Lust Life love Team
STEPHANIE SELLARS (Writer / Co-Director / Producer) is a New York-based filmmaker, writer, and performer. She has written, produced, directed, and acted in many films, which have won awards and played festivals including New York Film Festival, Outfest, Frameline, DC Shorts, Cinekink, Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, and Mexico International Film Festival. Her first film, Twenty Minutes of Immortality, aired on IFC for three years. Stephanie studied film at La Femis in Paris and Columbia University School of the Arts where she received a MFA. As a writer and filmmaker she was awarded residencies at Yaddo and Vermont Studio Center. An early screenplay draft of Lust Life Love was a quarter-finalist in Austin and BlueCat Screenplay Competitions. She wrote, produced and starred in the web-series Lust Life for You Tube, and created the YouTube Channel Hot Jazz Crazy Cats, featuring her jazz singing and cat videos. From 2006-2007 she wrote a weekly column of the same name for New York Press. In 2006 she founded Immortality Productions, which produces film and theatrical projects, exploring art, sexuality, and spirituality, and how their intersection can bring about transformation. stephaniesellars.com.
BEN FEUER (Co-Director) A Columbia MFA writer/director/producer, Ben's films have screened at Clermont-Ferrand, Outfest, Frameline, DC Shorts and dozens of other festivals, have been distributed worldwide through companies such as Shorts International, Ouat! Media, Mini Movie Channel and OML, as well as have been viewed over half a million times online. In 2012, Ben produced The Skinny (2012), starring Jussie Smollett (Empire) written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk, creator of the popular Noah’s Arc series on Logo. The Skinny was an official selection of BFI London and Outfest Fusion, won Best Director at Outfest and is distributed worldwide by Wide Management. Ben's film and television writing has been optioned to major production companies and honored dozens of times, including 2nd place in Scriptapalooza and Top 100 in Tracking Board, and his scripts have been developed at Madhouse (Prisoners) and Maven Entertainment (Black Nativity). Ben has worked as a freelance story editor on projects including Being Mary Jane and A Dog’s Purpose (2017) and has taught film at the undergraduate level at Columbia and Curry College under professors such as Annette Insdorf and Andrew Sarris. benfeuer.com
ALENA SVYATOVA (Producer) is a New York based producer. She started her career in filmmaking as part of the development team at Alumeta Creative, budgeting and packaging projects. Alena moved on to production when she was brought on as part of the producing team for Mad Women, which went on to screen in multiple cities, including NY, LA, Seattle, and Portland. It is available on Amazon Instant Video. Prom King, 2010, shot in 2016, won the “New Visions” award at Cinequest Film Festival, and is continuing festival rounds. Alena produced the fiction documentary American Trial (NYFF), about the Eric Garner case, and she has several other projects in development.
SOLA FASEHUN (Co-Producer) Sola Fasehun is a producer, writer, actress, and musician based in NYC. She graduated undergrad with college and university honors from Carnegie Mellon University with a BHA degree. After CMU, Sola moved to LA and worked under Academy Award winning producer Michael Phillips (Taxi Driver,The Sting) in Beverly Hills. She also began an independent production company: Fasehun Films. In NY, Sola was an Associate Producer on the first Broadway revival of Godspell (starring Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba) and was one of the producers of Broken Badge, executive produced by Academy Award nominated Michael Hausman (Gangs of New York, Brokeback Mountain). In addition, Sola is an ASCAP writer and Executive for Danceaholic Records/Noizy Neighbors/Universal Music Group. She produces music videos, writes music, and coordinates TV & movie music deals for the label. For five and a half years, Sola was a Sales & Distribution consultant at Submarine Entertainment / Deluxe (Winter’s Bone,Tangerine). Fasehun Films assisted Submarine with consulting on many feature films. During Sola’s time there, several Submarine-repped movies received Academy Awards: Citizen Four, 20 Feet From Stardom, and Searching For Sugarman. Another Submarine film, Life Animated, was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award. For the last four years in a row Submarine’s films won the Grand Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival: Wolfpack, Weiner, Dina, Kailash. Sola is a Co-Producer on the feature film: Fire Music, which will soon be released in collaboration with Submarine Entertainment. She has an MFA degree from Columbia University. Currently, Sola works at United Talent Agency (UTA). fasehunfilms.wordpress.com
JENNIFER PERALTA-AJEMIAN (Casting Director) is a professionally trained ballet dancer who studied extensively with legendary coach Maggie Black. Her background as a performing artist would later translate into directing talent. After graduating from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Minor in Journalism, Jennifer transitioned into the entertainment field. From 2004-2010, Jennifer assisted talent agents Jerry Hogan and George Lutsch, followed by casting directors Avy Kaufman, Bernard Telsey, Cindy Tolan, and Liz Lewis. In 2011, she began a collaboration with casting director Robin Carus under the banner of J&R creative, which cast 50+ film and theatrical productions. In 2014, Jennifer opened a full-service casting office serving film/tv, advertising, and animation clients in New York and Los Angeles. Jennifer’s films have screened at various festivals including the Academy-accredited Atlanta Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Denver Film Festival, Indy Film Fest, Long Island International Film Expo, LA Shorts Fest, Maryland Film Festival, Miami Short Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Portland Film Festival, Schnit International Shortfilmfestival, Slamdance Film Festival, SOHO International Film Festival, and Tribeca. Her commercial and digital campaign work for clients including Comcast, Jersey Mike's, Speedo, Swiffer, and Western Union, have been seen worldwide. Jennifer conducts a variety of educational programs that provide private & group coaching to actors and business professionals, and a full breakdown of the casting process to directors and producers. She is a Jury Member of the Socially Relevant Film Festival and the Burbank International Film Festival.
ARI ROTHSCHILD (Director of Photography) is a Brooklyn based DP with seven feature credits including Cinequest New Visions winner Prom King 2010 and American Trial (NYFF). He got his start shooting a Bollywood feature while living in India and he continues with the same playful and open exploration in all his work. Drawing on his experience as a colorist (Fort Tilden, Always Shine, Bone Tomahawk) he brings a rigorous approach to the technical side of lighting and exposure, turning digital images into beautiful films. possibleimpossible.com
CAROL MAZZONI (1st Assistant Director) was born and raised and Brazil and based in New York City, Carol Mazzoni is a 1st Assistant Director known for the feature films The Great & The Small, bwoy and The Stockroom. A film and television professional for over a decade, Mazzoni has been a part of the production team of some the biggest sports events in the world, such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London and a handful of Super Bowls, to name a few. She has also Produced and 1st Assistant Directed of over 30 critically acclaimed films, series, commercials and new media content all around the United States. carolmazzoni.com and imdb.me/carolmazzoni.
AYELET GIL-EFRAT (Editor) is among the top-acclaimed editors in Israel, working on narrative feature films, episodic television, and documentaries. She was the editor of Israeli episodic dramas that were remade or sold for development in the US, including "Eagles" (HBO), and "The Children of the Prime Minister" (The CW). She was also editor of two award-winning feature films, No Exit, winner of Best Film at Jerusalem International Film Festival 2006 and most recently Harmonia, official selection of San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and others including Jerusalem International Film Festival 2016 where it won the Jewish Experience Award. Lust Life Love is her first U.S. narrative feature film.
T.V. ALEXANDER (Production Designer) is a production designer and artist living in Brooklyn, NY. She studied traditional scenic design at Syracuse University and has dabbled in fabrication, puppet making, interior design, and event design among other things. tvalexander.com
SUZANNE BARNES (Costume Designer) Suzanne Barnes has over 20 years experience in both the UK and US film industry. After receiving her BA in costume design from London's prestigious Wimbledon School of Art, she worked in theatrical costume design. Suzanne developed her taste for features in 1997, while assisting Oscar-winning designer Sandy Powell on Todd Haynes' The Velvet Goldmine. Since then she has designed many award-winning films including Clemency, winner of the Grand Jury Award at Sundance in 2019. Other films include Dark Hearts and Where the Road Runs Out with director Rudolf Buitendach, In Embryo and Gutterbee with lauded Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen, and award-winning Selling Isobel, based on Frida Farrell’s true story about sex trafficking. In 2014 Suzanne co-designed the New York thriller Never Here, written and directed by Camille Thoman, with a stellar cast: Mireille Enos, Sam Shepard, Vincent Piazza and Goran Visnjic. Never Here debuted early 2018 on Starz and was released theatrically. In 2016 Suzanne had the pleasure designing costumes for actress Jennifer Morrison’s directorial debut Sun Dogs, a Netflix Original, with Melissa Benoist, Michael Angarano, Ed O'Neill, Allison Janney and Jennifer Morrison herself. Recent work also includes a supernatural thriller Hex with long term collaborator Rudolf Buitendach. Hex had its World Premiere at the 26th Raindance Film Festival. Suzanne is a member of the Costume Designers Guild. suzannebarnescostume.com
JODI KING (Hair and Make-Up) is a New York City based hair and make-up artist. For information about Jodi visit her website: jodikingmakeup.com
JAY LIFTON (Composer) Greek-American composer Jay Lifton grew up in the comfortable suburbs of New York where he was protected by his parents from anything bad ever happening to him. As a result he is now strongly attracted to projects involving the very subject matter from which he was sheltered.
Jay composed music for the THE PLEASURE OF YOUR PRESENCE, starring Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott. Other recent projects include the documentary GETTING NAKED: A BURLESQUE STORY, which premiered at Venice Days and later screened at DOC NYC. He is also working on IT TOOK 50 YEARS: FRANCES GOLDIN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR COOPER SQUARE, the story of how a small group of residents in New York’s East Village were able to stop the city from demolishing most of lower Manhattan to make way for luxury condos. In 2015 Jay co-scored the documentary LAND GRAB with Guster’s Ryan Miller. Directed by Sean King O’Grady (IN A WORLD), it is the story of a Detroit community’s skepticism of a wealthy businessman who purports to want to help rebuild their neighborhood. Jay also scored the narrative HOW HE FELL IN LOVE, directed by Marc Meyers (MY FRIEND DAHMER, APPROACHING UNION SQUARE) which premiered at the 2015 LA Film Festival and was released theatrically in the summer of 2016. Jay also wrote, directed, and scored his own short film, TEST (2014) which played over 50 festivals worldwide and won four awards. Jay also wrote the theme music for IBM’s “Watson and Me” campaign (2015-present), featured in over twenty national TV spots starring Sir Ridley Scott, Carrie Fisher, Ken Watanabe, Stephen King, and Serena Williams.
Jay holds a B.A. in music from Tufts University and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from The New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Roos, Alan Chase, and George Russell. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.
SIMON TAUFIQUE (Composer / Co-Producer) is a UK-born, NYC-based creative polymath: a producer, composer, festival contributor, executive and two-time Sundance lab finalist (Composer’s Lab and Creative Producing Lab). Simon has worked with directors Mary Harron, M. Night Shyamalan, and Grammy-winners Julian Casablancas and David Torn. He has composed music for several films including JESUS HENRY CHRIST for executive producer Julia Roberts. Simon also recently produced the Lionsgate/Universal film, IMPERIUM, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Toni Collette. Simon co-produced and scored SHE’S LOST CONTROL, a 2014 Berlinale CICAE prize-winner and dual nominee for the Independent Spirit Awards. Recent projects include HORROR TIME, for writer/producer James Franco, THE INTERPRETERS, a 2016 MacArthur Foundation, Tribeca-Gucci and Firelight Media-winning feature documentary and ARE YOU GLAD I’M HERE, winner of the Audience Award and Best Original Score award at the 2018 Brooklyn International Film Festival. Upcoming projects include a Finishing Fund focused on low-to-mid-budget indie genre films, as well as producing duties on films including THE CATCH, BLACK DOGS (based on the book about an infamous Led Zeppelin heist), and PURPLE AMERICA, an adaptation of the cherished novel by Rick Moody, and the upcoming romantic comedy series, I MARRIED A LEMON. Simon has been profiled by NBC News, ASCAP, and 15 Questions as well as mentions in Rolling Stone, Deadline Hollywood, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Spin Magazine and IndieWire. Simon is a graduate of and upcoming Producing instructor at New York University. Simon is also an active member of the Producers Guild, a board member of HRTS-NY, a 2018 Trans Atlantic Partners fellow, recent juror at the Oscar-qualifying Bermuda International Film Festival and a regular contributor to the Tribeca Film Festival Programming Committee.
JARED PAUL (Sound Design) has mixed and edited sound for hundreds of projects in film, television, music, animation, podcasts, multimedia and more. Feature film credits include Leviano (2018), A Good Dream (2017), Sleepwalkers (2015). Other 2018 mix credits include The Realness (WNYC podcast series), We Speak NYC (educational TV series), and audioguides for Giacometti and Hilma af Klint at the Guggenheim Museum. Commercial mix credits include content for Viacom, Nike, GE, Patagonia, West Elm, Equinox, Keurig, Ralph Lauren, Transportation Alternatives, and many more. Hear some sounds at jaredpaulsound.com.