Director - Michael Achilles Nickles
Michael is an award-winning filmmaker who began his career as a film student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he won the William Morris Screenwriting Award for his short film KILLIN' TIME and later graduated with top honors after receiving the school's most prestigious filmmaking award, the merit-based WTC Johnson Fellowship.
He went on to study with director Cory Allen and legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner and has written and/or directed several award-winning feature films and scripts including PLAYBACK (starring Christian Slater), JUST PECK (starring Brie Larson), and the animated feature BUNYAN & BABE (starring John Goodman).
As a cinematographer, Nickles has shot several acclaimed documentaries, including HANDS ON A HARDBODY, which won the Audience Award at the AFI Festival and which was recently turned into a Broadway musical. He also shot the travel doc MIKE'S INDIAN ADVENTURE and the rock-doc MOTORCITY MOTOR MOUTH along with several music videos and behind-the-scenes episodes on musical artists for MTV and VH1.
Most recently, Mr. Nickles wrote, directed and produced the Maine-based holiday/comedy HOLLY STAR and is the Executive Producer of Heather Graham's directorial debut HALF MAGIC. He is also the writer/director of the upcoming international thriller CIRCLE 9.
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Producer, Writer (Original Story) - George Elias Stephanopoulos
George is an independent producer and media attorney based in New York.
He completed production as executive producer of the film BEREAVE (starring Malcolm McDowell and Jane Seymour) and
GOLF IN THE KINGDOM adapted from Michael Murphy’s best-selling golf novel (starring David O’Hara and Mason Gamble), and as
co-producer of the film Second City’s BUZZKILL (starring Krysten Ritter), which was the first motion picture to be branded by
The Second City in more than 40 years.
In addition to SWING AWAY, George created and produced the documentary short ARTISTIC ENERGY: THE BRONX, a Yes the Bronx Production, and is a credited producer of the Harry Potter-inspired Off-Broadway hit comedy PUFFS.
As an attorney, his film credits include LASSIE (starring Peter O’Toole, Samantha Morton and Peter Dinklage) and VEGGIETALES: THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING (among these credits, he worked on SNL-spin off movies WAYNE'S WORLD, WAYNE'S WORLD 2 and CONEHEADS, as well as LASSIE: BEST FRIENDS ARE FOREVER, THE LONE RANGER, UNDERDOG and MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN).
George currently maintains his own legal and consultancy practice and previously served as a senior advisor to Classic Media, Inc. and its UK and Nashville-based subsidiaries (now part of DreamWorks Animation) in 2009 and was Executive Vice President and General Counsel there from 2001 to 2007.
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Producer - Stamatios Tom Hiotis
Tom comes to filmmaking from the world of advertising. Having been producer and head of production for a major multinational advertising agency, he then moved on to produce with some of the biggest production houses in Greece. After 26 years of producing award-winning commercials for both the Greek and International markets, he set his sights on new projects. He has since produced the documentary short ARTISTIC ENERGY: THE BRONX and currently also an Executive Producer for the feature length documentary THE ROAD TO SPARTA, (to be released in 2017), and is currently a producer on the movie HOLLY STAR, which will be released in late 2017. Tom is also one of the producers of the hit Off-Broadway show PUFFS, OR: SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC & MAGIC.
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Tom comes to filmmaking from the world of advertising. Having been producer and head of production for a major multinational advertising agency, he then moved on to produce with some of the biggest production houses in Greece. After 26 years of producing award-winning commercials for both the Greek and International markets, he set his sights on new projects. He has since produced the documentary short ARTISTIC ENERGY: THE BRONX and currently also an Executive Producer for the feature length documentary THE ROAD TO SPARTA, (to be released in 2017), and is currently a producer on the movie HOLLY STAR, which will be released in late 2017. Tom is also one of the producers of the hit Off-Broadway show PUFFS, OR: SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC & MAGIC.
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Producer - Kostas Lambropoulos
Kostas founded CL Productions in 1985 and since 2010 he has been collaborating with the Athens based film production company View Master Films, producing feature films, television, theatrical and cultural events’ productions for national and international projects. Lambropoulos has participated (as a producer or executive producer) in more than 190 feature films and has successfully worked with director Theo Angelopoulos producing the films ETERNITY AND A DAY, THE WEEPING MEADOW, ULYSSES' GAZE, THE SUSPENDED STEP OF THE STORK, LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST, DUST OF TIME, and (unfinished) THE OTHER SEA with director Costa-Gavras for the film EDEN IS WEST, with director Pantelis Voulgaris producing the film BRIDES, with Tassos Boulmetis producing A TOUCH OF SPICE, and with the director Nikos Perakis producing his film LOAFING AND CAMOUFLAGE: SIRENS IN THE AEGEAN. Most of his films have been awarded at International Festivals and have traveled in the festival circuit.
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Writer, Executive Producer - Paul Robert Lingas
Paul received a double BA in English Literature and Spanish at the University of Oregon before earning his MFA at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. His award winning film WIDE AWAKE IN NOTHING screened at numerous worldwide festivals and enjoyed a multi-year run on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). His film JUST ASK… is currently on the festival circuit, having already garnered seven awards, including four prestigious Awards of Excellence from the Accolade Global Film Competition, IndieFest Awards and Best Shorts Competition, and another eight nominations. Paul has produced, written and directed a number of other award winning films, a web based sit-com and a pair of documentaries. He has been commissioned to write and/or rewrite feature screenplays for a variety of production companies in Los Angeles, New York, London and Athens.
Paul is a Co-Founder of Blind Confidence Productions. Besides SWING AWAY, Paul has a number of other projects coming out this year, including COLD WATER, an independent drama for which he was Director of Photography, and the forthcoming sci-fi TV series DYSTOPIA, which he co-wrote. He is currently developing the psychological thriller THE HIVE.
Born in Portland, Oregon to a Greek father and Canadian mother, Paul was fortunate to have the unique and highly influential experience of spending nearly every summer of his youth at his family home in Greece and he continues to visit as often as he can. A long time resident of Los Angeles and New York, he also writes short and long narrative fiction and has written for two online music magazines, having interviewed Gary Busey and Ray Davies, among others. In addition, Paul was a Professor of Critical Film Theory and History for five years at the New York Film Academy.
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Writer - Julia Wall Nickles
Julia has been a professional writer and editor for the past fifteen years.
The critically-acclaimed documentary HANDS ON A HARDBODY, on which she served as Associate Producer, became an instant cult classic and inspired the 2013 Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical of the same name.
THIS IS NOT A FILM, the feature-length comedy she co-wrote and produced, won numerous film festival awards and played on the Independent Film Channel for several years. In addition to SWING AWAY, she also co-wrote the screenplay for BUNYAN & BABE, an upcoming animated feature starring John Goodman and Kelsey Grammer. Most recently Nickles completed a fantasy-adventure novel for young adult readers, the first in a series featuring a strong female protagonist and centered on female friendship.
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Director of Photography - Yiannis Daskalothanassis GSC
After graduating from the Stavrakos Cinema School, Yiannis started working as a Cinematographer in 1976. He has photographed documentaries, commercials, TV series and feature films. His contribution to the cinema community entails not only shooting, but also the designing of various cinematic tools, which is also his passion. Yiannis is a member of various boards and societies and was recently elected for a second time as President of the board of the Greek Society of Cinematographers.
2013 Seven Art Audience Award for Best Cinematography
2006 Personalities 2006 (TV Awards)
2002 Golden Knight for Best Cinematography - Moscow Film Festival
2001 Greek State Award for Best Cinematography
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Editor - Lambis Haralambidis
Born in Athens, Greece, Haralambidis has worked for 17 years in the film and television industry editing feature films, commercials and tv series. He has served as editor on 13 films and fifteen shorts in Greece, America, Australia and Japan and post production supervisor on 7 feature films .
He was the editor of Theodoros Angelopoulos’s last film. He has twice received the award for Best Editing from the Greek Film Academy for his work on Menelaos Karamaghiolis’s 2011 film J.A.C.E (JUST ANOTHER CONFUSED ELEPHANT) and in 2016 for WEDNESDAY 04.45 directed by Alexis Alexiou and he has also 3 clio awards and 2 lions for his work in commercials.
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Composer - Tao Zervas
Tao Zervas is a music composer and producer and long time collaborator of Minos Papas. He brings to his work many
years of experience in the alternative rock scene as a songwriter, producer and guitar player for the critically
acclaimed bands Summer Suspiria and Soulpusher.
Tao is currently the creator of numerous scores for film, television and commercial media, as well as sound design
and gallery installations. Acknowledged for his ability to meld his clients’ intentionsand commercial needs with artistic innovation, Tao’s music is well known for its depth, integrity and attention to detail. His recent credits include
SWING AWAY and A SHORT FILM ABOUT GUNS.
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