MOTOKI TOMATSU / WRITER
Originally from Japan, Motoki came to the US at age of 19 to pursue a life in filmmaking. Since then, Motoki has produced a wide variety of projects, unrestricted by media or format. These include scripted and unscripted film, branded content, and experimental art videos. His work has achieved recognition and awards, such as Cannes Lion and D&AD. He founded Mt. MELVIL, a production company that has since established a global footprint through its international roster of collaborators, ranging from visual artists to filmmakers and storytellers. Through Mt. MELVIL, Motoki aims to continue delivering artistic content in the ever-changing media landscape.
YUMIKO FUJIWARA / WRITER
Yumiko is a screenwriter and photographer with a focus on character-driven stories set in elevated settings. With an interest in themes of control, freedom, and human connection, she aims to tell stories that combine the intimate with the epic. She writes a wide range of genres spanning science-fiction, period pieces, thrillers and romance. Born in Tokyo, Yumiko was raised across the globe in cities such as Mexico City, Johannesburg, and Rome before moving to the United States to attend Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She later earned her MFA in Screenwriting from the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles.Yumiko’s feature script “THE FIRE OUTSIDE” was selected for the 2021 Black List. Short films, commercials, and narrative work she has written have received multiple awards and screened at over 60 festivals around the globe.
BASHAR AHMED / ARTIST
Born and raised in Iraq, Bashar Ahmed discovered his fascination for the comic world at an early age through influences such as Marvel, DC comics and manga. While in Iraq, he worked on children’s comics, but in 2003, Bashar refreshed his career to rebuild his brand, and established Bashart Studio currently based in Aarburg, Switzerland. His work has been exhibited in various
venues in Switzerland. His scope of art includes book illustrations, storyboards, advertising designs, cover designs, small comics, and live sketches at events. Bashar’s Niro style was greatly influenced by the highly detailed Batman but can also shift to a very lossy and simplistic drawing technique as well thanks to his inspiration, Mr. Naoki Urasawa, and knowledge gained in different comic and storytelling courses from CGMA and other art schools.
LEONARDO MAZZOLI / COLORIST
Comic artist and illustrator, Leonardo was born in Rome in 1997. He attended the artistic high school of Urbino, specializing in animation and comic art. After that, he was admitted to the Nemo Academy of digital arts in Florence. He works with indie comic magazines and Italian publishing houses, such as BeccoGiallo press. At the moment he works as a freelance concept artist and he teaches at Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Reggio Emilia.