James Spione is an independent filmmaker based in New York City. Previous to American Farm, his best-known work was the eerie Sundance favorite Garden, a suspenseful drama starring Melissa Leo (2009 Best Actress Oscar® nominee for Frozen River) and Matt Malloy (Six Feet Under); the film screened at festivals worldwide, including Denver, Seattle, Ann Arbor, Helsinki, Paris Short Circuit; Chicago and Charlotte (where it won awards), as well as at the American Cinemateque in Los Angeles. His next movie, The Playroom, starring Pamela Stewart (The Reception), was shown at New York's Walter Reade Theatre as part of the "Independents Night" series, and was featured on the national pay-per-view cable program Reel Street. His first film Prelude earned a Student Academy Award® from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was seen at numerous international film festivals. Mr. Spione also produced the acclaimed independent feature Parallel Sons (Sundance '95), directed by John G. Young. Mr. Spione works frequently as a film, video and television editor; credits include God's Open Hand, an independent documentary about the first presidential election in Afghanistan, Darien Sills-Evans' X-Patriots, and the PBS series Life 360. He has just completed a new documentary project, Our Island Home, which profiles the few remaining survivors of a long-vanished settlement on the Eastern Shore of Virginia; a DVD version will be available in mid-2009.