Minh Duc Nguyen attended UC Berkeley, where he discovered his love for creative writing. Several of his short stories were published in prestigious literary journals and anthologies. Tale of Apricot was nominated for the O. Henry Award. In graduate film school at USC, Minh received the Jeffrey Jones Scholarship for excellence in screenwriting. His thesis film, Sunshine, inspired a favorable review in LA Weekly and was accepted at many film festivals. Touch marks his feature-length directorial debut.
Produced by Mellissa Tong
Mellissa Tong founded DuckPunk Productions in 2000 and has been a prolific producer ever since. The projects she produces range from independent feature films, TV and radio commercials, to documentaries, online and viral campaigns, and TV programming. As a feature film producer, Touch is her latest project. Her other credits include Talk To Taka, My American Vacation, The Water Ghost and Click Three Times. All have won awards from major film festivals around the country.
Cinematography by Morgan Schmidt
Morgan Schmidt has shot seven feature films, twenty short films, as well as a number of documentaries and commercials. Morgan specializes in creating the film-look in digital cinematography, and in uniquely beautiful lighting, which is a key to evoking emotional response in audiences. Notable feature credits include Clear Lake, WI (winner of Audience Choice Award 2008 Boston Film Festival), and the intense 2009 drama April Showers.
Production Design by Azra Bano Ali
Azra Bano Ali is a freelance Production Designer based out of Los Angeles, CA. She was born in Hyderabad, India and moved to the United States at an early age. She studied film at Pennsylvania State University. Whether it’s floral arrangements, paper mache, or moving furniture back and forth a thousand times; there is no better job in the world than being able to create something new everyday.
Art Direction by Laura Mazza
Laura Mazza has worked on numerous projects as an art director or production designer. Her TV and film credits include I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, The Big Secret of Hidden Pines, Fanaddict, Hit List, Touch and Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury.
Costume Design by Inka Sherman and Melissa Joy Wilson
Inka Sherman studied fashion at FHTW-Berlin. Internships in New York with fashion designer Anna Sui and in Sydney at the Australian Film Television and Radio School assisting the costume designer on the Oscar nominated short film, The Savior, refined her skills. She has worked on many commercials and films, including the Oscar wining best foreign film of 2007, The Counterfeiters.
An early interest in fashion and history inspired Melissa Joy Wilson to design clothing from vintage fabrics and patterns while still a high school student. She went on to study in London at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design where she learned the art of production design with an emphasis on sets and costume. Melissa now works in film in both the art and costume departments of DRES/SET.
Nail Design by Noriko Kosaka Chen
Noriko Kosaka Chen is a licensed nail artist specializing in Japanese 3D nail art. With over five years of experience in various Japanese nail boutiques in both Los Angeles and Orange County, she is adept in sculpting acrylic and gel. In 2010, Noriko placed 1st in the annual Nailpro Competition held in Long Beach in the Salon Success French Sculpture novice category and was also a member of Team ONS, the overall top points winner that same year. Noriko was born in Japan and currently resides in Southern California with her husband, daughter and pet dogs.
Original Music by Marcello De Francisci
Marcello De Francisci is a composer who provides music to the feature film, movie trailer, commercial and interactive game industry. His music has been used in movie trailers such as Avatar, Prince Of Persia, Monsters vs Aliens, Seven Pounds, Night At the Museum, Mission Impossible III, National Treasure, The Guardian, Hellboy and Jet Li’s Hero. Recently he collaborated with singer/composer Lisa Gerrard on the soundtrack scores for Balibo, Tears of Gaza and Oranges & Sunshine.
