It was a pleasant surprise to discover the artworks of Ebba Melber, a Swedish painter and actress from Malmö, who has collaborated on several projects with the multi-award-winning international director Lena Mattsson, a member of the WILD FILMMAKER Community. In the women portrayed in Ebba Melber’s paintings, I saw the eyes of Bette Davis, the legendary two-time Oscar-winning actress.
I was sure that Ebba had been inspired by Bette Davis’s face to paint the women in her paintings, but instead, I discovered that it wasn’t a conscious choice. This only confirms my belief that great artists are guided by creative energies that go beyond rationality. I believe that true artists write, paint, compose music, or make films by entrusting their soul to a creative angel. Bette Davis chose to enter the paintings of Ebba Melber.
Today, we welcome Ebba Melber to the WILD FILMMAKER Community!
-Who is Ebba Melber?
It should come as no surprise that I try to challenge expectations. I like picking things apart, then piecing them back together in ways that force me to see the world differently. My work is a raw exploration of beauty, discomfort, and intimacy. It’s where the familiar feels strange, and the strange feels oddly familiar. I like to distort the human form, blending it with nature, flowers, fruit, and animals. My aesthetic is humorous! I try not to take myself too seriously. I would say my art isn’t just for looking at; it’s a vessel for personal exploration. I want you to feel unsettled, to be drawn in, to look deeper. It’s about unmasking the emotions and symbols we often overlook, revealing them in ways that are both intimate and unsettling—and perhaps also humorous.
-How did your creative journey begin?
It started when I was a kid, scribbling on anything I could get my hands on. It wasn’t just drawing, it was instinct, reckless and free. I never questioned it. That impulse never left. It’s still a mix of curiosity and obsession, with a healthy disregard for “rules.” Creating feels like the only thing that makes sense.
-Which artists inspire you?
I admire the ones who don’t ask for permission. David Lynch’s eerie, dreamlike worlds, Matt Johnson’s raw, emotional music, Francis Bacon’s messy, unflinching portraits of the human condition. Kate Bush is another big influence, she makes the strange feel beautiful, and the beautiful feel strange. These artists create because they have to, not because they’re trying to fit into something. That’s what inspires me.
-What do you dislike about the world, and what would you change?
Creativity and expression get buried under rigid structures and expectations. I don’t think it’s about rejecting structure altogether, but there needs to be more space for risk, for experimentation, for things that don’t fit neatly into a category. The unpolished, the unexpected, that’s where the real innovation happens.
-Do you think art can change the world?
Absolutely. Not by fixing things, but by breaking them open. Art makes you feel, and feeling is what sparks change. It forces people to confront things they’d rather ignore. It doesn’t provide answers, it asks the questions. Like the old saying goes, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
-What new projects are you working on?
Right now, I’m deep into something that excites me and terrifies me at the same time. It’s like a swarm of flying monkeys in my brain… I can’t fully explain it yet, but it’s been consuming me for months. That feeling of standing on the edge of something unknown. That’s where I am right now.
-What’s your impression of Wild Filmmaker?
Wild Filmmaker seems like a place for people who actually care about cinema and creativity, not just the industry, but the art itself. It’s refreshing to see a platform that lets ideas take shape naturally instead of forcing them into a mold. I appreciate the chance to share my work here.
BEST INDIE DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST SCENOGRAPHY & BEST CAST (Category: International Narrative Feature)
Omnipotent Resolution
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Precious the Baby Dragon
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In a Whole New Way
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Artists and Aliens
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Cactus Run
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The Days of Knight: Chapter 3
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Canta la gioia
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Prodigio
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Precious the Baby Dragon
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The Rorschach Test
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Boxed In
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Doctor Hyphoteses
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Cock Robin
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On My Special Day
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The Duchess
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Something ain’t right
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Lambada The Dance Of Fate
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The Quest for Camelot
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The Esteemed Priority
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Nostalgia
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Brothers of Babylon
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You Are Here – A Dylan Brody project
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French Broad
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Running Out Of Time
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The Order
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Monument to Love
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Ye Ole Glorya
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L’Amour est temps de reflets
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Hitched
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Hiding Bodies
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The Arcangel Of Death
BEST ORIGINAL ACTING & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM
True Friend
BEST AMERICAN DIRECTOR 2025 & BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE SHORT FILM
Dancing with Spies @Goddess novel manuscript
BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE BOOK/MANUSCRIPT OF THE YEAR
The Sea of Hope
BEST ORIGINAL ANIMATION 2025
Thankful
BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER, BEST ORIGINAL FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST IDEA OF THE YEAR (Category: Feature Script)
Colombano e la 21esima Fetta
BEST ORIGINAL INDIE FILM, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST PRODUCTION COMPANY & BEST CASTING DIRECTOR (Category: Indie Narrative Feature)
The Girl Made of Earth and Water
BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST PRODUCER (Category: International Super Short Film)
Mind over Matter
BEST SUPER SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
Alta California
BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST INDIE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Pirandello’s Wife
BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE SCRIPT
Revisited – Life is Short
BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE SINGER & BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Can’t Figure It Out
BEST DIRECTOR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST EDITING (Category: Experimental Film)
Union
BEST AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE OF THE YEAR
Déjà Vu On The Ledge
BEST INDIE PRODUCER & BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM 2025
Katabasis
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM, BEST CAST, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY & BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Narrative Feature)
Giulietta e Romeo?
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Krazy Dead
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The Assassin’s Apprentice 2: Silbadores of the Canary Islands
BEST ARTHOUSE NARRATIVE SHORT 2025, BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA
Routine
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Cabaret Cuba
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Nossos Caminhos (Our Paths)
BEST ARTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL FEATURE SCRIPT
Luzinete
BEST HUMAN RIGHTS SHORT FILM & BEST SOCIAL SCREENPLAY SHORT
NOI Crusaders – 30 anni di football americano in Sardegna
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Eye of the Storm
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A Mystery Woman: The Message – The main one, in the STORM Trilogy
BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DRAMA OF THE YEAR
Cataclysm Down Under – Hero
BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO & BEST FILMMAKER (Category: Indie Music Video)
Good question. Perhaps I am one, or no one, or a hundred thousand? Or maybe I am all three. Am I a character in search of an author? In the constant search for the relationship between reality and fiction, between artistic creation and personal identity? The truth, ladies and gentlemen, is that all the things listed above are true. I am a crumpled piece of paper full of questions I am constantly trying to answer. I am always curious to know what’s on the other side, so I run… I am perpetually on the move. And when life tells me to “stay,” to stop, I try to understand its message. What haven’t I understood? What evolution do I need to make in order to move forward? Perhaps Woody Allen is right when he says life should begin with death. Or maybe not. I still don’t know that.
-What inspired your desire to be an actress?
It was an unconscious desire. I began taking my first steps completely unaware of why I had chosen this path in life. I understood it over time, and the answer lies in the question “Who is Marina Crialesi?” Curiosity, a desire to understand while trying to set aside personal judgment, to understand who I am. When I am on set, I find meaning in life, I find my place in the world, I no longer feel like a fish out of water. By sharing this journey with people who ask the same questions as me, and who, like me, are searching for answers, I feel part of the whole. I feel part of something big.
-Which artists inspire you the most?
I have several artists I deeply love for their ability to get inside you and shake you to the core. But it feels almost blasphemous to say I am inspired by them… of course, I would love to have this ability too, but it’s certainly not up to me to say that. Only the audience can give that answer. Anyway, on the walls of my house, you will find Anna Magnani, Monica Vitti, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and her, the undisputed Queen of this century, Meryl Streep.
-Do you think the internet is a good promotional tool for an actress?
Here we open Pandora’s box. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Today more than ever, social media plays a crucial role in the selection of artists. But it’s not always a good idea… in fact, it’s almost never a good idea! Having many followers is not a synonym of talent and depth of soul. And just look at how things are in the world to be certain of what I’m saying. There is so much superficiality, so much prejudice, and too much emotional ignorance. People no longer read, a “clickbait” headline is enough to trigger a vast herd of ignorant comments, full of anger and lacking substance. Then, there is this constant need to showcase oneself in any way, shape, or form. It’s embarrassing that an actor, who is engaged in the search for something deeper, has to dedicate time to this world of appearances just to have a better chance of working and delivering a message. A message that, today, seems to interest others less and less. We are immersed in superficiality, and that is frightening.
-What do you like about the world, and what would you change?
You like difficult questions. The variety of the world is certainly the most beautiful thing… diversity, in fact. It’s beautiful to know and to get to know oneself. It’s beautiful to confront others and change one’s mind. What I don’t like is found in ignorance and gratuitous cruelty. In the self-interest of the individual at the expense of the many. It lies in superficiality and an excessive ego. When we could just stop and immerse ourselves in the gifts the universe gives us through God. Modugno sang “Meraviglioso” (Wonderful), “But how do you not realize how wonderful the world is? Even your pain will heal later… but look around you, look at the gifts they’ve given you… you say you have nothing, do you think the sun, life, and love are nothing?” It’s all right there.
-You participated in projects like Zero Zero Zero—how was that experience?
Wow… my legs were shaking. It was the first time I found myself on such an important set with an incredible cast and a team of giant professionals. I felt like a little girl who wanted to live up to that project no matter what. It was amazing! They filmed 2 or 3 scenes a day, no more. Coming from the soap opera, where more than 20 scenes are filmed a day, the opportunity to focus so much on the details felt like an immense gift. All sets should be like that! To dive into a single scene until exhaustion, until the goal is achieved.
-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?
A necessary revolution, a concentration of beautiful things. It’s like the set… a place where you no longer feel like a fish out of water. Endless thanks for this beautiful opportunity to tell my story. Thanks to those who, by reading me, will welcome me and make me feel less alone. And a special thanks to Michele Diomà, always attentive to the deepest emotions, as only directors and screenwriters of the past could be.
I’m a writer, but I work mainly on projects about illustration and visual arts in general. My creative soul is in perfect balance with other activities I have carried out in the world of academic research, thanks to my socio-economic PhD with the aim of creating new business models following the community example of Adriano Olivetti and William Morris.
-WHEN’S BORN YOUR PASSION FOR FEDERICO FELLINI’S CINEMA?
I also studied film directing at university because I had the dream of becoming a director of photography. The lessons took place at the Cinema Meliere in Pisa, which was a very strong symbolic place, being the oldest cinema, the first theater in Italy where you could go to see the first films of the time. Shortly after, I started shooting my documentaries and a few years later I even became a journalist, creating reports for the tv-news.
My visceral passion for cinema began as early as childhood, when I watched hours and hours of films by Federico Fellini, Ettore Scola, Silvano Agosti, Dario Argento, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Francis Ford Coppola and many others, all night long.
-WHAT INSPIRED THE IDEA OF DEDICATING A BOOK TO THE ART AND PERSONALITY OF FEDERICO FELLINI?
Thirty years after the death of the great director Fellini, deeply in love with the Mystery that envelops life, my book “Federico Fellini researcher of the invisible” investigates the most intimate and hidden face of Federico as a man, immersed in an incessant research on the “invisible world” which involved every aspect of his days, between oriental disciplines and new frontiers of scientific discoveries. Nourishing his soul and his film with this wandering in magical and esoteric realities, outside and inside the film sets, Fellini studied tarot-cards and I-Ching, consulted the great psychic Gustavo Rol and mystical healers of the Emilian lands, wrote down dreams and mandalas, organized séances and psychoanalysis meetings, lost himself in Mexican shamanic journeys with the artist Milo Manara, immersing himself in mediumistic phenomena in every nuance. All aimed at revealing his deepest inner sky that would lead him to spiritual enlightenments and revolutions.
-DO YOU THINK THAT TODAY FEDERICO FELLINI WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE HIS FILMS OR WOULD HAVE DIFFICULTIES DETERMINED BY POLITICALLY CORRECT?
Currently, art has been deprived of its most important component: dissent, revolutionize and form critical mass. It’s all standardized in suffocating constraints that don’t allow the development of personalities like Federico Fellini, a free thinker.
-PROJECTS YOU’RE WORKING ON?
Both in the artistic and corporate fields, I’m working on projects that can lead me to create my own cultural events company (also dedicated to cinema).
-IMPRESSIONS ABOUT WILD FILMMAKER?
It’s important the idea of creating a horizontal, artistic and professional community that challenges the classic system of production, because we have to find and help other directors as Fellini out there in the world.
-What inspired the lyrics of your new song “Prodigio”?
The inspiration for the lyrics of the new song comes from the desire to communicate more and more the love for life and the joy of living it, with the awareness that life itself is a miracle, a wonderful thing, and worth living fully.
-The Catholic religion has always had a strong connection with music, which often becomes a means of spreading its message. Which classical composers have inspired you the most?
In reality, there are no classical composers who have inspired me, because, although I greatly appreciate their music and works, I don’t listen to classical music. However, I agree that classical music is of great value and brings many good things.
-Do you also listen to pop music and singer-songwriters? If so, which ones?
Of course, I often listen to pop music and singer-songwriters. I think it’s very beautiful and can convey important messages. I listen to many artists, including Ligabue, Pino Daniele, Pooh, and many others…
-We greatly admire your creative work, as we consider Art to be the main form of spiritual expression. What are you working on after the success of your songs “Canta la gioia,” “Il dono,” and others?
Currently, after the last song “Prodigio,” I am working on a piece that is as communicative as possible, and above all joyful and full of vitality. Of course, I am also, and most importantly, seeking the right inspiration, without which I risk being boring. In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you and my supporters who, with much affection, help me, through various means, to bring my songs to the world. Thank you all…
