Béla grew up in Paris in an Austro-German theatre family. Years of watching his divorced parents turn everyday life into theatre (they once even staged a fight in public just to hand him a single ring forged from their two wedding bands) taught him the power of opposites. That push-pull—European self-reflection meeting a touch of American daring, courtesy of his current home, New York City—shows up in many of his films.

After dropping out of high school, he swapped the stage for a camera and studied at Vienna’s Filmakademie, refining his craft under filmmakers such as Michael Haneke. His time in front of the lens, delivering the closing words in Martin Scorsese’s Silence, among other screen and stage roles, taught him what actors need to feel comfortable and engaged. After moving to New York in 2018, Béla’s first film job was a $10/hour stint at a shoestring distributor. When he quit, the owner shoved a crate of scuffed gear and mics (“leftovers from my old adult-video days; you’ll put ’em to better use”) into his trunk. He did. While juggling documentary shoots (including interviews with Francis & Sofia Coppola), camera work for the World Economic Forum, and an AD gig on Uwe Boll’s latest feature, he relentlessly carved out time to direct shorts, music videos, and spec pieces – often with that hand-me-down gear.

The grind paid off when an early client stepped in to finance The Obelisk (2025), his debut feature that refracts contemporary conspiracy fervor through a Don Quixotic lens. Baptiste is now developing The Box, a feature adaptation of a stage play, while serving as dramaturg on an audio-visual project for ITN & IRCAM. He continues to bring a touch of his family’s theatrical chaos and charm to every project.

Emma is the founder/director of Witness Oak Productions. Highlights of her experience include: directing and producing a series of short promotional videos for the band Birds of Chicago featuring Grammy-Winner Allison Russell, working on the producing team for National Geographic’s Origins, and with Academy-Award winners, Fisher Stevens and Mark Monroe. She was guided by Florentine Films and offered the opportunity to work on several projects with Emmy-Winning Director Ken Burns. She has been successful as an event producer, directing and coordinating productions such as the WRIF Festival, and a 66-screening tour of Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie.

Emma’s passion for film has risen from a deeply rooted love for storytelling and the human experience. She has traveled extensively, volunteering and studying in countries such as Uganda, Thailand and Colombia. She lives in Vermont with her husband and their two children in a treehouse they built themselves.

In 2003, Viktor graduated from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences with distinction, completing his studies in Multimedia Art, specializing in film and video. Subsequently, in 2004, he founded Blendwerk Filmmaschinerie Production Company in Vienna, where, as producer and cameraman, he has produced and shot numerous commercial productions, corporate videos, documentaries and TV-shows. In 2009, further education led him to the USA, where he completed the Cinematographer’s Residency Programme at Maine Media College.

Thematically, Viktor’s spectrum spans from extreme sports with Attention – A Life in Extremes, where he followed Guillaume Néry the french world champion in Apnoe diving, over to music portraiting Mississippi blues legend Leo Bud Welch in Late Blossom Blues, to classic photography accompanying star photographers like Alan Schaller and Joe Greer on their creative journey for Leica Camera AG.

He lives and works as a cameraman and photographer in Vienna, Austria and is a founding member of the association: Filmkoop Wien.

Gino Anthony Pesi, born in Pittsburgh, pursued a BFA at Point Park College’s Conservatory of Performing Arts. He has over 50 professional film and television credits as an actor, writer, and director. Pesi’s most recognized role was that of James Nava in NBC’s ‘Shades of Blue’. His acting work includes other shows such as Fox’s ‘9-1-1’, TNT’s ‘Dallas,’ and CW’s ‘The Vampire Diaries’. Pesi is currently recurring in an upcoming Marvel series, and can next be seen as the lead in ‘First Shift’, a feature directed by Uwe Boll in his return to filmmaking.

Estonian-born Jonas Tarm is a New York based composer and music producer. Jonas’s music has won several awards including the Black Nights Film Festival Music Meets Film Award, and ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Composition Award. Jonas has collaborated on several film scores, including for Oscar-winning writer-director Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix), M. Night Shyamalan’s feature narrative “OLD”, Benjamin Cleary’s Golden Globe-nominated “Swan Song” (AppleTV+) starring Mahershala Ali, among several others. Various ensembles have commissioned Jonas to write original music, including the Grammy-winning Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.

Before delving into the world of cinematography in 2012, Edward began his career as an investigative journalist, covering stories related to economics and politics throughout Europe. Based in Brooklyn, NY, he works on  projects for various production companies and directors. His portfolio includes notable features on Frontline, PBS NOVA, BBC, ARTE, France Televisions, as well as collaborations with non-profits and global organizations such as the UN and UNICEF.

Born in 1987, in Vienna, Austria. ERNEST GOLD is a successful writer and director, who has worked in the United States and Austrian film industries for 15 years, specializing in creating outstanding genre movies & tv shows. His work includes character driven dramas, heartfelt comedies, as well as stunt and effect heavy action films. Ernest is the co-creator and writer of the first ever Austrian AMAZON PRIME VIDEO series “Beasts Like Us”, released in 2024. He’s the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, and alum of the prestigious NYU Tisch – School of the Arts & Filmacademy Vienna.

With over 10 years of experience in brand strategy and marketing, Amy has honed her skills in project management, leading multidisciplinary teams, and fostering meaningful client relations. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated expertise in conceptualizing, implementing, and overseeing initiatives across various channels including digital, content, programmatic, social, audio, print, experiential, and public relations events. Her portfolio of clients spans global investment institutions such as Vanguard, to prominent cable networks like Starz and CMT, as well as major production studios including CBS Films.

New England based production sound mixer, Andrew Pearl, began recording audio for commercials and branded documentary campaigns in 2015. His ability to move quickly, blend with diverse crews, and attention to capturing the best possible sound on set has allowed him to maintain consistent collaboration with dozens of production companies nationally. In the narrative world, he has recorded audio for films like “We Do This Once” by Michael Marantz, and “Clare” by Lauren Minnerath. Both have both gone on to win many awards in the festival circuits. “The Obelisk” will mark his first dip into the feature length narrative world.

Benjamin Philippovich is an Austrian visual effects artist, supervisor, and film enthusiast. After studying at the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg and subsequently graduating from the Vienna Film Academy, Benjamin had the opportunity to work on several international projects. His major projects include the Oscar-nominated Marvel film for Best Visual Effects, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Star Wars: The Mandalorian,” “Indiana Jones,” “Stranger Things,” “Fast & The Furious 10,” “The Damsel,” “Slumberland,” and the Emmy-nominated series for Best Visual Effects, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” among many others. Benjamin emphasizes using visual effects to tell stories and fully immerse the viewer in the experience. He is an absolute team player and loves being part of the creative process in filmmaking. Additionally, Benjamin is also a drummer in a rock band.

Lukas is a culturally minded graphic designer/illustrator from Vienna with a love for detail. He has already worked with Béla on the Dutchman`s Pipe, his short film ANGST and the intro animation for “remember thine end”. His passion for new projects is evident in his handwriting on board games, murals, caricatures, magazine and record covers, film and festival equipment, explanatory videos, and architectural visualizations.