Maureen Castle Tusty / Director and James Tusty / Executive Producer
Maureen Castle Tusty and James Tusty founded Sky Films Inc. in 2008 in order to produce documentary films that inform, uplift and inspire. Their first feature film, The Singing Revolution, was released theatrically in over 100 North American markets. The New York Times declared the film a coveted “Critic’s Choice” and wrote “Imagine the scene in Casablanca in which the French patrons sing La Marseillaise in defiance of the Germans, then multiply its power by a factor of thousands, and you’ve only begun to imagine the force of The Singing Revolution.” The Singing Revolution told the little-known story of how the country of Estonia played a critical role in the collapse of the Soviet Union by using singing as a weapon of resistance. Subsequent documentaries such as India Awakes, To Breathe As One, Sweden: Lessons for America?, Trailblazers: The New Zealand Story, and Corporate Welfare: Where’s the Outrage? have all aired nationally on U.S. Public Television.
For many years prior, the Tustys specialized in international productions for some of the largest corporations in the world such as Coca-Cola, IBM, and GE. Recognized with scores of awards, that work took them to over 60 countries around the world. It is that experience that allows them to produce compelling films that take place in many remote corners of the world; sharing stories and voices that might not otherwise be heard.
Harmeet Basur / Director of Photography
Based in New Delhi, India, Harmeet Basur left his job as an engineer to pursue his passion in performing and visual arts, which led to filmmaking and cinematography. Harmeet as a Director of Photography has shot feature films Hum Saya (Neighbors-MUBI) in Afghanistan and Mantra in India (Amazon Prime Video). He has been cinematographer/DP for award winning documentaries on social change, human interest, wildlife and environment, like No Problem, India's Daughter, Looking for Sultan and 3 Seconds Divorce and Short films like Here and Away and Villari. Harmeet has also collaborated with artists on video art, installations and experimental films. Harmeet's film, Chasing the Light, made during COVID lockdown, won the Gold Award at the PSBT Film Challenge 2020-21.
Harmeet has been associated with projects for BBC UK, PBS US, Discovery channel, National Geographic Channel, VH1, CNBC UK, Star TV and Channel News Asia and organizations like WWF (World Wildlife Fund), UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, TERI, Help Age and Magic Bus. She Rises Up is Harmeet’s fourth collaboration with the Tustys.
MIke Majoros / Editor
Mike has spent the last 20 years making feature-length documentaries about a broad range of subjects: Maasai warriors from Kenya marketing their culture in the US, homeless men surviving on the streets, veterans protesting to raise awareness about the futility of the Vietnam War, and people who use wheelchairs confronting an inadequate healthcare system. His work has received dozens of awards and has been screened internationally at festivals including Sundance and Berlin, as well as on PBS. In 1985, he received his graduate degree from the MIT Media Lab, and later he taught thesis level film production at the Rhode Island School of Design for 15 years.
Enid “Pinky” Campos / Location Producer | Peru
Pinky is a Peruvian film producer with an extensive CV. Since 2002 she has been producing feature films and short films of the "new" Peruvian cinema, and has produced many of these films thanks to international co-productions with Colombia, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany, Norway and the U.S. Her films have premiered at festivals such as Venice, Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, San Sebastian, Warsaw, Sundance, and Tribeca. She has produced several TV series for Netflix, Movistar and Amazon, including being one of the producers of the series Tijuana. In 2019, Movistar hired her to produce the first two premium series in Peru: Un día eres joven and El día de mi suerte, and also a series in Colombia: Ruido Capital
CHErif Tall / Location Producer | Senegal
Cherif is a production manager, filmmaker, screenwriter, and photographer in Dakar, Senegal. Cherif is founder of the production company House of Jovence, and previously founded The Hub Dakar a Culture Club and Art Gallery in the heart of Dakar. Bunt Ban, Cherif’s latest short film project, has been selected for the prestigious Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 as part of the Guests from the Future.
MAnohari Hewawasam / Location Producer | Sri Lanka
Manohari is an established director, writer and producer in Sri Lanka. She is the director of numerous documentaries for Sirasa TV, National Television on topics such as women rights, sexual harassment, child abuse, AIDS, breast cancer, domestic violence, and prostitution. Manohari’s film Sath Paththini was a featured Teledrama broadcast on ITN, and her work also includes episodes for the ITN Children Tele Series.
Chandran Rutnam / Location Services | Sri Lanka
Chandran Rutnam has hosted numerous Hollywood films for their location shoots in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He was the Line Producer/Production Supervisor on several international productions including the Sri Lankan location shoot of Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indochine (1992). His directorial credits include The Road from Elephant Pass and A Common Man, He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Film Location Services which hosts numerous foreign films to be shot in South East Asia.
Meaghan Castle / Associate Producer & Researcher
Meaghan is a people operations leader, researcher, and copywriter passionate about people and the power of story. She has worked with Sky Films for many years, supporting production as a writer, editor, and researcher of many moving parts. As a people leader in the HR Technology space, Meaghan spends her professional time creating pathways for open communication, accountability, and innovation, working with startups, tech leaders, and companies of all sizes in between, to foster strong cultures and connections in distributed environments. Meaghan is also an active poetry writer, having earned an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She finds the beauty of language a unifying presence in any discipline.
TITLE SONG BY ANJELIQUE KIDJO
Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today, a creative force with sixteen albums to her name. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva”, and named her one of the most influential people in the world for 2021; The BBC, Forbes Magazine, and The Guardian have all highlighted her importance to the people of the African continent. She is the recipient of the 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, the 2018 German Sustainability Award, the 2023 Vilcek Prize in Music, and the 2023 Polar Music Prize.
As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple cultures and languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders. Kidjo has cross-pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America.
Angelique also advocates on behalf of children as a UNICEF and OXFAM Ambassador. She created her own charitable foundation, Batonga, dedicated to support the education of young girls in Africa.