Isabelle Carbonell
Director

Isabelle Carbonell is a documentary photographer and documentary filmmaker whose determination to give a voice to the voiceless has driven her to document political, social, and environmental injustices around the world. When filming, she becomes her environment — sleeping, eating, and breathing with those she is focusing on, transcending the divide between observer and subject easily. With all the ambitions of an artist, she also employs her rigorous academic training as a researcher to produce an in–depth reportage. As a result, her documentary films and photos try to reveal a deeply complex social understanding while still offering an exquisite artistic vision.

Unique in her perspectives and methods, she also comes from a wide cultural background as half-Belgian and half-Uruguayan. Based out of Washington D.C., she graduated from the Residential College at the University of Michigan with degrees in Environmental and Social Science, Photography and Filmmaking. Her documentary skills have taken her to countries such as India, Qatar, Cuba, Mexico, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Nicaragua.

Noel M. Izon
Producer/Writer/Director/Editor

Noel Izon is an independent filmmaker whose production house is based in Hyattsville, MD. He has been involved in creative and broadcast design and production since 1970. His production credits encompass more than 250 films and videos. He has won many national awards for his work, which include some 100 nationally televised programs done mainly for PBS and for National Geographic Television. He has done numerous films and videos for the U.S. government, including several for the White House.

He spent ten years at PBS affiliate WNVT-Virginia and at the Educational Film Center as a writer/producer before forming his own production company, Interactive Communication Technology, in 1980. He continues to serve as a creative consultant to a number of film and video projects. Izon graduated with honors from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in English Literature.

Olivia Abtahi
Rough Cut Editor

Olivia Abtahi is the rough cut editor for 100 Fires.

Olivia hails from Washington, DC. Born to an Iranian father and an Argentine mother, Olivia is a melting pot of clashing cultures. She is a BFA Honors graduate of NYU’s school for Film and Television, and enjoys comedic and experimental short films, especially music videos, and of course documentaries.

Richard Dean
Cinematographer

Award winning editor, director, and sound designer, Richard Dean, has over fifteen years experience in broadcast production, cinematography and sound recording. His media projects include Posta Boy of BET’s 106 & Park, Universal Records, Inc., and Starz Network, Hip Hop Raw. His impressive body of work includes films for the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, the US Marine Corps, and the US Navy; he has done work for three US Presidents, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Dean was editor and sound designer for two major World War II documentaries: An Untold Triumph and Choc’late Soldiers from the USA.

Mark Swiderski
Sound Composer and Editor

Mark Swiderski is a Michigan native who now resides in Chicago, IL. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S in both electrical and sound engineering as well as an M.S. in electrical engineering. He is an independent musician, composer, and sound engineer who also works for Shure Inc. designing professional audio equipment. His music has been featured in several films, most notably the Illumine Productions documentary "Ocean Monk". He has also recorded several solo albums of original music and enjoys listening to anything that is willing to make a sound.