003.
COMPOSER, BASSIST, GUITARIST - JOHN MENEGON
John Menegon is a jazz bassist, but also sings and plays guitar. Teri Roiger and John Menegon have been collaborating musically for over 15 years, and during this time their music has taken many exciting twists and turns. They both compose music and lyrics, and often collaborate on writing. They have also been teaching Jazz at SUNY New Paltz for the past 13 years. The depth of their experiences and love of jazz are apparent when they bring all of their combined experience together in live performance, the recording studio, and in their compositions.
In spring 2011 Teri recorded her third CD DEAR ABBEY, a collection of songs written by Abbey Lincoln, and is anticipating an early Autumn release. The music is heartfelt, exciting, swingin’, nourishing, traditional, yet modern, and John’s arrangements fit the timbre and feeling of Teri’s voice perfectly. John has just recorded a new CD called NEW MOON, and the music is mostly improvised, with sketched out compositions by Menegon and spoken word/vocals by Teri. John is also presently working with his Latin Project, a combination of originals and standard Latin/Bossa Novas. John and Teri collaborated on the compositions and recordings for BEYOND ICONIC, and are thrilled to be a part of this project.
COMPOSER, VOCALIST, PIANIST - TERI ROIGER
Teri Roiger is a jazz vocalist, but also plays piano. Teri Roiger and John Menegon have been collaborating musically for over 15 years, and during this time their music has taken many exciting twists and turns. They both compose music and lyrics, and often collaborate on writing. They have also been teaching Jazz at SUNY New Paltz for the past 13 years. The depth of their experiences and love of jazz are apparent when they bring all of their combined experience together in live performance, the recording studio, and in their compositions.
In spring 2011 Teri recorded her third CD DEAR ABBEY, a collection of songs written by Abbey Lincoln, and is anticipating an early Autumn release. The music is heartfelt, exciting, swingin’, nourishing, traditional, yet modern, and John’s arrangements fit the timbre and feeling of Teri’s voice perfectly.
Teri’s acclaimed composition STILL LIFE is included in the documentary BEYOND ICONIC soon to be premiered by filmmaker Hanna Sawka Hamaguchi on the legendary photographer Dennis Stock. In 2006 this composition won third prize in the jazz category in the prestigious, world-renowned International Songwriting Competition, a competition recognized by the New York Times as one of the best in the world. John and Teri collaborated on the compositions and recordings for BEYOND ICONIC, and are thrilled to be a part of this project.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - JUN HAMAGUCHI
Jun Hamaguchi is the son of Indian and Japanese parents, who both worked at the United Nations. Although he is an Environmental Engineer by training, and is passionate about renewable energy, he always took interest in film and the arts. In 2004, Jun organized an art exhibition in the United Nations. He has worked with Hanna on a few projects including Beyond Iconic.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - MICHAEL MONTELLA
Michael Montella is a documentary filmmaker, electronic media artist and producer for public television.
His co-production in 2004 of “Concorde Alpha-Delta: An Intrepid Journey”, developed in partnership with The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Thirteen/WNET, and The History Channel was broadcast both nationally on The History Channel and locally in New York on Thirteen/WNET. A short museum version of the film continues to run at the Intrepid Museum’s theater. The program garnered a platinum Telly Award for best documentary.
He went on to produce numerous projects for Maryland Public Television including Mega-Movers: Intrepid on the Move, Anuna, Celtic Origins, Anuna, Christmas Memories, and as a post production producer for a 13-part public television series and a segment producer of Outdoors Maryland a long-running outdoor recreation and environmental series and Transformation Age, Surviving a Technology Revolution with Robert X. Cringlely.
He is currently pursuing several independent documentary projects including “Slumdweller Stories”, a journey to the slums of Mumbai by with two American teenagers and their parents in an attempt to understand what Prince Charles has called (speaking of Dharavi) ‘a model for sustainable living’.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - MATEUSZ BROUGHTON
Polish born cinematographer and photographer Mateusz Broughton earned a BA in Photography from the Academy of Art in Poznan and an MFA in Cinematography from the prestigious Polish National Film School in Lodz.
Mateusz's work is informed by the formal rigor and aesthetics of the European cinema that he trained in, as well as the energy and vibrancy of the urban genres he's been working in since he moved to New York in 2005. Since then, he has twelve Director of Photography credits to his name, including short films, documentary films, and music videos. His two recent movies "A Big Ball of Foil in a Small NY Apartment '" and "Christopher Dispossessed" were well received and were screened at international film festivals in New York, Philadelphia, Bruxelles and Athens.
LOCATION & POST, PRODUCTION SOUND - RICK REINEKE
Rick Reineke started his 'sound' career playing drums and has recorded with Sire and BP Puppy records. Switching to guitar in the early 1970s, Rick toured the NY and NJ nightclub circuit with numerous cover bands and eventually played bass guitar in the infamous NYC new wave band "The Papers". When not playing, Rick mixed sound at nightclubs, concerts and worked as a free-lance recording engineer. He was also a staff engineer at NYC's Song Shop Recording, West 55th Music Farm and chief engineer at Studio X in NJ. Clients have included: Commander Cody, James Cotton, Dr. John, Steve Forbert, Jorma Kaukonen, Cindy Lauper, Levon Helm, NRBQ, Johnny Maestro, Sam Moore, Pure Prairie League, Quicksilver, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Edgar Winter.
Rick started recording location sound for documentary films in 1991 and post-production audio on select projects. TV shows he has worked on include: "Baseball's Golden Age"(MSG); "Cold Pizza" (ESPN); "Building Character" and "Extreme Living" (HGTV:) "Yes in My Backyard", "Marion's Triumph", Helen Keller's Spiritual Life & Legacy" and "Americas Most Scenic Rail Journeys" (PBS); "American Christmas" (CBS special); "Joy" (ABC Easter Special); "LPFM, The Peoples Choice (NBC); "New Morning" and "Amistad Reborn" (Odyssey/Hallmark) and Canadian Idol (CBC). Recent feature films include: "Happy and Bleeding" and "Persephone".