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MELISSA HACKER - DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Melissa is a filmmaker who works with themes of memory, family, war and exile. Melissa made her directing and producing debut with the documentary film My Knees Were Jumping; Remembering The Kindertransports which was named an outstanding documentary by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  My Knees Were Jumping tells the story of the Kindertransports, a rescue mission that saved the lives of nearly 10,000 children in the months before World War II, and was seen in film festivals worldwide. ‘My Knees Were Jumping’ was released theatrically in New York City, aired on PBS stations across the United States as well as the IFC channel and Oxygen, in Britain on the Film 4 channel, the Sundance Channel Canada, and in Israel. It was released on dvd by the Independent Film Channel and Docurama and is available on netflix, SundanceNow, and itunes. Recent projects include Letters Home, a short film that premiered in the Stranger than Fiction screening series and is currently showing in festivals, including the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, the Washington Jewish Film Festival , and the New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center and Venus, an experimental video, was included in the group exhibition “Objects of Devotion and Desire: Medieval Relic to Contemporary Art.”
 Melissa is also a freelance film editor who has edited two Academy Award nominated documentary shorts; Sister Rose’s Passion and The Collector of Bedford Street‘ as well as documentary programs for HBO, MTV, National Geographic Television, and the PBS/BBC American Cinema series.

TANJA MEDING - PRODUCER

Since moving to New York from Germany in 2003, Tanja Meding has worked as a producer for Maysles Films and other independent production companies. Amongst others, she produced SALLY GROSS” THE PLEASURE OF STILLNESS by Albert Maysles and Kristen Nutile which premiered in Locarno, aired on Channel Thirteen and is now available on DVD from REFRAME COLLECTION. Since 2007, Tanja has been producing short films by Rosane Chamecki, Andrea Lerner and Phil Harder. Their latest work JACKIE & JUDY premiered at DANCE ON CAMERA at LINCOLN CENTER earlier this year and was awarded with a PEARL at the POOL 2010 Festival in Berlin. In addition, Tanja is the co-producer of Gabriella Bier’s LOVE DURING WARTIME, a documentary about an Israeli dancer and her Palestinian husband. The film premiered at the 2010 CPH:DOX Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, was invited to the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and will be released in the US through 7th Art Releasing. Furthermore, Tanja is the associate producer of Pascale Obolo’s upcoming documentary ROSE, CALYPSO DIVA, about Trinadad’s musical icon, Calypso Rose. Tanja is also co-chair of the documentary committee and serves on the advisory board of the Producers Guild of America East.

KAREN GOLDFEDER - COMPOSER

 Karen Goldfeder’s compositions and arrangements have been performed by the New York Treble Singers, C4, the Marble Collegiate Church Sanctuary Choir, the Choir of St. Francis of Assisi, The Great Neck Choral Society, Kiitos: a vocal quartet, the Magpie Ensemble, The Gregg Smith Singers, and The Todd Reynolds String Quartet. Her string quartet Flight for the short film Letters Home (directed by Melissa Hacker) debuted in November 2010 at the IFC Center in NYC.  Upcoming events include the premiere of two new a cappella works for the choral composers collective C4 in June of 2011, the New York Treble Singers recording of Aviatrix (commissioned by the group in 2004) for commercial release in April 2011, and the premiere of Cage for string quartet and percussion in October 2011.
 Her compositions seek to reconcile the profound musical influences of an eclectic performing career. A mezzo-soprano, she has sung repertoire from Berg to Machaud to Joni Mitchell, with ensembles from Musica Sacra to The Screaming Headless Torsos in genres spanning jazz, oratorio, new music, free improvisation, early music, folk, opera, musical theatre, and R&B. She has performed and recorded with New York Virtuoso Singers, Voices of Ascension, New York Treble Singers, the Bard Festival Chorale, and the Gregg Smith Singers. Her contemporary opera credits include John Adam’s Death of Kinghoffer at Brooklyn Academy of Music and Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiell at Merkin Hall with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. Solo appearances include the Monteverdi Vespers of 16010, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, the Stravinsky Mass, and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater. Her jazz resume includes appearances with Jay Clayton, Julian Priester, Jeff Watts, Benny Green, Patrick Zimmerli, Frank London, Dave Fiuczynski and Abbey Lincoln and with her own band at festivals including Vancouver Jazz, Bumbershoot in Seattle and the Edinburgh Fringe.