ALESSANDRO ALPINI- Producer
Born in Milan, he graduated with a BA in Intercultural Media and Communication, with a thesis focusing on the relationship between Chinese and Western Cinema.
Following an MA in Filmmaking at London Film School in 2012, Alessandro worked as Video Producer in the production company TheBlinkFish in Milan, focusing in particular on web commercials and viral content for brands such as Mondadori, Legambiente and 3M.
At the same time he gained further experience in fiction productions in Italy and UK.
In 2014 Alessandro moved to Asia, where he co-founded the Indian production company Draw4Films.
After having completed the production of the short film "Chudala" by Maaria Sayed, he just completed the post-production of the feature documentary "Wai Guo Ren", shot in Singapore.
He was selected as part of the Producer's Lab in NFDC Goa Film Bazaar 2016.
After an injury in water polo, he swore to enjoy sports as a spectator and not as a sportsman. He now spends most of his free time on the piano, improvising on compositions and experimenting with animation techniques.
MAARIA SAYED- Writer/Director
Maaria graduated in Literature in India before she moved to London, where she got a Masters in Filmmaking. Having been a part time painter and theater performer, Maaria felt cinema was the best way to combine and channelize her interests. Her first short film "Aabida" screened in more than 20 international film festivals and won 4 awards in the Best Film category. Maaria worked in Beach House Pictures in Singapore as a writer for networks such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic and Fox, alongside dabbling in pre-schoolers content for television.
Once back in Mumbai, Maaria established Draw4Films, a production company based in India, hoping to create more independent cinema. ‘Chudala’, her second short film, was co-produced with Draw4Films and Drishyam Films.
She was selected among the top 24 filmmakers of Asia to be a part of the Busan Asian Film Academy 2016, where she co-directed the short film ‘Cichlid’, screened at the Busan International Film Festival 2016, where she was awarded a scholarship for her Outstanding Performance. In 2017 Maaria was invited to be part of the Fajr Talent Campus in Tehran (Iran), where she won the Short Film Pitch, which is soon to be developed as a film under the guidance of the lab.
She recently collaborated with the Asia Peace Film Festival, held in Islamabad (Pakistan) in 2017, as member of the Jury.
In her free time she listens to Quwwalis and Ghazals, reads Sufi poetry, catches up on Indian theatre, scribbles her thoughts and explores her creativity on the canvas and in the kitchen.