I am a Visual Development Artist/Writer/Director. Born in Monterrey, Mexico. Raised in Houston, Texas and now living in Los Angeles, California. Holding a BFA in Media Arts and Animation, and an MFA in Visual Development. Also a part time actor. I’m in Los Angeles to pursue my career as an artist in the entertainment industry. Working and collaborating with other local talent and celebrities. However, my biggest goal is to one produce my own animated and live action features, and novels.
-What inspired you to become a writer?
Watching movies, cartoons, and enjoying the stories of those before me. But one day, I had ma y ideas and visions as a young teenager that I knew I had to write them all down. So, that’s how I began to officially write my stories.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
I believe yes. In fact, for the last one hundred years cinema has already done that and currently doing so. We have had tons of movies throughout yhe decades that had inspired us all, and still do to this day. I believe cinema is a very powerful way to bring about changes, and lessons to many around the world in many ways.
-What would you change in the world?
Darkness and unhappiness. If I can somehow make anyone smile with my work then that’s what truly matters to me as an artist.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I’m not too sure. I’m sure it will keep going forward with many more movies, and more entertainment. However, I believe as technology advances things will change and I hope for the better. But I believe the film industry will keep on existing.
For the first time since 2019, the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is in person and welcoming the world with film premieres, information sessions, networking opportunities and fanfare.
The city of Toronto has come alive with streets blocked off and the theatre district filled with visitors from international, national, regional and local marketplaces. As co-founders of MARKD Productions we (Matt, Alex, Robert and Kevin) had the opportunity to be in the heart of the event.
If you are a filmmaker or “wannabe” filmmaker this is arguably one of the best festivals to be at. Sure, like other festivals the stars come out and films are played in theatres… but TIFF offers a little bit more.
A) It lends itself to business getting done with buyers and sellers of all genres.
B) It provides networking opportunities that country representatives can share their value and incentives to filming their.
C) They put on industry info sessions that bring leading authorities to panel discussions who share best practices, tips and stories from around the world.
Here is where TIFF is a little bit more.
Did you know Toronto, Ontario, Canada is one of the most unique cities that offer multilingualism, exceptional financial benefits and numerous studio square footage for filming.
It is where filmmakers come to shoot their productions.
Our participation so far has allowed us to watch the coming-of-age world premiere of “Soft”, directed by Joseph Amenta (feature film debut). And, of course, we stopped at the red carpet. To our surprise we saw Viola Davis and John Boyega (The Woman King), Jennifer Lawrence (Causeway), Kathryn Hahn and Kate Hudson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery). The industry sessions allowed us to listen to panelists Ram Bergman (Producer – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) Uri Singer (Producer – White Noise) and Nicole Brown (President – TriStar) share tips and insights about what they look for in a production. Telefilm Canada put on a panel discussing the evolving eligibility criteria and decision-making process to access funds for film productions.
Visually, TIFF is so inviting with streets blocked off and local vendors offering special fan appreciation items. If you are wondering about the basics, food and accommodations is all around the theatre district.
You can see everything here at TIFF. It is made for all level of filmmakers.
ABOUT MARKD Productions
In 2021, founders Matt Worthington, Alex Belke, Robert Smith, Kevin Huhn & Diego Aldana met at Toronto Film School in the Film Production program. In a matter of a few weeks, they recognized each other’s talents and shortly thereafter started MARKD Productions. Their energy and passions ignited and ideas began to flow. In 2022, they started to take their work to the outside world. Teen Across Canada (a short documentary film) gained recognition winning and being selected at international festivals. Their success is built on the foundation of excellent work.
Neorealism was one of the most original key film movements of all time. Many directors who represent the history of American cinema, first and foremost Martin Scorsese, consider Italian Neorealism a point of reference for their inspiration. But what is left today of that way of producing cinema, based on the expressive freedom of the authors? A question that producer Michele Diomà tried to answer with his movie “Dance again with me, Heywood!”.
Michele Diomà is 39 years old, he is Italian, he directed “Born in the U.S.E.”, with the special participation of filmmaker Francesco Rosi – widely celebrated for the movie “Salvatore Giuliano” which was listed by Martin Scorsese as one of his twelve favorite films of all time.
Later he directed the Nobel Prize-winning actor and playwright Dario Fo, in a satire film dedicated to the subject of press freedom in Italy and presented at the New York University in October 2017. After that film Michele Diomà founded the New York Neorealism Factory, a work team which takes inspiration from Neorealism’s production ideas to make films in the Big Apple.
Diomà said: “I consider New York to be the cultural synthesis of all that once was Western civilization and this is why I chose to start from the Big Apple to recreate a new Made in Italy cinema”.
“Dance again with me Heywood! ” is the Manifesto of New York Neorealism.
What follows is the synopsis:
“Dance again with me Heywood!” is a fairy tale set in contemporary Manhattan, built on two intersecting narrative paths: the pure fiction, in which we witness the surreal life events of a young man named Heywood who lives on a rooftop in New York City, and the documentary, where the Academy-Award winning James Ivory…
…shares his thoughts about what Cinema has been so far and what it could become in the future. In the film, enriched also with animations, there is a continuous game that involves shifting from a cinematographic language to another, through which the two protagonists – Heywood and the woman with the imaginary “Moon Butterfly Syndrome” – face a metaphysical journey.
Such a journey will lead them to understand that often, even the (apparently) most real aspects of our existence, are just an illusion. At some point of the film it is posited what may be a fascinating historical-artistic discovery concerning a painting exhibited at the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
I am a mom, wife, sister, friend, and a creative. I went to school for graphic design and photography. I was happy with this career choice, as a freelance designer and photographer for many years. Then my daughter and I spent nearly 5 years in Los Angeles, CA, (L.A.) in front of and behind the camera. I shot hundreds of headshot sessions, was a talent agent, an art director, and a stand-in on nearly all the backlots in L.A. In 2018, I joined two other talented women to create the charitable organization, bUneke (pronounced be Unique), where I’ve been honored to put my skills as a director, videographer and editor to work to help other charities.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Working with many directors in L.A., I watched and learned from the top directors. It was the best exposure a person could get. Talent and crew grumbled about the long hours on set, while I smiled, took notes, and studied. When I returned to Florida, I knew I needed to try filmmaking for myself.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
I definitely do. The film you are honoring with Best Editing, Forgotten Enchantress, was the catalyst that brought in more than $250,000, of which 100% went to the nonprofit, and moved the hearts of an entire community and outside the community to come, visit, and donate to the cause. That nonprofit had been working toward for more than 10 years before the film came along. Within months after the film was first shown, they had the necessary funds to apply for a matching grant to save the home from demolition. The nonprofit I helped create and manage is all about helping others, which got us involved in the first place.
-What would you change in the world?
Hearts. I’d change the hearts of people so there is more positivity. I’d like to see more vegans and more people learning about a low-waste, sustainable lifestyle. I think everyone should learn about saving our earth and climate change. Again, these are all things our nonprofit teaches and advocates. I would also love to help encourage more females to be involved in production, in all the roles behind the camera. I love to mentor young women who may not have realized they actually prefer being behind the camera and I help them understand that it’s natural and good for them to be there.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
The film industry has changed so much in the last 50 or even 20 years. Big, funded projects will probably persist, but the low and no budget filmmakers will continue finding ways to use their craft to help others and nature, which I think is a great idea. The industry will probably continue to open up with affordable streaming options so unknown filmmakers and screenwriters will continue to make wonderful contributions to the art form. Critically acclaimed low-budget films will continue to be offered screenings at notable film festivals, such as yours, and they will experience a prosperous award season. My dream is that low and no budget films will receive the necessary attention for funding opportunities. The budget for Forgotten Enchantress was donated craft, borrowed wardrobe, and volunteers’ personal equipment. Some of our volunteers drove long distances just to be involved in the project.
I am a sustainability pioneer and founder of the Hansa Green Tour Foundation in the Netherlands, organizer of events, filmmaker and speaker.
I’m a tech- and innovation loving optimist with a strong interest in the latest sustainable solutions. I love fast electric cars, epic road trips and, before the covid pandemic, I used to travel the world to find, document and showcase sustainable solutions. Bringing like-minded people together that can make a difference by organizing events, study trips & trade missions for business and government delegations and filming these events is what I do in my day job.
We film and document our Hansa Green Tour events and places that we visit in northern Europe. Showcasing sustainable solutions in Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany and the Netherlands. During these events we interview people with inspiring stories and make short documentaries to share these stories.
More info about me and what I do is available on my website www.roelswierenga.com
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
All our annual Hansa Green Tour events are filmed and documented since 2011 by our team for personal and client use. Not with the intention of making commercial film or video productions but just to document what we do, to document the interesting places that we visit and interview people to hear their stories. As event director I was mostly guiding our camera team, busy behind the scenes but not behind the camera myself. Due to the covid pandemic all our events were cancelled, allowing me the time to train myself in filmmaking and think about how I could use the network that we had build over the past 10 years, all
the amazing places, people and sustainable initiatives that we had visited all over northern Europe. That made me decide to pick up the camera myself, learning the craft of filmmaking and learn from my regular cameraman Frans Adema and photographer Martijn Heemstra and challenge them to start making our own productions. I like epic roadtrips, using electric vehicles if possible that sometimes brings us in adventurous situations. We have seen so many beautiful places, we have met so many people with amazing stories, people who want to contribute to a better world. That inspired me. I want to capture those stories on film. Now it’s time for me to connect the dots and bring those stories to the screen.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
Yes I do! I do believe that cinema can bring change to society. We are overloaded with images and impressions every day in the media, on our mobile devices checking social media. But most of these images get in and out of our brains without leaving any impression at all. Information overload, most of it is rubbish, irrelevant. Like, can you tell what news or social media posts you watched 2 days ago? Probably not. But if you go to the cinema and watch a good movie or see a documentary with a strong story, your brain will remember it for many years. That is the power of cinema and film.
My short film PUSHBACK was my first entry in the world of film festivals and won the Stockholm City Film Festival June 2021 and several awards in Europe and USA followed shortly afterwards. A story about boat-refugees trying to reach Greek islands in the Mediterranean Sea, blocked with brute force by border guards, towing these boats back to the open sea, knowing that many will not survive. The film is not a cinematic masterpiece, but a horrible story that gets into your brain, leaving the viewer with a troubled mind. “How can you sleep well, knowing this is happening? Don’t look away, we have to act!” addresses Marian van Voorn at the end of the film. Damn. You have seen the movie, listened to the story and you’re asked to not look away from it, but to act upon it… Damn. An uncomfortable story, but you feel the need to do something with it. This film made an impact on people and this effect we would not have achieved by telling this story in an email newsletter or by posting it on social media. It made impact thanks to bringing this story to cinema.
This gave me the confidence and motivation to make my new film ’48.000 Names’, a story in cooperation with MiGreat about the deadly borders of Europe, about the protection of human rights and dignity. A story I feel that is important to share and film is one of the most beautiful ways to do this. And with my experience with our Pushback film I am convinced that cinema has an important role to play and yes can bring change to society.
-What would you change in the world?
That’s a difficult question, there is no easy answer to that. But if I was in a position to change the world I would try to stop war and violence and create a new start with equal rights and opportunities for all.
–Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Interesting question. In recent years cinema has lost ground due to the pandemic and world wide lockdowns, prohibiting people to go out. In parallel social media and digitalization, streaming services have grown tremendously. But both do not replace cinema. Social media and streaming services make it easy to consume film individually but are less suited to impress your brain and create a long lasting experience. Watching a film on a mobile device does not offer the unique experience of watching a movie on a big screen and impressive sound in the cinema together with friends.
Film industry might evolve over time and technology might make it much more easy and accessible for more people to make films and consume films individually om smart devices. But I hope and think that the unique experience that only cinema can provide will survive the coming 100 years. Film industry might change over time, but its core function in creating films with the best cinematic experience will never change. I would not want to miss that so I am positive that the film industry and cinema will still be around in 100 years.
Who has loved movies like “Dead Poets Society “, “Good Morning, Vietnam”, “Good Will Hunting” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” has loved movies played by a poet.
I’m very glad to announce an amazing exclusive on WILD FILMMAKER: the Interview with Brooke Harris Wolff, director of “Eye Of The Storm” Featuring Robin Williams
I am an artist, a creative, and a compassionate, often flawed human being. I’m also a runner and a thinker. I love to run not only for my physical health but to get lost in my thoughts. I love people-watching and exploring behavior. But at my core, I’m creative. I see everything that happens to me and in the world, through that filter. It’s not always the easiest place. I guess I’m still a work in progress.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I have always been an actor, a visual artist, and a writer. I started acting as a kid in the theater, and also studied art and sculpture, and writing as well. So, screenwriting was a natural next step. Then, of course, you have projects that you feel closer to, so the move to directing happens. But as I’ve gotten older, I can see retrospectively that I write whenever I have a profound experience. It doesn’t matter if it manifests as a humorous scribbling or a dark journey down the rabbit hole, I write. It’s my go-to and has become a true outlet. Many of my film scripts and poetry have come from my real-life experience, including “Orphan Doll.”
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
It has, and I have to believe it will continue to bring about societal change, hopefully, positive change. It influences fashion and music. It allows us to laugh and cry when maybe that’s not always a safe thing to do in our daily lives. It makes us reflect on our humanity and sometimes our cruelty to man, and it enlightens us. It allows us to see versions of ourselves and makes us believe. So, my goodness, I hope it impacts societal change and I hope it continues to bring more change. I recently read about films soon being made completely with AI and AI actors as well. That worries me. However, I continue to hope we will look to cinema to connect us as beautifully flawed humans and not completely remove the humanity and connectivity of the cinematic experience.
-What would you change in the world?
I think that my answer here might fill a couple of books, a few screenplays, and a lot of therapy. I will be here all day. But I guess, if you want the short answer, I would change the cruelty and absolute inhumanity of war, and I would change gun laws in the U.S… but when I hear myself say that, it all sounds so trite like I’m trying to win some pageant giving a canned answer. So, maybe I’d say, I wish I could stop senseless killing and atrocities like genocide. I mean where do you start? But since I always see the “gray” in everything, I also think there may be a larger, divine design that none of us understand. I don’t know. It’s a difficult question.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Well I know the industry is becoming more computerized and there are companies dedicated to helping producers create fully believable AI actors/performances. If that happens, hopefully, artists will find a new and better way of expressing their art. But I hope the human aspect of the art of film, sustains. In terms of technological advancement though, I hope it will be even more accessible and instant. Ultimately, I hope it continues to be creatively driven by human beings, both in front of and behind the camera.
I graduated in communication from the University of Quebec in Montreal and also trained in special effects at the Graphic Institute of Technology in Tokyo.
(GIT) under the direction of the artist Ko Nakajima.
In the 80s, I quickly forged an enviable reputation as an video artist, director and editor. For nearly 40 years, I has created and contributed to a wide variety of works and have won several awards both in Canada and abroad. My passion and creativity have allowed me to explore several artistic genres.
In recent years, I have collaborated on the creation of video projections for Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson One in Las Vegas.
I directed the videos for the show marking the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games on July 21, 2016, at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
I also worked with Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon on the multimedia work “Cité Mémoire” launched in 2016 and 2017 as part of the celebrations for the 375th anniversary of the city of Montreal.
I am now an artist, independent director and music producer.
I am the manager of the group Sol Caribe from Cuba, producer of their first album
“Soy del Caribe” and director of the music video of the same name.
Since then, I has signed several works, including the short documentary “Holy Trinity: The church that wouldn’t die” in 2019, as well as the experimental productions “Un dia en la vida” and “Prélude à la Lune” in 2021 which obtained several international awards.
In 2022, I started a series of 4 films called Cycle of Life. The two first films in this series are called “Sakura”,and “Solstice”. Those 2 first films also won multiple international awards for Best Experimental film, Best Director and Best Editing.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I guess it was by accident. I was studying in university in journalism, but it was boring for me. The university had received video cameras and editing equipement, and nobody was using them, they where still in their boxes. So I asked if I could use it, they sais shure, and gave me the keys.
A few months later, I finished my first video « Tv Screen » withch was aquirered by the Musée d’Art Contemporain du Québec. I finaly found what my passiont was.
-Do you think the cinema can bring change to the world?
Yes, it already did many times, and will continue to do so. Of course, documentary films helped change, inform people around the world. It has played a very important role in the evolution of society.
But I would also say the same for more artistic film making, witch can tell a story with a different approch, suggest a diferent way to look at things.
-What would you change in the world?
Many things, but specificaly over-indidualism. We need to get our sense of civility and respect for our fellow humans back.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Technologicaly speaking we will be able not to film a sequence, but rather to « scan » a sequence, in witch we can move around with a virtual camera to get all the angles and detail in one scan. Until that time, the mainstream film industry will continue to develop digitaly created films, witch do not need to be filmed, 100% computer generated film.
As for «cinema d’auteur», I think it is here to stay. The difference between independent cinema and big industry cinema will continue to widen.
I’m one of the lucky filmmakers. I entered this industry in the late 1980s, when the traditional strategy was still dominant in Japanese film production. After graduating from university, I worked for Toei Studios Kyoto and gained experience in yakuza and samurai films.
I also learned about B-movies thoroughly and became independent in my late twenties. I made a lot of commercials, MV and TV pieces in my twenty to thirties.
I debuted as a film director before forty; I have made more than ten theatrically released films by now. As an aside, I’ve produced four films with Afghan directors, which, perhaps, makes me a “rare case” in Japan.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I was working as a care worker while studying at the university.
One of my charges was a man on the spectrum whose father happened to be a film director. Back then, I had a dream, albeit nebulously, of working in the film industry.
So, I started learning about screenwriting from this director while taking care of his son once a week. Our textbooks were the works of Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, etc., the legends of Japanese traditional films. This encounter decided my future.
(Though I must add that I was very attracted by New Wave films, such as Stranger Than Paradise by Jim Jarmusch.)
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
That’s very difficult when it comes to Japan, where mainstream movies are either manga-based love stories or animated films. Supposing a creator makes a provocative film with a strong social message, she or he usually wouldn’t be able to get enough money for marketing.
In other words, there is no support or distribution system for this type of film in our country yet.
Film directors don’t belong to a company but work as freelancers, so it’s also difficult for them to stay financially stable. We’re behind Korea or Taiwan, in this sense. Japanese films—fiction and documentaries alike—are certainly in a critical situation.
-What would you change in the world?
What I would do is to keep raising awareness about people with disabilities, refugees and social minorities, such as the LGBT community or people with mental health issues. It’s personal for me, because my son is living with a disability.
You’ve just got to keep doing what you believe in.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Our society is overflooded with images made by AI on social media, such as Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok.
Many of those images, however, are only copies or reworkings of past creations.
We hardly see truly “new” images nowadays. The visual world is impoverished by digital technology.
We’ve obtained an innovative tool, but the world it shows has become rather dull. Now, more than ever, filmmakers are free to create. The future of the industry rests on our shoulders.
It will be the outcome of how seriously we confront society, how sincerely we commit ourselves to the world.
