Leslie J. Taubman, Ph.D. (President)

Dr. Leslie Taubman, a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of 2 C.B.S. Fellowships, received her Masters Degree in Cinema Studies from New York University and her Ph.D. in Communications-Cinema from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In addition, she received her post-doctoral M.S.W. in Society and the Arts, also from New York University.

Dr. Taubman is a Visiting Professor at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill where she is lecturing in Film Studies at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination.

Dr.Taubman has worked as a script consultant and researcher on feature films in Los Angeles and she has published hundreds of articles in such publications as The Hollywood Reporter, Films in Review, The Los Angeles Times, and Magill's Survey of Cinema. In addition, she has worked with FILMEX (the Los Angeles Film Exposition) as well as with the Festival of Women's Films in New York City. Dr. Taubman has been a professor at Fordham University in New York since 1987.

Christian Arnold-Beutel

Managing Director, MagicWorx GmbH
CineCapital GmbH; FDI Filminvestment GmbH; Head of Production, VIP Medienfonds

After graduating business school and the postgraduate producer program at the acclaimed Munich Film School, Christian worked for Hofmann&Voges, Bioskop and Arnold Kopelson Entertainment on a variety of projects and in various production capacities.

Since January 1999, Christian is managing partner of MagicWorx GmbH, a film production company based in Munich, Germany, focusing on development, financing and producing international feature films, which has received slate funding from the acclaimed European Media Program. Since 2004 Christian is managing partner of CineCapital and FDI Filminvest managing $80 million worth of film production from private placements out of Germany. Since Oct 2006 Christian advises Germany´s biggest media fund as head of production overseeing the current slate of $200 million worth in international feature film production.

Due to his management skill and financing know-how both on a corporate and project level Christian has been instrumental in setting up and coordinating the international producer alliance under the umbrella of 2K Media AG and respective structured financing including Roland Joffé´s Lightmotive, David Kirkpatrick´s Original Voices, Brad Krevoy´s MPCA, Chesler/Perlmutter and an international sales operation.

Maharaki

After graduating from high school, Maharaki studied "Visual Arts and Fine Arts Techniques" at L'Ecole Regionale d'Arts Visuels de la Martinique. In 1999, she moved to Barbados to polish her command of the English language and studied Interior Design at the Barbados Community College. In 2001, Maharaki left Barbados for France to study filmmaking at The International Film School of Paris. She graduated in May 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Motion Picture Directing.

In 2002, Maharaki directed her first short film, INNOCENTS which was selected in several International Film Festivals such as the 2003 FESPACO in Burkina Faso and "Vues d'Afrique, 2003" in Quebec.

In 2004, she is awarded with the Grand Jury Prize of her Film school's annual showcase for the directing of her short film DIG IT which also receives "Best Acting Performance". She received the award at "La Cinémathèque de Paris" before a jury composed of 15 international TV and motion picture professionals, as well as the guest of honor, American director Oliver Stone.

In February 2007, Maharaki received "Le Prix Lumina Sophie" for her script VIVRE. This award is presented to her at "Le Palais des Congrès de Madiana" by Ms Arlette Pujar, member of "Le Conseil General de la Martinique".

Maharaki is currently working on the production of her award-winning script VIVRE, and preparing a pop painting exhibition titled "Drôle de Zèbre!", which is opening in Paris early 2009.