THE SMALL WORLD FILMS TEAM

DR. ISABELLA ALEXANDER-NATHANI  | 
Founder & Executive Director

An award-winning writer, filmmaker, educator, and human rights activist, Isabella’s work is motivated by her belief that storytelling has the power to humanize complex political issues and create positive social change. Since 2015, she has been working to bring The Burning to life.
FACT: Isabella’s latest film and related book, Burning at Europe’s Borders, uncover the human sides of our global refugee crisis.

JOE BERLINGER  | 
​Producer

An eight-time Emmy and Academy Award-nominated director, Joe has been one of the defining voices in American documentary film and television for over three decades. He is known for pursuing the hidden side of social justice stories.
FACT: Joe's powerful films have led to the release of two men from life sentences in prison and a third man from death row.​

REVEREND JESSE JACKSON  | 
​Executive Producer

Reverend Jackson’s history of work as a leading civil rights activist has shaped the face of our world. His long list of honors includes the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award.
FACT: Reverend Jackson has successfully negotiated the release of more than 75 human rights activists who have been wrongfully detained for their work around the world.

​GERALYN DREYFOUS  | 
​Consulting Producer

After co-founding Impact Partners, which changed the industry by bringing together financiers and filmmakers to create award-winning films that ignite positive change, Geralyn founded Gamechanger, the first film fund dedicated to supporting films directed by women.
FACT: Geralyn was honored by the International Documentary Association for her significant contributions to the world of film.

DALE "CHIP" ROSENBLOOM  | 
​Executive Producer

Chip is a Tony-nominated composer and producer who has supported more than 40 films for the big screen and television. He is now working on Extreme History, an animation studio that produces unexpected and educational history for audiences of all ages.
FACT: The Budapest Orchestra recently recorded instrumental compositions by Chip for a new multimedia orchestral project called Artstra.

​MOBOLAJI OLAMBIWONNU  | 
​Consulting Producer

Mobolaji is an award-winning director and educator, focused on films that elevate our consciousness. Growing up mediating multiple cultural identities inspired him to use film as a tool to illuminate the superficial conditions that divide us and explore what unites us.
FACT: Mobolaji’s latest documentary, Ferguson Rises, won the Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival and represented PBS at the Television Critics Association.

DR. ERIC ESRAILIAN  | 
​Producer

An Emmy Award-nominated producer, Eric supports films with the power to change policies. As the founder of UCLA’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, he’s making Los Angeles the epicenter of human rights education, research, and advocacy in the U.S.
FACT: Eric's latest film led the U.S. Senate to pass a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide for the first time.

REGINA SCULLY  | 
Executive Producer

A three-time Emmy and Academy Award-nominated producer, Regina has supported 100-plus films. As the Founder and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, she’s dedicated to supporting media that educates, inspires, and positively transforms.
FACT:  Regina is the Founding Sponsor of the Athena Film Festival, which showcases the work of women in filmmaking and is committed to developing a new generation of American storytellers. ​ 

IKE NNAEBUE  | 
​Producer

Ike is a celebrated Nigerian writer, director, and producer and a champion of new African cinema. As the founder of LP House of Creative, he built a network of creative spaces across Africa where a new generation of storytellers is thriving.
FACT: Ike’s latest documentary, No U-Turn, retraces the migration journey he took as a young man and premiered to great praise at Berlinale.

MADELINE WONG BOULDIN  | 
​Social Impact Producer

Madeline’s growing film resume includes projects for the United Nations, Brand New World Studios, and most recently, HBO, where she produced "We're Here," an HBO original docu-series on the LGBTQ+ community.
FACT: If you don't follow us on INSTAGRAM, you're missing out on the incredible Human Rights Awareness Campaign that Madeline designed!

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THE SMALL WORLD FILMS
​Production Team

PEDRO BRANCO  | 
Cinematographer

ELLEN GOLDWASSER  | 
Editor

Ellen is best known for her two Academy Award-nominated documentaries, Artists and Orphans and Speaking in Strings. She has also edited numerous narrative films for networks including HBO, The Discovery Channel, and Netflix.
FACT: She is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School, where she was the first woman to win the Best Director Award for Undergraduate Narrative Film.

TINA IMAHARA  | 
Editor

With over 25 years of experience and 60+ films to her name, Tina’s expertise lies in crafting documentaries that inspire audiences to action. Her resume includes Academy and Emmy Award-nominations, Sundance Audience Awards, and Official Selections at Cannes Film Festival.
​FACT: Tina is a proud 4th Generation Japanese American, whose Great-Grandfather was of Samurai descent and left Japan in search of a new life.

SEAN MONTGOMERY  | 
Motion Graphics

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In Memoriam

ANDREW BERENDS  | 
Director of Photography

Andrew was a highly acclaimed documentary filmmaker with a rich history of work in active war zones from Iraq to Sudan. He was awarded the prestigious “Courage Under Fire” award by the International Documentary Association for his first film, The Blood of My Brother, about an Iraqi family who lost their son during the American invasion.  His subsequent films included  When Adnan Comes Home, Urk, Delta Boys, and Madina's Dream, which took audiences inside of a forgotten war between rebels and refugees fighting to survive in Sudan's Nuba Mountain region.  When not directing his own projects, he collaborated with other filmmakers as a cinematographer, including his role on Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin's Academy Award-winning Free Solo. Behind the camera on THE BURNING, he brought his unique approach to humanizing even the most brutal crises.

Our team was devastated by Andy's death on March 1, 2019, at the young age of 46. He gave his life to the pursuit of telling the untold stories of our time, and this will be his final film.

FACT: The Andrew Berends Film Fellowship, founded in 2020, supports young filmmakers who are seeking out our world's untold stories with the same courage, heart, and talent that he brought to all of his work. You can apply or nominate someone you know here.

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THE SMALL WORLD FILMS
Internship Program

At SMALL WORLD FILMS, we think it's important to give back. We're committed to being active givers in communities around the world, as well as those close to home. One way we give back in our own community is by giving young people from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in the film industry the chance to develop their technical skills, build their individual portfolios, and create meaningful relationships with mentors through our internship program. Every semester, we select an exceptional group of interns from a highly competitive group of applicants who all share a passion for work at the intersection of activism and the arts.  The ideal candidate believes in the power of stories to create positive change in the world, brings a high level of motivation to individual and team work, and is ready to make the most of the opportunity. The SMALL WORLD FILMS internship program provides college-aged students and recent college graduates with the chance to work side-by-side with professionals on a variety of teams – Film Production, Human Rights, Community Engagement – and prepares them for careers of socially impactful work. In six months, our interns touch thousands of lives.

Our recent interns have been a global group of young change-makers including individuals from China, Colombia, Guinea, Haiti, India, Iran, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Sierra Leone, and the U.S. We're proud to call them a part of the SMALL WORLD FILMS team!

If you're interested in applying for our internship program, please send us a message at [email protected] with the subject line "Internship" and we'll get back to you with information on our next application cycle.

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Internship Program ​​GRADUATES

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