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Biography

In 1998 Yarovskaya directed UNDESIRABLES, which won a Student Academy Award (Student Oscar) and screened at Cannes. Since 2000 she has worked for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, NASA Ames Research Center and Greenpeace as Producer and Senior Editor. In 2006 she was Head of Research on AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH which won an Academy Award.

Her last project, HOLY WARRIORS, a study of soldiers who found religion, has played in 35 countries worldwide and won numerous awards. Marianna is also a finalist for a 2010 China-U.S. Fulbright fellowship to do research for her latest project.

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Filmography

Shamans
Writer/Producer/Director, with Olesya Bondareva
In Production, Documentary

In ancient cultures all around the world, Shamans have traditionally been guardians of family values and the environment. They are the keepers of cultural knowledge about human health and well-being that has been passed down from one generation to the next for millennia. But today their wealth of wisdom and very existence is increasingly under threat from environmental destruction, political persecution and the unstoppable encroachment of the modern world. Our mission is to tell their story and record their wisdom, teachings and insights for the benefit of all mankind.

Shamans is fiscally sponsored by Environmental Media Fund, Inc. EMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as a catalyst for films and media programming and events about environmental issues.

Holy Warriors BUY»
Writer/Producer/Director
2006, Documentary, US/Russia

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS»
PRESS REVIEWS»

Holy Warriors chronicles the spiritual upheaval brought about by war on those involved, offering profound insight into the resilience of the human spirit during trying times. It demonstrates the traumatic effect of enlisting unwilling soldiers in wartime, while raising the pertinent question of the links between war and religion, through these direct manifestations of fear and hate, love and faith in modern-day society. "There are no atheists in a foxhole," as one of the characters puts it.

Undesirables BUY»
Writer/Producer/Director
2000, Documentary, US/Russia, 23 min., Beta SP

Student Academy Award, USA 2001 
College Emmy Award, USA 2000 
Kodak Emerging Filmmakers Showcase, 53rd Cannes International Film Festival, 2000 
Student International Documentary Association Award Nomination, 1999

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS»
PRESS REVIEWS»

Undesirables reveals how homeless youths and other marginal residents were swept out of Moscow by Russian police in preparation for high profile events, including the 1998 International Youth Olympics. The film follows the stories of four young runaways in different parts of Russia. Three of them ran away from their provincial homes to Moscow. The film depicts Moscow's juvenile detention center and documents the children's eventual deportation from the capital back to their abusive families or to reform schools in the provinces.

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Other Credits

An Inconvenient Truth
Head of Research
2006, Feature Documentary, 35 mm
Participant Productions

2007 Academy Award
Premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival 

Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. “Al Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message,” said Guggenheim. An Inconvenient Truth is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share. “It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely,” said Gore.

Countdown to Zero
Field Producer
2010, Feature Documentary, 35 mm
Participant Productions

Premiered at 2010 Sundance Film Festival

Director: Lucy Walker, Producer: Lawrence Bender. Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Bruce Blair, Matt BrownA fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate total global disarmament.

The Universe Season II
Producer
2007-2008, TV series, 30 min
History Channel

From the planets to the stars and out to the edge of the unknown, history and science collide in this exploration of the Universe and its mysteries.

Undercover History
Associate Producer
2006, Documentary, 52 min, HD
National Geographic

This National Geographic series investigates the uncertainty that still surrounds some famous people and events.

Modern Marvels/Surveillance Tech
Associate Producer
2005, Documentary, 57 min, Beta SP
History Channel

In the world of surveillance, Big Brother is not only watching, he's also listening, analyzing, recording, scanning, and tracking every aspect of our lives. And with advanced surveillance technology, there's virtually no place to hide.

Surveillance Tech examines some of the most important and potentially terrifying equipment the world has ever seen--or rather, not seen--in this thriving surveillance revolution. Check out parabolic microphones that pick up conversations a mile a way, cameras that learn what and who to photograph, RadarVision that “sees through walls,” Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and explore the mind-bending future of surveillance technology.

Unsolved History/KAL 007
Producer
2004, Documentary, US, 57 min., DigiBeta
Discovery Channel

September 1, 1983 - a Korean Airlines 747, carrying 269 people, is shot down while flying through Soviet airspace. Everyone on board is killed, including 61 Americans. Twenty-three casualties were children under the age of twelve. The Soviets claim the plane was on a spy mission and that their actions were justified. The United States insists that Russia fired without provocation.

Join the Unsolved History team as they launch a new investigation into this tragedy, using technology and forensic science not available 20 years ago. Through careful re-examination of existing photographic, oceanographic and electronic records, experts set out to determine whether the KAL-007 disaster was simply a case of mistaken identity on the part of the Russian anti-aircraft - and whether flaws in the jet's navigational gear caused it to veer into unauthorized airspace. Plus, investigators look into the most puzzling aspect of all: Why was so little of the wreckage, including the remains of the passengers, found?