The FilmAid Team

New York

FilmAid International
New York Headquarters

Liz Manne

Liz Manne was appointed Executive Director of FilmAid in February 2011. A long-time studio executive and independent producer, Liz Manne co-founded Fine Line Features with Ira Deutchman in 1990 and served as its Executive Vice President Marketing until 1997 (Hoop Dreams, My Own Private Idaho, The Player, The Sweet Hereafter). From 1998 to 2001, she served as Executive Vice President Programming and Marketing for Robert Redford’s Sundance Channel.

In 2002, Manne was a co-founder, with Catherine Tait, of Duopoly, a boutique content production and consultancy firm, where she earned multiple producing credits (3 Backyards, The Heart of the Game, A Dog Year, Fall from Grace, Lucky); co-founded the online and mobile content platform iThentic; and served as an advisor to HBO Films for its theatrical releases including Maria Full of Grace, American Splendor, Real Women Have Curves and Elephant.

In 2009, Manne was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, where her focus is cultural diplomacy. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She holds a BA in Dramatic Art from University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Sarah Schwarz

Sarah has lived and worked in Budapest, Chiang Mai and Washington, DC, focusing on issues ranging from human trafficking to participatory development, peacebuilding and income generation for refugee women. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.A. in International Health and Development and minors in Women’s Studies and Italian. Having worked in varied media, from an NPR show to documentary film and a daily newspaper, Sarah joined FilmAid as Development & Communications Officer in 2011 after completing her master’s degree in international development at the University of Bologna.

Board of Directors

Michael Angst
Chair

Madeline Anbinder

Caroline Baron
Founder

Primalia Chang

Dr. Daveed D. Frazier

Alan Gershenfeld
Treasurer

Iliane Ogilvie Thompson
President

Alejandro Ramirez Magaña

Pamela Reis
Vice Chair

Josh Ruxin

Sharon Swart

Julia Ormond
Founding Chair (Emeritus)

Advisory Committee

Lisa Anderson
Judy Arthur
Alvin Baron
David Bernstein
Laura Bickford
Mahen Bonetti
Bob Brigham
James Brooke
Shannon Davis
Chris DeFaria
Robert De Niro
Robert DeVecchi
Christopher Dickey
Jodie Eastman
Peter Ezersky
Wendy Finster
Deborra-lee Furness
Christina Galante
Emily Gardiner
Whoopi Goldberg
Robyn Groves
Goldie Hawn
Phyllis Kaufman
Erol Kekic
Rory Kennedy
David Kessler
Mathilde Krim
Kate Lear
Michael Mailer
Susan Meiselas
Amy Mitchell
Mira Nair
Deborah Newmyer
Sarah O’Hagan
Susan Patricof
Richard Plepler
Nancy Proesel
Michael Quinn
Jane Rosenthal
Susan Sarandon
Jeffrey Silver
Carrie Simon
Anant Singh
Amy Slaughter
Steve & Sally Smith
Mary Soan
Steven Soderbergh
Natalia Tapies
Amina Tirana
Liv Ullmann
Ron Waldman
Michael Watson
Harvey Weinstein
Anthony Weintraub

Asia

FilmAid Asia

Based in Hong Kong, FilmAid Asia Limited is a registered charitable institution exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Service. It was established in 2011 to raise funds and awareness for FilmAid’s global programmes, with a particular focus on those in Asia.

Mary Soan

Mary Soan is the Regional Programme Director for FilmAid Asia, currently running FilmAid’s programmes in Thailand. Mary has worked on numerous international feature films as First Assistant Director and as Second Unit Director (Welcome to Sarajevo, The Madness of King George, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Chinese Box, Pearl Harbour) and now freelances as a Director/Producer/Writer. Her extensive film work has given her wide experience in filming in diverse and challenging places with many different nationalities and languages. Instrumental in the launch of FilmAid, Mary helped create the organisation’s first outdoor screening program in Macedonia and Kosovo in 1999. She went on to design and build FilmAid’s mobile cinema in Kenya, which continues today. Having worked actively in the creation of FilmAid programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, Haiti and Thailand, Mary’s leadership continues to be a critical factor in the organisation’s growth and development. She is a voting member of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and holds a BA Hons degree in Drama and French from London University.

Board of Directors

Anthony Steains (Chair)
Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Advisory Partners LP

Magdalena Corso (Vice-Chair)

Michael Angst
CEO/Founder, E-Line Media
Chair, FilmAid International

Claire Breen Melwani
Director, Luxury Sales, Partnerships & Special Projects Asia Pacific, Financial Times

Levina Li Cadman
Managing Director/Founder of Yummy Mummy Asia

Christine Fellowes
Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Universal Networks International

John McLellan
Partner, Head of Commercial & Media and Entertainment Groups, Haldanes Solicitors & Notaries

Iliane Ogilvie Thompson
President, FilmAid International

Officer
Petrina Steains (Treasurer)

Kenya

FilmAid Kenya
East Africa Head Office

Stella Suge

Stella is a graduate in Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Studies from Kenyatta University. She has over 8 years experience working in finance and administration in various organizations ranging from private business to non-governmental organizations. Stella has been with FilmAid since 2005.

Victor Ombonya

A graduate of the University of Nairobi with, of all things, a BSc. degree in Chemistry and Botany, Victor’s passion for art, and especially artistic expression, has taken him to organizations and endeavors that seek to place people at the center of their focus. Prior to FilmAid, Victor worked at Abila Creative Center, a community based organization located in Kisumu, Kenya which uses art, creativity and community media to address social challenges facing rural communities. Victor believes that the stories of the underprivileged, and how they are told, is what will ultimately break down barriers that continue to deny millions of people the opportunity to be human and to live life with dignity. Victor believes that FilmAid affords a great opportunity to contribute his creative and inspiring ideas. Victor loves movies and music, and he is an accomplished visual artist.

Advisory Board

Soiya Grecaga
Charles Otieno
Mark Somen

UK

FilmAid International UK

A UK registered charity based in London, FilmAid International UK was established in 2003 to raise funds and awareness in the UK and the European Union for FilmAid’s programmes worldwide.

Iliane Ogilvie Thompson

Iliane Ogilvie-Thompson is President of FilmAid International and Chair of the UK Board of Trustees. She also sits on the FilmAid US and FilmAid Asia Boards, and is a trustee of the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic and the We the Change Foundation. Prior to this she was Global Alliances Director at Diageo, after heading Business Development for the Diageo Venture Group. She was eCommerce Business Development Director at Yahoo! Europe, Marketing Manager at Yahoo! UK and was part of the Strategy practice at Accenture. She started out in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble. Iliane is a Dutch and South African national and speaks five languages. She lives in London with her husband and sons.

Vicky Suzman

Victoria came to FilmAid in 2009. Previously, she worked at the British Museum on their collections digitization project, and at an IT consultancy. She is interested in new media and communications across and within cultures. She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, with an MA (hons.) in Archaeology and Social Anthropology.

Board of Trustees

Iliane Ogilvie Thompson, Chair
Mike Betesh
Zoe Couper
Marina Fogle
Josie Lindop
Carole Siller
Sian Sutherland
Karen Welman
Lucy Yeomans

DONATE

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Reg. Company No. 4822997

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