Chad Gracia, President
Chad Gracia worked in New York theater for 20 years as a producer and dramaturg before directing his debut film, The Russian Woodpecker. This documentary about Ukraine’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity won multiple awards worldwide, including the Sundance Grand Jury Prize (2015), and was sold to Amazon. His Kyiv-based production company, GraciaFilms, focuses on tales of totalitarianism in the USSR and Russia. He has several projects in post-production, including Putin’s Mammoth, King Trump, and Sex in the Soviet Union. He helps raise funds for actors and other creative professionals fighting on the front lines to save Ukraine.
Artem Ryzhikov, Cinematographer
Artem was the winner of the International Documentary Association's "Best Cinematography - 2015" award for his work on The Russian Woodpecker. He graduated in 2010 from the Kiev University for Theatre, Film and Television, and was legendary Soviet cinematographer Vadim Vereshchak’s last student and studied for several years under Bogdan Verzhbitsky. As Director of Photography, Artem’s work has won multiple awards worldwide. His short film, “Hindrance,” was a semi-finalist in YouTube’s “Your Film Festival” and was presented at the Cannes “Short Film Corner” as a selection from Ukraine. In March 2022 he enrolled in the Ukrainian Army and is currently battling on the front lines in Ukraine.
Marina Orekhova, Managing Producer
With over 10 years experience in documentary and fiction production, Marina produced a Sundance 2015 Grand prix for Best documentary and festival darling THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER (Chad Gracia) and a multiple award-winner THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL (Holly Morris & Anne Bogart). Collaborated on a number of TV films with the leading international media: ARTE, ZDF, rBB, Al Jazeera, BBC, Wired. Marina is an experienced festival and international cultural events manager. In 2008, as a member of a founding team for Ukrainian Cinema Foundation, she set up the first ever Ukrainian pavilion at the EFM (Berlinale) and Village International (Cannes).