Ari Folmans graduate film “Comfortably Numb,” at for Tel Aviv Universitys Department of Film and TV, chronicled his friends experiences of the 1991 attack on Tel Aviv by Saddam Hussein. The film won the Israel Film Academy Award at the Jerusalem Festival and was screened at dozens of festivals worldwide.

Monicelli’s eight-decade career

Nikita Mikhalkov is the famous Russian director, actor, and screenwriter, who most recently made “12,” which was nominated for the 2007 Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Laura Bialis is the producer and director of the new documentary, “Refusenik.” An avid historian and film buff, Laura founded the Foundation for Documentary Projects as a way to fuse her love of history with her passion for filmmaking. An award-winning documentary filmmaker, her work as producer and director has ranged from documentaries about human rights, poverty, and wartime memories, to commercial projects for clients such as TV Guide Channel and Universal Television.

Joel E. Siegel, 63, a retired Georgetown University English professor who also was a lyricist, music producer and freelance film and music critic for the Washington City Paper, died of spinal meningitis March 11, 2004 at George Washington University Hospital.