FILMMAKERS BIOS

DAVIS GUGGENHEIM (Director)

Davis Guggenheim was the director and executive producer of the Academy Award®-winning feature film documentary An Inconvenient Truth with former Vice President, Al Gore. He was producer and director of the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Deadwood. His television directing credits include the pilot of the CBS show The Unit as well as episodes of Numbers, The Shield, Alias, 24, and such critically acclaimed programs as NYPD Blue, ER, and Party of Five. He was an Executive Producer of Training Day and director of the film Gossip for Warner Brothers.

In 1999, Guggenheim undertook an ambitious project documenting the challenging first year of several novice public school teachers. The result of this intensive immersion into Los Angeles’s public school system is two documentary films: The First Year and Teach. Both films were made to address the tremendous need for qualified teachers in California and nationwide, to create awareness of the crisis as well as inspire the next generation to become teachers.

LEMORE SYVAN (Producer)

Lemore Syvan is an independent film producer and founder of New York-based production company Elevation Filmworks. Since 1990 Syvan has produced 20 independent films and has collaborated with many notable filmmakers in the independent film community. Syvan’s films have won the Grand Jury Award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, as well as the National Board of Review, the John Cassavetes Spirit Award and various awards by Festivals across the

U.S. and the world. Sherrybaby, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, written and directed by Laurie Collyer, premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was named one of the top Independent films of the year by the National Board of Review with Gyllenhaal receiving a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film.

Upcoming films include The Woody, written by Peter Lefcourt, based on his novel, with Emmy Award-winning director Karen Arthur set to direct; and Human Capital, author Stephen Amidon’s adaptation of his own critically-acclaimed novel to be directed by Director’s Guild of America Award-winner Noam Murro.

Other recently completed films are the psychological thriller First Born, starring Academy Award® Nominee Elisabeth Shue, with producer Rick Schwartz and Golden Globe-winning producer Graham King; as well as the Israeli/Palestinian film Forgiveness, written and directed by Udi Aloni, which premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival in 2006.

2005 saw the release of the critically acclaimed Duane Hopwood, written and directed by Matt Mulhern, starring David Schwimmer and Janeane Garofalo, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival; and Peter Riegert’s feature film directorial debut, King of the Corner, starring Riegert, Isabella Rossellini, Rita Moreno, Beverly D’Angelo, Eric Bogosian, and Eli Wallach.

Syvan’s continued collaboration with Rebecca Miller has most recently yielded The Ballad of Jack and Rose, written and directed by Miller. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Catherine Keener, and was released by IFC Films in the spring of 2005. In 2002, the critically acclaimed Personal Velocity, starring Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey and Fairuza Balk, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and the Cinematography Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the John Cassavetes Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards. Prior to that, Angela, also written and directed by Rebecca Miller, was awarded both the Filmmakers Trophy and Cinematography Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Syvan produced John Sayles’ film Casa De Los Babys, starring Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Susan Lynch, Mary Steenburgen, and Lili Taylor.

Syvan continues to collaborate with Mexican director Alejandro Springall, producing Springall’s Santitos, which won the Latin America Cinema Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Their most recent film, Morirse Esta en Hebreo, is currently in the final stages of post-production. In 1995 Syvan worked on her first adaptation from stage to screen, Jon Robin Baitz’ The Substance of Fire, directed by Daniel Sullivan, with Tim Hutton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ron Rifkin, and Tony Goldwyn. Currently in the works are two prominent stage to film adaptations that speak to the world’s political climate and the challenges we face today.

ANDREW SHUE (Producer)

Andrew Shue has been fortunate to play out his life on many different fields. He has found success in such diverse roles as school teacher, professional athlete, actor, producer, community activist, and business entrepreneur.

Shue has had many life-changing experiences that have all shaped him in different ways. In high school his father—a former public defender—inspired him to become School President and start a student group to serve the elderly in his town called Students Serving Seniors. The group still exists today and received a “Service” award from President Reagan in 1987. At Dartmouth College, as he was in high school, Shue was a Regional All American soccer player and spent a winter studying and playing soccer in Glasgow, Scotland for Queens Park FC.

After graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in History, Shue traveled to Africa with his childhood friend Michael Sanchez and spent a year living in Zimbabwe, where he taught math to 200 African high school students and played soccer as the only white player in the African First Division for the Bulawayo Highlanders.

Once back in America in 1991, Andrew set his sights on following his sister Elisabeth’s path when he ventured into acting. By the middle of 1992 he had landed a coveted role on the then new hit Fox TV show Melrose Place, where he played the likable Billy Campbell for six years. Along the way he had his greatest acting experience playing a pivotal role opposite Matt Damon and Claire Danes in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker.

While living in Los Angeles, Andrew never let go of his love for soccer. He fulfilled a dream when he interviewed Pelé for Good Morning America while serving as the National Spokesman for the 1994 World Cup. Then in 1996, he earned a spot on the Los Angeles Galaxy in the debut season of Major League Soccer (he became the first pro athlete to play and act on a TV show at the same time). His most memorable moment came back in New Jersey when he helped set up two goals in a 4-0 win over the MetroStars in front of 50,000 fans at Giants Stadium. He retired after two seasons in 1997.

Shue’s social interests came full circle in 1993. Shue called upon his experiences in high school and Africa and teamed up with Sanchez to create a national non-profit organization called “Do Something.” Started with the belief that young people must be the drivers of social change, Do Something has reached millions of kids in all 50 states through school and web-based programs that teach young people to take the lead and to learn life’s most important values by doing.

In 1999 Shue and his family moved back to the east coast and created a more consistent family life by finding success in business. As an entrepreneur he and Sanchez have led several successful start-up ventures—from International Sports Publishing—the creator of the ‘94 Cup Daily—to CMI Marketing—the owner of Clubmom and Cafemom the nation’s leading information and community websites for moms.

Shue most recently joined forces with his brother John, sister Elisabeth, and her husband, director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) to create the production company Ursa Major Films. Their first project and Shue’s debut venture as a producer is GRACIE. Inspired by their true family story, GRACIE was independently financed and controlled creatively by the Shues. Guggenheim directed the picture, while Elisabeth and Andrew have acting roles as well. GRACIE is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who honors her brother’s memory when she attempts to play on the boys’ high school soccer team and in the process brings together her broken family. Shue’s experience in fundraising and the formation of strategic marketing partnerships allowed the team to create a groundbreaking business model for the film.

Andrew lives in New Jersey with Jennifer, his wife of eleven years, and their three boys. Since moving back to his home state from Hollywood, he has enjoyed the consistency of family life in suburbia—coaching his kids’ soccer teams and focusing on the little things that make life rich.

DAN METCALFE (Soccer Choreographer)

Dan Metcalfe, brought over from England to coach American soccer stars of the future, has had a major impact in both the soccer world and the entertainment industry.

Having played at professional clubs as a youth back in England and Europe, Metcalfe left the football field to pursue another form of show business, the stage. He studied in London, England, at the Laine Theater Arts Academy, and was quickly introduced to the professional life by landing the Lead Role in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s hit show, Starlight Express. Within a very short time Metcalfe had performed in many of the West End’s famous theaters, earning a reputation for hard work, dedication, and talent. He toured with Sir Lloyd-Webber across Japan, Germany, and back to England, finally arriving in the US, Las Vegas, where he opened once again the Starlight Express Hit at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Metcalfe starred in a number of movies and television shows, where he once again earned his acclaim for being one of the nicest, most talented, and hardest-working talents in Hollywood. He starred in numerous national commercials for soccer and quickly became the “go-to” guy for soccer expertise. His knowledge in front of and behind the camera, relating specifically with both the actor and the director, made a perfect match for the industry, thus becoming known as “Soccer Dan.”

Working on Universal’s Kicking and Screaming with Will Ferrell and Robert “we could not have done this movie without Dan” Duvall, Metcalfe showed Universal the necessity of choreographing soccer in a way never before seen. His years of experience working with kids, breaking down plays, building up confidence and ultimately telling a story made his work invaluable. During the filming Metcalfe was also presented with the Nike Coach of the Year award, an honor bestowed to the developers of talent. Metcalfe also got to work opposite Ferrell and Duvall as he played the soccer expert/nemesis to Ferrell’s character, Phil Weston, launching to the World none other than “Soccer Dan.”

He was quickly recruited to choreograph Dreamworks She’s The Man starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Working with a non-soccer script, Metcalfe emerged successful once again with soccer that not only complimented the movie, but inspired millions of fans to get excited about soccer.