Aya Domenig was born in Japan in 1972 and grew up in Switzerland. From 1992 until 2000 she studied Social Anthropology, Film Studies and Japanology at the University of Zurich and from 2001 to 2005 film at the Zurich University of the Arts. Her diploma film, HARU ICHIBAN was awarded the Prix Cinécinéma at the Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers. Apart from her work as a director she has also worked as an editor on various films, including the award-winning ZEIT DES ABSCHIEDS by Mehdi Sahebi.

After studying at the Ringier School of Journalism, von Arx worked for 18 years as an editor and freelancer for a number of German language magazines. In 1991, she moved to New York and together with Polo Hofer produced the road movie BLUESIANA. In addition to regular contributions to Swiss television, von Arx produced two documentaries for SF and Sat1. In 2001, she moved to London and started filming the documentary BUILDING THE GHERKIN. In 2002, she started her own production company ican films gmbh. In 2003, her first documentary ABXANG was theatrically released. In 2005, BUILDING THE GHERKIN (CH, DE, UK) followed. In 2006/7 she produced Thomas Haemmerli’s documentary SEVEN DUMPSTERS AND A CORPSE, with a theatrical release in 2007. The film won the Zurich Film Award 2007 and was nominated for a Swiss Film Award in 2008. Her documentary SEED WARRIORS was theatrically released during autumn 2010. VIRGIN TALES opened theatrically in June 2012 and amongst others, won the Zurich Film Award 2012. Von Arx latest feature documentary I’M ALIVE is currently being edited and will be completed in 2014.

Upon graduation with a degree in Psychology, Tanja Meding started working in the film industry in 1996. After working for an arthouse distributor and a postproduction facility, Tanja Meding was an Associate Producer at Berlin based Ziegler Films, where she worked with filmmakers such as Bob Rafelson, Amos Kollek, Jos Stellung, Petr Zelenka and Rosa von Praunheim, amongst others. In 2003 she moved to New York and has worked as a producer for Maysles Films as well as other independent production companies. She produced SALLY GROSS-THE PLEASURE OF STILLNESS by Albert Maysles and Kristen Nutile which premiered at the 2007 Locarno Film Festival and aired on WNET/Thirteen. In addition, she is the co-producer of Gabriella Bier’s LOVE DURING WARTIME, a documentary about an Israeli dancer and her Palestinian husband. The film had its US premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and is distributed by 7th Art Releasing in the US. Furthermore, she is the US co-producer of Pascale Obolo’s documentary CALYPSO ROSE, LIONESS OF THE JUNGLE which aired on PBS in 2012 and is distributed by Women Make Movies in the US. Since January 2012 Tanja Meding is a producer for ican films, Zurich.

Mrinal Desai hat Ingenieurwesen studiert und auf Ölfeldern in Ägypten, Kuwait und den Vereinten Arabischen Emiraten gearbeitet. Die Suche nach einer Tätigkeit mit mehr Seele hat ihn zum Indischen Film und Fernseh Institut geführt, wo er Kamera studiert hat. Er arbeitet weltweit an unterschiedlichsten Projekten: Film, Fernsehen, Werbung und Dokumentarfilm und dreht auf allen Formaten. Als Kameramann zeichnet er verantwortlich für Filme wie den 2012 Tribeca und HotDocs Gewinner THE WORLD BEFORE HER unter der Regie von Nisha Pahuja, den Emmy nominierten Film TERROR IN MUMBAI (BAFTA Gewinner 2010) als auch THE BATTLE FOR HAITI (BAFTA Gewinner 2011), beide vom Filmemacher Dan Reed. Weitere Filme unter der Regie von Reed, die Mrinal gedreht hat sind THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE (Channel 4/PBS) und CHILDREN OF THE TSUNAMI (BBC/SWR). Mrinal war Second Unit Cinematographer bei Danny Boyles Multiple Oscar Gewinner SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Sein neuster Spielfilm NAINSUKH erzählt das Leben des weltbekannten indischen Malers Nainsukh aus dem 18. Jahrhundert und wurde im Auftrag des Rietberg Museums in Zürich produziert. NAINSUKH wurde auf Festivals weltweit präsentiert, u.a. in Rotterdam, MoMA sowie in Venedig. Dort nannte Film Comment NAINSUKH einen der Top Ten Filme des Jahres. Mrinal wohnt in Mumbai und Toronto.

Nach abgeschlossenem Filmstudium an der University of Canterbury in Neuseeland begann Makoto Takaoka in der Filmindustrie zu arbeiten. Seit 2006 arbeitet Makoto als Tonmann und Boom Operator. Er liebt seinen Job und freut sich über neue Aufgaben und Herausforderungen.