Director Serene Meshel-Dillman

The documentary "Getting to the Nutcracker" was inspired by a book published in 1976 by Jill Krementz titled "A Very Young Dancer". The book followed students at The School of American Ballet (SAB) from auditions through performances of The Nutcracker Ballet with New York City Ballet. Serene was a student at SAB at this time.

After leaving SAB, she danced at Melissa Hayden's and The Alvin Ailey School.

She attended the University of Vermont where she performed with the Main Street Dance Theater. A love of photography was enhanced by darkroom and printing courses, and has continued to be a passion ever since.

After college, Serene worked as a producer of television commercials in both New York City and Los Angeles until she produced children with husband Ray. They live in Santa Monica, California with three kids, a dog, a cat, and an African skink.

Serene continues to dance as much as humanly possible.

Her documentary, The 5th Dementia, about a band whose members live with Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s, premiered in November 2019 for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. The 5th Dementia is available across most TVOd platforms.

Her next project, Take Me Out Feet First, is about medical aid in dying. The documentary series follows terminally ill patients from around the U.S. who are advocating for the choice to avoid pain and suffering at the end of their lives and be surrounded by the love of their friends and families. The first season (5 episodes) is set to air beginning 2024.