Grace Samson is a writer/filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California. She enjoys writing women’s stories that reveal subjects of truth and comedy other women can connect to with a dramedy bend.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
When I was a little girl and I loved observing people and situations and playing Barbies.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
I think the more we are in theaters together we can bring change by remembering we are a humanity and not separate and alone. I think cinema speaks to those who find truth, friends, and companions in the movies.
-What would you change in the world?
I would like us to remember to interact with each other and not be so easily isolated and swayed by technology. Remember when an art house and going to the movies was fun?
Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I see the industry going in two directions. Relying on tech and artists who are out there with their communities making films.
I’m a filmmaker, story teller and a dreamer or prehaps a better way to phrase it is, I’m a DreamWorker – I process my nighttime dreams and create Action Plans from these dreams, which lead me down unexpected but fulfilling paths in life and influence my approach to filmmaking and storytelling.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
Dreams. Dreams and films share many similarities, as both originate from the imaginal realm. This thought leads me to reflect: filmmakers essentially gift us their dreams. Having had vivid and surreal dreams throughout my life, I am compelled to try and capture and depict these experiences on film, in order to inspire and connect with others. Dreamwork challenges the boundaries of so-called rational reality and ventures into the mystical. You don’t need to subscribe to an organised religion to wonder if there might be more going on than the so called, day-to-day humdrum physical ‘reality’. Nighttime dreams are real experiences in consciousness, which are just as real as reading this text. Coming to terms with this and trying to integrate this within my work, provides me with a seemingly unlimited well of inspiration.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Not on its own, no. Maybe cinema can capture or at the most, contribute and enhance, the prevailing spirit of the time, but the zeitgeist needs to exist first. When we wonder into a cinema our motivations tend to be to escape the waking world. The only way we will see effective change in society is if we all take up the responsibility to make proactive change within ourselves. I hope I can bring awareness of the power of working with nighttime dreams proactively throughout my work, but the expectation is more about positively affecting pockets of people, rather than changing the world, I think its important the we filmmakers stay humble, not that we shouldn’t try, but the powerful experiences and emotions experienced when watching cinema should not be confused with getting off ones ass and making real change in ones own life.
-What would you change in the world?
I would like to change our attitudes to our nighttime dreams and increase awareness that the sharing and processing of which can improve our mental health, make us feel heard and create nurturing connection. I’m currently working on a project which is a collaboration with someone who has passed and the community that he touched while he was alive. I’m hoping that this film will bond the community and serve as an example of alternative ways of grieving and dealing with death.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
We are dealing with the birth of AI that has reached staggering heights of competency, some fellow filmmakers and cinematographers are rightly twitching their feet anxiously and wondering if they’ll have a job for much longer. I don’t blame them, however I remain hopeful. When digital music entered the market, the then dwindling vinyl sales started to increase, in-fact vinyl sales have seen the fastest growth rate this decade, compared to any other in the history of its existence. The more we go down the unlimited possibility route, the more we will be attracted to the limited and grounded ‘real’ physical reality. There will always be a place for the tangible and authentic in a world of limitless digital possibilities. A significant part of the joy in following artists ’careers comes from experiencing the unpredictable blossoming twists and turns of their careers, you’re never going to get that experience with an AI actor or director, because you’ll never be able to relate to AI. I once taught a film course in the naughties and told the participants that the rise of affordable film equipment would see an increase of powerful films, however that turned out to be totally naive and I stand by Herzog’s claim that only 3 or 4 really good films of any note are made a year. Big stories originate, somewhere far deeper than our technology will ever be able to reach.
An Artist, Actor, Writer, Director … professional escapist i like to call it
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
As a young kid I would watch movies until the early hours of the morning on a box tv that sat quite literally on the bottom of my bed with no stand, I only ever had 5 channels and no remote but it was everything to me, it turned me into a real student at home. At the time movies felt like an otherworldly escape and I think that’s when I had my first inclination of wanting to be a part of them. I remember watching ‘A Knight’s Tale’ in the cinema when I was really young too, that was my first live action picture I saw and that really got me inspired. Later on in my teens i started to study all the familiar names movies like Tarantino, Coppola, Kurosawa, Scorsese, Miyazaki, Spielberg etc. and by then i knew films was something i wanted to be apart of, I’ve been acting for a while too so there’s a lot that’s happened since then that got me to making ROOM 20 but I really think them early moments created a solid path for my ambition in Films and filmmaking.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
We already know it does, how it changed my life is a subjective example and as a collective there’s plenty of films out there that have caused societal change whether it’s political or just simply perspective, it’s all about the message. Cinema is such an intelligent art form with such fine tuning, it incorporates all creative mediums, and it’s a dangerous mix, you never know what it’s going to come out as and if you can control certain elements you can really say something and have a real impact.
-What would you change in the world?
So many things! A simplistic one like bringing back movie marathons would be a great start. Oh and needless to say also ending these pointless wars, killing each other feels inhumane and prehistoric.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
The film industry has changed so drastically in the last 100 years that the next 100 years is hard to predict, with more technology and AI incorporation the landscape is undoubtedly going to shift. Hopefully it allows for more creative decisions rather than just dehumanizing the work, it’s a factor that plays in when it comes to the development of tools and we have to rely on the artists to really take control of the upcoming generation with care. People seem to be tired of the predictable sequels and remakes so I’m hoping the future is bright with some real originality.
Jacky Comforty is an internationally acclaimed independent filmmaker and media creator. He commands multiple genres and has created comedy, documentaries, drama, and multimedia programs for diverse audiences. A visionary media artist and a popular multilingual speaker. Jacky’s directorial work has received prestigious international awards.
Jacky Comforty is an award-winning Multidisciplinary and multilingual filmmaker, author, oral historian and media creator. Specializing in non-intrusive non-scripted documentation of education and socialization. Created his film independently in the United States, Germany, Israel, and Bulgaria. His groundbreaking work is on Inclusive Education and Holocaust Studies.
The Optimists: the survival of the Bulgarian Jews during WWII www.theoptimists.com. Winner of Berlin Festival Peace Prize, Jewish Experience award in Jerusalem Film Festival, winner of the prestigious CINE award given for In the Shadow of Memory, about intergenerational trauma, and to Through A Glass, Lightly about outsider artists and environment, also winner of The AAM MUSE award.
The Inclusion Series that helped implement inclusive practices in U.S. school districts. One of the videos in the series Step by Step: Heather’s Story was winner of the Chicago International Gold Hugo Award. www.inclusionseries.com
2. What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
My father.
3. Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
I think it can help but needs a conssitent work to make sure change continues and progression too. I have done pioneer work of docunmenting inclusive education. Not much is left if the process is stopped and stagnated. Cahange and any culture need maintanance to survive. ideas need to be refreshed and maintained. film can be a spark, but not a change by itself. I asying this from the ventage point of making 40 years of independent films.
4. What would you change in the world?
I Have engaged in 3 major subject matters : Inclusive education, early childhood education and Holocaust research and documentation and reclaiming the voice of my people. Thes are my small past contributions (not every film maker is a first time filmmaker)
5. Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I do not care about th efilm industry. I am not an industrialist. I am an independent filmmaker who has paid the price of doing independent work.
I am a multicultural and multilingual poet, literary translator, visual artist, and filmmaker. My living and working experiences have given me diverse perspectives on world affairs. And through my introspection and retrospection, my perspectives have amplified and unified. When I create, I think out of the box and believe the multi-vocal art media (including poetry, painting, visual art, and film) are in line with each other. Simultaneously, I am univocal about current social geopolitical issues that have to deal with empathy and renewing possibilities of our humanity at large.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
I have always been a fervent student in the direction of time. I believe there is an order/disorder of our time that goes hand-in-hand with our memories of the past, perception of the present, and projection of the future. Therefore, the direction of time has a significant influence on how we look at our lives in phases, or integrally as one, and how we interact with the world at large. Time, in the foresight of our life and fate, has become the one true thing about our identity. And through time, we can reach out to question our existence and relive our experiences. Those are the fascinating facets that prompt me to explore my creative work on the writing page and under the eclectic lenses of cinema.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
Someone had said: The film mediates the perception of the world. I believe cinema can render kindred humanistic elements to our society. My goal as a filmmaker is to connect the audience with their dream state. By creating Ann Huang Presents, the experimental film/Television series, we offer viewers a way to form a relationship between their dreams and the collective unconscious, advocated by Carl G. Jung, and followed by the surrealists. I believe the power of our films resides in their connectivity to people who view them. They resonate with their audience’s philosophies and beliefs and subsequently allow them to be happier and better individuals in this increasingly disparate and volatile society.
-What would you change in the world?
In today’s digital age of social media and technology, we have been bombarded by outside influences without listening to our true selves about what we need and what will make us complete as human beings. We are losing our grounds to our trivial political leaders, biased social media standards, fast or non-human-centric technological solutions; and fear of embracing one another’s gender, racial and cultural distinctions. Because of my multicultural and multilingual upbringing, I have always resisted the limitations of space and physicality. I have incessantly wished the countries that I have loved and lived in would share the same language and culture, with no borders or discriminations of any kind. And that sense of universality gives me great comfort to explore our commonalities (in addition to our differences), which are our shared physiological and psychological impulses.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I have an ambivalent projection about the film industry. On one end, we have these gigantic streaming platforms that make their dark and sassy productions in-house, which are geared towards their own profit-making models. On the other end, however, we have a stack of revolutionary visionaries who are willing to break many rules of the film-making industry and come up with films of true value for the heightened stakes of humanity. We ought to be creating individually and collectively, and nothing is more important than creating films that reflect our current world problems through our lenses. If we keep tuning in our art of being, we have what we need to make something meaningful and thought-provoking for the contemporaries and generations to come.
I am a multi-award winning director and action designer. I love combining metaphor with striking visuals to give deeper meaning to the films I make. I have a real passion for doing fight choreography and cover everything from bar room brawls to highly stylised martial arts sequences. Recently I have been selected to train with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team in Beijing which I’m really looking forward to. My unique Break-Fu style can be seen on full display in my new film Flaming Assassin. I am particularly proud of this film as it combines fire, breakin and martial arts to create visuals that audiences will have never seen before. With this film I really strived to make sure that the quality of the dialogue matches the quality of the action, so when it won awards for Best Action, Best Martial Arts and Best Thriller at various film festivals I was over the moon. Another thing I specialise in is accessibility innovation for people with disabilities. In 2017 I was the Artistic Director for the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony. I also created a unique form of audio description known as the Rationale Method which combines poetry, beatboxing/vocal percussion and sound effects to provide heightened access for both visually impaired and sighted audiences. So when I started making my own films it was important that I incorporated accessibility into elements of my film making. For example I was frustrated with seeing non-disabled people playing disabled roles in films…..especially action films. Because I know what people with disabilities are capable of, I started to create fight choreography with people with disabilities. The reason for this was to give the industry lived examples of people with disabilities doing action to counteract casting directors and others in the industry saying “disabled people can’t do action”. I wanted to prove that not only can people with disabilities do action, but they can do it well! So to sum it up Nathan Geering is a director, fight choreographer and an accessibility innovator.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
As a kid I grew up in the 80s watching old skool kung fu movies. I was obsessed with them. I really loved the artistry of the movement, the slapstick comedy and the philosophical teachings that could be found within them. I never thought that I could become a film maker but it was this early experience which laid the foundation to what would eventually become my career. Fast forward to 2020 and everything that was happening with the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement I decided to hold an artistic peaceful protest in my home city of Sheffield. For that event I made a live performance that used a flaming rope dart as a metaphor for struggle. After the protest I still had so much energy inside me that I decided to make my first short film to further express what myself and many people of colour were feeling…….little did I know that it would go on to have impact that it did.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Most definitely. I experienced some of that with my debut film “Still A Slave”. Not only was it a social commentary on what was happening at the time but I also used audio description in a unique way. I made the decision not to only have audio description as a form of accessibility but I utilised it as a storytelling vehicle for the film. This helped to bridge the gap between sighted and visually impaired audiences and meant that everyone experienced the audio description rather than it just being available to visually impaired audiences. Doing this was a risk but it paid off in many ways. Not only did the film win many awards including Best Audio Description and Achievement in Accessibility, it also went on to be used in many university and educational settings to help educate people on issues surrounding equality, diversity and inclusion. On a much broarder scale I feel cinema can definately bring about a change in society as it is a vehicle that can convey powerful messeges to the masses in unique ways. Making a film with a powerful messege by itself is not enough though. It needs to be supported by socially conscious distributors who are willing to help get your film out to the masses. This I believe is best way achieve powerful impact that will help change people’s hearts and minds to make a positive shift in society.
-What would you change in the world?
I think I would change how many people relate to themselves in this world. We are all greater than we could ever imagine. I feel if we acted from a place of self love rather than self preservation then we would relate to ourselves and the rest of the world differently. There wouldn’t be a need to step on other people or hurt eachother, because we would all realise, we are enough. We don’t need to bring other people down to pull ourselves up. Wars wouldn’t be necessary, greed would become obsolete and people’s mental and emotional wellbeing would be in a far better place.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I think in the next 100 years it will become more immersive giving people more experiences that blur the line between cinema and reality. I also see more film makers taking agency and finding more innovative ways to distribute their own work to the masses. Lastly I feel social media will be integrated in more ways. For example today I saw in Australia a social media influencer had over 100 of their tiktok videos turned into a fine art exhibition and showcased on life sized screens at a prestigious museum. I think this is a sign of things to come with film. Whether or not the changes for cinema over the next 100 years will be positive or negative remains to be seen…….but one thing for sure is that, change is coming.
Louis Mouchet is the name of my grandfather, an ancestor I never met because he died long before I was born and my parents said almost nothing about him. As I testified in my films The Jodorowksy Constellation and The Family Forest, it took a lot of genealogical introspection and a lot of transgenerational analysis to become the Louis Mouchet I am today: a filmmaker who has made a few pictures but still has much to do.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
I spent my early childhood in Tunisia, which was and still is a lost paradise for me. Returning to Switzerland was difficult, so I sought refuge in the dreamy comfort of the movies. This was the birth of my passion for cinema. The step behind the camera was something special. I was asked to work as an apprentice on a movie based on a book by my father, the poet Charles Mouchet. Naturally, I had a special relationship with the actor playing my father. He asked me for advice and tips, which I gave him from the depth of my heart. We became friends and he inspired me to make the movie Visionary of the Invisible.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Everything changes. Everything you do, big or small, changes the world if you truly express yourself and do not repeat what others have done or tell you to do. The silver screen is a mirror, so it amplifies the changes.
-What would you change in the world?
The first thing you have to accept is that the world, everything, is as it is and not as you want it to be. From there you can contribute to this constant change by identifying your calling and expressing it in the best manner you can. This is the best way to make your contribution to the world: To identify and accept your difference in order to make a difference.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
The art of vision has been around since at least the Stone Age, when people painted hunting scenes frame by frame in their caves. I remember being particularly impressed by the vision of a priest traditionally moving objects in front of an idol on a Kali temple. To me that was clearly a motion picture. For the next 100 years, the art of vision will always be there. It has changed and it will continue to change. I am very excited to have new tools to expand my expression and reach, as I have begun to do with my new project, INTELLIGENCE·S.
Ehasaas Kanjilal is a 22-year-old cinephile and workaholic entrepreneur. With a background in journalism, she’s currently pursuing a master’s in English literature, balancing her passion for film with academic pursuits and entrepreneurial endeavors. International cinema has always been a gateway of unlimited possibilities for her. It is the place where magic meets reality.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
I was inspired to become a filmmaker by my deep love for storytelling and the power of visual narratives to evoke emotions and provoke thought. Growing up I was either surrounded by cinema or theatre or literary crafts, all thanks to mother, Sumana Kanjilal, who is a renowned journalist, writer and runs a production house enriching the love for cinema in the household, and my father, Anjan Kanjilal, who’s a renowned theatre and film director nationally. Which eventually fueled my true passion for the art form, I was driven to pursue filmmaking as a means of expressing my creativity and sharing my unique perspective and my team’s collective effort with the world so that just how world cinema has taught me, one impactful scene on the screen, could eventually bring the biggest change in the society. Michael Moore, Werner Herzog, Alex Gibney, Anand Patwardhan, Ritwik Ghatak, their documentary films are my motivation to start my film career as documentary film director.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Yes, cinema has the power to bring about change in society by raising awareness, challenging norms, and countering power. Through storytelling and the portrayal of diverse perspectives, cinema can address social issues, promote empathy, and spark important conversations, ultimately influencing attitudes and behavior. Which successfully has been portrayed and promoted by many international Film directors in world cinema.
-What would you change in the world?
If you asked me what I could change in the world, that would be a very wide and lengthy answer but If asked in the aspect of Cinema, I think Cinema should strive to challenge stereotypes, promote inclusivity, and amplify marginalized voices. By depicting diverse narratives authentically and sensitively, filmmakers can foster empathy and understanding across cultures and identities. Additionally, cinema should address pressing global issues such as climate change, social injustice, and inequality, inspiring audiences to reflect, engage, and take action for a more equitable and sustainable world.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
In the next 100 years, cinema will continue to evolve and innovate, leveraging advanced technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence to create immersive and interactive experiences. Storytelling will remain at the heart of cinema, but the boundaries between reality and fiction will blur as audiences become active participants in narratives. Furthermore, global collaboration such as this and cultural exchange will shape a diverse landscape of cinematic expression, reflecting the richness of human experience and existence. But we must realize and remember that filmmaking is not only a technological reproduction but also a socio-political & philosophical outcome in a visual language to archive history & counter history of mankinds.
I’m a film director based in the North of France, specialized in drama, thriller, and Science fiction but I already have driven comedy and horror films. What I especially likes is to make an impression with modern issues that concern us or could concern us in the years to come. Answering the big questions of our world and our interactions in society to bring new avenues of reflection, new theories about past facts all while carrying a strong emotional wave. A lot of this questions obsess me, such as that linked to our beginning and the ultimate question: why do we exist/live? Could we have a special goal on Earth, undiscovered at present? I am keen to develop a new approach with my point of view, on pure fiction, or on films with a preponderant part of truth. I always try to entertain, but by bringing that little extra that keep you sit at the end of a film watching the people you came with. My dream since I was little has always been to make others dream, to escape them by telling stories rich in meaning.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Since as young as I am capable, I see films. Cinema has this own way of telling stories in such a versatile and unique way who has always fascinated me. It’s a bit like a painter who materializes his own reality, and each director is a bit of a painter of visual stories. He/ She is the conductor of a new dream reality. When i first start to discover the art of filming in studies, i fast realised the artistic potential way for telling stories, and the incredible power that animated images have to generate new sensations, emotions… My references in terms of favorite films, everything I love about cinema made me curious to know more and more, this is how I discovered the big names in cinema like Nolan, Spielberg, Burton, McTeigue, Noyce, Snider, Niccol, Besson, Scott, Columbus, Zemeckis, Kubrick, Lynch, Villeneuve, Vaughn, Wiseman, Demeusy and so many others who were precursors of their own style and who inspire me everydays. The 7th art is a big liberty of expression and i see it like a mission. The mission of open our minds and experience a unique moment that will stay in people’s minds. Change the world on our scale, for the better. Just as important is the team. Cinema is teamwork and I find it incredible the number of different professions to allow the general public to share a good time on the big screen.
Color grading – Short Film Crashendo by Florian Lejal
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Cinema has already changed society. And it will continue to do so. Often a precursor to many subjects, I firmly believe that it is one of the most powerful ways to convey messages in a subtle way. I remember the release of Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, which was at the time the best video materialization of a black hole. Obviously each film has its share of monitoring and documentation to be carried out, especially if the film in question has its share of reality. I think the realism of this film left a lasting impression. Beyond that, this film has raised awareness in the sense that the subject of astronomy and our place in the universe has once again become a subject of interest for part of the population. Instilling one more link between scientific hypotheses and modern society. More recently, even if there are happier stories, which doesn’t stop me from being a total fan (probably because it’s my universe), the Black Mirror series. This series describes the potential excesses of society, and some of the concepts highlighted in the series are (unfortunately) no longer fiction. Then But we can clearly identify with the protagonists of these stories, which makes them very powerful and impactful. Perhaps if there had not been an episode on, for example, the concept of social note, currently applied in China, it would not have been so visible and criticized in the press in the West.
“On Set of The experiment – short film by Florian Lejal”
-What would you change in the world?
In connection with my previous answers, I would like to provide new avenues for reflection and a questioning of our current world in order to bring about positive changes. Coming from the world of communications, I know how much storytelling works. I am sad to see that where the biggest budgets deployed are in communication and especially advertising, to work on product storytelling, to induce a logic of consumption. We could change so much more if thoughts were focused on films that allow an open mind. A new point of view that encourages positive change. The answer is in the question : for me, making films can change the world.
–Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I think there are going to be many revolutions. We are at the dawn of a new era with artificial intelligence (generative and others). There is an element of fear in the collective consciousness, but everything new or unknown has been scary at some point. From a technological point of view there will still be change, smartphones are witness to this. Fortunately, we still understand the interest in large equipment for cinema films, but maybe one day, that will change. Jobs will surely have to reinvent themselves. In any case, one thing is certain, the best story told will remain deeply human.
I’m a curious ape on a spinning rock, orbiting the sun at a speed of 30 kms per second, while travelling back and forth in time. This dizzying trip makes me anxious to use each day creatively to optimise every precious second. So, I try to transcend normative boundaries and explore ideas through a variety of artistic media. I’m a fiction author with a first graphic novel published and two more on the way through my production studio Supanova Media, with which I also write songs and produce electronic music under the alias LX8. Beside this, I’m also a lighting, product, graphic and interior designer with over 20 years of experience through my experiential branding agency Blue Sky Hospitality. I’ve worked on numerous projects worldwide from Alaska to Korea, Iceland to India, Tuscany to Kazakhstan. That being said, I’m just a humble philosophy student, privileged to be able to observe, think, feel, manifest, and share ideas and emotions with the public by using a large variety of creative media. I take constant inspiration from the diversity of people on our amazing planet and the wondrous energy that forms the substrate of our reality.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
It’s been a gradual process. I was born and grew up in Paris, where I watched a myriad of arthouse movies and ‘films d’auteur’. Many were French but also Italian, Spanish, and German. This diet combined with reading a stream of relevant books piqued my interest in intimate drama and characterisation, not just of people but also of places and buildings. When I moved to London almost 40 years ago, I was fortunate to learn more, by being exposed to a completely different type of storytelling. The Anglo-American approach tends to favour a more formalised structure, driven by the writing of luminaries like Aristotle, Robert Mc Kee, and Joseph Campbell. I’m self-taught in architecture and set design so was able to apply immediately my own theatrical vision to each commercial project. For example, in 2002, my first restaurant design in Warsaw was inspired by the work of playwright Witold Gombrowicz. More recently, my design for the Parisi Udvar restaurant Budapest was used as set in the American horror thriller ‘The Invitation’ (2022); and my designs for the Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid were used throughout the eight episodes of the Netflix Sci-Fi spy thriller ‘In from the cold’ (2022).
But the tipping point into filmmaking might have been the recent creation of a London boutique hotel called The Gyle. It is a conversion of 19th century heritage-listed townhouses in King’s Cross, Camden. During my research into the history of the area, a story formed in my mind. I took screenwriting classes and wrote a TV pilot. During the same period, I started reading more graphic novels as research into storyboarding. And then, one night, inspiration struck me in a way I didn’t expect. An entire, epic novel came fully formed in dream, with plot, casting, dialogues, wardrobe, locations, props, even the soundtrack! This story wanted to come out. So, I commissioned a very experienced comic artist called Stephen Baskerville and produced the first volume. It’s now published as The Panharmonion Chronicles: Times of London. The story is about a multi-cultural female music composer who struggles with a conflicted identity, a traumatic past and repressed supernatural abilities while fighting a violent supremacist cult through Time. Because the hero is a music composer, I wanted to try another creative experiment by learning music production and making several tracks under the same artist alias as the story protagonist: LX8. Then, I wrote the script for a music video, directed, and acted in it. I play the role of the author wandering in his own imagination, inside the world of the novel. By shooting the music video in The Gyle, which is the main plot location for my novel, I close a narrative loop and open another one into an infinitively recursive universe. Although it is an experimental short film, The Panharmonion Chronicles: Times of London has already received several awards, for which I’m grateful.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Yes, it does and has done so many times already. Like literature, cinema is a powerful medium. It enables the audience to test and experience facets of reality that might not always be familiar, possible, or comfortable. Cinema allows society to explore and interrogate its own consciousness, ethics, and behaviours by placing the viewer in a hypothetical situation: what if…? This is the reason why cinema (and books) are often the targets for censorship from special-interest groups and state-control.
-What would you change in the world?
Well, this is a vast subject perhaps beyond the scope of this interview, but I will try to give a short answer. If I could change one thing, I would make access to universal knowledge free and unlimited to all humans. Knowledge brings insights, context, awareness and therefore empathy. It puzzles me that 5,000 years since the ability to share complex thoughts in writing, humanity has not developed a common understanding of the world. Reality is causality. This is why stories are so essential to being human. We live in a complex, entangled web of reciprocity with other beings. We must cooperate to live a peaceful existence, by listening, watching, and respecting other people. Everyone, not just humans. Maybe filmmaking is the ideal tool for this as it is a medium that transcends linguistic barriers.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Naturally, there are many possible branches in the road ahead. We can all speculate wildly but I personally think that, like books, cinema is an irreplaceable art form and storytelling instrument. I feel very grateful that streamers like Netflix have opened channels for us to access filmmaking from an increasingly large proportion of the world. If no catastrophic event put a stop to it, the spread of global filmmaking can only make humanity more enlightened and benevolent as it progresses into the future.
