Meet Our Crew

Krystina “Kiki” Shakti Siebenaler is a filmmaker from Taos, NM, USA.

Kiki’s unique perspective was fortified by an unorthodox upbringing. Her mother’s travels and her father’s love of sci-fi and music informed the inclusive worldview, wry, absurdist humor and the dry, sardonic wit that characterizes her work.

Her undergraduate thesis, Golden Framboise, (a campy, glam-trash space adventure) won Best Screenplay at the 2006 CinemaTexas Short Film Festival. The Deleting Me Again (Official Music Video), by Society Burning premiered at the 2016 Berlin Short Film Festival and screened alongside Kiki’s most recent short film, Palaio Faliro, at the Jaipur International Film Festival in 2019. Palaio Faliro was Kiki’s first artistic work of devotion for the loss of a parent, her father. It first premiered at the 2018 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, screening again at Taos Shortz Film Fest in 2019.

Siebenaler went on to study with prolific Catalan film producer, Paco Poch, working with Spanish documentary company media 3.14/MediaPro. Later in 2020, she attended Flatlands Artist Residency in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, where she wrote Timestretchers, her second narrative feature screenplay, soon to be produced.

“My mother, Yvette Claire “RamRani” Rosser, raised me with two feet straddling the globe. She ensured a deeper grasp of Indian culture and Hinduism. I was taught to celebrate our differences and similarities with people from around the world; same same, but different. The complex relationship between a mother and a daughter – and enduring the pain, love, and grief when they die –  is universal. I was once told that ‘I could carry my mother on my back for one hundred thousand lifetimes and still never repay her for the gift of my birth.’ I resented it at the time, especially as my mother found it hilarious and loved to belabor it. I realize now that it’s true. This life is a gift - a beautiful, sparkling, painful gift. By healing our own trauma, we heal that of our ancestors and find peace and justice for ourselves. First within us, out to our community, and onto the world.”

From Our Heart to Yours

It was important to curate a team of creatives that represented and aligned with RamRani’s global-mindedness. As such, the मेरी रामरानी My RamRani Crew comprises talented individuals from around the world. RamRani’s community knew no borders, and this crew in totality presents that same international perspective. Below, you’ll find biographies and personal statements of the current documentary staff. The troupe is growing as fundraising and production progresses, this page will be updated with new members as they join us*. We are proud to assemble a team of well-traveled, conscious humans, many of whom were fortunate enough to enjoy their own relationships with Yvette herself. And just as RamRani’s community knew no boundaries, our team is largely female, with the fire in our souls being among our most prestigious credentials.

Just like RamRani.

…because that Spark you feel is God.

*If you have a background in film and this project speaks to your heart, please reach out. We are interested in your participation.

Jenn Ruff, Editor

Brooklyn, NY & Taos, NM

  • Jenn Ruff is a video artist, collage artist, film editor and professor based in Brooklyn and Taos. She explores the alchemy that results from combining divergent shots, paper cut-outs and celluloid. She believes that, in the right order, art can cast spells and help us see the natural world around us and its increasingly urgent needs. Ruff has edited numerous award winning films; most recently Elisabeth Subrin’s Maria Schneider, 1983 which screened in the 2022 Cannes Director’s Fortnight, Erin Vassilopoulos’ Superior which was in competition at Sundance in 2021 and Sister’s Rising which won Best Documentary at the American Indian Film Festival in 2020. Ruff also creates video art and music collages, making music videos for Patti Smith and Soundwalk Collective as well as other fantastic musicians. She is an Associate Arts Professor at NYU’s Tisch Graduate School of Film and has exhibited her films and collages in galleries in the US, London & Tokyo.

  • "I was immediately interested in helping Kiki edit this film as I resonate deeply with her desire to tell her mother’s incredible story. In a world full of media created to take us away from truth, I am interested in working on films that take us to the heart of what makes us human and what makes life meaningful. RamRani dedicated her life to a spiritual path of helping humans and I feel called to help her amazing daughter share that story."

Isa Stewart, Producer/Director of Photography

Taos, NM & Sweden

  • Isa Stewart continuously explores cultural diversity, womanhood and compassion through her background in photography and visual art. Her extensive international travel and adolescent years in South India inform her personal connection to the film. It was then she became familiar with the Western infatuation with India and it’s impact on the world.

  • “My heart ached seeing local villages ravaged from past and present scars of western influence. As an adolescent, two particular groups of India-enthused westerners stood out to me: Those who had turned their backs on the countries they were from to adopt Indian lifestyle, and those who came to fill their cups and be reborn before heading back west, oftentimes with very little understanding of their own influence. India touches both. Smelling faintly of colonialism and consumption, their presence impacts people who rarely have similar means, and this realization left its mark with me.

    I am touched by RamRani's unapologetic nature. It made way for her to bring home the gifts of India to schools, communities, friends, and family. I believe that to her, home was East, West, and all mankind. It is now 10 years since I last set foot in India. I am filled with excitement to revisit the colorful, bold and unrelenting influence of my glorious home as a young woman. I hope my reverent curiosity for RamRani’s life will help me express my gratitude to the people of India for the gifts I was given.”

Jai Uttal, Music

California, USA

  • Grammy nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist, Jai Uttal combines influences from India with American rock and jazz, creating a stimulating and exotic multi-cultural fusion that is truly world spirit music.

    Having traveled extensively in India where he met many great saints and singers, Bhakti Yoga became his personal path. Jai has been leading, teaching and performing kirtan around the world for close to 50 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices.

  • “When I met RamRani, we immediately became close friends, like brother and sister. RamRani’s loud voice, courageous sense of humor, and wild love for Maharaj-ji made us soul-friends. I will never forget her laughter, which you could hear a mile away. Uninhibited laughter is one of the divine blessings: that ability to laugh without restriction. She had that. I miss her. I think she’s one of the great people I knew in this life. I trust that she’s with Maharaj-ji now. I’m honored to contribute my music to this project so lovingly crafted by her devoted daughter.“

Eleni Lomvardou, Original Music

New York, NY & Athens, Greece

  • Born in Athens, award-winning film composer, Eleni Lomvardou holds a Masters from NYU in Film Scoring and Music Technology and a Bachelors in Music Composition from The Crane School Of Music. Eleni is a film and media musical composer, producer, and studio owner. She was awarded Best Composer at the New York Independent Cinema Awards, the Berlin International Art Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival in 2021 and won Best Original Music in a Play at the 2015–16 Cyprus Theatre Awards. She has composed for numerous international films, documentaries, television programs, and theatre performances. In collaboration with New York choreographers, Eleni has written music for productions participating in dance festivals in New York and Washington, D.C. She also collaborated on an interactive video art exhibition with the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Paris 8, CITU research center of paragraphe laboratory that was shown at the BENAKI Museum in Athens and the FUTUR EN SEINE FESTIVAL in Paris. Her music airs regularly on Greek classical radio, featured on stations such as National Greek Radio, BR-Klassik Bavarian Broadcasting, WQXR FM, and WPRB FM in New York. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Manhattan Producers Alliance and the International Alliance for Women in Music and has proudly licensed her music for performances in Jazz and Classical venues all over the World.

  • "What really caught my attention about this film was the story of the journey - of a woman, Yvette, told by another woman, her daughter, Kiki in honor of her memory and the grief of her loss. The incredible story of a difficult passage from West to East, to India, transforming her emotionally, spiritually, culturally… I am from Greece, and my work as a Film Composer takes me all over the world, adapting to many different cultures, styles, and languages. RamRani courageously became a World Ambassador of Indian culture and religion, and that I admire. Her bravery speaks to my heart, her adaptation to a completely different way of life, and her dedication to the people and culture around her. And she did all of it by herself! This film is so important - migration, religion, female independence, love, loss, grief, honor, finding your place in the world... I am deeply touched by this daughter’s need to honor her mother’s memory, sharing her motivating and inspiring story with the world. It is my honor. I am proud to be part of the team and compose the original score for a film that is sure to speak to your heart as deeply as it speaks to mine."

Camila Hildago, Producer

Barcelona, Spain & Santiago, Chile

  • A professional actress with a Masters in Script, Production, and Distribution, Camila has experience in theater, cinema and TV. She has worked with companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Filmin, UCVTV and on independent films that resonate with her. 

    Currently in Spain, Camila works at Toned Media, distributor of Red Cunt, a punk documentary about menstruation.

  • “Documentary is one of my favorite genres. It speaks to me to  make a documentary in honor of a mother, because my mother also passed away.  Mothers are the basic archetype of life; a mother is the root of humanity. I also think that people are only dead when they are forgotten. So, if I can help to keep alive the legacy of such a powerful and interesting woman and mother like RamRani, it will be an honor to me. Kiki and I are a good team. I know how creative she is, the passion she has in filmmaking, so working with her will be a pleasure.”

Sarah Livingston, Creative Marketing Director

Taos, NM

  • As an avid world traveler, Sarah choreographed her life with mobility in mind, intentionally building an existence that tied her to nowhere in particular. Two impactful trips to India birthed a fierce respect for the truth of our human sameness and the dharmic unity of love and purpose. 

    She founded her creative agency, YogiProductions, to cater to individuals and organizations motivated primarily by their dreams and a love of what they do, working collaboratively to transform vision into a reality aligned with personal spirit. For Sarah, success is defined by innovation that protects and preserves the creative spark of its inception.

  • “We must do it for each other as we do it for ourselves: protect that spark, the light that allows us to see ourselves in one another. The beautiful thing about Dharma, that divine union of love and purpose, is that when we’re all acting in our dharma, we’re all on the same team. What heals us also heals each other. My RamRani is my dear friend’s exquisite act of devotion to her mother, who lived her life in devotion to the world. The documentary is a beautiful sublimation of grief, actualized in healing from a loss we can all understand. The environment of creation informs impact, and as this film breathes a prayer for healing, so will it heal those who watch it.”

Judith Aregay, Producer

Barcelona, Spain

  • Judith studied Audiovisual Communication at Pompeu Fabra University, where she took the chance to study abroad for six months at UC Davis, California, achieving the Dean's Honor List during Spring Quarter 2016. In Spain, she specializes in Film Production and Distribution with a Masters from the University of Vic. Her working experience has always been in film production. She began in 2017 in advertising, participating in dozens of shoots. In 2020, she started working in the Catalan Film Academy, coordinating the production of the annual Gaudí' Awards Ceremony. She recently participated in the production of two short films, expected to be released in 2022: Nada más lejos (ESCAC Films, 2021), and Perdices (Possible Films, 2021). She’s currently working on a Mallerich Films documentary in addition to proudly joining the European production team of मेरी रामरानी My RamRani. 

  • “I have known Kiki Shakti for the past few years and I sincerely trust her original approach to this project as an honest tribute to her mother, a woman I now wish I got to know for her brave spirit and devotion everywhere she traveled. It will be a pleasure to participate and I offer my full support in production."

Paco Poch, Consulting & Distribution

Barcelona, Spain

  • Born in Igualada (Barcelona) and earning a doctorate in Audiovisual Communication (UPF), MBA (IESE) Degree in Modern History (UB), Diploma in Photography (IPEF), Paco Poch has worked both as a cultural photographer and production manager. He has produced several feature films and documentaries for cinema and television, directed by Jordi Cadena, Isaki Lacuesta, José Luis Guerín, and Manuel Huerga, among others. He accepted ​​the 1991 National Cinematography Award in Barcelona. He exercises cultural management, consultancy, production (Mallerich Films) and distribution (Paco Poch Cinema). He was a professor of production at the Faculty of Audiovisual Communication at Pompeu Fabra University for 25 years and is a member of the advisory board of the magazine Serra d'Or.

  • “I hope the best and am proud to help with this film. It's a daunting endeavor to create from a place of pain, but when given the choice, I encourage my students to embrace such challenges, to find the courage to capture humanity in art because that is where meaning lies. I am proud of Kiki for making the brave choice to pursue this project because I know it comes from her heart.”

Upsana Dhankhar, Research & Translation

Delhi, India & Virginia, USA

  • Upasana supports the My RamRani team as a translator, reconstructing Ramrani’s academic legacy dating back to 1992. Upasana is an independent Indian History research scholar with credentials from JNU (New Delhi, India) and 5+ years of university teaching experience at various affiliated colleges debating Indian history and historiography. Her work was deeply connected to that of Ramrani’s own mission even before the inception of the film.

  • "I first met RamRani at Kainchi Temple in September, 2018. My personal life journey over the past few years has placed me at the cross-sections of cultural misunderstandings resulting from educational biases in place of empathetic learning. My commitment to Ramrani’s work stems from my belief that multicultural exchange builds better societies."

Christine Mitchell, Graphic Design

Taos, NM

  • Christine is a graphic & (sometimes) architectural designer, with a fascination and lifelong desire to explore design as a practical, grassroots, people-driven artform. She holds an architectural design degree from Ball State University, but has spent most of her time since then backpacking, raft guiding, WOOFing, building, and generally floating around the big wide world, learning how to be a human!

    She finally “settled down” in Taos in 2017 and is since finding her niche, life balance, and family in this weird desert oasis.

  • “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this project and support a vision which speaks to me both emotionally and ideologically. Eastern cultures have always been portrayed two-dimensionally in the West, leading to a dangerously dehumanizing gap - an “othering” which only either glamorizes or condemns. I believe that expanding this limited thematic vocabulary through media is a way to begin to shift such a discrepancy; one tiny step in our evolution out of that continued colonialist mentality.”

Jonathan Sobal, Poster Artist

Taos, NM

  • Jonathan has been a professional artist since 1976; painting in oils since he was 8 years old. He grew up among artists and musicians and was fortunate to have been mentored by Fauvists, Avantgardists, Academicians, Portrait Painters, Modernists, Minimalists, Abstract Expressionists, sculptors and printers. Sobol’s interest and devotion to art began in his earliest years, his exposure to such genres and their practitioners making a lasting effect on his work. He has a broad appreciation for the visual experience and likes to work within several genres himself, each with a different emotional signature both for the artist and the beholder.

  • “As the work evolved for me, I began to acquire a deeper insight into Kiki’s passion to create this film. Her enthusiasm, professionalism, and love for her mother compelled me to create an official poster for the film that she would feel proud of. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Vishwanath Sharmaa, Line Producer

Mumbai, India