Director & Writer
Sarah Smith and Phillip Guttmann are Los Angeles based filmmakers. They have collaborated on several projects including the 2015 award-winning short D.Asian, which screened at over 30 festivals world-wide, including Iris Prize and Palm Springs Shortfest, and went on to win the AT&T Under-Represented Filmmaker Award. In 2019, Sarah and Phillip debuted their next short film, Black Hat, which screened at over 35 festivals around the globe, including the Tribeca Film Festival, FlickerFest, and won the 2019 Iris Prize. Black Hat can currently be seen in the US on PBS KCET as part of their Fine Cut series of emerging filmmakers, and can also be seen on HBO Europe.
Director of Photography
Jeff is an LA-based filmmaker who has worked with Sarah and Phillip as Director of Photography on several projects including their short film D.Asian. Jeff has over 20 years of experience as a DP, producer, director, and editor in various mediums and genres including comedy, commercial, fashion, music video, reality and industrial projects, in addition to writing / developing television and feature projects. Jeff served as lead editor of the 4th season of Illeana Douglas' Ikea-sponsored, Webby award-winning webseries, Easy To Assemble, and was also the Director/Producer/Co-Creator/Co-Writer of the ground-breaking, interactive, comedy webseries, The Mimi and Flo Show. Jeff has studied both Improv and Sketch-Writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade and is a graduate of Film/TV Production from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Jeff is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America East.
Composer
Brice Cagan started his career as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, after styling at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
While on tour he would write music for advertisements and production music between gigs and bit by bit started to become more interested in film and orchestration.
"Somewhere along the line I started introducing myself as a composer rather an a guitarist, but I still view the orchestra as just a REALLY big band. i get as much influence from Zepplin as I do from Chopin, and I really hope that brings a lot of my attitude and personality into my sound."
Brice now operates out of a studio in London called Black And White Sounds, where he writers custom music for Advertisements, Video Games, Film, and Television.
Producer
Grant has a passion for putting things into alphabetical order and studying train timetables - which is probably just as well as it's stood him in good stead to deal with the logistics of a film shoot.
Since the birth of Iris, Grant has been fortunate to have worked with all the winers to help them produce their prize films in Wales.
A lapsed librarian, Grant found himself in TV production in the 1990s before a term as Director of the Welsh International Film Festival. His only on-screen appearance was a cameo in BAFTA Cymru nominated "Spoilers" - the eighth Iris production.
Line Producer
Kris is Cardiff born and bred and studied at the University of Glamorgan as a mature student. He graduated with a BI in digital video design and production. Since then he's been a regular member of team of Iris - and has worked on nearly all the winners' films. Kris' career highlights have seen him twice working alongside Michael Sheen and Owen Sheers - in the ambitious The Gospel of us and Aberfan: the Green Hollow.
Kris now works year round with iris and the University of South Wales where he shares his knowledge and passion for production with future creatives across VFX, media production and film courses. Should he find himself on a desert island his dream companion would be Dean Kamen.
Casting Director / Co-Producer
Mathew David is a Welsh actor, writer, and producer. Since training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Mathew has worked with BBC Worldwide, Starz, CBS, BBC Wales, Film Cymru Wales, S4C and Welsh National Opera.
In 2012, Mathew starred in the iris Prize short Burger, directed by Magnus Mork, which went on to win a Special Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival 2014. Since then Mathew has worked behind the camera on over 9 Iris Prize produced short films and even co-produced a stage version of the festival called Iris on Stage in 2019.
In 2020, Mathew was commissioned by BBC Wales, Film Cymru Wales and Arts Council Wales to create his very first short Skinny Fat, which he wrote, directed, and stared in.
