Rabia

HANIEH JODAT Lead Actress Hanieh Jodat developed a great and lasting passion for theater and film at a very early age. The daughter of artistic parents, Hanieh found herself at the age of 9 with a fan base all her own, and by the time she arrived in the United States two years later, she was ready for the chance of a lifetime – the chance to act. Assimilating seamlessly into American life, Hanieh began. Despite the potential controversy, the script for her newest film, Rabia drew Hanieh in with its vivid portrayal of one woman’s fight to be heard. Recognizing that the character of Rabia actually represented an archetypal everywoman – a cinematic stand-in for all women, everywhere, who’ve had to reach deep within themselves for the courage to fight for that in which they believe the greatest. She dedicated herself to the film, hoping that her work might help to engender understanding and goodwill and open minds to a different point of view – perhaps, even, to play a small part in bringing positive and life-affirming changes to the Middle East, and to the world. Hanieh has studied with some of the finest acting and vocal coaches in the country. In addition to Rabia, she has appeared in many feature films and in theatrical productions such as Phantom of the Opera, The Glass Menagerie and The Rumor. Although she was born into a family of Royal Persian Heritage, Hanieh’s family lived modestly, and she spent her earliest years in Tehran developing a great and lasting passion for theater and film. With her family’s love and support, Hanieh dreamed of someday becoming an actor. With the release of Rabia – a film that will certainly propel her to new heights – Hanieh, who recently signed with Murphy Boyz Management, is poised solidly on the brink of becoming one of the hottest, most sought-after young actors in the business.
MO GALLINI Lead Actor Mo Gallini has lent his talent to many of Hollywood's leading directors in films such as: Get Smart, Fuel, Selfless, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and 2 Fast 2 Furious as well as television shows such as: N.C.I.S., 24, JAG, NYPD Blue, The District, X-Files, Babylon 5, and General Hospital.
ERICK M. CRESPO Cinematographer Erick was born in Havana, Cuba in 1979 and immigrated to America in 2000. In Cuba, he made several documentaries and short films that were circulated among Cuban film festivals. As a new citizen of America, Erick desires to use his newfound freedom to make films about today’s world politics, a major reason why he was attracted to filming Rabia. He was a Cinematography student at the International Film and TV School (EICTV) in Havana. In 2000 he immigrated to America and relocated in upstate New York, where he finished his Bachelor of Arts at The State University of New York. There he shot and directed several documentaries commissioned by International Education Programs in Mexico and Australia. Some of his short films were screened in theaters across New York. Erick is currently finishing his Master of Fine Arts at the Conservatory of Motion Pictures of Chapman University, where he is majoring in Cinematography. At Chapman he has been the disciple of Bill Dill ASC, a great cinematographer and mentor.
SYLVIA CASTELLANOS Editor/Asst. Sound Designer Sylvia received her MFA in Film Production, with an emphasis in Editing, from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in 2007. Prior to her editing experience, she directed four shorts. These included Condom Crazy, PSA Koolz, and a five minute story for the news. She was 1st AD on the short film Brother Steel, as well as the 1st AD on the short film G.I. Joe (trailer can be found on YouTube). Her editing experiences began during the summer of 2004 when she worked at CBS as an editor and floor director.
AARON BURNS Sound Designer / 2nd Asst. Editor Aaron Burns received his MFA in Film Production, with an emphasis in Editing, from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in 2007. Aaron entered film school after spending six years in Chicago as an actor. He gradually developed an interest in filmmaking and decided he was better on the other side of the camera, specifically in post-production. Since enrolling at Chapman, he has also developed an interest in writing. Along with partner, Muhammad Ali Hasan, he was named a Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Finalist in 2006, for creating the movie The Coke Accord. He currently works at Tremolo Productions in Los Angeles, a documentary production company. He aspires to write and edit in the independent filmmaking world after film school.
ELEXIS DE LAIR Production Designer Elexis De Lair graduated from the Production Design program of the Los Angeles Film School. Elexis's Art Dept had the difficult job of building every interior set on Rabia (5 different sets, in total) on the Marrion Knot Sound Stages and dressing five different location sets, including those on the Tustin Air Force Base of Tustin, California. All photography took place in Southern California.
TOM WILLIAMS Composer Tom Williams (aka TomDini) is a recent graduate of Chapman University's Undergraduate Film Program. In preparing for RABIA, Tom single-handedly recorded and composed the notes of many Middle Eastern instruments, in addition to many studio-recordings. The soundtrack contains a rich assortment of Arabian instruments, choirs, and female vocals. In executing Muhammad Ali Hasan's vision of a score with strong Middle Eastern influence, Tom successfully passed the challenge of making RABIA's score a truly authentic one, in terms of Middle Eastern culture. Tom plans on continuing his composing career, as he is currently evaluating graduate school programs.
TASHI TRIEU Digital Post-Production Engineer Tashi Trieu is in the Dodge College of Film & Media Arts' Film Production B.F.A. program at Chapman University. Tashi has worked professionally in film/video post-production for many years both under contract and freelance. Some of his clients include: Lockheed Martin, Information QwestDex, Janus Mutual Funds, the United States Army, Newmont, and more. Tashi brings together a collection of experience in all facets of media production and engineering-- print, web, TV, and fllm. With a love of all things technical, Tashi finds much joy in bridging creative works and artistic endevours with state-of-the-art technical approaches. His early emphasis was in Visual Effects and Compositing for TV and Film. Now he employs those same technical problem solving skills to every other side of media production. He is currently studying cinematography and is looking to further his experience as a director of commercial videos. His style is heavily influenced by the works of Tony Scott and Michael Bay. Tashi is one-quarter Chinese and was born and raised in Denver, Colorado.
DWIGHT GALBRAITH Chief Lighting Technician / Colorist Dwight Galbraith is currently in his 3rd year in the Dodge College of Film & Media Arts Conservatory of Motion Pictures with an emphasis in Cinematography. Originally from Washington, Drew hails from a long, and experienced background in stage theater directing and lighting, Drew is putting himself to the test as he prepares for his thesis year at Chapman University.
SAQIB SIDDIK 1st Assistant Director Saqib graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in Kinesiology. Upon acceptance into Chapman University, he was awarded a Dodge Fellowship for Graduate Film Study. He also won a Francis D. Lyon Scholarship from the Phi Delta Theta Educational Foundation. He recently directed the short film, Tiny Handprints, after which he travelled to Turkey to shoot a documentary. He is currently writing a feature screenplay and is in post-production on his thesis film, The Passing. The Passing is a film that received sponsorship from Eastman-Kodak and Deluxe Laboratories.