Corning, NY (USA) 1966. After majoring in graphic design from the University of Cincinnati, Leslie moved to Sevilla, Spain, to work in
exhibit design and audiovisuals for the 1992 Universal Exposition. In 1997 she produced her first short film,
"Silent", an homage to silent films written and directed by Guido Jiménez-Cruz. From 1994 through 1997 she worked at
Nicholson NY, specializing in information architecture
for web sites, CD-ROMs and interactive kiosk projects, which received various multimedia
awards. She and Guido established Cruz Dann Productions in 1998. They co-directed and produced the short documentary, "The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum",
and a period film, "Heart of Gold", both on location in upstate New York. In 2001 Cruz Dann received production funding from the City of Madrid to make their short
"As Far Out As Here (From the Vatican, with Love)". While living in Spain, she was production manager for advertising and
American documentaries, including
"Robert Capa: In Love and War", 2003 Sundance premiere, and Emmy-nominated
"Ernest Hemingway: Rivers
to the Sea", both produced by Thirteen WNET for the PBS American Masters series, and
"Breaking the Maya Code", produced by Night Fire Films of Los Angeles. As part of a collection of short films
on the March 11th terrorist attacks in Madrid,
the documentary “Birthday” was co-directed by Leslie and Guido and broadcast in Spain, Germany and France in 2005. Leslie is currently editing the feature documentary,
“Tamuna”, about a family from the Republic of Georgia who sought political asylum in Sevilla, also co-directed with Guido. She continues to work both as a commercial video producer and interaction designer.
Madrid (Spain) 1968. Guido Jiménez-Cruz started directing amateur comedy sketches at the age of nine, leading to his protagonist role as “Stain” in the Christmas drama
“Snow and Gold”. Lack of critical acclaim didn’t discourage him and 11 years later he wrote and directed his first short film, “El Hada Helada” (The Frozen Fairy).
In 1992 he wrote and designed the visual poetry book, “Tinta en Polvo” (Powder Ink), receiving a Gold Award from the Art Directors Club of Europe. His second short,
"Silent", was a Finalist in the 1997 Charleston Worldfest.
From 1994 to 1998, he was an art director at Nicholson NY for the
Mashantucket Pequot Museum award-winning multimedia displays,
including the CG animation, “Explore the Fort at Mashantucket”, shown at the 1999 SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater.
His feature film project, “Terra Cotta”, was chosen by Euroscript for development in 1998.
With producer Leslie Dann, he co-directed and produced the documentary, “The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum”,
receiving a Certificate of Merit from the 2001 Rochester International Film Festival. “Heart of Gold”,
an early 19th century ghost story written and directed by Guido, won Best Photography in the International Independent Film Festival of Elche.
His fourth fiction short, "As Far Out As Here (From the Vatican, with Love)", was selected for the
2002 “Recent Spanish Cinema” showcase in Los Angeles. Most recently, Guido has been a
commercial director, designer and
motion graphics artist for museums, conferences and advertising, and he is currently developing Cruz Dann's
first feature film project, "Sound".
Leslie Dann Producer
Guido Jiménez-Cruz Writer, Director & Editor
