CINDY L. ABEL
Director | Producer | Writer
Director and Producer Cindy L. Abel formed Atlantis Moon Productions in 2007 to develop film-related projects that launch conversations and impact popular culture.
She directed and produced the award-winning BREAKING THROUGH, a documentary in which openly LGBT elected officials share their stories of self-doubt and triumph over multiple barriers, revealing a deeply personal, rarely-seen side of politicians and gay people.
In partnership with Director Giovanni Coda, Abel produced two internationally-acclaimed films, BULLIED TO DEATH and XAVIER. Both avant-garde Italian-American co-productions intertwine cinema, photography and performing arts. Abel also combines her experience in managing multi-million dollar, award-winning communications projects with filmmaking to create content for corporate and public affairs clients. She was named “Best Filmmaker” by GA Voice in 2019, served as National Co-Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Vice-Chair of Atlanta Film Festival and Vice President of Communications of Women in Film & Television Atlanta.
MICHAEL BRUNO
Director of Photography | Editor
Director of Photography and Editor Michael Bruno delivers visually compelling footage and skillfully weaves traditional editing techniques with cutting edge motion graphics.
Driven by a desire to show the truth about LGBT people and the struggle for full civil rights, he applies the art of filmmaking to his commitment to equality and partnered with Cindy L. Abel on the award-winning documentary BREAKING THROUGH.
Bruno began his career filming musicians, which lead to the role as Director of Photography for an independent zombie musical. With diverse skills in both the production and post-production process he later worked extensively with Georgia Public Broadcasting, including roles as a Lead Editor, Assistant Director, and Cameraman for several programs. He was Director of Photography for the Emmy-nominated documentary, THE PLAZA, and was the Editor and VFX artist for the award-winning Sci-Fi webseries, 31. In addition to filmmaking, he applies these skills to his work with Atlantis Moon Productions, creating videos and webisodes for corporate and public affairs clients.
MARC SMOLOWITZ
Producer
Marc is a multi-award winning director, producer and executive producer with 25+ years of experience across all aspects of the entertainment and media business. His career focus has been on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals—Sundance, Berlinale, AFI Docs, IDFA, Tokyo, Melbourne, among others—and been released worldwide. Select titles include: “The Nine” (Producer 2016), “The Watermelon Woman” (Restoration Producer 2016), “Desert Migration” (Producer 2015), “Keep the Promise: The Global Fight Against AIDS,” narrated by Margaret Cho (Co-Director/ Co-Producer) and the Academy-Award nominated “The Weather Underground” (Producer 2003).
JESSE STEPHEN FREEMAN
Writer
Writer Jesse Stephen Freeman is an Emmy-nominated freelance writer and video producer who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland, where he was the winner of the 2012 Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction.
In 2010 he was nominated for an Emmy for SOMEBODY ELSE, SOMEWHERE ELSE: THE RAYMOND ANDREWS STORY, a documentary film he wrote and directed. He also co-wrote the award-winning documentary BREAKING THROUGH.
From 2002-2010, Freeman appeared on various Georgia Public Broadcasting programs, including Lawmakers and Prep Sports Plus. He also hosted Cover to Cover, a literary talk show on GPB Radio, and has written features and book reviews for Lake Oconee Living magazine.
DENISE GENTILINI
Composer
Specializing in film music, Denise Gentilini is a three-time Emmy award winning composer with nearly 40 years experience in music composition and production.
Using her music for social justice, she focuses on writing music with intention. Gentilini owns and operates a digital recording/video editing studio and produces artists by adding lush orchestrations as well as composing music for independent films and documentaries. Her most recent project, a new musical, I AM ALIVE, tells the story of her grandparent's survival of the Armenian Genocide.
