-Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
I believe that art has the power to reveal the existence of another world—something not entirely tangible. It could partly be described as “the world of ideas,” but it’s more than that. Art can give color to an emotion, a scent, a feeling. Art is word, image, music… and so much more. I believe the world of art is a parallel world—and that world can be much more interesting and truthful than the real one.
-What are your goals as an artist?
First of all, to keep evolving creatively. I’d like to find a meeting point between creating dreamlike, surreal, highly symbolic stories and, at the same time, being accessible and understandable to everyone.
-What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
I believe it’s a complex topic. What I see is growing confusion around the concept of culture. Very often, works are labeled as “art” when calling them that feels almost like a sacrilege. The same goes for certain authors. That said, I do believe that the voice of culture—the true voice—will always find a way to express itself and be recognized.
-Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
It depends. I believe the first goal should be to find a universal definition of what independent cinema really is. Many people think indie film simply means low-budget film. But to me, that’s not entirely true. For me, independent cinema is cinema “without masters”—or at least, cinema where the author can make choices that remain true to their own artistic vision. That said, I do think independent artists have more and more opportunities nowadays. But there’s still a lot of work to be done!
-What new project are you currently working on?
Production has begun on my third film. It will conclude the “Trilogy of the Subconscious,” which began with Santa Guerra and continued with Katabasis. I believe it’s my most violent and spiritual film. It also speaks about eternal love: two dome bound by a love that is both maternal and sexual.
-Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
It comes from a hunger to touch what feels eternal. Since I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the spaces between stories—the silences, the forgotten truths, the moments that feel older than history itself. Art, for me, is a way to bring those hidden threads into the light, to give form to what’s always been there, waiting. I create because I believe certain truths are not invented—they are remembered.
-What are your goals as an artist?
To produce something that lingers like a dream you can’t quite shake. I want to awaken wonder, stir the soul, and spark a conversation about balance—for example, what changes when the feminine is no longer hidden, but honored. My goal is not just to entertain, but to leave something eternal behind.
-What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
It moves in waves—always chasing the next flash of light. But I’m drawn to the deep currents, the truths that don’t fade with the news cycle. Trends are loud. Truth is patient. And when truth arrives, it changes everything.
–Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity? We have more tools than ever—cameras in our pockets, audiences a click away. But opportunity is not the same as permission. No one will hand you the stage. You have to step onto it, even if the lights aren’t ready for you. Be bold.
-What new project are you currently working on?
Asherah: A Love Odyssey is my most ambitious work yet—a mythic romance where love isn’t just an emotion, it’s the engine of creation itself. It’sthe first on-screen telling of this ancient figure’s story — a domestically producedfeature-length pilot, the first chapter in a 6-part story — filmed in four American cities whose beauty and history rival the story itself.
At its heart is one woman who carries the world in her womb, a figure who must walk between myth and reality to restore what was lost. Her mission? To save the world.
The story moves from sacred altars to infinite horizons, blending intimate human moments with visions that feel timeless and otherworldly. It’s about origins, destiny, and the hidden threads that connect us all—and it asks the audience to consider: what if the missing piece in humanity was never missing at all?
This is more than a film. It’s an invitation to remember.
-Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
Since I was a child, I’ve been passionate about cinema, drawing, and classical music. At the age of 8 years old, I watched some films by Italian director Dario Argento, I was really impressed, so I decided I wanted to be a director sooner or later. At 14 years old, I bought a “manga” magazine, and from there, I developed a passion for Japanese animated films and Japanese comics, and I began drawing in that style. At 19 years old, I began to learn by myself classical guitar, focusing on baroque music in particular. Later, I developed a passion for Asian cinema thanks to a late-night TV program called “Fuori Orario,” where I saw “TETSUO – The Body Hammer” by the director Shinya Tsukamoto, for the first time and was fascinated. After several courses, as an adult, I decided to delve into this profession on my own, convinced that by practicing a bit of all the arts, I could direct a team, which didn’t happen, and so since then, I’ve been doing everything by myself.
–What are your goals as an artist?
I’d like to express both a cultural and emotional message, which is very difficult. My approach to filmmaking has always been intellectual and emotionally charged. I always try to balance these aspects. So far, I’ve made three documentaries features and two short films. It was in the year 2022 that I started making my first documentary films. I’ve also written screenplays, particularly for a film called “Cette Vie Nouvelle”, a thriller feature, which failed to find producers abroad, the reason I believe being costly. I’ve also made part of the soundtrack of a movie called “Blue Sunset”, by the director Domiziano Cristopharo which was presented at the Cannes Film Market.
-What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
The cultural industry is in decline. I believe filmmaking, in particular way, has been in crisis by long time, because it only allows a select few people to make high-budget films. Despite having come into contact with directors like Brian Yuzna and Aleksandr Sokurov, I haven’t received any outside help. So, I continue to do everything by myself.
–Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Independent artists have many more opportunities now, thanks to new technologies. The problem is that there’s no financial solution, not even a small salary to cover expenses. Making films like this is an act of courage.
-What new project are you currently working on?
I’m currently planning a new short film based on one of my comics, but it’s a very difficult and expensive project. I think I could start at the end of 2026. There’s also another project with the storyboard and script ready, like the previous one, which is even more complex.
-Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
Quite by accident, truthfully. Before I wrote my first script two years ago, the last creative writing work I finished received an A-. I began screenwriting basically on a dare; but in doing so discovered a capacity for joy and purpose I had no idea I had been starving for all my life such that I now cannot conceive of a world without it.
-What are your goals as an artist?
To move the needle, if ever so slightly, towards hope.
-What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
It can, unchecked, become too industrial; but given the right guidance, the right care, and the right purpose, it can be a beacon for a humanity longing for inspiration during times that feel choked with despair.
–Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
No.
–What new project are you currently working on?
I am writing Hi: Part 2, the final installment of The Parables Anthology theparables.net . It takes the audience to 2048 New York, 20 years following an AI-triggered nuclear holocaust, and examines how humanity comes to terms with their relationship with technology, trauma, and their own sense of self.
-Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
My compassion with comedy, I love to make people laugh.
–What are your goals as an artist?
To keep Sheldon Mashugana and The Macher in front of the audience as much as posible which includes live 90 minute shows.
-What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
I don’t feel like there is an industry like the past here today at all. Nothing is steady and consistant since they now just go to streaming evreything. I miss the time where movies in the theater are always coming out.
-Do you think independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
Yes with the streaming platforms today you can do whatever you like and create fans all over the world.
-What new project are you currently working on?
In France we are working on Sheldon Mashugana returns to the future, a major motion picture movie with a lot of fart jokes and fun. Also working on getting Sheldon and James live in the larger venues like Vegas hotels or hotels that are related to casinos anywhere in the United States. I have written a 90 minute show that brings our films to life.
Where does your desire to express yourself through art come from?
My desire comes from the fact that I really enjoy helping others, even through Christian music, as a way to evangelize and, above all, to inspire feelings of peace and serenity in listeners.
What are your goals as an artist?
The main goal is to help listeners experience inner peace and love for others. Of course, there are also secondary, but still important goals, such as communicating positive messages through music.
What is your opinion on the cultural industry?
I believe the cultural industry has a great mission in conveying very important values, such as respect, tolerance, and a love for the arts.
Do you think that independent artists today have enough opportunities to share their creativity?
I think there could be even more opportunities to help independent artists share their creativity, although I also believe that progress has been made in this area.
What new project are you currently working on?
At the moment, I’m taking a break, but I think I’ll soon begin working on a new project. That said, as always, I’m waiting for the right inspiration to create something meaningful and, above all, effective in support of the mission of evangelization.
I’m a Queer Colombian filmmaker based in Brooklyn NY. I started work as an editor originally. In the Summers was my first feature.
-Can you share your experience at the Sundance Film Festival?
I had a wonderful time at the Sundance Film Festival. It was my first time attending. Chaotic but beautiful. I caught the dreaded Sundance Flu and was very sick for most of it but still able to attend all my screenings (with the help of meds and a mask) which was a highlight.
And then of course winning was a surreal experience. Still feels that way now.
-Tell us about your project “IN THE SUMMERS”.
In the Summers is a semi-autobiographical depiction of family. Centering on two sisters who visit their loving but broken father. I wanted to look at complicated family dynamics and in particular a father who despite his shortcomings continues to try and show up for his kids.
-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?
I grew up watching a lot of TV and movies. I struggled in childhood and it was my escape. But I think I fell in love with Cinema some time in High School when I would stay up late with my friend Robert talking about David Lynch or John Waters. They were probably my entry into other auteurs.
-Which Director inspires you the most?
I think I answer this question differently every time someone asks. There are so many directors whose work I truly admire. The last film I watched that blew me away and has continued to stay with me was Perfect Days by Wim Wenders. I would also say Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire have made lasting impressions on me.
-What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?
I rewrote this section many times because I don’t know where to start. While I try to remain optimistic I’m disheartened and devastated on how much hate is weaponized. Perhaps that’s always been the case but it has felt particularly visceral the last few years. I also wish billionaires and corporations had less control over American politics, it’s hurting the working and middle class.
-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
I hope in whatever form people continue to tell visual stories that grapple with humanity. I would imagine more content will be made by AI and for easy consumption but I hope that a segment will continue to be on a quest to try to understand ourselves.
-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?
I’m new to Wild Filmmaker but intrigued by what you are trying to do. I also love the name.
Dennis Manning is a storyteller who believes the most dangerous thing you can give an audience is the truth—wrapped in beauty, laced with fire. An award-winning screenwriter, musician, and theater creator, he crafts modern noir worlds that pulse with human complexity, LGBTQ+ representation, and universal themes of love, identity, and survival. His work blends the intimacy of arthouse cinema with the tension of a midnight thriller—stories that linger long after the credits.
-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?
Yes. I was six years old, sitting in the front row with my big brother Doug, watching The Pit and the Pendulum. No couch to hide behind—just the looming screen, shadows swallowing light, and a sense that something dangerous was about to happen. I was terrified, breathless, and completely in awe. That night, I learned that cinema doesn’t just tell you a story—it traps you inside it. And I never wanted to leave.
-Tell us about your project More Going Down.
More Going Down is a Miami-set LGBTQ+ neo-noir where love, betrayal, and murder collide under the heat of Cuban nights. It opens with a body on the floor and unravels in reverse, exposing power plays, seduction, and the dangerous cost of loyalty. Inspired by the sultry danger of Body Heat and the structural mischief of The Usual Suspects, it’s a high-stakes dance between lovers and liars. At its heart, it’s about identity—how we weaponize it, hide it, and ultimately pay for it.
-Which Director inspires you the most?
Pedro Almodóvar—for his unapologetic queerness, emotional intensity, and ability to balance beauty with brutality. He proves that cinema can be intimate and explosive, a mirror and a Molotov cocktail at the same time.
-What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?
I dislike how easily people choose fear over empathy. Fear makes enemies out of strangers, silence out of truth, and walls out of bridges. If I could change one thing, I’d make empathy our first reflex—not our last resort.
-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
Cinema will be immersive in ways we can’t yet comprehend—audiences stepping inside the story. But its beating heart will remain the same: one person sitting in the dark, feeling a story reach out and grab their soul. Technology will change. The need for truth never will.
-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?
WILD FILMMAKER feels like a home for the restless, the relentless, and the rebels. A place where cinema is not a product, but a pulse—measured by the bruise it leaves on the soul, not the numbers at the box office.
I am the son of parents who devoted their lives and made great sacrifices for their children. I am a brother who takes pride in and deeply loves his siblings. I come from a family and community of honorable and loyal people. I cherish friendships with men of integrity and respect, and I belong to a great nation unparalleled anywhere in the world — the Arab Republic of Egypt. In my heart also lies a second homeland, the United Arab Emirates, which has generously embraced and supported me.
I see myself as part of a lineage that spans generations of Egyptian filmmakers throughout history. I am grateful to every person and place that has welcomed me—even with just a passing smile. I have endured years of profound personal and cinematic challenges until, by God’s grace, I reached a position that allows me to speak today in a distinguished magazine like this one. Despite what I have accomplished, I firmly believe I am only at the beginning of my journey and have yet to realize my true aspirations.
-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?
Indeed, I remember it clearly. It was while watching films on video at my late grandfather’s home, who had an impressive collection of cinematic gems. A pivotal encounter came with a neighbor, director Mohamed El-Khyam, in the warm and inspiring neighborhood of Ain Shams. That meeting was the first ray of light that illuminated my path.
I also recall a special moment from my elementary school days when we performed plays; that was where my emotional bond with cinema and the arts truly began.
-Which director inspires you the most?
Many directors inspire me, but in my heart there is a quiet room where Andrej Tarkovskij, Theo Angelopoulos, Youssef Chahine, Shadi Abdel Salam, and Fatin Abdel Wahab reside. Each director I have worked with and learned from holds a unique place of respect and admiration within me.
-Tell us about your projects.
Each of my projects reflects my dreams and ambitions, but also my struggles and life experiences. I have faced many obstacles within Egyptian cinema, especially amid ongoing debates about whether directors create films for the public or for festivals. Over the years, my films have spoken to audiences worldwide, leading some to label my work as “enigmatic” or “difficult to understand.”
Yet, by God’s grace, my films have achieved international acclaim, winning awards and recognition from festivals and filmmakers across various countries. Currently, I am preparing to shoot a comedy series I wrote titled Mercury, alongside a film of my own script called Mosha, and several other projects in collaboration with esteemed writers like the great Nasser Abdulrahman. It is a true pleasure to work alongside such talented authors.
I hope that Egyptian production and distribution companies recognize my successes abroad. Though time passes, I trust that divine timing surpasses our own. Through this platform, I extend a sincere invitation to those who shape Egyptian cinema and its institutions: I am an Egyptian director, and soon my film “Who Embraces” the Sea will be released. I hope it resonates with audiences and filmmakers alike.
As a member of the Egyptian Syndicate of Cinema Professions, the Australian Academy of Cinema, and the Academy of the Oscars Museum, I wish all filmmakers success and resilience. May no one succumb to despair.
-What do you dislike in the world, and what would you change?
If I could change the world, I would enshrine dreams, love, cinema, and work as fundamental rights—ensuring everyone the freedom to pursue their dreams, experience love, and secure dignified employment. Perhaps I would decree that every expatriate be welcomed back home, for exile is a hardship unlike any other.
I dream of one day establishing a production company dedicated to supporting young talent, and ultimately, I hope to retire peacefully in a simple mud house, confident that my family is safe and secure.
-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
I envision it as essential and ubiquitous as the air we breathe—truly, everyone will have the right to create cinema and to find spaces to share their work. From above, I will watch this magnificent panorama unfold.
For anyone who dreams of expressing themselves through cinema, even with limited budgets, there are two Masters of the Seventh Art who serve as essential guides for learning what truly matters in independent filmmaking. These two Masters are Mario Bava and Roger Corman. The former inspired auteurs like Federico Fellini, while the latter, through his New Hollywood movement, discovered directors such as Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, and Francis Ford Coppola. Today, it is a great honor for WILD FILMMAKER to pay tribute to one of these two great Masters together with Gérald Duchaussoy, who has dedicated a book—and years of passionate research—to the cinema of Mario Bava.
-) When you hear the name Mario Bava, what’s the first image that comes to your mind?
I think the head of Barbara Steele with the two dogs and a thunder in black and white is a striking image with visual identity, so much beauty, attractivness and repulsion that it defines well what we expect from a horror film. This unsual face is not typical of Bava’s style who’s more attracted to colors than actors but we, as viewers, are struck by the power of a physiognomy.
-) What did Mario Bava represent in your development as a film enthusiast?
With many directors, cinematographers and actors, it represents well a break in the way I constructed myself as a film enthusiast breaking away from American cinema and looking for something different. His universe, themes and motifs are strong and I felt that I had never seen anything like it—which is true.
-) Great directors of the past and present, such as Federico Fellini and Tim Burton, have repeatedly stated that they were inspired by Mario Bava’s filmography. Which films from the past 20 years do you think most strongly reflect the influence of Mario Bava’s cinema?
I would say Assassination Nation by Sam Levinson in the first place—the use of colors, the intensity of the visual waves, as I would call them, and the technicality blew me away. In the same vein, The Neon Demon by Nicolas Winding Refn, which seemed inspired by Dario Argento, brought us back to Mario Bava because the colors were like actors and had a real place in the film. I’m sure that, if I played video games, I would see much inspiration from Mario Bava.
-) As you know, I greatly admire the mission of Cannes Classics, which you have directed for years. I believe that giving attention to documentaries about the history of cinema is essential to help younger generations discover the historical context in which certain films were created. Do you think Mario Bava’s cinema is sufficiently remembered today?
I have the impression that we talk more about Mario Bava than about Federico Fellini, they are screened at major festivals, sold on Blu-ray so I would answer yes.
-)Contemporary European cinema rarely inspires American productions; the last striking example can arguably be considered Mario Bava’s posthumous film Rabid Dogs, which inspired Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino. In your opinion, what are the reasons why European cinema has lost its ability to be a source of inspiration for American cinema?
This is a very good question. First, the production of Italian genre films is not what it used to be to say the least. In France and Spain, genre films are more made for platforms. Secondly, this is a matter of distribution. How can we expect to see these films today? Thirdly, there is less dialogue with artists between American cinema and abroad. There is more a global language of cinema than European being inspired by American films and the other way round.
-) One of the heroes who inspired the WILD FILMMAKER mission—namely, a strong focus on arthouse cinema—was Mario Bava himself, an artist who, with limited financial resources and a wealth of original ideas, changed the history of cinema. Do you think our mission is relevant today?
Definitely. There is less money in cinema today but this doesn’t mean that we have to give up. Good luck to WILD FILMMAKER. It’s only the beginning!
