PHILOMATH FILMS is a film company that embraces characters and narratives on the fringe that have relevance for us all.  In taking us outside of our normal assumptions and experiences, Philomath offers up projects that stretch the mind, entertain the spirit and reach straight for the heart.  Their latest documentary feature, Shakespeare Behind Bars, gives us an unflinching gaze into the dark areas of the human psyche, showing us that there is always the possibility of change.  Philomath Films productions have won numerous awards including Audience Award at AFI Fest, Best of Show at BendFilm, and many Best Documentary Awards.  Their work has debuted at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and Edinburgh, and has been broadcast around the world.  They are three time recipients of ITVS funding and two time recipients of Sundance Institute funding.

HANK ROGERSON - DIRECTOR, WRITER, ACTOR:

Hank Rogerson works with both in fiction and non-fiction film.  His most recent film is Shakespeare Behind Bars, a documentary that had its world premiere in the Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, its international premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and won 10 awards on the festival circuit, including Best of Show at Bend Film Festival.  Hank also co-produced, directed and edited Homeland, an award winning documentary about four families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, as well as Circle of Stories, a cutting edge multi-media project that brings to life the vibrant art of Native American storytelling on the worldwide web at pbs.org.  Hank has also freelanced as a writer, director and producer within the film industry, and has twice been a Sundance Institute Fellow. Hank currently teaches filmmaking at The College of Santa Fe, and has taught film production at University of Southern California.  As an actor, Hank has done film, television and theater in Los Angeles, and he performs improv.

JILANN SPITZMILLER - PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER:

Jilann Spitzmiller enjoys exploring the mysteries of life through documentary filmmaking.  She produced the award-winning Shakespeare Behind Bars which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2005.  She has directed and produced several documentaries including the award-winning Homeland which aired on National PBS in 2000 and Circle of Stories, a multi-media documentary website hosted by PBS. Jilann directed and shot two seasons on the documentary series Medical Diary for The Discovery Health Channel and worked as a producer/director for the NBC series Life Moments. Her work for the Indigo Girls is included in Watershed, a one-hour biographical video released by Sony Music. Jilann is an adjunct professor of Film at the University of Redlands in California, and at Studio Art Centers Inte