OUR TEAM

The team behind Backyard/Desert.

Ethan Felizzari-Castillo

DIRECTOR, PRODUCER & CO-WRITER

Ethan Felizzari-Castillo is a multifaceted film and theater producer, director, and writer, as well as the founder of independent production company CK Productions Inc. A creative of Salvadoran descent, prides himself in keeping his projects independent and working against all odds to get them made. He studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has been working professionally in the industry since 2013. Since the start of CK, Ethan has produced over 100 theatrical productions, over 85 music videos, several award-winning short films and works with recording artists on a daily basis.

With CK's marketing sector, Ethan has also worked as the marketing manager on the BAFTA & Emmy-nominated, Sundance-winning documentary, BEYOND UTOPIA, and other features. Ethan's directing credits include COSQUILLAS (3-time award winning 'Best Short,') starring Gil Perez-Abraham (The Batman), TURKEYS GO ON STRIKE (Musical, Theater for the New City Off-Broadway) and BACKYARD/DESERT (Play version and feature), among many others. Felizzari-Castillo is currently working on several shorts as a producer including THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC (produced in part by the Russo Brothers/AGBO's RBIAFF Prize) and THE LAST AUTUMN.

Felizzari-Castillo is also developing several announced features like acclaimed content creator, Jessica Vill’s, Marilyn Monroe Biopic titled BECOMING HER, Peter-William Jamieson’s award-winning play turned film, BORDERLESS (for which he will also serve as Director), comedian Sunny Laprade’s trans coming-of-age feature film F IT, WE BALL and drama, written by Felizzari-Castillo, called OFFSIDES.

Nancy Irene Kelly

WRITER & ORIGINAL PLAYWRIGHT

Nancy Kelly is an award-winning playwright and educator whose work explores identity, justice, and emotional depth. Her play Backyard/Desert premiered in NYC and is now adapted for film, co-written with director Ethan Felizzari-Castillo. A Dramatists Guild member with degrees from Sarah Lawrence and UC Berkeley, she has created critically praised solo works and digital theater projects like Medea in Quarantine.

Paul Zaentz

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Paul Zaentz is an acclaimed producer with a decades-long career spanning some of the most celebrated films in cinema. In 1976, he co-founded The Saul Zaentz Company, which went on to produce multiple Academy Award-winning films, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1976), Amadeus (1984), The Mosquito Coast (1986), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991), The English Patient (1996), and Goya’s Ghosts (2007). In 1999, he co-produced The Talented Mr. Ripley alongside Sidney Pollack, directed by Anthony Minghella.

Paul’s recent work includes Coup 53 (2019), a gripping documentary on the 1953 US/UK-backed coup in Iran, and We Are Many (2014), a powerful film exposing the misinformation campaign behind the Iraq War.

Currently, Paul is developing several major international projects, including adapting the novel Wildchilds, a love story set against the backdrop of the dark side of the fashion industry to be filmed in Paris and California, a historical series about the English royal family’s German roots post-Napoleonic Wars, a feature adaptation of Provence 1970, and limited series based on The English Patient and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, both of which will focus on parts of the novels which were not in the movies, and a film with City of God co-director Katia Lund on women’s rights in Pakistan.

Eugenia Melián

PRODUCER

Since the early 1980s, Eugenia Melian has forged an eclectic and influential career as a model, agent, producer, and music supervisor, working across the creative capitals of Milan, Paris, London, New York, and Los Angeles. A true tastemaker, she has discovered, managed, and art-directed some of the most visionary talents of our time. Her career milestones include launching the careers of legendary illustrator and photographer Tony Viramontes and renowned photographer David LaChapelle, as well as co-creating and producing Malcolm McLaren’s cult album Paris.

Eugenia’s extensive body of work spans collaborations with a remarkable list of cultural icons and institutions, including Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Hardy, Helmut Newton, David Bailey, Faye Dunaway, Marlon Brando, Prince, Tilda Swinton, Vogue, Matthew Herbert, Blur, Stella McCartney, LouLou de la Falaise, Janet Jackson, Sonia Rykiel, Rocco Siffredi, and The Face magazine.

In 2018, she added author to her list of achievements with the publication of her debut novel Wildchilds, a sharp, stylish meditation on art, identity, and rebellion. In 2025, Melian’s 1989-1997 archives were acquired by Yale / Beinecke Library.

Matthew Herbert

AN ORIGINAL SONG WRITTEN FOR THE SCREEN BY

Matthew Herbert is a singular artist who has a unique approach to building music from non-traditional sounds and instruments. Whether in the form of an orchestral film score, electronic dance record, exploration of the life of a pig or horse skeleton, or jazz big band, Matthew’s work is impossible to categorize; his groundbreaking approach makes him one of the most important British artists of his generation.

You’ve heard his work under the monikers Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Wishmountain and in connection with artists like Momoko Gill, Micachu, Ennio Morricone, Quincy Jones, Björk, Moloko, REM and Serge Gainsbourg. As a film and television composer, Matthew creates a new sonic world from scratch based on the organic sounds of each narrative. The music becomes a physical extension of the story.

His film credits include the Academy Award-winning drama A Fantastic Woman, The Wonder (Florence Pugh), Disobedience (Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams), Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore), The Cave, and the forthcoming musical La Ola (The Wave). Series that feature his scores include The Responder (BAFTA-nominated), Noughts + Crosses (Ivor Novello Award-nominated) and The Beast Must Die (RTS Award-winning).

With a clear intention to disrupt the status quo, Matthew collaborates best with like-minded filmmakers who want to change the world. He wants to create work which has a positive social impact by elevating underrepresented ideas and voices and amplifying radical stories which directly face pressing issues such as climate change and social justice.

Luke Pengelly

Luke Pengelly is a cinematographer and filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, he’s a proud NYU graduate and is incredibly grateful to be a part of this team. Most recently, Luke shot “That Old Black Magic” following a grant from the Russo Brothers and AGBO, and his work can be seen on numerous short films, commercials, and additional photography on the Feature film Stakes is High (Grand Jury Winner at the Dallas international film festival) and work in the camera department in A24's OPUS (starring Ayo Edibiri)

Giuseppe Tissino & Claudio Zorzenon

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Giuseppe Tissino and Claudio Zorzenon are the CEO & COO of the award-winning production company Arte Video. Since 1993, Arte Video has been recognized for its excellence in Italy's television and film industry, constantly evolving in technology and committed to producing high-quality video, film, and multimedia content.

Its core mission is to ensure meticulous attention to every project, where quality, expertise, and versatility are essential to success. The company collaborates with major platforms and distributors like Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime Video (both of which have certified Arte Video as a Preferred Partner), Disney+, Paramount+, Google Play, Sony, and Tatatu. It manages releases for Italian & Global distributors such as Warner Bros, Minerva, Nexo Digital, Vision Distribution, IWonder, CG Entertainment, Blue Swan, and Movies Inspired, overseeing projects from concept to post-production and final platform delivery. S

pecializing in film production, post-production, conforming/color grading, and streaming services for video-on-demand, Arte Video is recognized as an "Official Encoding House" by all industry leaders. In April 2024, Arte Video earned Amazon Preferred certification in Los Angeles, becoming the only Italian company with this status. This adds to its Apple iTunes Preferred status, which it has maintained for three consecutive years.

  • Stefanie Colón

    FOUNDER

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  • Juanes Montoya

    DESIGN DIRECTOR

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  • Adam Del Valle

    SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

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  • Alessandra Manias

    FOUNDER

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  • Stephen Phillipi

    DESIGN DIRECTOR

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  • Katherine Beggs

    SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

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Production Companies

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  • Primary Production Company

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  • Production Company

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Italy • Production Company, Encoding House

Europe/US • Production Company

Tuscon, Arizona • Production & Post-Production