The Australians

PRODUCER
Tomas Donela

Tomas Donela is a Lithuanian-Australian film director, screenwriter and producer, and a full voting member of the European Film Academy. He graduated Vilnius State University with a Masters of Economics, before graduating from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television.

With more than three decades of experience in cinema and television, Tomas has written, directed and produced fiction and documentary films that have screened at major international festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, Black Nights Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival and many others. His films Harrowed Coast, The Boy and the Sea and Farewell received international recognition and multiple festival nominations and awards. Farewell was nominated for six Silver Cranes by the Lithuanian Film Academy, including Best Picture.

Throughout his career, Tomas has participated in prestigious international development programs and script workshops including the Nipkow Programme in Berlin, Eureka Audiovisuel and ARISTA script development initiatives. He was also selected as a Sundance Filmmakers Award semi-finalist for his screenplay Farewell.

Tomas has worked extensively in international co-productions and screen development across Europe and Australia. He has developed feature films and television projects including Bloodlands, Dance of Rain, The Barefoot and Happy and The Gift, collaborating with producers from Germany, Poland, India, Ukraine and Canada.

Tomas has also worked as a dubbing director for major international studios including Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment. He has taught film language and filmmaking at the International Film School Sydney and continues to work between Australia and Lithuania developing international screen projects.

Sydney based filmmaker, Eugene F. Raggio began his film odyssey in Adelaide South Australia. A drama graduate of ACArts and Elder Conservatorium, he continued his film studies graduating from the International Film School Sydney where he was mentored by Romanian Auteur Iosif Demian, Duncan Thompson and Lithuanian-Australian Director Tomas Donela. He co-authored, with Tomas Donela, several feature screenplays including "Dance of Rain", "Barefoot and Happy as well as Soviet War Film “Bloodlands” which received development funds from the Lithuanian Film Centre.

His short films “The Lover's Coat” and “Restitution for a Manes - an Elegy” have screened across the US and the EU, and received awards in Los Angeles, France, Romania and Russia. His Anthology "Trittico"is currently in post-production.

A committed performer, he is a regular soloist with Opera Australia and has toured severally with Music theatre productions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A passionate musician, key creative, and theatre director, he is also the associate director and founding conductor of the Australian Remembrance Foundation.

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
S Marie Warren

S. Marie Warren is a British-born, Australian screenwriter, editor, producer and creative consultant of Sri Lankan origin whose career has spanned film development, production, publishing, and long-form storytelling. Beginning in the film and television industries in Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and Sydney, she held senior editorial and development roles with organisations including MCA/Universal Pictures, Cineplex Odeon, First Film Foundation, Wicked Films Ltd, and Encore magazine.

Since 2019, Warren has worked independently as a consultant while also focusing on prose writing and creative development. Her work combines narrative storytelling, editorial expertise, and an international perspective shaped by decades within the film and media industries.

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Eugene Raggio

Kesari Lal Bhattacharya is an Australian-based line producer, production manager, and creative project specialist with extensive experience delivering film, television, and digital productions across Australia and international markets. A qualified project management professional certified through PMI and Google, he specialises in managing large-scale creative productions, overseeing projects from development through post-production with expertise in budgeting, scheduling, logistics, technical coordination, crew management, and multi-territory production operations. His experience spans line production, production coordination, creative logistics, crew and talent management, post-production supervision, location management, and end-to-end delivery of complex screen projects.

As Creative Director of Temper Creative Media, Kesari has worked across television series, documentaries, branded content, music videos, and internationally distributed vertical drama series. He has line produced multiple vertical series that reached the number one position in several countries and collectively generated over one hundred million views globally. He has also collaborated on international co-productions involving Australia, India, Korea, and China, working across culturally diverse production environments and international delivery pipelines.

His Australian television credits include work on “Big Miracles” for Nine Network and “Caper Crew” for Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Kesari’s work as a filmmaker and writer has received significant international recognition, earning more than sixty international film festival laurels, including 17 wins. His projects have been recognised at festivals and competitions including the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, New York Film Awards, Festigious LA International Film Festival, London Independent Story Prize, World Film Carnival Singapore, and the Indo French International Film Festival amongst others.

LINE PRODUCER
Kesari Bhattacharya

The Rest of the World

PRODUCER
Jacco Groen
Netherlands

Jacco Groen is the General Director of Springfilm. A Writer, Director, and Producer he works with both documentaries and drama productions.

He shot his first short 35mm feature film: “Vadertje Tijd” (Father Time) at the age of 18. It was broadcast by VARA. He studied at the R.I.T.C.S. in Brussels, continuing his film studies at the NFTVA in Amsterdam.

As a screenwriter, he won various awards, and as a director, he made more than ten 35mm drama productions. With his documentaries, he tries to provide insight into people and stories that might otherwise remain underexposed.

The Springfilm Foundation was founded in 1999 by Ellen van Slagmaat, Roy Dames and Jacco Groen. Its goal: to produce films of social relevance. Think of exposing injustices in the broadest sense of the word, both domestically and internationally.

The company made 5 documentary TV series and about 30 documentaries, mostly human rights topics. They also produced the international feature "Lilet never happened" that is still screening at Netflix Europe.

Miko’s work spans over 20 years on features, period dramas, war pictures, and more. He has also worked on documentaries, 3D and VR projects, dance films, music videos, and commercials worldwide, including in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the USA.

Miko received a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography from the AFI Conservatory, where he completed an extensive portfolio.

Miko received the award for Best Cinematography at the Newport Beach Film Festival for the dance film "Nora" and the Grand Prize for Cinematography at the Golden Eye Festival of Cinematography.

His credits include movies such as “Cunningham”, “When Big People Lie”, “I’m Going to Change My Name”, and many more.

Miko Malkhasyan’s movies have premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, New York International Film Festival, and the London Film Festival, among numerous other festivals.

Miko is the president of the ACG (Armenian Cinematography Guild) and a member of the Armenian National Film Academy.

DIRECTOR OF
PHOTOGRAPHY
Miko Malkhasyan
USA