Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
My passion for film has led me to screenwriting, where I can channel my imagination and craft unique stories. I draw inspiration from a diverse range of sources, including the works of authors and directors, real-life experiences, my cultural heritage, fleeting emotions, and music.
What are your goals as an artist?
As an artist, my foremost goal is to create captivating stories that entertain and resonate with people on a profound level. My experiences, particularly the cultural transition I faced moving from Vietnam to France, shape my narrative style and themes. I deliberately explore concepts of belonging and identity, allowing my journey to enrich the stories I tell—especially in the realms of Sci-Fi, Action, and Supernatural Thrillers.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
The rise of streaming services has undeniably transformed the cultural landscape, challenging traditional theaters to adapt. Major media companies are scrambling to keep pace with platforms like Netflix, but this evolution presents immense opportunities for independent filmmakers. With their creativity and resourcefulness, these filmmakers are making powerful strides and redefining storytelling. As the industry continues to evolve, the need for collaboration and innovation among artists is paramount, particularly in response to emerging technologies such as AI.
Do independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Absolutely! Indie festivals like Sundance and Wild Filmmaker are thriving platforms that empower independent artists to showcase their work and receive the recognition they deserve. The remarkable success of Sean Baker’s “Anora” highlights what can be achieved through dedication and creativity, serving as both an inspiration and a model for aspiring artists.
What new project are you currently working on?
I am excited to share that I have completed a sci-fi thriller titled “The Star Seeker.” This project follows the journey of a homeless teenage math prodigy in a climate-ravaged future as she competes for a coveted spot on a space exploration mission while searching for her father’s missing spaceship. It blends the concepts of “Interstellar” with elements of an “Escape Room,” where every challenge is met with resilience and the unwavering hope for a brighter future.
Summer 2025 marked the greatest milestone ever achieved by the WILD FILMMAKER Movement, five years after the founding of the Magazine. A success that has made WILD FILMMAKER the only independent community in the world with over 70,000 artists participating in various initiatives, and a brand presence in the international press that is truly unparalleled. This triumph crowns a global movement dedicated to independent cinema—an idea inspired by the French Nouvelle Vague and Roger Corman’s New Hollywood, but for the first time, including artists from every corner of the planet.
Moreover, the WILD FILMMAKER Community now includes members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as artists selected by the world’s leading festivals—from the Cannes Film Festival to Sundance and Tribeca.
A recognition that fills us with pride and motivates us to continue our mission: to create cinema rooted in free creative expression.
Below is the exclusive list of artists who joined the initiative: THE BEST FILMMAKERS OF SUMMER 2025:
Frank Mancuso – The Sicilians
Kimber Leigh – Taking Your Crack at Filmmaking / Pick It Up America
Christian Candido – Boombox (The God of the Dance) – TV Series Opening
Dylan Brody – You Are Here
Alexander Senicki – Emergency Musical Response: Part 1 – Journey to Netherworld
John Johnson – The G-FILES
Cherie Carson – Sequoia Spirits
Linda Harkey – The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy
Zachary Simpson (music and lyrics), Siona Talekar (author of the book), Erin Rementer (performer), Linda F. Radke (director) – “Hey Mommy” Theme Song
Victoria Bugbee – Out of State-A Gothic Romance
Paolo Pier Luigi Guglielmetti – Colombano e la 21esima Fetta
Tom Gallagher – Amen-Amen-Amen: A Story of Our Times
Andrea Natale – Fascino d’altri tempi
Royce Freeman – Indie Jax Grind
Robert Tobin – The Good Americans
Edi Mils – Museum, or The Marble Statue
Andronica Marquis – Medea
Jaymz Bee – Artists and Aliens
Francis Billingsley – Dancing with Spies @Goddess
Michael Mayhan – The Ballad of Wonderhussy and Other Desert Tales
Keith Szarabajka – In Search of A P-I-G
Keith Szarabajka – The Second Coming
Uniqueness Heiress & Azia – Omnipotent Resolution
Lesley Ann Albiston – Fractures In Time
Russell Emanuel – Staycation
Russell Emanuel – Routine
Russell Emanuel – The Assassin’s Apprentice 2: Silbadores of the Canary Islands
Colleen Fuglaar – Michelangelo and Me + Da Vinci and Me
Florence Cazebon-Taveau – The Priory of Sion and the treasure of abbey Sauniere of Rennes the Castle France
Cassandra Hodges – Wild Blooms
Gary St. Martin – Dirty Revenge
Pamela PerryGoulardt – Calamity Jane: Queen of Spades
R. Scott MacLeay – Noise
Gary Beeber – Water
Valto Baltzar – Le Cafe De Mes Souvenirs
Shaun Guzman – Hope!
Shaun Guzman – Alone
Graciela Cassel – We are Rivers
Mattia Paone – Flashes of Light (Bagliori)
Michelle Lynn – Secrets of Montmartre
Michelle Lynn – An Ever After Drama
Michelle Lynn – The Green Mill
Silvano Perozic – Q1
AnayaMusic Kunst – Sanctuary
Anaya Music Kunst – Effata
Dr Dawn Menge – Legends of the Land of Quails
Dr Dawn Menge – Precious the baby dragon
Stephen Kelly – No Mas
Stephen Kelly – Mikey Blue Eyes
Vivian Tsang – The New Immigrant- Hong Kongers
Anton Svantesson-Helkiö – See me
ΕΛΠΙΔΑ ΑΜΙΤΣΗ – Voyage in the desert
Ken Kimmelman – Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana
Gianni Salamone – Sinestesìa
Dean Morgan – Sheldon Mashugana gets Stooged
Daniel W Smith – Calamity & Mercy
Valérie Verseau – Love Is My Gun
Suzanne Lutas – The Dead Ringer
Michał Kucharski – Am I a painter?/Czy jestem malarzem?
Jacob Comforty – Monument to Love
Vicentini Gomez – Doctor Hyphoteses
Phoebe von Satis – Gold Glory & Nobility
Phoebe von Satis – The Hallmark Couple
Phoebe von Satis – Only in Malibu
Don Pasquale Ferone – Credo
John Martinez – The Days of Knight: Chapter 1
John Martinez – The Green Machine – Part 1
Kai Fischer – Lambada The Dance Of Fate
Brooke Wolff – Eye of the Storm
Sean Gregory Tansey – The Stones of Rome
Sean Gregory Tansey – The Pathos of Hamlet
Michaela Kuti – Fear not, my child
Larry Gene Fortin – Sonnets (words in despair)
Larry Gene Fortin – Fire Flies
Larry Gene Fortin – Sundown In Beaver Creek
Lynn Elliott – The Quisling
Lynn Elliott – Alta California
Lynn Elliott – Uncle Franco’s Birthday Suit
Lynn Elliott – Ghost Town, N.M.
Tommy Anderson & Sherry Severs – Hollywood Elite Podcast Episode 1 Salute to the 2025 Oscars
Chris Ross Leong – NeverWere: a Lycan Love Story
Monte Albers de Leon – Mecca
Gabriel Womack – Brothers of Babylon
Danilo Del Tufo – Forevermore
Christopher Pennington – Virulence
Lena Mattsson – The Rorschach Test
Lena Mattsson – Not Without Gloves
Uwe Schwarzwalder – The Spiritualization of Jeff Boyd
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
It came from seeing the joy on children’s faces when they receive one of my books. Seeing them mastering their reading skills, going on adventures, sharing time with their families due to a Queen Vernita adventure and being able to help children around the world open up their worlds and become excited about reading. I really loved creating my Queen Vernita’s adventures. The authenticity of each adventure comes from my rule that each new page comes from a real trip. If it’s white-water rafting in Acapulco, swimming with sharks in the North Shore of Hawaii, having a baby sea horse wrap their tails around your finger or swimming with a sea turtle it’s all authentic. My illustrator is able to convert the pictures from our trips and turn them into vividly colorful illustrated pictures of the real event. The children love knowing that the people and places are real. Authenticity is the core of independent art.
What are your goals as an artist?
As an author my main goal is to touch others’ lives in a positive way. Writing about our experiences and sharing with others helps them to be open about their own experiences. The Land of Quails House has an initiative to spread literacy around the world. I was able to travel to Ghana, Africa and work with children who attended a nonprofit called Cheerful Hearts. We distributed children’s literature to 100 children who were increasing their literacy skills to ensure their safety from sex trafficking and child labor. We are currently having a book drive to send educational materials to Nigeria. The Land of Quails House has won over 200+ film festivals. In August 2024 Precious the Baby Dragon was the featured screenplay at the San Diego Kids Film Festival in Carlsbad, California. It was an author’s dream come true to see your children’s book come to life. The local playhouse children’s actors had only one week to practice, and they were wonderful. They included dancing, jokes and singing. I would love to have my children’s literature turned into an animated series or feature film with live action characters. Queen Vernita’s Visitors education books are based on our real-life adventures, real people and named after my grandmother.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Yes, I think that there is room for everyone. Through social media, film festivals, events and various outlets independent artists have ample opportunities to shine in the world. I have never felt that I was missing any opportunities. In fact, I must turn many wonderful events down because I just don’t have enough time for everything. Major outlets are seeking independent ideas for their projects. It’s out there, you just have to say yes to it.
What new project are you currently working on?
The Land of Quails House has ten new books that will be coming out in the future. Queen Vernita will be visiting in Africa, Ireland, Italy, Zion, Grand Canyon, Calico, Joshua Tree, Wrightwood, Oceanside, Big Sur and Alaska to name a few. Queen Giggles, King Teddy Bear and Precious the Baby Dragon will be exploring future kingdoms to find Thunder for Precious. The Land of Quails House has several amazing projects that are being worked on behind the scenes that will be announced before the new year. Stay tuned.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
I’ve always had the need to create, and so I guess the desire to express myself through art is an indelible part of my personality.
What are your goals as an artist?
I want to continue working with the muse coming through me and enhancing my skills — so that whatever I create has a life of its own.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
When culture is considered an industry, its value has already been diminished.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
I don’t think independent artists have the opportunities they need. To that end, I’m in the process of setting up a production company to help filmmakers internationally get their work financed, distributed and promoted.
What new project are you currently working on?
I’m working on a novel, with plans of turning it into a film. We’ll see where it goes.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
As a child, I was always deeply interested in movies. What was behind them? Who told them? How were they filmed? Who wrote the stories? And how did they make the message connect with thousands of people? Each film left a positive message in me and, therefore, made me a better person every day. When I was a teenager, I went to the movies a lot and discovered what we call “The Magic of Cinema.” My determination at that moment was absolute. I wanted to do exactly the same thing: tell stories through a camera. I wanted to be a filmmaker to tell stories that evoke emotion and convey ideas that connect with people. I first started as a producer and director at Gato Pardo Producciones, where I learned everything about the audiovisual world and advertising, and later made a leap into film directing my own projects. The art of cinema isn’t just about telling a story; it’s about speaking another language, about speaking with the camera, with music, sound, color, acting, and many other factors. All that composition was an art that until now I feel as my own voice, my own feeling and my own expression.
What are your goals as an artist?
My goal as a filmmaker is to be a good communicator in my country (Peru), to get people to reflect, to receive a good message, to be moved, to be entertained, to relax, to cry, to laugh, to know who they are and who they want to be tomorrow, regardless of the theme of my projects, whether social, political, or cultural. Our society today needs more art, more cinema, to educate our environment, generate conversations, recognize our values, question our beliefs, and connect with many people with rich experiences to share. Now, I also have a personal and professional goal as an artist: to be the first film director in Peru to successfully tell three stories in a different way. “LA HORA ROJA” was the first Peruvian film I shot in a single sequence shot; to date, no one has done this. My second film is already in pre-production and will be the first to be shot with “ONLY ONE ACTRESS.” Finally, my third film is a film with “NO DIALOGUE.” These films don’t exist in Peru, and it would be great for me to tell these stories.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
In Peru, we have an arthouse and film industry that is growing little by little. We are releasing more films every year, but unfortunately, many of them only stay in theaters for a few weeks and are gradually becoming mainstream films. Some of them choose to be shown at International Film Festivals, and after winning several awards, our theaters only give them a certain amount of leeway to premiere. Our productions are subsidized by my country’s Ministry of Culture, but few of the more than 100 films that participate receive this financial support. That’s why many independent films seek their own financial resources, and I am one of them, since I had to produce “LA HORA ROJA” with my own money, and therefore the mission to achieve a better film law is still ongoing. The good thing about all this is that cinema as a place of entertainment has never stopped functioning; it has never been replaced by television or streaming platforms. Cinema continues to maintain its unique charm as a social experience, where people go to learn, grow, and dream.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Of course, nowadays there are many avenues available to promote art and film. Independent artists now not only have the technology and originality to create freely, but also multiple networks for greater visibility for their projects; we didn’t have those conditions before. Today, everything is globalized; your art can be seen not only in your country but in any country you want, thanks to many distribution and exhibition platforms. There are also many film festivals where you can showcase your work and receive recognition that can give you a greater opportunity. This is how I showed, for example, my first film, “LA HORA ROJA” (THE RED HOUR). In a short time, I began to be invited to many important festivals that recognized the film as original and I won 33 awards (laurels and a statuette) such as “Best Experimental Film”, “Best Photography”, “Silver Award”, “Excellence Award”, “Finalist for Best Director”, “Semi-finalist for Best Film” and several “Official Selections”.
What new project are you currently working on?
I like projects that present challenges, which is why the first film I shot was a “ONE-STOP SEQUENCE SHOT,” where the challenge was not only for me as the director but also for the crew and, above all, the actors. I’m currently in pre-production on my second film, “SOLA.” It’s the first Peruvian film made with “ONE ACTRESS,” where her challenge will be to sustain the action and the audience’s interest for more than 70 minutes. This film is about a Peruvian scientist who one day wakes up alone on the top floor of an abandoned building in the middle of Lima. She doesn’t remember her name or how she got there, and worst of all, she’s tied up with no way out. The adversity and struggle that will ensue will be to survive in a post-apocalyptic Lima where everyone is dead and she is the only survivor. I will be releasing the teaser very soon, seeking funding.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
My desire to express myself through art arises from the mission of the nonprofit that I joined in 2010 and now lead. Seeing for Ourselves trains marginalized individuals to take control of their own public narrative by documenting their lives or concerns photographically.
What are your goals as an artist?
My goals as an artist are to promote these new visual narratives, which I can best do in film. Our short documentary “In a Whole New Way” promotes the new imagery produced by justice-involved New Yorkers while showing how their efforts transformed their lives.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
The cultural industry is in my view dominated by studios, global media companies, billionaires, and celebs—not a very hospitable ecosystem in which independent actors can thrive.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
I don’t think there are enough opportunities for independent artists to share their creativity, which is why I’m so grateful to Wild Filmmakers for creating a welcoming space.
What new project are you currently working on?
I’m now putting the final touches on “My Climate Future.” This short doc commemorates our nonprofit’s effort to have high schoolers roam their local environments with cameras and try to imagine the impact of climate change. Youth are another marginalized population in that they have been largely excluded from the national conversation in the US around climate change—even as they have the most skin in the game while not causing the crisis in the first place!
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
I’m the son of a farmer and grew up on a countryside farm, surrounded by nature — playing on the coffee-drying patio, wandering through cotton, peanut, and mint fields, swimming in rivers, fishing, and living countless adventures in that very particular world. I was only seven years old the first time I saw a movie. It was in Londrina, in the state of Paraná, where I went to live with friends of my father so I could attend school. I still remember the glow of the screen lighting up my face and the feeling that an entire universe was opening before me. That moment enchanted me forever — and that enchantment remains the driving force of my artistic life, whether in film, theater, television, or literature.
What are your goals as an artist?
That sense of wonder I mentioned when talking about my first film is still what I strive to offer the audience today. I want to enchant, provoke reflection, shock when necessary, make people laugh, move them, and, above all, awaken awareness. For me, art is a territory where dreams and reality meet — and in that meeting, there is room for protest, for poetry, and for transformation. Every work I create, whether in film, theater, television, or literature, carries the desire to touch people in a genuine way, leaving a mark that resonates far beyond the moment of the experience itself.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
I see the cultural industry as navigating both a stage and a labyrinth. It is a place where great works can emerge and reach millions, but also where talents are often lost in the noise of ready-made formulas and market demands. It holds the power to spread ideas, yet too often ends up repeating patterns and numbing the audience’s perception instead of challenging it.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Making independent films is, more often than not, a daily battle — not against a lack of talent or ideas, but against scarce resources and barriers to access. It’s a fight to get projects off the ground, secure screening opportunities, reach the right audience, and still manage the demands of everyday life. The current landscape offers new windows, such as online festivals, social media, and streaming platforms, but that doesn’t mean the path is any easier. In Brazil, for example, many public funding programs require a film to perform well in theaters — yet getting space in those cinemas is an uneven fight. Schedules are saturated with commercial productions and major releases, and when an independent film does manage to get in, it either demands a heavy investment in publicity — which we usually don’t have — or is limited to such a short run that building and keeping an audience becomes almost impossible. Competition is intense, visibility is fleeting, and the pressure to adapt to algorithms and trends can distort the creative essence. Even so, I believe the strength of the independent artist lies precisely in the ability to resist, reinvent, and find their own ways for their voice to be heard and their work to reach those who need to see it.
What new project are you currently working on?
We are currently seeking partners and co-producers for two projects with strong international potential:
Doctor Hypotheses 2 – The Breakdown is the sequel to one of my most awarded films on the independent circuit, recognized at festivals across five continents. This time, the iconic character returns in a post-pandemic world, revisiting — with humor and bite — the dilemmas we have faced in recent years. In this setting, mental health remains an urgent and delicate subject, and the film invites audiences to laugh and reflect on the chasms that have opened and the bridges we are still trying to build with humanity and imagination. The script has already earned multiple Best International Comedy Screenplay awards in 2025, including at the San Francisco Film Achievement Awards, promoted by Wild Filmmaker.
Emotional Survival Guide is a bold series blending humor, emotion, and social critique to explore human relationships through a universal lens. Set in Lorenzo’s unconventional therapy office, patients from all walks of life — from influencers to retirees, mystics to missionaries — reveal their pains, quirks, and desires in sessions as unexpected as they are cathartic. Each episode is a comic deep dive into contemporary fragilities, with inventive staging and sharp writing that turn laughter into reflection.
Beyond these, we have other projects already submitted to production funding programs: a lighthearted and irresistible comedy that humorously explores modern relationship dynamics such as arguments and polyamory; an epic with global appeal; and an Indigenous drama with strong cultural and visual value, ideally suited for the international festival circuit and reaching new audiences. We are looking for partners willing to walk alongside us, sharing both risks and triumphs, and who see art as a space for genuine encounters between cultures. We want to tell stories that cross borders and stay in the mind, crafted with artistic rigor and the awareness that they can also achieve strong audience and market results.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
Being an artist is about discipline. You learn how to fill an ink pen, and copy a Rembrandt. You learn about form, structure, and to journal regularly. You study the Masters. I started as a photographer. Spending hours in the dark. I used to paint with the chemicals under the red light. Bringing up only portions of images, like pieces of sculpture from antiquity found under the ocean. I lived in Santa Barbara, an artist’s paradise. I photographed fashion. I started painting wall murals, just for fun. People saw them and wanted to pay for them. Art is how I have always made my living. It is just who I am. About 16 years ago I started writing screenplays. I am visual. I think in visions. I started recording my visions, and making them into screenplays and short films.
What are your goals as an artist?
The goal is to reconnect people with their higher self through art. There is a big part of your brain that exists beyond the ego. This is where art takes you. Music, painting, sculpture, movies, poetry, create a voltage that can open the mind. Film is very unique. It creates an alternate reality. A place where people can experiment with their goals and intentions. Words are sacred. They open doors to the unconscious.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
Currently, the rich culture of music and art is being overshadowed by politics. I am very much into studying Ancient cultures. I believe the ancient writings and art are passages to our inner world. The culture today is focused on the outer world. Too much thinking. Not enough keeping the mind still. When the mind is still, the inner world emerges. When the Inner world and the Outer world live in equal balance, creativity ignites. Creativity is not subservient to the state.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
You have to make your own opportunities. You have to set intentions, write them down, and visualize what you want. Then trust. It rarely happens exactly as you visualize, but “If you build it, they will come.” Thank you, Field of Dreams.
What new project are you currently working on?
Funny you should ask. I am currently co-writing a baseball film with my husband.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
I do not think that desire is the appropriate word. It is more of a need, often an obsession. I do not perceive my activity as an artist as being one that I chose. It chose me. Since my teenage years playing keyboards in a blues/R&B group in Canada, I always felt the need, the obligation to express myself artistically – to formalize and present perspectives on my personal experiences and relationships with my environment and the world at large. If I was obliged to try and trace the origins of this involuntary necessity to express myself, I suppose I could trace a good part of it to the cultural-based, liberal arts upbringing I received from my parents. Although not involved in the arts, both my parents exposed me to various forms of art from a very young age, primarily in the area of classical music (my mother) and the blues/jazz (my father). I was encouraged to learn to play instruments (piano, tenor sax, cello) and to draw and create objects with my hands. Creative critical thinking was always prioritized. I was also extremely fortunate to have parents who loved to travel and provided me with the opportunity to experience various European cultures growing up. These cultural encounters had a lasting, enlightening impact.
Although I spent many years at university studying economic theory, I never believed I would work as an economist. I studied it simply because I wanted to better understand the micro- and macroeconomic relationships that in so many ways shaped the world in which I lived. I always knew my calling was elsewhere. I left my doctoral studies to become a photographer and within three years I had left the commercial photographic world behind to pursue a career as a photographic artist in Paris and New York. The diversity of my work (photography / video / music) is undoubtedly due to my work at the American Center in Paris where I founded the photography department and was later named Director of the prestigious Center for Media Art and Photography. This institution was responsible for my first contacts with the video art world as well as with the variety of world class contemporary music composers and musicians that generated an interest in audiovisual creation of various forms which persists to this day.
What are your goals as an artist?
Broadly speaking, my objective is to create work that addresses the human condition, work that speaks to the ambiguity, uncertainty and doubts that inevitably characterize our existence. I do not seek to pontificate or to convince the public of the superiority of any given position, including mine; instead, I wish to create work from a very personal perspective that raises questions about our existence – on both personal and more general conceptual levels – work that provokes reflection on what we think and feel, how we act and why. I want to raise questions of relevance to our personal and collective states of mind.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
Over the past 40 years, I feel that what was once an environment with a diversity of actors playing different complementary roles (some commercial, some promotional, some analytical, others purely creative) has, in fact, become an industry in the true sense of the word – one in which the pursuit of money and public recognition dominates the cultural landscape. This is not to say that these pursuits are not important, but in my view, they should only constitute a necessary complement to other more important goals involving the creation of quality works exploring new perspectives and demonstrating independent critical thinking on subject matter. Any field that is run like a business, ultimately becomes a business and I feel that in the cultural domain, money should be in the service of provocative, probing art, not the contrary.
Sadly, the group most affected by this evolution are young artists struggling to carve out a place for their work. They have fewer opportunities to confront the public in relatively risk-free contexts and therefore have less and less time to fail without potentially serious consequences. Such experiences are important to the development of truly personal perspectives. From the outset, the pressure to impress and succeed is significant and the price for failing to impress with the requisite monetary rewards for all, can be high and long-lasting.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
The obvious answer is no. More new and diverse opportunities are, by definition, always welcome. We live in conservative times and yet, in spite of the rather negative evolution of the indie art universe over the past 30 years, I believe things are improving in what is perhaps a sustainable manner. In my field of experimental film and video art, there has been a proliferation of festivals and showcases specifically devoted to the field over the past five years. The internet has provided opportunities to share our work on a scale and in ways unforeseen only a decade ago. Add to this the fact that home audiovisual studios can today produce work of premium quality that liberates independent artists form the burden of finding financing to pay for expense post-production studios. What remains to be seen however, is whether these new opportunities to exhibit, promote and distribute work will be in the service of truly innovative art, raising relevant questions in provocative ways that stimulate thought or will simply go the way of much of the mainstream art world.
I remain optimistic.
What new project are you currently working on?
My most recent experimental video “NOISE” is, in fact, the introductory segment of my international, interactive installation project entitled “The Choir of Discontent” which is ongoing at the present time.
The project is designed to expose the frustrations, anxieties, hopes and fears of everyday people in countries around the world. More specifically, it deals with the fact that the Internet and social media platforms have provided most of the world’s population with a readily available and inexpensive outlet for expressing opinions and expectations on a daily basis. As a result, we live in a world in which expressing ourselves about the challenges we face has perhaps never been easier and yet, it is increasingly difficult to be heard and understood because of the level of “message noise” generated by the quantity of thoughts being simultaneously expressed as a direct result of such ease. Rather than making us more empathetic and attentive to each other’s needs, it has in many ways alienated us by creating a cacophony of grievances and expectations that is so vast, rich and diverse that it is impossible to pay attention to individual expressions of fear, apathy, hope or estrangement in any meaningful and effective manner.
The Choir of Discontent re-contextualizes this preoccupying situation in the form of a two-part installation consisting of the single channel video “NOISE” that serves as a thematic introduction to a multilingual interactive video installation composed of walls of video images of persons from different countries who have been asked to express themselves freely and spontaneously (without preparation) on topics related to their frustrations, deceptions and hopes. Individual interviews will rarely be decipherable as programmed waves of simultaneous presentation render them little more than meaningless noise. One or more microphones, video cameras and monitors will be installed to permit the viewing public to contribute their thoughts and feelings live in real time.
The interviews with participants from Brazil, Canada, the USA and France have already been completed by video artist collaborators in each of these countries. I am currently trying to organize interviews in Asia and Africa. Hopefully all of the necessary interviews will be completed in 2025 and post-production can begin in 2026.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
Ultimately, I believe it’s an existential choice for all serious artists—a way “to know, to really know,” to question and understand all aspects of life and living.
My background is academic. I was a professor of dramatic literature in the English Department at California State University, Chico. The playwrights I taught became, in turn, my teachers. I often return to their insights on life and their techniques of plotting to inform my own scripts. For example, in one of my stories, a couple escapes to a forest to avoid parental sanctions—a concept that echoes Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My version, Ghost Town, NM, explores the blurred line between reality and illusion.
My film ALTA CALIFORNIA, which has won multiple national and international awards, had its origins when I first arrived in the U.S. I started out at a community college before transferring to UCSB. In my U.S. history class, the focus was on Westward Expansion, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. But there was no mention of women, Black people, or Native peoples. That struck me deeply, and I set out to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of California.
The more I read, the more I realized that this was a story needing a broader audience. Much of what is taught, both in schools and in society, is only a partial story. For instance, few know of Captain Felipe de Neve—a humane and now largely forgotten opponent of Padre Serra. Over the years, this journey of discovery became ALTA CALIFORNIA.
Beyond the existential drive I mentioned earlier, I’m drawn—as an immigrant—to explore stories of those who, by choice or circumstance, find themselves as strangers in a strange land.
I relate to the immigrant’s struggle to “navigate as safely as possible through an ever-shifting landscape of independent and unpredictable powers” (Alan Jacobs), and the challenge of reconciling inherited values with newly adopted ones. I aim to explore these themes in both serious and comedic dramatic forms.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
Horace said it best: our aim is “to teach and to delight.” It’s a delicate balance.
You rarely see a creative work that’s too “teachy”—that’s more the domain of academic writing. However, I believe we’ve gone too far in the other direction, sacrificing even a modest degree of depth for pure entertainment. Too many films today feel superficial, overly animated, and lacking substance.
We live in extraordinarily complex times. Every day we’re challenged in how we see ourselves—within our families, nations, and global society. Yet so many scripts being produced today seem intent on repeating the formulas of the past. The “hit” that mimics a previous hit.
One simple exercise is to compare the weekly or monthly box office Top Ten with the Academy Award or Oscar winners. They rarely overlap.
Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
As I’ve implied, these are challenging times. And yet, new projects that truly reflect those challenges are rare.
Agents and producers often cling to what’s safe, familiar, and easily marketable. That’s why I’m always encouraged to see festivals and contests that actively seek bold, unconventional voices—those scripts that live outside the boundaries of the expected and acceptable.
What new project are you currently working on?
Watching the success of the Harry Potter series, I realized how deeply English it was—rooted in that cultural context. So I set out to write a YA novel called The Boy Who Earned His Magic. It’s a fantasy adventure-quest set in the diverse and underexplored landscape of the United States, with its rich array of characters, cultures, languages, myths, and dramatic settings.
I’ve since adapted it into a six-episode television series (one hour each). At the end of the story, there’s a mystery—one of the characters doesn’t return home. That became the prompt for a seventh episode.
I’m also working on a continuation of The Mongrel, set in a world where a virus has attacked male fertility. What are the implications?
Other projects may follow. I’ll keep seeking, keep creating. I have no intention of “going gentle into that good night” (Dylan Thomas).
