Keeping the Kibbutz

Director: Ben Crosbie

Ben has been engaged in the pursuit of telling visual stories since he purchased his first film SLR in high school.   He pursued documentary photography as an avid hobby then took the natural leap into making moving images.  After producing Barberin’, Ben launched Eidolon Films along with his co-producer Tessa.  The two embarked on a two month journey to film Keeping the Kibbutz and have not looked back since.  For Ben, documentary film-making is not only a medium through which to capture the human spirit and the important issues of our time, but also the perfect antidote for his thirst for cool technology.

At Eidolon, Ben helped co-produce Making Mothers in addition to working on a variety projects for non-profit and educational clients.  After releasing Keeping the Kibbutz, Ben hopes to continue making films that tell stories and inspire change.

Director: Tessa Moran

Tessa made her entry into film-making as a writer on a documentary about the ruby slippers of Oz in college. She has been enchanted ever since, and served as a co-director on Eidolon’s Barberin’, Making Mothers and Keeping the Kibbutz.  Tessa realized her passion for storytelling working as a volunteer in a hospital, where she met people with important stories to tell but no medium through which to tell them.

Tessa spent over three years working in Washington, DC as a full-time reporter, covering health care policy and more recently, the crumbling economy. Her work at Eidolon now centers around seeking out the stories behind the facts and politics, and collaborating with non-profits and social justice organizations to ensure that those stories result in change.

Composer: Preston Hart

Preston Hart is a New York City based composer.  He started playing the guitar at age ten and has been obsessed with making music ever since.  He has done music for promotion of HBO’s True Blood, as well as composing for the New York Historical Society, The New York Public Library, The Rockhouse Foundation, and a Colin Remas Brown film entitled The Runner.

He began working with Eidolon films in 2007 and has done the music for their previous films: Barberin’ and Making Mothers.  In addition to scoring Keeping The Kibbutz, he is currently working with DC based hip hop artist SmCity on a music video and album set for release in 2010, as well as working full time as a commercial composer for Pulse Music in Manhattan.  Learn more about Preston’s work at www.prestonahart.com.