by Michele Diomà

For my work as a film producer, I have been attending the Cannes Film Festival for more than 20 years. When I was young, I used to watch many films, but in recent years what was once a passion has become a job, and I rarely have the time to watch films during the Festival. However, the moment I saw the poster for Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater, I was immediately transported back to my teenage self — in love with the cinema of François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and all the directors of that wonderful historical period, defined by courage, recklessness, and passion, that filmmakers poured into their work and which we call the Nouvelle Vague.

I stepped away from my production meetings at the Cannes Market for a few hours and went to see Nouvelle Vague. My review can be summed up in one word: HAPPINESS!

This film was a powerful aspirin for my cinephile soul! Nouvelle Vague deserves to win the Oscar, so that above all the younger generations can discover what cinema once was — and what it could once again become.

WILD FILMMAKER was born five years ago, inspired precisely by the idea of creating a global contemporary Nouvelle Vague. That is why I am so happy to welcome Adrien Rouyard — who portrayed François Truffaut in the poetic Nouvelle Vague — into the WILD FILMMAKER Community!

– Who is Adrien Rouyard?

I was born in 1992 and grew up in a small town called Marignier in Haute-Savoie, very close to Mont-Blanc. At the age of 20, I moved to Paris to try to become an actor. I first joined a drama school, Cours Florent, where I studied for three years. Then, in 2015, I entered the École du Nord, a higher school of dramatic arts located in Lille, in northern France, where I studied for another three years. Since then, I’ve been living again in Paris. My main activity remains the theater, which I consider “my home,” but I also work in cinema and television.
Being an actor is very important to me, but I also have other passions. I am a big tennis fan, I enjoy gastronomy, and I am also very interested in oenology. And whenever possible, I love to return to my childhood homeland to go into the mountains.

– You played François Truffaut in the film Nouvelle Vague, which I consider the best presented at the last Cannes Film Festival. How did you build this character?

Since the end of my teenage years, I have felt a special affection for the Nouvelle Vague and for François Truffaut. Even before knowing that I would portray him, I was familiar with his interviews and his writings. So I imagine something must have already seeped into me. Then, before shooting, I immersed myself again in all the archives I could find on the internet. My work consisted of finding the right balance — getting closer to his gestures, rediscovering his smile and his gaze, while still allowing my own personality to come through.

– Which Nouvelle Vague films do you love the most?

The 400 Blows remains the most important for me. It was the first one I discovered and the one I cherish the most. I watch it at least once a year. James Gray once said it has one of the most beautiful endings in cinema, and I agree with him.
Otherwise, I would also mention The Soft Skin, another Truffaut film, Pierrot le Fou by Godard, Cléo from 5 to 7 by Agnès Varda, and Elevator to the Gallows by Louis Malle.

– What projects are you currently working on?

I am preparing to shoot in the next film by Robert Guédiguian, titled Une Femme Aujourd’hui, and I will soon resume rehearsals for a play directed by Tiphaine Raffier, which will premiere in 2026 and whose theme is illness, inspired by Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.

– What kind of role would you like to play in a film?

A schoolteacher or a priest.

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

All of my life I was wondering about what is going on in this world. How can people be interested in things that are so obviously superficial? For example, why do people watch television every evening? Or why do they believe in figures who have nothing to say, if you really listen to them?
Of course it’s of no use to fall into desperation. So I had to find my way through. That’s why I made a decision for art. Maybe I would get in touch with people who have similar ideas… And I am glad to say that it led me to the discovery that the world isn’t so bad – and that people are much more likable than I’d thought before.

What are your goals as an artist?

My one goal is to achieve a better life – or to say it correctly a life worth living. And I guess that actually is a quite demanding task. Because we are so used to know everything. We assume to know the purpose of life and how to achieve happiness and such things… But that isn’t correct if you really think about it.

What is your opinion on the cultural industry?

I would say that time is running faster than ever. The contents change before you can get a clear thought on them. Maybe like in the mind of a person who can’t focus on one thing. Or you may compare it to a newsfeed. I think that is a most difficult position for us today.

Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

It’s never easy for an artist to get recognition. But artistic ideas have a chance if the artist truly believe in them. It is an advantage of our time that i.e. the means to make a film are available for more persons than in former times.

What new project are you currently working on?

Since I started making short films I did all parts by myself. For example, if I wanted to use some guitar sounds, I played the guitar myself even though I didn’t know the notes… That’s why I want to change one or two things in my next projects, including working with other professionals.

Who is Mira Kim?

(Instead of a self-written statement, this is a reprint of a media article introducing Director Mira Kim)

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“AI is My Creative Partner” — The AI Film Director Who Captivated the World

“AI is not simply a tool, but a creative partner and companion with infinite possibilities.”

We met with Director Mira Kim, who recently swept the top awards in the AI category at prestigious international film festivals, including the New York International Film Festival. Her representative work The Long Journey showcases a new aesthetic born from AI–human collaboration and has received critical acclaim in the global AI film industry.

Director Kim, who always loved writing, drawing, and watching films, decided later in life to study AI at university. Immersing herself in this rapidly changing field, she encountered a turning point in 2023 with the release of generative AI—where her creative spirit could soar through AI art.

“When generative AI was released to the public, it felt like being struck by lightning. I was so excited by the infinite possibilities unfolding before my eyes that my whole body trembled.”

Despite lacking technical expertise in design tools and facing early difficulties with AI platforms, she overcame challenges with pure passion. Eventually, she launched an AI-focused YouTube channel and built a considerable following.

Her experimental pursuits were widely recognized: she won awards at the Korea Expressway Corporation Contest with 2040 Future Highway: South Korea’s Green Innovation, and distinguished herself in the Ministry of Unification’s AI Art Challenge. Today, her works are exhibited in the United States and Germany.

“The competitions were both challenges and learning opportunities. Through countless setbacks, I was able to refine my creative process and develop my own unique approach.”

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Achievements at Global Film Festivals

Her latest work, The Long Journey, won Best AI Film at numerous international film festivals, including:

• New York International Film Festival (NYIFA)
• Oneiros Film Festival
• Symbiotic Film Festival
• Amsterdam New Cinema Film Festival
• Berlin Independent Film Festival
• CineParis Film Festival
• Rome Prisma Film Festival

The film is a deeply personal story inspired by her late father-in-law. It depicts life during the Japanese colonial period, war, and poverty—illuminating the resilience of a generation that transformed Korea into a prosperous nation.

“I wanted to express respect and awe for my parents’ generation who endured hardships and created today’s South Korea.”

Initially rejected by Korean AI film festivals, she submitted instead to international ones, motivated to share Korea’s history, language, and emotions with the world. Her persistence was rewarded with multiple awards.

“This experience reaffirmed the universal truth that ‘what is most Korean is most global.’”

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Knowledge Sharing Through YouTube

Today, Mira Kim shares her expertise on her channel Fly Candy TV.

“We are at the starting point of exploring the infinite possibilities created by the combination of AI and art. My focus is on telling stories about us, about the human world, and finding ways to present them impactfully with AI.”

Her journey is far from over. The horizon of AI–human collaborative cinema continues to expand with each of her works.

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Mira Kim – AI Film Director

Filmography & Achievements

1. A Long Journey
   ▶ https://youtu.be/MWMCkTgZIKM
   • Winner of 15 awards at global AI film festivals
   • A touching family story showcasing collaboration between AI and humanity
2. Click or Truth: The Trap of Fake News
   ▶ https://youtu.be/LF55QW85kh0
   • Awarded the EBS Broadcasting President’s Award
   • Winner of the Clean Personality Content Contest in South Korea
3. 2040 AI-Driven Highways: South Korea’s Green Innovation
   ▶ https://youtu.be/WfV_lgHbtlM
   • Bronze Prize, Korea Expressway Corporation Contest
4. Journey with AI in Suncheon
   ▶ https://youtu.be/n1qX6op1ybI
   • Submitted for the Suncheon City Contest, theme of coexistence between nature and AI
5. Our Uijeongbu
   ▶ https://youtu.be/51dBSjgSjus
   • Presented at the 2024 Autumn Academic Conference of the Korean Society for Culture and Economics
6. Luka and Cookie’s Adventure Journey
   ▶ https://youtu.be/z8BOdSQB-WQ
   • Submitted to the 2024 Yecheon AI Film Festival
   • Trailer available on YouTube
7. Glimmer of Hope
   • Bronze Prize, Unification Art Challenge (Ministry of Unification)
   • Awarded for impactful imagery and exploration of hope in the context of unification

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Interview with Mira Kim

Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?

I was thirteen when I watched Gone with the Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. That experience changed me. From then on, going to the cinema alone became one of my greatest joys.

At the time, my family was struggling financially. My father was an unknown film director and screenwriter who never gave up on his artistic dreams. We didn’t even have a television, so the cinema became my only window into stories. In old neighborhood theaters, I could watch three movies in a row for just a few coins. Looking back, I believe those experiences shaped who I am today.

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Tell us about your project A Long Journey.

A Long Journey is both a family story and a meditation on Korean modern history. It portrays an 89-year-old man’s extraordinary life through the nation’s most turbulent times—from colonial occupation to post-war reconstruction.

The film’s most powerful scenes include:

• a young father writing letters while working abroad in the desert,
• an elderly husband refusing to send his wife with dementia to a care facility,
• his spirit comforting her with the promise of preparing their eternal home.

Created with innovative AI, the film demonstrates how technology can serve as a partner in telling deeply human stories.

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Which Director inspires you the most?

As a Korean filmmaker, I have been deeply inspired by Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook. Their storytelling and bold aesthetics shaped modern Korean cinema.

Beyond Korea, I found resonance in the work of Hirokazu Kore-eda, especially in Nobody Knows.

Both Bong and Kore-eda compel us to confront uncomfortable truths:

• Parasite visualizes the scent of class.
• Nobody Knows voices the silence of abandonment.

These films ask us difficult but necessary questions about who we are in society.

Having grown up in a modest household, many of my stories are rooted in memory—often seen through a child’s eyes. Family, to me, is the universe from which all narratives emerge. I am drawn to quiet, human-centered stories that revisit unspoken moments and create spaces for reflection.

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What do you dislike about the world, and what would you change?

What I dislike most is “a world that erases memories.”

Today’s world feels too clean, too neatly organized—stripping away the scents, sounds, wounds, and imperfections that make life real. What I long for instead is a world where traces remain:

• where neighbors laugh together even at shameful moments,
• where children’s laughter, church bells, and the scent of candles flow across generations,
• where memories, even painful ones, are preserved and respected.

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How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?

Cinema will evolve beyond entertainment into a tool that expands human experience. AI will democratize filmmaking, making everyone a potential creator. Real-time translation may allow all cultures to be shared freely.

Yet, no matter how much technology advances, the essence of storytelling and human emotion will remain unchanged.

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What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?

I see WILD FILMMAKER as a space that embraces the post-cinema era—where anyone with a smartphone can create and share films. Unlike commercial magazines, it values experimental voices, emerging directors, and fields like AI filmmaking.

I sincerely hope it continues to grow as a platform that supports new talent worldwide.

Among the main events taking place alongside the Venice Film Festival, there will be the presentation of the book PREDATOR – A Myth Between Sci-Fi and Anthropology at the Italian Pavilion, Hotel Excelsior, Sala Tropicana 2, on Wednesday, September 3rd at 10:00 AM.

Exclusively for WILD FILMMAKER, we are publishing an interview with one of the authors, Andrea Guglielmino.

-) Who is Andrea Guglielmino?

Well, that’s an easy one. I’ll answer with my semi-official bio:

Andrea Guglielmino defines himself more as a “writing person” than a writer. He moves across fiction, non-fiction, film criticism, and finally landed in his greatest passion—comics—in 2015, publishing his first story for Mostri by Bugs Comics. Since then, he’s continued working with Bugs (Samuel Stern), as well as Emmetre Edizioni (Garibaldi vs. Zombies, Garibaldi vs. Mickey, Garibaldi: Risorgimento, Garibaldi vs. Frankenstein) and Weird Book, with whom he published I Primi Cento—a tribute to Dylan Dog that earned him the Bartoli Prize for Best Writer at Cassino Fantastica in 2024.

He works for CinecittàNews, the official news portal of Cinecittà, and collaborates with several magazines, including Nocturno.

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-) Tell us about your project “Predator – A Myth Between Sci-Fi and Anthropology.”

With pleasure! First of all, I’m happy to say it’s a finished and published project. It’s an essay co-written with my colleagues Gianmarco Bonelli and Guglielmo Favilla—yes, the actor! He’s also a very talented writer.

The book reinterprets the famous science fiction saga that started with the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, exploring it through a fresh socio-anthropological lens.

It’s a franchise that, beneath its genre surface and pure entertainment value, hides significant sociological and anthropological themes. These include ancestral myths rooted in the clash between nomadic and sedentary cultures, the tension between Nature and Culture, Magic and Technology, and even the caste-based structure of the alien Yautja society. Like any true Myth, Predator must evolve to reflect the society and historical context in which it appears.

It’s not your typical critical approach—we’re not interested in whether the films are “good” or “bad”—and it’s certainly not just a collection of facts, which, in the age of the internet, has little value.

The word “anthropology” shouldn’t scare anyone off. The book is very accessible even to readers unfamiliar with the subject—we provide all the necessary tools. It’s a playful book, not an academic one.

We don’t limit ourselves to the films, either. The Myth is analyzed across all forms: comics, novels, video games… everything we could get our hands on!

Plus, there’s a stunning cover by Giorgio Finamore and illustrations by top-tier artists throughout the book.

And three exclusive interviews: with John McTiernan and Stephen Hopkins (directors of the first two films), and with Chris Warner, creator of some of the comics.

It was published by Weird Book.

We’ll be presenting it at the Venice Film Festival, in the Italian Pavilion at Hotel Excelsior, Sala Tropicana 2, on September 3rd at 10:00 AM.

Everyone is, of course, invited!

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-) Are you working on other projects?

As I mentioned, I’m also a comic writer and very active in that field. I’ve co-written a graphic novel with Omar Pedrini based on Viaggio senza Vento, the iconic album by Timoria. It’s set to be released this fall.

With Emmetre Edizioni, I’m working on the Garibaldiverso saga, which places characters from the Italian Risorgimento in confrontation with key figures from pop culture. It all started with Garibaldi vs. Zombies—we’re actually seeking collaborators and production partners to turn it into a film. It became a small but notable success in publishing. Then came Garibaldi vs. Mickey (taking advantage of Disney’s loss of rights to the first version of Mickey Mouse), Garibaldi vs. Frankenstein, and Garibaldi: Risorgimento (a tribute to The Crow). There’s a big surprise in store for Christmas… and I’m currently writing the spin-off Nino Bixio: Vampire Hunter.

Dioverso, co-written with Emiliano Pagani and illustrated by Nicola Perugini, had a “miraculous” crowdfunding campaign. And given its divine theme… and multiverse variants… it fits perfectly.

I’m also waiting for the green light from Bugs Comics (publishers of the Samuel Stern horror series) for a major project that I care deeply about.

Meanwhile, I’m continuing to promote I Primi Cento, a very unique comic essay about Dylan Dog—without Dylan Dog. It’s mostly about the obsession many fans have with the first 100 issues of the series. There are some exciting things in the works for that as well.

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-) What do you think cinema will look like 100 years from now?

I honestly can’t imagine it… but I’m tempted to say the first hundred were probably better!

Jokes aside, you can’t ignore the impact of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies. Whether we like them or not, whether we choose to use them or not, you can’t stop the wind with your hands. I think it’s wiser to learn how to use them thoughtfully, rather than fight a pointless battle against the inevitable evolution of the world.

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-) What would you change about today’s film industry?

It’s not really my job—I just write about movies and report news. And occasionally, I make up stories in comic form, which is an incredibly powerful medium, perhaps even more so than cinema. Mainly because the production effort is much smaller. Paper, pen, pencil… maybe a tablet—and with the same cost and manpower, you can create either a close-up of a character or an entire army charging across an alien world.

What I can share is a personal experience: I was stuck at home for a couple of years due to health reasons.

During that time, I reevaluated all the rhetoric around “you must see movies in theaters.”

The truth is: cinema must be watched—period. If it’s in a theater, great. But since we now have easy access to legal, quality streaming and digital platforms, rapid distribution of films should be a priority.

Back then, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go to the cinema—and I can only imagine how many others deal with similar or even permanent limitations. I would have done anything for a legal link to see the films I was missing.

So yes, I’m in favor of shortening the release windows as much as possible. I think it could even help in the fight against piracy.

That’s just a user’s opinion—surely, people more knowledgeable than me will have stronger arguments. But since you asked: if I could change something, it would be the accessibility of content.

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

My desire to create comes from a fascination with transformation and mystery. Artists like David Bowie taught me that reinvention is survival, while David Lynch revealed that cinema can be a dream and a riddle at the same time.

Beyond that, I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of worlds—music, painting, philosophy, literature. Art is the only place where these forces can truly collide. For me, it’s not simply about expressing myself; it’s about conjuring images and experiences that live on in the minds of others, like echoes that refuse to fade.

“Art is the only way I know to express what words alone cannot.”

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What are your goals as an artist?

My ambition is to create works that are original, fearless, and surprising. I want to carve out spaces that feel unfamiliar yet deeply human—stories that don’t just entertain but unsettle, awaken, and inspire.

The world already knows how to produce what is expected. My goal is to show that we are capable of creating the unexpected, of reaching for something immense without being blinded by expectation.

“My goal is to create the unexpected—and make it unforgettable.”

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What is your opinion on the cultural industry?

The cultural industry is a paradox. Sometimes it is underestimated, as if art were a luxury rather than the pulse of civilization. Other times it is overestimated, inflated into spectacle and reduced to numbers, markets, and algorithms.

But the essence of art escapes such measurements. The question “What is art?” will never have a single answer—and that is its power. True culture is not a product; it is an atmosphere, a force.

“True art always escapes measurement.”

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Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

Independent artists live in a time of contradictions. On one hand, it has never been easier to share one’s work. Digital platforms, festivals, and new networks have opened doors once tightly locked. On the other hand, visibility remains elusive. To be seen is not the same as to be found.

Sometimes I wonder if I should push a project like mine toward a more commercial path, or keep it firmly in the indie world. Both routes have advantages, but also challenges. Take a film like ANORA: yes, it was made for six million, but it carried eighteen million in promotional costs. That is the reality—visibility often requires resources that independents rarely have.

“It’s never been easier to share work, but never harder to be truly seen.”

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What new project are you currently working on?

There are projects moving quietly in the background—too fragile to speak of yet. Silence is sometimes the best way to protect a vision in its early form.

What I can share is the expansion of Cassandra Venice. Through trailers and a short film, I am shaping the foundation for something larger—whether that becomes a feature or a series remains open, like a horizon just out of reach.

At the moment, I’m especially exploring opportunities in Spain and the U.K., while staying receptive to unexpected collaborations. Cassandra Venice began as a haunting dream, but it may yet transform into a world others can fully enter.

“Cassandra Venice began as a dream—but it may grow into a world others can fully enter.”

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Closing statement

For me, cinema is not just storytelling—it is prophecy, memory, and dream combined. Each project is an attempt to capture the fleeting light of something that feels both personal and universal.

“Art must remain a question, not an answer.”

As long as I keep asking that question, my journey as an artist remains alive.

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

I honestly have no clue. My whole life, from a young age, I played competitive sports. It wasn’t until I graduated college and was entering the real world that I realized I did not want to enter corporate America work force. I saw the next forty years of my life and it was not what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to chase happiness and find something I could enjoy doing until the day I die. I always had a fascination with films at a young age and so I decided to just go for it. 

What are your goals as an artist?

My biggest goal would be to have everyone from around the world love my movies. I hope that my films can reach large audiences and can be seen on the big screen, as I have intended them to be. I hope that my films not only entertain everybody but make them feel something as well. I hope that I can be lucky enough to keep doing what I’m doing for as long as I can. I pray that I’m not a one and done. 

What is your opinion on the cultural industry?

Don’t have much of an opinion on it. If it wasn’t for it I would have never seen the great films that I have or listened and fallen in love with the music I enjoy. I hope someday that my work can be a part of it and hopefully inspire the next great filmmaker to come along and entertain people as much as I’ve been entertained.  

Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

You can easily upload any content you want on the web to be shared with everyone around the world. I think there are many outlets or opportunities for all artists, no matter what the media, to share their creativity. It’s much easier for an artist now than ever before to share everything they make whether it be a social media platform, a website and the numerous other web based forms. Now whether they make money off it, that’s another question. To share their creativity, there should be no excuse why they can’t. 

What new project are you currently working on?

I am currently not working on any new projects at the moment. I have a couple that are in pre production but are not anywhere near close to going into production. One of the projects is a short film called “Where is Lady” and it delves into the sad and dark world of human trafficking. My other project that I am working to try and get funds for is the feature length from my last short called “True Friend” which is about the unbreakable bond between two kids that come from different sides of the track. With hopes that I can get a distribution deal for my current feature Wacko, I believe I can get the funds for this next project. Fingers crossed 🤞

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

I developed a passion for art early on—drawing, painting, dancing, writing, and reading. After winning an art contest, I received a Kodak box camera and began taking photos, managing the film and choosing scenes myself.
The wait for developed prints was soon overlooked once people could relive memories captured on film. Each image enabled one to repeatedly recall the circumstances of its creation—the location, sensory details, ambient temperature, and emotional state both before and after the photograph was taken. Although the image remains unchanged, our evolving experiences and perceptions continually reshape how we remember it. Decades on, I still have the camera.

What are your goals as an artist?

To share an uplifting message by showing past outcomes and future options in an engaging way.
Currently, my screenplays “Fractures In Time” and “Visitors Book” have earned multiple accolades on the film festival circuit. My foremost goal is to facilitate the adaptation of at least one of these works into a feature film and to actively participate in its production.
I plan to write and direct a short film, but my scripts always turn into feature-length projects.

What are your views regarding the cultural industry?

The subject frequently evolves in response to technological and topical developments. Occasionally, one aspect develops at a different rate than another, which can lead to discrepancies that persist over long periods of time.
Technology now makes it easy for the public to buy Van Gogh’s art on items like tote bags and cushions, especially after experiencing his work through immersive digital displays. It is uncertain how Van Gogh, who lived in poverty, would have responded to the widespread commercialization and public appreciation of his art today.
Does this also apply to film—will an outstanding low- budget indie short be respected equally in the future? I like to think so.

Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

FilmFreeway and the World Film Communities Network provide independent filmmakers and writers with international platforms to gain recognition and showcase their work globally, as well as similar platforms.
With advancements in modern technology, individuals equipped with a smartphone are now able to write, film, edit, produce, and publish their own films online, making the aspirations of emerging filmmakers more achievable than ever before.
Wild Filmmaker aims to spotlight emerging filmmakers through modern technology, whilst drawing on the history of cinema. This innovative effort deserves recognition.

What project are you currently working on?

I am currently developing two screenplays simultaneously. One is a sequel to “Fractures In Time,” which explores the potential consequences if certain predictions from the original script materialise.
My latest screenplay, inspired by The Blair Witch Project, is my first horror script and examines how far people will go to seek approval on social media. It’s my debut in the genre, and I’m already spooked.

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

My father taught me how to print photos before I could even write, and how to be a working child actor even earlier than that. My love for music came through competitive piano lessons, while my passion for storytelling grew from bedtime stories at home and later at boarding school. Senior kids would tell wild tales to comfort the younger ones battling homesickness and fear—an incredibly potent medicine against very real inner demons.

So, for me, stories have always had a concrete, practical, and healing purpose. Storytelling—whether through acting or images—holds a very special place in my heart and soul.

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What are your goals as an artist?

“Artist”? Who’s an artist? (laughs) I simply see myself as continuing in the footsteps of those great storytellers who came before us—from the cave paintings of prehistory, to the flickering magic of cinema today.

I think of a filmmaker as part craftsperson, part creative. The word “artist” brings to mind names like Michelangelo or Rodin. A painter, a poet, a sculptor—these are typically solitary creators. But filmmaking requires at least a team, if not an army. In that sense, it’s almost the opposite of fine art.

Personally, I believe filmmakers should master the craft first, and then explore the art—if at all. As a writer, yes, I’d consider myself an artist. But as a filmmaker? I’m more of a craftsperson dedicated to building stories for the screen.

That said, with the rise of today’s “baby screens,” user-generated content, and the democratization of media, we may be seeing a shift back toward solitary creators. As technology disrupts the industry and makes filmmaking more accessible, perhaps the medium will evolve—(or devolve?)—into something more like fine art.

Which raises the question: where does AI fit in? Is it the future artist? Or simply a tool for ideas, subject to human curation? If AI draws from collective knowledge, does that mean the fine art of the future belongs to everyone—and to no one? What happens to the very concept of copyright?

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What is your opinion on the cultural industry?

Do you mean government-supported culture? In the U.S. today, industry is largely profit-driven, with little room for the true dissemination of cultural values. Unlike many countries, there’s not much in the way of nationally supported culture here. Even private art foundations must prioritize solvency over artistic exchange.

Historically, culture has belonged to those who could afford it—supported by governments, politicians, or wealthy patrons. Independent filmmakers rarely fall under the “industry” label. Mass media producers do.

And so, culture today is being shaped by fast, cheap, and accessible media—just as mass-produced T-shirts have overtaken high fashion. But which is more culturally valid? Is a pop song that sells millions inherently more valuable than a classical piece with a smaller audience? That’s the dilemma.

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Do independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

Independent artists have always had to create their own opportunities. Success has always depended on their ability to reach and move audiences in a unique way.

Those who wait for opportunities to be handed to them are far less likely to share their voices than those who make their own luck. Within the film industry, most professionals are advancing someone else’s creativity, depending more on negotiation skills than on their own artistry. True independence requires building your own path.

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What new project are you currently working on?

After the passing of our co-founder and dear friend Jo Anna “Ziggy” Heckman, my Ep!c Film Foundry partner—veteran actor and producer Paul Gunn—and I were recently joined by the talented young actress and producer Faith Barrett.

At the top of our slate is NeverWere: A Lycan Love Story, an original and deeply moving tale that has already received a record 168 laurels for the book, concept, and screenplay alone.

Also in the pipeline are:

• Last Ride — a streetcar racing story
• Deadeye — a film about girls and guns (but not what you’d expect)
• LoveBeats — a supernatural love story
• StarSword Samurai — a fantastical action adventure

On the business front, I’m thrilled to announce a new partnership with Hollywood icon Gloria Tait and her company Athena Talent International. Together with her teammate Allen Balfour Geiner, we’re building the foundation of what promises to be a powerful force in the next “New Hollywood.”

And in true cliffhanger fashion, Athena and Ep!c are also collaborating with a legendary Hollywood figure to bring his untold story to life—a memoir of being young, hungry, and almost-famous during the Golden Era of the 1950s. Who is this mysterious “unknown icon”? You’ll just have to stay tuned.

Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?

Our desire to express ourselves through our art has always been there for us. Christine and I have been playing music together for most of our lives. For me it began in high school and for Chris it began a little later, once we got together. We were playing in cover bands up until about 2015 when we started to write songs and began our career as independent artists in our band, Studeo. Over the past 10 years or so, we have been focussing not just writing and recording, but have made many music videos which we have entered in Film Festivals around the world.  To this end we have developed a great team  who all contribute to our music and successes. We have been very fortunate as we have had a great deal of success in these festivals winning many awards.

What are your goals as an artist?

Broadly our goals centre around our music, recording our albums and music videos and have them played around the world. Of course our aim is to build on our fanbase and continue our success is the various awards . Both of us have become members of the Recording Academy (Grammy®  members)

What is your opinion on the cultural industry?

We live in very unusual times as there are so many opportunities to develop our craft utilising the ever broadening range of technology. Musicians are now able to deliver quality outputs from home using affordable and available tools. We can write , record, distribute our music as well as produce graphics and other support materials from home. The downside of a more productive environment is that it is much more competitive especially with the issue of the technology itself becoming a threat via AI. Nevertheless  Studeo is able to produce our music and be very efficient with the tools and team we have in place.

Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?

Yes, there are many opportunities to share our creativity with the world. The key is to understand how to access these opportunities such as Spotify playlists, film festivals, radio playlists etc……
The live music industry has changed a lot over time requiring those who are pursuing gigs to seek out opportunities to play live where as in the past agents domineered the live music scene, especially here in Australia.

What new project are you currently working on?

• Studeo has released our latest album “Pounding Pavements” earlier this year (our 8th studio album). We are also continuing to write new material for our next album due in 2026.
• Vinyl LP – 2025
• Pounding Pavement CDs – September 2025
• Red Carpet Music Awards, Holland (playing live) September 2025
• Attending the World Class Film Awards, Milan Italy Dec 2025