OUR TEAM...
As a specialist in giant-screen moviemaking, Stephen Low is unique among
filmmakers. A veteran of six IMAX® productions, Low is consistently
working at the forefront of film technology. Known for his daring, he has
repeatedly ventured into uncharted waters.
Most recently, Low directed and produced Across the Sea of Time (1995), a time-travel epic for Columbia Pictures and Sony New Technologies. The film marries archival stereo images with IMAX® 3D, the cutting edge of motion picture technology. In the pursuit of extraordinary images and stories for the giant screen, Stephen Low has taken IMAX cameras into some of the most hostile and unusual environments on Earth, including the abyssal depths of the ocean (Genie-nominated Titanica, 1993, and Flight of the Aquanaut,1993), and the aquatic habitat of a family of beavers (Beavers, 1987). He has also sent cameras aloft, where they captured the flight of a flock of Canada geese (Skyward, 1984).
In 1990, Low directed The Last Buffalo, an award-winning film that took viewers on a surreal exploration of the Alberta badlands. Shot in the IMAX 3D format for Expo '90 in Osaka Japan, it was the fair's most popular attraction.
Born in Ottawa, Low studied political science at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and graduated in 1973. His innovative approach to documentary filmmaking has resulted in over 40 awards worldwide, including, in 1981, the prestigious Grierson Award for achievement in documentary film. Low has been praised for his mastery in evoking the drama in non-fiction, and he brings this unique creative ability to his work as he blends contemporary storytelling with the cutting-edge technology of the IMAX format.
Low began his film career in 1976, working as a cameraman and editor in Newfoundland. Four years later, in conjunction with the National Film Board of Canada, he directed and produced the award-winning documentary Challenger. He first experienced the unlimited possibilities of the giant screen when he served as researcher on Imax Corporation's space shuttle film Hail Columbia!
In 1986, he founded The Stephen Low Company. Since then, in addition to directing and producing, Low has developed innovative strategies for filming in the IMAX® format, and has helped push forward the development of a wide variety of specially designed equipment, including underwater camera housings, underwater HMI lights and camera mounts for racing cars. Low was a consultant on the feature-length IMAX concert film Rolling Stones: At the Max, and served as executive producer on a four-hour environmental television series entitled The Human Race.
Low is currently directing Mark Twain's America for Sony New Technologies and Columbia Pictures, an IMAX® 3D journey through the life and times of America's legendary humorist.
Pietro
L. Serapiglia
Producer/Distributor
In a career that spans almost 25 years, Pietro Serapiglia is at the forefront
of IMAX film production. As producer of the Genie-nominated IMAX film Titanica,
Serapiglia was responsible for one of the most significant international
expeditions to ever explore the wreck site of the R.M.S. Titanic. He also
produced the dramatic underwater ocean adventure Flight of the Aquanaut.
His participation in IMAX film production began with collaborations on The
River, a film produced for the 1984 New Orleans World Fair, and Beavers,
a pioneering IMAX nature documentary.
The Quebec native received his initial training in film in 1973 when he joined the ranks of the renowned National Film Board of Canada. Since then, Serapiglia has collaborated, in senior capacities, on over 35 documentaries, TV dramas and feature films, including the Oscar-nominated documentary productions Adventures in History and Gwynne Dyer's seven-part series War. He has also produced award-winning music videos for CBS, RCA and Atlantic Records.
Goulam
Amarsy
Executive Producer
As a partner of Openwheel Productions, Goulam Amarsy is responsible for
both the development, planning and financing of new IMAX theatres and the
production of original IMAX film projects. He is currently working on the
IMAX format production Supertrain.
Amarsy draws from a solid background in business administration, having studied at Harvard University. He has spearheaded the development of major commercial centres, including the Rockland Center (Montreal, 1983) and the Eaton Center (Montreal, 1987). Amarsy served as Director of Commercial Development for the Euro-Disney project in France, where he was responsible for the coordination of real estate development and entertainment retail.
James Lahti has edited almost every type of production imaginable. His extensive resumé includes commercials, music videos, documentary films, feature films, television dramas and miniseries. Over the past few years, Lahti has acted as Associate Producer and Editor on three IMAX® films directed by Stephen Low: Flight of the Aquanaut, Titanica and Across the Sea of Time. Most recently, he served as Editor on the IMAX film Whales for National Wildlife Productions.
Since receiving his honours degree in film from York University in 1977, Lahti has worked as an editor, cutting film on projects such as the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Anne of Green Gables, as well as its sequel. His other IMAX credits include The Last Buffalo (3D) and Echoes of the Sun (IMAX/SOLIDO).
Andrew
Kitzanuk
Cinematographer
As a director of photography, Andrew Kitzanuk's work encompasses some
60 films, including documentaries, dramas and feature films. He has worked
on a variety of different film formats and has directed the application
of a wide range of special effects techniques. Kitzanuk's track record in
giant-screen cinematography includes seven outstanding IMAX productions,
among them: Beavers, The Last Buffalo (IMAX® 3D), the IMAX/SOLIDO film
Echoes of the Sun, and the feature-length IMAX concert film Rolling Stones:
At the Max. More recently, Kitzanuk served as cinematographer on the avant-garde
IMAX 3D film Imagine for the Taijon World's Fair in Korea, and on the IMAX
nature film Africa: The Serengeti.
Bill
Reeve
IMAX® Camera Specialist
Bill Reeve supervised the engineering and fabrication of the IMAX camera
mounting system for Super Speedway; as well, he acted as camera operator
and provided camera technical support and research services for the production.
Reeve served as Cinematography Specialist with Imax Corporation from 1984 until 1996. His work included the development of environmental housings, 3D underwater optical research, 3D and high-speed camera development, aerial mounts, cinematographic testing and effects. Reeve has provided technical support and served as cameraman on over 16 IMAX productions, including camera operation and technical support for the deep-ocean submersible filming of the R.M.S. Titanic (Titanica, 1991).
Reeve graduated from Ryerson with a bachelor's degree in motion picture production in 1977 and has worked as a camera assistant, cameraman and director of photography on over 40 productions, including commercials, documentaries and feature films.
Composer, orchestrator and conductor for la Société Radio-Canada (SRC) in Quebec City from 1976 to 1988, Gilles Ouellet is presently very active in different fields of music writing. His long association with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra established his expertise as an orchestrator/conductor for concerts and special events. Ouellet has worked with many renowned artists, including Céline Dion, Diane Dufresne, Serge Lama and Francis Cabrel.
Ouellet has served as an orchestrator for numerous films (Rafales/Fiero, L'été des secrets) and as a composer for SRC dramas and Télé-Québec productions. He currently teaches harmony, composing and arranging techniques at the Notre-Dame-de-Foy school of music in Quebec City.
Lilly Antonecchia
Lilly Antonecchia became involved in film production when, in 1987, she worked for
Telefilm Canada, the Canadian federal film financing body. Antonecchia subsequently devoted
her professional activities to project coordination. She became involved, as unit manager,
on Stephen Low's underwater adventure Flight of the Aquanaut, and the highly
acclaimed IMAX film Titanica. Antonecchia has equally been involved in film distribution,
notably the large format motion pictures directed by Stephen Low.