FILM TEAM
MARC J FRANCIS
Co-director and Co-Producer
Marc J. Francis' is a director, cinematographer and producer of independent film whose films have been shown throughout the world in cinemas and on television. He was chosen by Harper’s Bazaar magazine as one of their top “Household names of the future”, and named by the Observer newspaper as one of Britain’s “Rising Stars”. His current directorial work includes the Benedict Cumberbatch narrated film about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh entitled 'Walk With Me’, and “Here I Am” a feature documentary about living, loving and dying well. Marc's early directorial work includes the Sundance hit 'Black Gold', and the award-winning BBC/ARTE feature documentary 'When China Met Africa’. Marc also produces and amplifies stories of global significance through his production company Speakit Films where he is Creative Director.
MAX PUGH
Co-director and Co-Producer
Max Pugh is a Franco-British feature documentary and fiction film director who has also gained critical acclaim worldwide for his video art and installation work with the composer and filmmaker Michael Nyman. In 2010, the film NYMAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA premiered at Toronto before moving to the Berlin Film Festival, Sydney Opera House and the New York Museum of Modern Art. As well as writing and directing television drama and short films supported by the UK Film Council, his latest feature documentary THE ROAD TO FREEDOM PEAK, narrated by Djimon Hounsou and made for Fox Studios & Screen Australia was released in Australia to critical acclaim and nationwide press coverage. The film has secured deals with Netflix and National Geographic. 2014 saw the release of WAR WORK, a major new film with Michael Nyman commemorating WW1 which premiered at the Cité de la Musique in Paris before moving on to Berlin, Budapest and the 2015 Sheffield Film Festival. Max is now in development on several documentary and fiction projects, and an essay film entitled WELCOME TO THE ANTHROPOCENE. His latest film WALK WITH ME, co-directed with Marc J. Francis will be released worldwide in 2017.
NICK FRANCIS
Executive Producer
Nick Francis is an award-winning filmmaker whose films have been shown throughout the world in cinemas and on television. Nick’s films include the award-winning Sundance-hit BLACK GOLD, which won worldwide critical acclaim and was released in over 40 countries. His second feature, WHEN CHINA MET AFRICA, was "a rare, grass-roots view into one of the most important economic developments of the age” (The Times) and was a multi-broadcast project involving BBC Storyville, Arte France, and the Sundance Institute. Nick has produced films with The Guardian, and recently executive produced the Benedict Cumberbatch narrated film about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh entitled ‘WALK WITH ME’. He is also the Creative Director of Speakit Films.
HIMESH KAR
Executive Producer
Himesh is Managing Director of Speakit Films where he oversees all aspects of the company across its documentary, factual and drama slate. Film projects Himesh has overseen as a Producer and Executive have won multiple Awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Awards, the Grierson Documentary Award and the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. From 2001-2010 Himesh was a Senior Executive at the UK Film Council responsible for selecting and overseeing the development, financing and production of over 20 award-winning feature films and feature documentaries. Features commissioned by Himesh for the UK Film Council include: James Marsh’s “Man on Wire” (Academy Award, Best Feature Documentary 2009), Amma Asante’s BAFTA winning “A Way of Life”, Noel Clarke’s “Adulthood”, Sarah Gavron’s “Brick Lane” and Ken Loach’s “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” (Palme D’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2006).
CHADE-MENG TAN
Executive Producer
Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is a Google pioneer, award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader and philanthropist. He is Chairman of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
WILL MOORE
Executive Producer
Will brings 28 years experience in sector leading multi-media entertainment businesses. He has a track record in leading complex multi-stakeholder projects, as well as, corporate strategy, corporate finance, investor relations and business model innovation. After a decade leading global projects for Virgin EMI and Polygram he spent 16 years as a media and entertainment management consultant including leading an international management consultancy with clients such as the British Film Institute (BFI) and Ealing Studios. Will holds a 1st class MBA from Henley Business School with a distinction for his thesis on ‘business model innovation’ in film, TV and music. He is one of the founding team at Speakit Films where he is Non-Executive Director.
Miranda Fleming
Producer of Marketing and Distribution
Miranda is an experienced film executive, producer and executive producer on many feature films and short films. She has worked for leading film companies (Channel Four Films and UK Film Council's Agency for South East England, Screen South). Miranda headed up UK Film at San Francisco based crowdfunding platform Indiegogo and brings four years of fan engagement experience to her role on Walk With Me for Speakit Films.
GERMAINE FRANCO
Composer
Germaine Franco is one of the top female composers working in Hollywood today. Her work for WALK WITH ME: ON THE ROAD WITH THICH NHAT HANH (directed by Max Pugh and Marc Francis, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch) premiered at SXSW 2017. Other well known scores include DOPE (directed by Rick Famuyiwa), which premiered at Sundance and Cannes Festivals and the immersive reality 4D attractions for MOTIONGATE (featuring music for SHREK, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, KUNG FU PANDA and MADAGASCAR) that play daily in Dubai. Last year, Franco completed SHOVEL BUDDIES for Awesomeness Films, which premiered at SXSW 2016. The first Latina composer to be invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, music branch Franco is a current Women In Film Music Fellow. She was nominated for a Black Reel Award and is the first female composer to be hired by DreamWorks Animation. She is a Sundance Music Sound Design Fellow. Franco holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Franco began her ascent in the world of film music production by working alongside some of Hollywood’s top film and TV composers as an additional composer, orchestrator, arranger, midi programmer, and music producer for John Powell, Hans Zimmer, Randy Newman, Gustavo Santaolalla, Jeff Russo and recently Michael Giacchino. Her credits include HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (1&2), RIO (1&2), THE LORAX, HAPPY FEET, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, TOY STORY 3, FARGO, and TUT. With a background as an orchestral musician, Franco has performed as a percussionist with several major orchestras and artists, including the Belgian Radio Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Hollywood Symphony, the World Orchestra, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Jack Black, Sergio Mendes, and Sheila E. She performed percussion on her orchestral score to the KUNG FU PANDA UNSTOPPABLE AWESOMENESS ATTRACTION, featured in the 2016 AWFC Women Who Score Concert in Los Angeles.
ANNA BERTMARK
Sound Designer
Anna Bertmark is a Swedish Sound Designer, best known for her work on award-winning British independent films such as God’s Own Country and Adult Life Skills. She started her career in film sound assisting Paul Davies on Stephen Frears’ The Queen, and recently also worked on Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here. Anna’s work is characterised by using sound for it’s physical and psychological traits through immersive ambiences, heightened detail and subjective perspectives.
