PEPITA PRODUCTIONS

In the Shadow of the Temple is produced by PEPITA PRODUCTIONS, INC., a 501(c)(3) non-profit independent film company in Portland, OR.

Its principals and executive producers are Karen Di Milia from New York City and Dennis Lavery, a Chicago native. Each came to Oregon more than 20 years ago and have a wide range of experiences, little or none of which would be expected to lead them into documentary film. Karen was a freelance writer and organic farmer. Dennis was a university vice president and executive director of a medical foundation.

In 2007 they met in a documentary film class and discovered over the ten-week course they had similar life experiences, film production philosophies and that both wanted to produce and direct documentary films. On February 29, 2008 they founded PEPITA PRODUCTIONS. In the Shadow of the Temple is the production company’s first full-length documentary film.

Their cinematic themes are rooted in the human condition. “We want to make films about the life-changing decisions people make and the consequences of their actions,“ says Karen. “These are not easy stories to tell because they are most often defined by fear, anger and emotional trauma,” adds Dennis.

Previous documentary productions by Lavery and Di Milia include Family Secret, a personal essay documentary about the generational impact of family history; Balloonatic, a disturbing profile of a street performer and Coming Home, an illustrative presentation about the Scandinavian culture’s impact on the Pacific Northwest.

PEPITA PRODUCTIONS, INC. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.  All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.