Ivan Malekin

Ivan Malekin is a prolific producer, director and editor whose work spans from Australia to Europe to America, including improvised feature films like "Friends, Foes & Fireworks" (2018), "In Corpore" (2020), and "Machination" (2022), alongside the global web series "Life Improvised" and the worldwide hit “Cats of Malta”.

Ivan, who transitioned to improvisational storytelling though film in 2016 is trained in the improvisational directing techniques of Mike Leigh, and is himself an educator in the craft, offering courses online, in-person and through his film production company’s YouTube Channel Micro Budget Madness. He published his debut book "Improv for Indie Filmmakers" in 2021.

Currently, Ivan resides in Croatia and continues to produce original improvised films through Nexus Production Group, while also taking on the role of cinematographer when required.

Sarah Jayne

Sarah Jayne is an Australian storyteller with a Maltese heritage who began her career within the art department in 2006 while residing in Melbourne, Australia. In 2013 SJ shifted her focus to directing, producing and writing screenplays.

SJ's most notable work as a writer, director and producer is a short film titled Daughter starring Katherine Langford. The project has toured Australia to raise awareness around gender based violence and victim blaming, been selected for key human-rights festival Women Deliver Arts & Film Festival, whereas her feature documentaries have been part of educational screenings, represented Malta at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and been broadcast on PBS and shown across Japanese cinemas.

Trained in the improvisational directing techniques of Mike Leigh, SJ is herself an educator in the craft, while also remaining open to the traditional craft of screenplay writing.

Clara francesca

Clara Francesca, based in NYC, is an Italian/Australian bi-lingual actor and alumnus of Anne Bogart's SITI Company's Inaugural Conservatory, with work ranging from traditional screen and stage acting to poetic immersive avant-garde. Clara won Best Actress at the Melbourne Arts Centre Fairfax Stage for self-devised piece "Susan Who?" about underage coerced sex work and government responsibilities. Clara received the Dame Joan Sutherland Fund for excellence in Performance.

Theatrical works include: Making Marx (Edinburgh Fringe Festival dir. Guy Masterson) Metamorphosis (KafkaTech), 43 Stages of Grief (The Tank), The Brick Theater (Macbeth, Hamlet, Three Sisters), Live Arts The Phoenix Theatre (Skin of Our Teeth, Wind In The Willows), NYC's Hayden Planetarium (MarsBand), La Mama (The Well), and Firenze Cinema la Compagnia (Speaking Dante: The Divine Comedy in 24 hours).

Selected screen credits include: "FBI" (CBS) opposite Jeremy Sisto, and "New Amsterdam" (NBC) opposite Ryan Eggold, playing Lance Henriksen's daughter in "Reklaw", and co-starring in award-winning "Johnny Ghost".