stephanie
Bios
Stephanie Schiavenato - Director/Producer
Stephanie Schiavenato is a Latina filmmaker, doula, and anthropologist. She produced and directed LANDFALL (2018), a short documentary about the lingering effects of trauma on the relationship between her mother and brother who migrated from Colombia. Stephanie is one of the most experienced doulas in the country, having attended over 600 births and supported families prenatally and postpartum for over fifteen years. She holds a degree from Middlebury College in Gender Studies, a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research and she pursued a doctoral degree in Anthropology at New York University where she also earned an Advanced Certificate from The Program in Culture and Media. She did her PhD dissertation research on how families cope with pregnancy loss. She is currently producing and directing the short documentary MOTHER CAKE, which explores the afterlife of placentas.
cheryl
Cheryl Furjanic - Producer
Cheryl is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose documentary and fiction films have screened at 170+ festivals worldwide and on television. Her most recent work is STONEWALL: THE MAKING OF A MONUMENT (New York Times Op-Docs, 2019). Her feature documentary BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS was broadcast on HBO and nominated for an Emmy Award and Producers Guild of America award in 2016. She is currently in production on her third feature-length documentary ADVENTURES IN MISCARRIAGE (produced by Stephanie Schiavenato). Her earlier films include SYNC OR SWIM (2008), A GOOD UPLIFT (2003), and the LGBTQ film festival hit BAR TALK (2002) a comedy fiction film “in Lesbian with English subtitles.” Though she’s worked in many different filmmaking genres, there is a through-line in all of her work of heart, humor, and hope in the face of uncertainty. Cheryl is currently producing MOTHER CAKE, Stephanie Schiavenato's short documentary about the life (and death) of the placenta. Furjanic has taught documentary production at New York University for over two decades. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and son.
Skyler Johnson - Editor
Skyler is an editor and independent filmmaker living in Brooklyn. Since graduating from NYU Tisch Film, she has been lucky to work in a variety of settings, from experimental films to commercial documentary series. Her recent credits include documentary projects with Netflix, Apple TV, National Geographic and an independent scripted feature film, Little Boxes, an official selection at Bushwick Film Festival. Honored to be a part of Mother Cake, Skyler can't wait to share this thrilling, tragic, beautiful and sometimes gross tale of the often overlooked organ that is the starting point for all of us.
piotr turlej - Director of photography
After graduating with a bachelor degree in Film and TV Production at the Kieslowski School in 2005, Piotr spent over a decade working as a director, 1AD, and cinematographer in Poland, US, and Peru, crafting film projects that are both socially conscious and creatively challenging. His most recent work includes short documentaries "Rimana Wasi: Home of Stories" (Open Doors Award at the Locarno Film Festival in 2023, screened in over 15 countries), and "Hasior's Dream" (Polish National Television).
Along with Ximena Málaga Sabogal, he founded the Peruvian production company Watay Misita in 2020. He is an alum of the Feature Film Development Lab program and Script Writing program at Wajda School (Warsaw). He is a lecturer at the Summer Filmmaking Academy at the University of the National Education Commission (Krakow). Currently he lives and works between Peru and Poland.