The Filmmakers
Roya Hakakian
Director and Producer
Roya Hakakian is a writer and journalist who writes both in Persian and English. She is the author of two books of poetry in Persian and three books of prose in English. She is the recipient of the Guggenheim fellowship in nonfiction for her book, Assassins of the Turquoise Palace. Her memoir, Journey from the Land of No, about coming of age as a Jewish girl in post-revolutionary Iran received Elle Magazine's Readers Choice Award. Her latest book, A Beginner's Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious, has been called a "must read for all immigrants and those who love them." She is a Fellow of Davenport College at Yale, and a proud naturalized U.S. citizen.
Jonathan Kesselman
Film Editor
Jonathan Kesselman is an award-winning writer, director, and producer who launched his career with the Sundance hit and international cult classic The Hebrew Hammer, cited by Moment Magazine as one of the most influential films in Jewish cinema history. His follow-up feature, Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero, swept the Austin Film Festival’s Comedy Vanguard and Audience awards, while his diverse portfolio includes directing second unit for Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and showrunning the star-studded comedy Gander. A prolific screenwriter and commercial director, Kesselman has developed projects for major studios including Paramount, Disney, and Sony, and helmed campaigns for global brands like Google, Nintendo, and Renault. With an MFA from USC and a background that ranges from teaching comedy at Yale University to contributing to Funny Or Die, he continues to create provocative, genre-bending content across film, television, and branded media.
Evan D. Morris
Executive Producer
Evan D. Morris is a Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. He and his students invent algorithms to explain medical images of the brain. Then they use them to the study neuropsychiatric diseases like addiction and Parkinson’s. Prof. Morris has taught imaging, modeling, and professional ethics for 17 years at Yale and at Purdue and Indiana before that. His main form of communication is writing essays and OpEds. Besides peer-reviewed articles in science and engineering, he writes on matters of science policy and antisemitism. He is new to film-making but enjoyed and learned a lot about the form by working with an experienced Director (Hakakian), Editor (Kesselman), and Composer (Copely).
Marc Copely is a New York City–based composer, guitarist, producer, and singer/songwriter. As a singer/songwriter signed with RCA Records, he released his debut album Limited Lifetime Guarantee to rave reviews and has since collaborated with icons including Carole King, Willie Nelson, Bono, and Joe Walsh. His music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, Lucifer, and Only Murders in the Building, with placements in over 300 films, including Lawless, August: Osage County, and St. Vincent. A versatile producer, mixer, and co-writer, he has worked with Mamak Khadem and GRAMMY®-nominated Kirsten Agresta Copely, and toured as Music Director with Coldplay, The Eagles, and ZZ Top.
Marc Copely
Composer
