Marlo Poras, Producer/Director

Marlo Poras began her film career as an apprentice to Thelma Schooonmaker at Martin Scorsese’s Cappa Productions and worked in the editing room on independent films such as Greg Mottola’s DAYTRIPPERS and Alison Anders’ GRACE OF MY HEART. Later, she was living in Vietnam, producing teen oriented HIV/AIDS education films for The Population Council when she was inspired to make MAI’S AMERICA, her first film.

MAI’S AMERICA screened at dozens of festivals worldwide and won numerous awards, including the Audience Award for Feature Documentary at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) and the Golden Gate Certificate of Merit at the San Francisco International Film Festival. The film was later awarded Best Feature Documentary by the International Documentary Association (IDA). MAI’S AMERICA also received much critical acclaim, including: “Best Documentary Film of 2002” from The Boston Phoenix; "Best Festival Film of 2002" from The LA Times; and "damned near impossible to forget" from TimeOut NY. The film aired in 2002 on P.O.V., PBS’ award winning non–fiction showcase.

Marlo also works as a camerawoman on documentaries such as COUNTRY BOYS, David Sutherland’s critically acclaimed PBS/Frontline series, and on Jocelyn Glatzer’s Emmy Award nominated P.O.V. documentary, THE FLUTE PLAYER, which she edited as well. Marlo is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

David Sutherland, Executive Producer

David Sutherland’s numerous documentaries have garnered dozens of international awards. His two PBS/Fronline series, THE FARMER’S WIFE and COUNTRY BOYS, received accolades from critics and viewers alike. The Chicago Tribune called THE FARMER’S WIFE, “one of the extraordinary television events of the decade.” The 6.5-hour series had 18 million PBS viewers who responded with more than a million website hits and to date, over 30,000 emails. The Television Critics Association nominated THE FARMER’S WIFE for awards in three categories: Best Program of the Year, Best Miniseries & Specials, and Best News & Information Program.

David’s other films include: OUT OF SIGHT, HIGH ENERGY, HALFTIME, PAUL CADMUS: Enfant Terrible at 80, JACK LEVINE: Feast of Pure Reason, GEORGE WASHINGTON: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, and FEAST OF THE GODS.

Ian Kane, Original Music

Ian Kane is a modern day Tin Pan Alley jazz pianist, composer and crooner. He began playing boogie–stride piano professionally in New Orleans in the early 1990s. Ian later developed a 250–song repertoire that he took to Cleveland, San Francisco and Boston, along with his own growing catalogue of compositions. Now based in New York City, Ian performs regularly at venues such as the Knitting Factory, The Slipper Room, The Marquee and The Cutting Room.

Yu Ying Chou, Co–Editor

A native of Taiwan, Yu Ying Chou studied media and advertising before transitioning into documentary film editing. She spent five years collaborating with David Sutherland on his six hour Frontline series, COUNTRY BOYS, which aired nationally on PBS in January 2006. She is currently editing two documentaries, Lisa Olivieri’s HELEN KELLER HAD IT EASY and Lorna Lowe’s ROMEO. Yu Ying is based in Boston, MA.