-What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
Before I went to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I studied oil painting with Rebecca Alex at San Mateo City College. I was overly proud of myself and signed up her Level Two class. The first day of class, Rebecca told me to drop Level Two and to enroll her Level One, after she saw my artwork. She pointed out that I did not have enough foundation. To this day I owe her a thank to her honesty and being the first artist to help me building my skills. Our final project for our class was to study a master painting and apply the style to create a new painting. That semester, I studied Gerhard Richter’s “Reader” and painted “Prince of Monte Carlo”. I named my painting “Temptation” originally. I renamed it to “Prince of Monte Carlo” years later. Gerhard Richter’s “Reader” was relocated to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art right before I went to Chicago. I remember that I sit in front of that painting for at least half an hour, admiring and feeling astonished. I was thinking, “How could such beautiful painting being created!”.
-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
I was a study nerdy girl, when I was young. I found that boys usually look down at nerdy girls. Maybe we can do something about it?
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
Love is the antidote. Art is one form of Love.
–Are you working on a new project/. If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
I just finished writing a new animation short script. The title is “Horse Ride”. It is about how Dork Girl conquers her fear toward riding a horse.
–What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
Luchino Visconti , the genesis of life in its deepest features . Even when life murmurs at Visconti , it has movement . Emotion relaxes in gestures made of graces. But also the beauty of images pierced by the fire of life , rise of creativity where the extraordinary is read in God and in the bold move . Pieces of life coming out of its cranial box and which reconstructs the puzzle of the human condition that he follows multiple coordinated paths between them by the horizon of endless creativity . And to possess the keys to Eternity is to create .Give me Visconti strength to abolish time .
Because Absolute when your hold us ,the light never goes out . To the excellence of Visconti ,we can only respond with excellence otherwise it would be to stray into mediocrity of style. Just follow the awakening of thought through the pleasure of the Heavens .But also the most beautiful thought generates the mirror of time in a ball of emotions .Our future is not mad e to wait . Understand that time is experienced in perpetual renewal. Also obsession with Visconti is the word ,the creativity in the gift of heaven . For my part the sun entered my life a day of black desire .Visconti ,this is the life in his eagerness of an incandescent light .
-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
Yes , I believe . Prowess of the sky : divine idea . His majesty the verb which says a word but which says everything . Surprise yourself , prodigy time where even the pain carries life . The page that becomes blue , that becomes God ! Ascend to heaven , ascend to the firmament where nothing id denied of innate beauty . White birds of the sky and of peace take on the color of life . Child the gift of God : the marvelous . The host : this rising sun that never sets . Crunch a star ,a piece of absolute it’s having a piece of eternity in your mouth .
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
Yes of course ! In ability to develop and to enrich humanity of the new dawn in the mirror of creativity that vehicle medias. But it needs to love God . To write , this is what I do best in my life because the best thing in my life is God ! Take me eternity and sublimate my art ,my words in this grace of believing in them .We never tire of the thought wrapped in Eternity . Cups of Gold , cup of Christ , I drink to infinity The black crows of this little death that is inertia see themselves overthrown by the movement of life.
-Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
Yes , Camille Claudel a famous woman who transcends through a strong personality made of passion . The title of my screenplay published by Edilivre Editions in France : “the new triumph of Camille Claudel “ with my pseudo of writer Florence Taveau And also I experienced the joy to playing the role of Camille in a sequence pilot : Camille at Marseille by Benjamin Burghartz ( to see on your tube ) .
-What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
I have never taken a writing course, per se. My background is academic: BA, MA, PhD and teaching dramatic literature. So, my inspiration comes the writers who came before me, or those currently writing. Ideas, plots, structure, challenges—all are provided by writers. I was brought up with a love and respect for Shakespeare. In my formative years I explored the works of Samuel Beckett which led me to existentialism: Sartre, Gabriel Marcel, etc. My PhD thesis was on the works of Ben Jonson whose “Bartholomew Fayre” (1614) provided the background for my “Rodeo.” In my teaching at the university, I introduced students, and myself, to the works of so many writers and thinkers.
-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
“[Writers] are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,” Percy Bysshe Shelley. This is the true challenge. The word “revolution” invokes large-scale images: war, politics, etc. But there are also smaller, but not unimportant, challenges: a woman’s struggle against control by her husband (“Pirandello’s Wife”), the poor manipulated by those who have power and wealth (“Borderline Justice”), a historical truth reinterpreted by later generations (“Alta California”), and so many more. Continued questioning is in my bones.
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
In my work “And We Were Left Darkling” I explored which predominates in humans: love or power. I was haunted by Yeats’ question: “what rough beast, its hour come round at last, /Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” We know and experience power daily. Does love, decency, respect have a place in the world? In my script, two men, Adolf Eichmann and Raoul Wallenberg, play chess in an unspecified limbo. The former worships a god of power; the latter a god of love. Can we, in a world filled with power, hate, etc. attempt to know someone like Wallenberg, a force of love? Or are we destined to be left “darkling”?
-Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
“I can’t go on! I’ll go on!” (Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable). I’m always working at something. I recently wrote a novel for young adults, “The Boy Who Earned His Magic.” Again, there is the human dichotomy as competing characteristics battle within the characters. This story also allowed me to note and explore the different elements that make up the United States. The central character, Howell, is joined in his quest by a blind Latino boy, a Navajo girl, and a deaf Haitian girl. All bring their different languages, different ways of seeing, and different myths to the story. Plus, their tale is set in the dramatic desert landscape of the Western United States. Recently, I decided to transform “The Boy Who Earned His Magic” into a series of one-hour teleplays: six in total. The earlier ones, including the pilot, are already winning national and international festival awards.
–What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
For me, the need to create and elevate soul vibrations for a 5th dimensional world on Earth is a profound source of inspiration. The Universe, God, and my own Soul are the great inspirations that drive my artistic journey.
-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
Art is a transformative force, catalyzing change within individuals’ minds and souls. The unity of love in people’s minds, hearts, and nations is the most powerful force that brings us together.
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
Inner peace is the cornerstone of a peaceful spirit. Creating art with the intention of fostering inner peace can profoundly impact humanity. Social media has played a vital role in spreading this message of peace.
-Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
-Excitingly, I am currently working on a new project—a portal of abundance that brings prosperity, love, beauty, and profound insights to our world. Through artistic music videos, I aim to express my love for humankind and the existence of light and love in the universe.
-What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
The heyday of film in Europe was when I was a teenager going to the cinema in the seventies and eighties. Great Italian, French and English films, extremely talented directors and actors shaped my taste. I didn’t grow up on thrillers or horror films, but on the real, lasting value. I was a teenager, I couldn’t help it, I was lucky. At that time, in my country, Hungarian cinema was also extremely good. I came into contact with many directors, actors and film professionals. It is difficult to single out any of them. He recently received the Bunuel Lifetime Achievement Award, which I was happy about, because he was one of my favourite film directors, for example. So I was inspired not by a master but by an era.
–Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
I am not quite sure. A revolutionary is always working against something, rebelling, leading people. An artist becomes a nuisance to a power because he refuses to compromise. That he represents truth and value even if the leadership of a country or society does not. Because as an artist he sees facts and events from many sides, he can judge the true content of reality. The obvious. And that is what he represents. It makes him an enemy of the powers that be. And if he is talented, and has an audience, and many people listen to him, then he is indeed almost like a revolutionary. But he is not. In today’s world, anyone who wants peace between man and man, who tries to understand different cultures and different opinions, is becoming an obstacle for the leaders of a country. But this is not a revolution. Revolution is very rarely started and made by artists. If they did, they went crazy about it later. But if you can create a revolution with your talent within your own art – theatre, film, literature, visual arts – it means you will find disciples and followers. Like Jesus. He teaches, not fights. I apologise for the simile. But yes, indeed, the artist can do a lot to make people in a lying society feel the truth and decide between truth and lies.
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
When a war breaks out, the artist is too late. He cannot influence the process. All he can do is build stories from situations during wars as lessons. But in war, the masses are not primarily concerned with art. So these works are really only for our descendants, our children. To learn from where and what our era went wrong. Because we know that where there is war, where only one man is killed for the sake of others – there is no justice. Because people are not fighting each other directly. But the arms companies, the politicians, the power maniacs, and all for money and profit. There are no lofty principles. Specifically: we can give Israel credit for wanting to repair the damage done to it. But, at the same time, we must see a desperate people walking up and down a small area in desperation, constantly burying their dead. As in Ukraine, so in the Gaza Strip, there is more and more destruction, buildings in ruins, people dying underneath. What can an artist do? Like a photographer, he can capture the moments. But this is very important. That when it’s all over, we can express the pain through film, so that another tragedy happens as late as possible.
The world would be a more peaceful place if art could take its old place, when an artist’s opinion mattered, when he or she could influence the course of society with his or her work. That time has passed. But we must nevertheless trust that our films can influence the way we live.
-Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
In 1335 there was a famous meeting of kings in Hungary, where the rulers of Central Europe formed a very strong alliance. And after that there were no wars for a very long time. And there was economic prosperity, prosperity. Simply because good people came together in a strong alliance. A lot of what happened then is relevant to today. In 1996 they tried to re-establish this alliance, but it has now become clear that they will not succeed. But if it succeeds as it did then, in 1335, there may be no economic crisis, no Ukrainian-Russian war, and many other things. This film will be shown in October, and we are working on the post-production of it. We are using quite modern means to depict that period. Because I would like to affirm that it is not too late, that with a sensible coalition we can perhaps improve our lives now.
-What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?
I have been very lucky and blessed with great teachers since childhood. Growing up in Buenos Aires and later living in Tel Aviv and Los Angeles, I was always surrounded by creative people. Yet my seven years living in Rome with my wife Ruth were critical. We had two great teachers. Bruno Zevi, a historian and critic, who stimulated us to learn from architecture and art history; and a genial architect, Luigi Pellegrin, who taught us to look at architecture, art, film, and our surroundings with a critical eye. He also led us to study Frank Lloyd Wright’s works and ideas. This brought us to travel to photograph over one hundred of his works across America. In parallel, I loved good cinema since I was a teenager, and later, when living in Rome, we encountered some great filmmakers. Yet it was in 2012 when I started to do short documentaries, mostly about architecture and the arts.
-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?
Of course! Look at Ai Wei Wei, at Davis Guggenheim’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Look at Picasso’s Guernica, at Poliforum Siqueiros in Mexico City. Our great mentor, Pellegrin, was a revolutionary architect. And I also had heroes in other disciplines.
-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?
I would hope so, but I am not sure. The Medici family significantly impacted Renaissance art, yet their regime was bloody. Great art of the 19th and 20th centuries did not stop two world wars. As for today’s media and social networks, there is much confusion and lack of education to discern what is meaningful art and what is not. In doing architecture and art-related films and considering the short span of attention of most people, I am cautiously optimistic.
Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?
I am concerned about the future of the planet. We need exponential transformation at an unprecedented speed and scale to safeguard our existence and that of future generations on this planet. How to make a meaningful contribution through film is not easy. I am considering my next project to relate to this subject. As a sneak peek of that direction, the trailer from a previous short documentary, A Permaculture Path, may give you some idea of what I am trying to do. To watch the trailer, please go to: https://vimeo.com/936452710
-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
Definitely the novelty of it all. When we started Sitting in a Dream, we barely knew anything about filmmaking or producing music videos. Before this one came about, our experience was limited to a bunch of high school amateur shorts and fake trailers shot on a tiny Panasonic camcorder in our old Soviet panel housing backyards. This was our first real attempt at more or less professional filmmaking, and Sitting in a Dream was originally meant to be part of a series of promos for an arthouse Syd Barrett-inspired film we were planning but never ended up making (hence the title).
From the start our aim with it was festivals, which is why the production quality had to urgently get much less embarrassing. At last, we left behind our usual “Moscow Hollywood” setup—our affectionate term for the Soviet brick jungle where we had filmed everything up to that point—and drastically expanded our location scouting to ensure the material properly matched our vision. We upgraded to a 4K camera, invested in proper lighting, and expanded the crew by bringing on a gaffer, grips, and a makeup artist, all of whom had to learn on the job since hiring experienced professionals was way out of our budget. Needless to say, my job as a director had gotten a lot tougher, but the fact that we pulled it off speaks volumes about the fast learning and incredible talent of the people I had the privilege to work with.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
Certainly, and quite severely in my opinion. What I have seen happen in the industry almost on every level is the utter politization of the art of filmmaking, to the point where every movie seems to try to make the same old political statement and pander to different minority groups rather than tell an actual story or God forbid entertain the audience. On the other hand, history has shown that such periods of censorship in the arts cannot last forever and, in the end, can only lead to one thing: an explosion of free artistic spirit fueled by a desire to break those chains and tell new, unique stories that inspire and entertain. I believe we might just be on the brink of such a “renaissance”, where filmmakers will once again be prioritizing artistry over agenda.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
Quite simply, Syd Barrett. I firmly believe he is among the most important figures in music history with one of the most tragic and unusual, at times even magical personal stories that just begs for a biopic about his life. This was my first time working on a music video, so I looked to other music videos for inspiration, particularly Pink Floyd’s 1960s TV promos featuring Syd. The one that impressed me most was their 1967 promo for “Jugband Blues,” Syd’s last song with the band, and what was so interesting about it was how you could see that at that point due to his progressing mental illness he was completely and forever lost in his quiet senseless darkness never to return again. “Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky”, – as his bandmate, Roger Waters would later put it.
Fairy tales were another key inspiration for this music video. Syd Barrett was apparently just as fond of them as I am, which is why for “Golden Hair” he adapted the lyrics from a James Joyce poem that seems to hint at the story of Rapunzel, one of the most iconic fairy tales out there. With its imagery, we aimed to evoke a sort of magical-mythical feel in our music video by featuring fireflies, candles, mysterious masked men, and the Golden-Haired lady herself, all quietly surrounding our hero. The interplay between these elements was designed to transport the viewer into a dreamlike world that blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy, a reflection of the mesmerizing quality of Barrett’s own work.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
I would have definitely loved to talk to Andrei Tarkovsky (who, interestingly, comes from roughly the same region in Russia as my mother) about his filmmaking style and try to get him to explain his unique approach in very plain and practical terms, rather than the artistic and almost spiritual responses he typically gave in his interviews.
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
So far, I am quite fond of it! I think it offers a unique opportunity for us little indie people to participate in some of the biggest and most prestigious cinematic events all over the world, not to mention interview us and allow us to give our own unique perspective on what the art of filmmaking can be. It’s incredibly encouraging to see such platforms providing a voice to independent filmmakers, fostering creativity, and helping us reach wider audiences we might not have been able to access otherwise.
