Isabelle CarbonellFounder
Isabelle Carbonell is a documentary photographer and documentary filmmaker whose determination to give a voice to the voiceless has driven her to document political, social, ethnographic, and environmental stories around the world. When filming, she becomes her environment — sleeping, eating, and breathing with those she is focusing on, absorbing their culture, transcending the divide between observer and subject easily. With all the ambitions of an artist, she also employs her rigorous academic training as a researcher to produce an in–depth reportage.
Isabelle also recently taught documentary filmmaking to a class of software designers and engineers at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
Unique in her perspectives and methods, she also comes from a wide cultural background as half-Belgian and half-Uruguayan. Based out of Washington D.C. and Brussels, Belgium, she graduated from the Residential College at the University of Michigan with degrees in Environmental and Social Science, Photography and Filmmaking. Her documentary skills have taken her to countries such as India, Qatar, Cuba, Mexico, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Nicaragua.
Olivia AbtahiContributing Editor
Olivia hails from Washington, DC. Born to an Iranian father and an Argentine mother, Olivia is a melting pot of clashing cultures. She is a BFA Honors graduate of NYU’s school for Film and Television, and enjoys comedic and experimental short films, especially music videos, and of course documentaries.
Dan NeumannContributing Editor
Dan Neumann is a video journalist from Illinois that has reported on climate change, aid & development, refugees & gender issues in Africa. He lived among Fulani herdsmen for two years in a small village in The Gambia, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer before going on to report from places like the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. His reportage has strived to make the exotic seem local, by focusing on the universal ways communities organize to solve problems.
Sarah CannonContributing Editor
Sarah hails from the Midwest (Shaker Heights, Ohio) and now happily resides in Washington DC (LeDroit Park). She produces, shoots, and edits videos for broadcast and internet distribution. She prefers the internet.
While not staring intently at her computer, Sarah cooks, eats, surfs, and watches Apple trailers.
Richard DeanAssistant Cinematographer
Award winning editor, director, and sound designer, Richard Dean, has over fifteen years experience in broadcast production, cinematography and sound recording. His media projects include Posta Boy of BET’s 106 & Park, Universal Records, Inc., and Starz Network, Hip Hop Raw. His impressive body of work includes films for the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, the US Marine Corps, and the US Navy; he has done work for three US Presidents, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Dean was editor and sound designer for two major World War II documentaries: An Untold Triumph and Choc’late Soldiers from the USA.
Mark SwiderskiSound Composer and Editor
Mark Swiderski is a Michigan native who now resides in Chicago, IL. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S in both electrical and sound engineering as well as an M.S. in electrical engineering. He is an independent musician, composer, and sound engineer who also works for Shure Inc. designing professional audio equipment. His music has been featured in several films, most notably the Illumine Productions documentary "Ocean Monk". He has also recorded several solo albums of original music and enjoys listening to anything that is willing to make a sound.
Fernanda RossiStory Consultant
Fernanda Rossi has doctored over 300 documentaries, fiction scripts and work samples, including two Academy Award nominees. She has been invited to give presentations and seminars for major world conferences and organizations such as HotDocs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, and SilverDOCS. Her columns and articles have been published in trade publications like The Independent, Documentary Magazine, and many others. She is also the author of the book that, according to industry professionals is the bible on demo production: Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo.
Photo Credit: Pierre Kattar
2010 - Akbar, the official magazine of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, published an article about Isabelle.
2008 - Indian tabloid Inext featured Isabelle in the November issue and December issue.
2008 - Isabelle featured in a Hindi newspaper while filming a documentary in India.
2008 - LSA Spring 2008: An article on the culinary offerings of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, featuring a photograph of Isabelle.
2007 - LSA Spring 2007: On the cusp of graduation, this article profiles Isabelle's accomplishments so far, both at school and abroad, and her goals for the future.
2006 - LSA Spring 2006: A portrait of the artist as student, musician, cook, activist, environmentalist, documentary photographer and documentary filmmaker.
2006 - New York Times: As a graduate of the Residential College at the University of Michigan, Isabelle's story is exemplified in this article as a perfect representation of how college statistics can be misleading.
2006 - Michigan Daily: A review of an exhibition of Vietnam documentary photographs at the University of Michigan that discusses Isabelle's documentary and photojournalistic efforts in her work with the student-run NGO Crossing Borders.
2006 - Next Door News: An announcement about an exhibition of Vietnam documentary photographs in Washington, DC.
2006 - Michigan Daily: An article about the television marketing practices used by the University of Michigan.
2006 - University Record: An article discussing the Michigan Difference, including Isabelle's work with Crossing Borders.
2005 - LSA Spring 2005: With an emerging identity as artist and activist, Isabelle talks about her life-changing experience in Cuba, long-term goals, and other passions.
2004 - LSA Spring 2004: A profile of the early days at the University of Michigan, in which Isabelle spent her time exploring mediums of dance, documentary photography, and environmental activism.
2004 - DC Photo Scene blog featuring the exhibition of Cuba documentary photographs at Soho Tea & Coffee in Washington, D.C.
2004 - Michigan Daily: Brief article and photograph featuring Isabelle dancing the Argentine Tango at the Latino Culture Show.
May 2008 - Ohio Independent Film Festival in Cleveland, OH. Film screened: Palindrome.
May 2008 - New Filmmakers Latino Anthology in New York, NY. Documentary film screened: Mexico: Chasing the American Dream. View official calendar. Also featured on the Freedom Love Fest blog.
April 2008 - Athens International Film and Video Festival in Athens, OH. Film screened: Palindrome.
April 2008 - Kansas City Jubilee Film Festival in Kansas City, KS. Film screened: Palindrome.
March 2008 - DC Film Festival in Washington, D.C. Film screened: Palindrome. View official catalog.
February 2008 - CinemaSlam in Ann Arbor, MI. Preview of documentary film 100 Fires: Living from a Landfill screened.
2007 - Film Farm X Festival in Ann Arbor, MI. Film screened: Palindrome.
2007 - Gasparilla Film Festival in Tampa, FL. Documentary film screened: Mexico: Chasing the American Dream.
Ongoing - Havana Village in Washington, D.C. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
2008 - "Our Environment; the Good, Bad, and the Ugly" international exhibition in Colorado at the Center for Fine Art Photography. Work exhibited: Dominican Republic documentary photographs. Download press release.
2007 - Residential College Art Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI. Film screened: Palindrome.
2007 - Women's League Show in Ann Arbor, MI. Photographs exhibited: Nudes.
2007 - Tryst Gallery in Washington, D.C. Work exhibited: Vietnam documentary photographs.
2006 - Residential College Art Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary film screened: Mexico: Chasing the American Dream.
2006 - Michigan Union in Ann Arbor, MI. Work exhibited: Vietnam documentary photographs.
2006 - 555 Gallery in Detroit, MI. Photographs exhibited: Nudes.
2006 - Café Ambrosia in Ann Arbor, MI. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
2006 - RGB Communications in Ann Arbor, MI. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
2006 - Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan: Work exhibited: Vietnam documentary photographs.
2005 - Residential College Art Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI. Photographs exhibited: Tattoos.
2005 - Protest Art Show in Ann Arbor, MI. Photographs exhibited: Tattoos.
2005 - Wielding Hammers Art Show in Ann Arbor, MI. Photographs exhibited: Nudes.
2004 - Soho Tea & Coffee in Washington, D.C. Photographs exhibited: Long Hair.
2004 - Rendez-Vous Café in Ann Arbor, MI. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
2004 - Soho Tea & Coffee in Washington, D.C. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
2010 - New classics issue of qarrtsiluni featuring Palindrome.
2010 - BlueprintReview featuring Palindrome.
2009 - BluePrintReview, featuring a photograph.
2009 - Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, featuring the film Water Warriors.
September 2008 - Skipping Stones Magazine, featuring documentary photographs and photoessay.
June 2008 - Photograph published on Gourmet.com.
March 2008 - World Health Organization in Kampala, Uganda. Special mention: Vietnam documentary photograph.
June 2008 - Islands 19th Annual Photo Contest. Honorable mentions for two photographs.
Spring 2008 - Convergence Journal. Featuring various documentary photographs.
2007 - RC News: Profiles of various graduates of the Residential College at the University of Michigan; portrait photography by Isabelle.
2007 - Oleander Review, cover photograph.
April 2007 - University Record; article feature photograph by Isabelle.
April 2006 - OneFokus.org. Featuring various photographs.
2008 - Local Point TV interview.
2008 - "Our Time for Change": A submission to MoveOn.org's 30 second contest.
Ongoing - Michigan Difference: commercial featuring Isabelle as volunteer filmmaker in Vietnam. Aired on national television during any Michigan game.
Ongoing - Michigan Big Ten Network airing on national televison feature program Michigan Difference, Dominican Republic and Vietnam footage on Patrick Georgoff.
2011 - Film Pitching Workshop for DC WEEK 2011.
2010 - Carnegie Mellon University, Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, "Filmmaking and Software Documentation", April 7, 2010.
2010 - Gave lecture for Doha Tweet Up.
2007 - Introspection on photography 2004-2007 at University of Michigan RC Photo in Ann Arbor, MI.
2007 - University of Michigan RC Reunion in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary films screened: 100 Fires: Living from a Landfill, Mexico: Chasing the American Dream, Vietnam: Three Short Poems, Palindrome.
2007 - University of Michigan RC Gala in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary film screened: 100 Fires: Living from a Landfill.
2007 - University of Michigan School of Natural Resources in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary film screened: 100 Fires: Living from a Landfill.
2006 - University of Michigan Residential College Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary film screened: Mexico: Chasing the American Dream.
2006 - University of Michigan Rackham Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI. Documentary film screened: The Unveiling of War in Iraq.
2005 - Women's Forum in Ann Arbor, MI. Photography exhibited: Nudes/Long Hair.
2005 - Ann Arbor Camera Club in Ann Arbor, MI. Work exhibited: Cuba documentary photographs.
