This film has been inspired by three key books: The Role of the Jewish Underground in the American Landing in Algiers, 1940-1942 by Gitta Amipaz Silber, La Victoire du 8 novembre 1942 – La Résistance et le débarquement des Alliés à Alger, based on the manuscripts of Jose Aboulker and They Fought Back by Yuri Suhl.
Our award-winning creative and production team features a PhD Professor, an experienced documentary producer and an accomplished director/composer.
Amos Carlen (Director/Producer/Composer) is an alumni of UofT (History, Film studies), the Berklee School of Music and the Academy of Design (Film editing). He has worked on a wide range of productions including movies that have appeared at Cannes, Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival. His music has appeared on the Grammys, Emmys, multiple TV shows and movies including HBO’s Big Love, VICE documentaries, NBC/Universal’s Access Hollywood , MTV’s Catfish, The Care Bears and many more. He recently wrote and co-produced over 30 hours of historical documentary educational content for Metalworks Institute. He is also an accomplished TV Producer having co-created/produced the show “Who’d You Rather?” that aired for 3 years on Canadian cable network TV. He has taught film history and technique at Humber College and many classes related to the entertainment industry at Metalworks Institute. He can be contacted at info@shadowsfreedom.com.
Aline Robichaud (Producer/Director) brings a dynamic and multi-dimensional background to the team. She began her career in Theatre performance with a minor in Opera and commedia dell’ arte from her studies in Montreal and continued post-graduate studies in London and Paris. She has a wealth of experience in documentaries, from a writing, production and direction standpoint. Among her earliest documentary credits is In the Key of Oscar, based on legendary jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. A year later, she went on to direct the documentary Atonement, on pianist Carl Steiner, a contemporary of Schoenberg. She also directed “Trois boxeuses canadiennes pour le Olympiques”, a feature documentary commissioned and seen on Radio Canada television. Aline has a plethora of other significant credits in film and TV. Just a few of her notable credits include: Taken, Shake Hands With the Devil, Anne of Green Gables, Republic of Doyle and Hollywood North. Aline has a passion for the arts, neuroscience, human rights, literature, travel and all things culinary. There is nothing that gives her more joy than being part of a project where every day brings an element of surprise.
Doctor Sarah Taieb-Carlen (Producer) was born in Tunisia and studied at the Sorbonne, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Toronto and York University, where she received her PhD in Sociology. She has lectured extensively and written numerous articles and book chapters on topics such as Jews in Muslim lands, Sephardi Judaism, identity maintenance, and survival of small minority groups. She has published a book with University Press of America, The Jews of North Africa: From Dido To deGaulle and is currently working on another book entitled Our Sweet and Sour Native Lands. Doctor Carlen has been interviewed extensively on the subjects of Jewish history and identity by media outlets such as the BBC, NBC, TVO and others. She can be contacted at info@shadowsfreedom.com.
Gail Mostyn (Researcher) has been a researcher for over 15 years. A graduate of Ryerson in Radio and TV Arts, Gail has procured photos, footage and interviews for CBC TV, the NFB and WTN among others. Some of the movies she has worked on include And They Knew How to Dance (NFB) and War of 1812: Forged in Fire (Hi Fidelity HDTV). Her TV credits include Sunday Arts Entertainment and the Junos (CBC).