Jonathan Demme has achieved the rare distinction of both critical and popular acclaim with such celebrated pictures as Philadelphia, The Silence of the Lambs, Mandela, Married to the Mob, Melvin and Howard and the Toni Morrison novel, Beloved.  His activities as director and producer are distinguished by a deeply personal combination of cinematic craft and a unique sympathy for the human condition.

Acknowledgements

Queenae Taylor Mulvihill has written over a dozen screenplays which explore themes of spirituality and family based on her African American and Native American roots. Maangamizi - The Ancient One is the first feature screenplay to be produced. Additionally she has produced and written several shorts including the acclaimed short film, Maya.  Writing has been a part of her life since she was a young child. She holds a BA in English from UC-Berkeley and an MFA in Theater Arts from UCLA. As CEO of Gris-Gris Films, Inc. and as a founding member of Auramas Entertainment, she is currently in pre production on one of three projects, one of which is Under The Pepper Tree, a semi-autobiographical account of her relationship with her mother after the latter was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Martin Mhando, a Tanzanian national currently lectures in film and television at Murdoch University (Perth, Western Australia) and has produced and directed a substantial body of work including the critically acclaimed Yombayomba and the award winning Mama Tumaini, a co-production of the Tanzanian Film Company and Norway.

Ron Mulvihill has been active as a filmmaker, producer and editor for a variety of feature and documentary subjects since receiving his MFA in Theater Arts from UCLA in 1989 and his BA from UC-Irvine in 1980. As a result of his first visit to the African continent in 1979, his work has reflected the extraordinary cultural and spiritual beauty of African civilization and its influences throughout the world. The premiere of The Marriage of Mariamu, the first Tanzanian-American co-production, at African's leading film festival - FESPACO - in 1985 garnered the Best Short Film Award, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Award and the Journalists and Critics Award. The 36 minute film was subsequently shown at the Fourth International Youth Film Festival in Turin, the Uppsala Film Festival in Sweden and the Carthage International Film Festival in Tunisisa. Ron has also produced two documentaries, Sharing is Unity and Prince Dixon's Gospel Caravan.