THE FILMMAKERS

 

PAUL DEVLIN
director, producer, editor, camera

 

A five-time Emmy winner for his work on NBC’s Olympics and CBS’s Tour de France, Paul Devlin’s films include Power Trip, which screened in 60 countries, theatrically across the United States and on PBS’s Independent Lens, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and has won 10 film festival awards, including top prizes at Berlin, Hot Docs in Toronto, and Florida.

 

Paul also made the award-winning film SlamNation, which follows the fierce competition at the National Poetry Slam and helped popularize the dynamic genre with its release in theaters and on HBO/Cinemax and Encore/Starz, and BLAST, a spectacular and suspenseful story of space exploration. Paul’s latest award winning film, The Front Man is an intimate portrait that evolves into a 27-year journey about a man so busy chasing his dreams that he risks missing what success really means.

 

Other credits include his fiction film The Eyes of St. Anthony and his work as producing editor on the Organic Film FREESTYLE: The Art of Rhyme, broadcast on VH1 and winner of the Special Jury Award for Documentary Filmmaking at the Florida Film Festival.

 

As an editor, Paul’s extensive credits include commercials, music videos, television shows and major sports broadcasts, including CBS’s Super Bowls and ABC/ESPN’s World Cup Soccer.

 

 

CLAIRE MISSANELLI
co-producer

 

Claire Missanelli lost her struggle with breast cancer on March 31st, 2011. We miss her dearly. More information here.

 

Claire, who was raised in Pennsylvania, received her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Communications from La Salle University and attended graduate studies at the NYU Film School.

 

Claire, who resides in New York City and is a producer, has worked on a variety of projects including Power Trip, The 2000 National Poetry Slam Finals, As An Act of Protest, and James Baldwin’s Blues for Mr. Charlie and performed at the National Black Theatre in Harlem.

 

 

VALERY ODIKADZE
co-producer, camera

 

Valery Odikadze is a video producer, director, cameraman and editor for studio shoots, commercials, documentary and feature films. Since 1994, he has worked for the independent, and most popular TV channel in Georgia, Rustavi-2 Broadcasting Company, in Tbilisi. He has also worked on the Georgian version of 60 Minutes.

His recent project is a documentary about Georgia’s “Rose Revolution,” which he directed for Rustavi-2. He also works in conjunction with a number of foreign agencies and video producers as a co-producer in the Republic of Georgia. Valery is also a video editing instructor, teaching media students in Georgia.

 

 

THE CAST

PIERS LEWIS
energy and resources auditor for AES

 

After immigrating from London to the US with his family, Piers received a BS from University of Michigan and worked on sustainable energy projects in San Francisco and Nicaragua. He earned his Masters in energy and resources at UC Berkeley. Piers went to Georgia in 1995 as a pilot project consultant, implementing a transparent accounting system, re-metering, disconnections, and improved electricity supply in a neighborhood outside Tbilisi. Its success provided impetus for AES to purchase Tibilisi’s electricity distribution company, Telasi. Piers left Georgia after AES sold Telasi. He now performs operational audits of AES businesses around the world from their headquarters outside Washington DC.

 

 

MICHAEL SCHOLEY
head of AES operations in Georgia 1999-2001

 

With a Geology degree from Sheffield University, Mike started in finance and accounting at AES. The attraction of working for AES businesses in developing countries brought him to Southeast Asia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Mike presided over the AES acquisition of Telasi in 1998, heading operations in Georgia from 1999-2001. In 2001 he was promoted to AES Division Manager based in Istanbul, Turkey. He later worked for AES in Central American and Ukraine.

 

Mike left AES in 2004 to attend London Business School on the Sloan Fellowship program. He is married with four children. He met his wife Lesia riding motorbikes in the Caucasus.

 

 

LEEKA BASILAIA
journalist

 

Leeka Basilaia was born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia. She studied Russian Language and Literature at Tbilisi State University and also studied English in London. For 10 years she worked in Tbilisi as print investigative journalist. This experience led to a spot as a broadcast investigative journalist on the Georgian version of 60 Minutes for Rustavi-2 television in Tbilisi. After several years with 60 Minutes, Leeka returned to print as the editor and chief of the Georgian language daily, New Version.

 

 

 

ZAAL KIKODZE
scholar, curator, photographer

 

Zaal Kikodze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He studied at Institute of Archaeology at Leningrad and earned his BS in Archaeological Studies at Tbilisi State University. He is a professor at the State University of Tbilisi. Zaal is also a professional mountain climber, rescue team member and guide, hosting many foreigner travelers in Georgia. He has exhibited many of his photographs from his expeditions. Zaal’s accomplishments include senior curator at the State Museum of Georgia and founding member of Open Society – Georgia Foundation. Zaal has written and lectured on many topics including ethnic conflict resolution, bio-diversity and sustainable development.
In July of 2005 Zaal Kikodze and a climbing companion were caught in a storm high up on the difficult Ushba cliffs in the Georgian Caucasus where they lost their lives. Zaal has been dearly missed by the friends he made all across the world.

 

 

 

DENNIS BAKKE
founder of The AES Corporation

 

Dennis W. Bakke was raised in Saxon, Washington, and graduated from the University of Puget Sound, Harvard Business School, and the National War College. He co-founded The AES Corporation in 1981 and served as its president and CEO from 1994 to 2002. He is now president and CEO of Imagine Schools, a company that operates elementary and secondary (K-12) charter schools in 10 states. He is also the author of The Joy of Work. Dennis and his wife, Eileen, live in Arlington, Virginia.

 

 

 

BILL O’REILLY
AES Plant Manager

 

Bill graduated from Maine Maritime Academy and spent two years in the United States Merchant Marine. During his 8 years with AES, he worked as a Boiler Operator, Control Room Operator, and Senior Engineer. Through AES, Bill earned his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He went on to work for Mike Scholey in the fall of 2000 as a Regional Manager. He was promoted to Plant Manager at AES Mtkvari in Gardabani, Georgia and held that position for 2 years. He went to AES in Chile from Georgia, but AES business declined and he left the company to start his own business in New York.