Cassidy Hall: Director, Producer, and Co-Cinematographer
Cassidy Hall is an author, photographer, filmmaker, podcaster, holds a MA in Counseling, and is currently pursuing a Mdiv degree. Cassidy’s writing has been published in the Convivium Journal, The Thomas Merton Seasonal, and has been featured on The Huffington Post, Patheos, and the National Catholic Reporter.
In 2012, while working as a counselor and reading Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation, Cassidy made a pilgrimage to all seventeen Trappist/Cistercian Monasteries of the United States. While there, she wrote, interviewed monks and nuns, and photographed her entire experience at these seventeen spaces to be featured in a forthcoming book.
Born and raised in Iowa, Cassidy moved to Los Angeles in 2013 to work on the production team of the documentary feature film In Pursuit of Silence. The film’s success on the festival circuit and beyond led to its worldwide theatrical release. Her quest for silence was written about in this Des Moines Register feature article by Mike Kilen.
Her pilgrimage of life has continued with visits to other sacred spaces, monasteries, various contemplative locations, and the infinite interior spaciousness within. This ongoing pilgrimage has informed her writing, art, her personal life, and her way of being.
Patrick Shen: Producer, Editor, and Co-Cinematographer
Patrick Shen is a filmmaker and the founder of Transcendental Media. Patrick’s cinematic works include the award-winning films Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality, The Philosopher Kings, La Source, and the SXSW 2016 film, In Pursuit of Silence. His films have received 24 awards and 12 nominations, and have been featured on the TED blog, CNN, Huffington Post, NY Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, and the Washington Post. In 2009, Patrick was the recipient of the Emerging Cinematic Vision Award from Camden International Film Festival and since 2005, he has presented his work at hundreds of film festivals, cinemas, museums, and major academic institutions all over the globe including SXSW, CPH:DOX, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Full Frame Film Festival, Walker Art Center, USC School of Cinematic Arts, The Smithsonian, The Hammer Museum, The Music Center, Princeton, and Harvard University. In 1999, Patrick was invited to the White House to meet with President Clinton in recognition of his work on the Emmy-nominated documentary We Served With Pride. Since 2012, Patrick has been lecturing and teaching filmmaking workshops all over the globe as a film envoy for the U.S. State Department and the USC School of Cinematic Arts for their American Film Showcase. Patrick recently co-authored a book titled Notes on Silence, released a covid-19 lockdown inspired film called The Dawn Chorus, and is currently at work on a new slate of films which include As Slow As Possible and In Praise of Shadows.