Shadya

Roy Westler is a filmmaker who has worked as a writer, editor, cinematographer, and director. His films have been aired on the Israeli History Channel and include promotional films for newspapers and the Israeli Lottery. He recently completed a feature script, Gold Heart, which he plans to produce and direct. Westler has also worked as a film production teacher at two high schools in Israel.

Danny Hakim is not only the producer of Shadya, but also the karate coach in the film. A native of Australia, Hakim moved to Japan to study Shotokan karate. He received his sixth-degree black belt and competed in numerous international karate championships for Australia, then for Japan, winning two silver medals in the World Championships. In 2000, Hakim decided to fulfill his dream of moving to Israel. In 2004, he founded the non-profit association Budo for Peace, which is an organization that brings young Israeli, Arab, and Palestinian children together to do martial arts and learn about self-control and harmony. In addition, he authored Budo’s Potential for Peace: Breaking Down Barriers in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, Budo Perspectives, and Chapter 21. In Israel, Hakim was surprised to see so many young Israeli Arab women training in the martial arts. This realization was the seed for his partnership with producer Udi Kalinsky and their co-founding of Budoco, their production company.

Udi Kalinsky is an independent film and television program producer whose award-winning international film and television productions include Shein (2000), about a bank manager turned street poet; Total Eclipse (2001), a film based on Sabotage Baby; Tel Aviv-Remallah-Sahara (2001), an Israeli-Palestinian co-production about two girlfriends, one Israeli, one Palestinian; Intel Inside, Where?, about the charged meeting between high-tech giant Intel and the Israeli development town Kiryat Gat; and The Art of Flying, about the soul-searching of the oldest fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. His upcoming films include Families and Judah and Mohammed, which Kalinsky is directing himself.