Michael Benson (photo by Gregor Pohleven)

Michael Benson Producer/Writer/Director

Michael Benson, a film-maker, journalist and photographer, lived in ex-Yugoslavia during the early 80's and in the Republic of Slovenia during that country's recent transition to statehood. His work with the NSK art movement is one result of a long-term interest in the problematic territory where art and politics meet. In the 80's Benson was the first American journalist to document the Soviet underground rock counter-culture; his reports and photographs were published in Rolling Stone magazine, The Nation, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Times, Interview, and a broad spectrum of European and world media outlets. Benson's previous film experience includes numerous short films and a one-hour documentary for MTV, also on Russian rock. Predictions of Fire is his first feature length film as director

Teodoro Maniaci Director of Photography

New York-based Teodoro Maniaci has shot a wide assortment of feature films, feature documentaries, music videos, and commercials. His feature experience includes the recently released Tarantella, starring academy award winning Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite, Quiz Show, Barcelona) as well as Clean, Shaven, starring Peter Green (Pulp Fiction, The Mask, The Usual Suspects), and Smoke ("Visually arresting" -- The New York Times). Maniaci's camerawork on Clean, Shaven was singled out for praise by such publications The Village Voice, Variety, the Chicago Sun Times, and Premiere magazine. Teo's numerous music video credits includes work with Melissa Etheridge, Ton Toni Tony, Monee Love, Squeeze, and Shaquille O'Neal. One of his best-known commercials was for the Nintendo game "Maximum Carnage". His work on the fiction film The Savage Sleep earned him a cinematography award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Apart from his work as a cinematographer, Teo also directed the award-winning documentary One Nation Under God, which had a successful theatrical run as well as national PBS broadcast on the POV program. Maniaci also directed a fiction film entitled Sanctuary; post production was supervised by Martin Scorsese. He has a MFA from the NYU Graduate Film School.

Nika Lah Editor

Nika Lah, one of the best-known film editors in Slovenia, has been editing TV Slovenia video and film productions since 1974. Among other awards, her work on Race-Course, a feature-length documentary on car racing, won Best Montage at the Yugoslav Film Festival in Ohrid in 1984.

Stephen Gallagher Executive Producer

Stephen Gallagher is an independent film/video curator, producer and freelance designer based in New York. He was Film Program Director at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts center in Buffalo from 1983-89, and from 1989-91 worked as Assistant Director of the Artists' New Works Program at the New York Foundation for the Arts and Associate Director of the Foundation's "American Independents in Berlin" program. From 1992-93 Gallagher was Media Curator at The Kitchen in New York. He is currently Managing Editor of Filmmaker magazine. 1992-93 Gallagher was Media Curator at The Kitchen in New York. He is currently Managing Editor of Filmmaker magazine. 1992-93 Gallagher was Media Curator at The Kitchen in New York. He is currently Managing Editor of Filmmaker magazine. 1992-93 Gallagher was Media Curator at The Kitchen in New York. He is currently Managing Editor of Filmmaker magazine.