-How was your project “The Victims of Sundarbans born”?
Olivia Dunlop is an Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Business Woman, Script Writer, Poet (Blank Verse) is her forte. My team and I have been working for the tiger victim widows and the fatherless children of Sundarbans for the last 8 years and counting. We provide these people with all the necessities of life like food, clothing, shelter, education, rations, drinking water, healthcare and many more day to day materials, also few of the widowed women are self-sufficient now taking care of their families. I wanted to make a documentary movie so I have written the original script and its an original story of the tiger victim widows and their children, their lives and livelihood in the villages of Sundarbans where they live in hut houses and go into the dense forest to catch fishes, crabs and collect honey that is when the Royal Bengal Tigers in the forest of Sundarbans attack the humans especially the menfolk who go out into the vast rivers, riverines and backwaters to get food for the family. When the tigers attack the menfolk, the tigers kill them and that’s how over and above 3,500 widows along with children live in the villages of Sundarbans but have no one to take care of them and they too go back to the forest to earn a living. Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world and protected by the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are trying to raise awareness through this movie that the only ray of hope for the children of these tiger affected families is EDUCATION and we have constructed an English Medium school to educate these children free of cost. Thus, the title of the documentary movie is “The Victims of Sundarbans”.
-What goal do you dream of achieving?
My dream is to achieve that this documentary movie is on NETFLIX for the viewership of all the people who care to work for society at large and help these tiger victim widows and their children by bringing education free of cost to these children then only they will not enter the forests of Sundarbans.
-Who inspired you to create your project?
I got the inspiration to write their story from the strong widowed women who are fighting day in and day out to earn a livelihood. It was my dream to make this movie so I wrote the script, produced it along with 2 other producers and sent it to all the film festivals. I want the story to be streamed on NETFLIX as then only there will be a change in the societal structure and more people will come forward to help these children and their mothers. Awareness has to be created then only change will happen via the medium of Education. Education is the only RAY OF HOPE which we want to give to the widowed mothers and the children of Sundarbans.
I am 63 years old and I live in France in Passy near Chamonix. I grew up in an artistic environment. My father is an architect and my mother an engraver and sculptor. We saw a lot of visual artist friends but none in the cinema world. My parents, especially my mother, took me to the movies a lot. We sometimes made quite long journeys to see films, some of which were by authors such as the Taviani brothers, Eisenstein, etc. I loved cinema. I cut out the articles on westerns and classified them by director. At the time my classmates were all talking about the moped they would get for their 14th birthday. I dreamed of a Super 8 camera. I collected the catalogs of the CAMARA photo store chain which had a nice section and so I told my parents that for my 14th birthday I didn’t want a moped but a camera. Obviously they didn’t plan to buy me a moped so no camera either. I bought the first one, a Bauer C14 with a projector and the mounting kit, with my first paycheck and quickly after a Beaulieu 5008S which allowed me to record sound. Then, I studied graphics at ENSAD where I took the animated cinema video option. Thanks to a professor Gérard Bellanger, I discovered film analysis.
It’s a universe that opened up suddenly. I loved cinema but there I discovered all the logic of its writing and its possibilities. I owe a lot of my profession to Gérard Bellanger. For the major end-of-study project, with another student, we decided to make a medium-length film in 16mm entitled “Kohl”. I bought Beaulieu R16. We also had access to the school’s title bench. We used it for the special effects we were passionate about. It was the time of Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner, Outland… I devoured the magazines dedicated to understanding the principles of special effects. At the same time, I made a lot of music, mainly with synthesizers. I had a recording studio and so I did the entire soundtrack for the film. At the end of my studies, I had to choose a profession, I chose that of graphic designer, then composer and years later, when HD video arrived, I was finally able to become a director. Currently I make a lot of commissioned films which allows me to produce my own feature films.
-WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A FILMMAKER?
A passion for cinema since I was very young. The first director who fascinated me was Sergio Leone with his sense of framing, of direction, the music of Ennio Morricone used as a story element, his talent as a storyteller, his characters with real depth. Once Upon a Time in the West was a real beacon for me. The film was prohibited for children under 13 and I was 8 when it came out. I had to wait to see it. I only had images and the music of Ennio Morricone that I listened to. Jill’s America or the Man with the Harmonica upset me (and still upsets me). I asked my parents, as a birthday present for my 13th birthday, to take me to see the film. It was possible because at the time, successful films were replayed all the time. So we found a cinema that was showing it and my father took me there. This film has never left me. I have seen it countless times (like many other films since). There have of course been many other directors: Ridley Scott, Werner Herzog, Giuseppe Tornatore, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Clint Eastwood, Carl Dreyer, Thomas Vinterberg, Stephen Daldry, Phillipe Lioret, Denis Villeneuve, Cédric Klapisch, Tomas Alfredson… impossible to list them all, there are hundreds of them. I have seen and still see thousands of films with admiration for the talent, the personality and the way in which, after all the history of cinema, directors still manage to create, to innovate. We still manage to be surprised, moved and passionate by new works, new directors. It’s extraordinary. What I love about cinema, more than any other means of expression, is that it brings them all together: image, sound, writing… It’s total art for me and we live in a time where , thanks to the arrival of IT, it is possible to experiment and master it yourself, even without a budget. This allows you to focus on creation. It’s a golden age for independent filmmaking.
-DO YOU THINK THE CINEMA CAN BRING A CHANGE IN THE SOCIETY?
Yes obviously because the film allows us to identify with and experience the story it tells us. We begin to live each other’s lives. It opens our eyes and makes us more tolerant of it. It also allows us to understand complex situations that we would have dismissed out of simplification. It is said that a successful film takes the viewer from point A to point B. Point A is what he was thinking before seeing the film. Point B is his new vision of the subject after having the film. As such, a striking example is Clint Eastwood’s double film Letters from Iwo Jima and Memory of Our Fathers which offers us both points of view. This refusal of Manichaeism is also present in all of Clint Eastwood’s work. Art offers us a new look at the world around us and, in this sense, allows us to live better together. At a time when we see people easily turning to populism, rejecting others and turning inward, this seems even more important to me. The film has a political role to play, political in the broad sense, not to defend a party, but to help people not give in to the ease of the base instincts that every human being has hidden deep within them. Cinema can help protect the foundations of democracy. Some films have also had a direct role, such as The Thin Blue Line by Eroll Morris, which saved an innocent person from the death penalty.
-WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN THE WORLD?
I think what matters most to me is showing that we can have different perspectives on events or places. Encourage spectators to look at the world differently, to find poetry and beauty in it but also to become more human, more rational in the face of events by trying to understand different points of view, by trusting professional people and the scientific research. What I like is to bring out the human element that is in every character, in every story, whether small or big.
-WHERE DO YOU SEE THE FILM INDUSTRY GOING IN THE NEXT 100 YEARS?
It’s a bit difficult to get that far, but a few years ago I saw research on the brain that allows us to transcribe a person’s dreams into images. Of course it was very, very basic, but when we look at the progress of the generative image, I think that we can achieve, on a technical level, a great purification of the process to produce all or part of a film by thought, assisted by one or more software which would transcribe this thought into an image. The Apple Vision pro is, for example, a new small step towards this approach by allowing you to edit a film with your eyes and fingers, eliminating the need for a mouse and keyboard. This will not change the strength and depth of the films because what will remain most important in any case: the content, what we want to tell, and the way of telling it, the choice of shots, angles, editing, implication of sound, text… It’s just a change of interface, a simplification of it. We use a lot of them today to achieve the desired result, even if the arrival of computing has greatly reduced the number of necessary tools, but direct access to the brain, without intermediaries such as the keyboard, the hand, hardware settings… will allow greater efficiency and remove all limitations and problems associated with these interfaces. For example, if I think of a night scene, it immediately comes out perfectly lit, without video noise, without extraneous sounds, in the desired setting… I can even include the missing actors who I miss terribly like Max von Sydow or Bruno Ganz (provided that this is authorized by the rights holders of course) or invent some. We will then only have the problem of the blank page. The film will reveal exactly what we thought. We will no longer have a limit to our projects other than that of our imagination. But, just as some directors currently still shoot on film, we will certainly have a cohabitation between the different filming techniques. It is also this diversity that makes our profession so rich.
Francesco Niglio isn’t navigating this journey solo; my path in filmmaking has been illuminated by a profound insight shared by Wim Wenders – that cinema thrives on collective effort. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a cadre of talented and stimulating individuals. Diego Vitale, with his kaleidoscope of skills, has played a pivotal role across various phases of our projects. Our exchanges brim with vitality, each idea a spark igniting the next, making our creative process a dynamic dance of ideas. Through Diego’s network, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with remarkable individuals such as Caterina Pandolfi, an esteemed producer, and Armando Taddeo (what a DOP!), with whom I share an intuitive creative connection. with whom I share an almost telepathic creative rapport. Fellini’s observation rings true – it’s easy to be generous in special circumstances, but this response comes from a genuine place. I live and breathe movies; I’m constantly studying the craft, but amidst all the ambition, I never lose sight of the fact that people are what truly matter.
-What inspired you to become a Filmmaker?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a director. Of course, to the age-old question of ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’, there was only one time I gave a different answer: when I was about 4 or 5 years old, and I told my teacher I wanted to be a thief like Lupin because he seemed to have a fun life, and my father adored him. Needless to say, she promptly called my parents. “Francesco is a child bursting with imagination,” my parents explained, “he adores crafting stories; he doesn’t mean it seriously. Sometimes he exaggerates, other times he simply wants to express himself.” This sentiment holds true even now. I feel I have a natural inclination for storytelling, which, combined with my immense love for cinema, made becoming a director almost inevitable.
I clung to my passion so fiercely that it evolved into determination, and thankfully, a touch of recklessness too. Opting to study philosophy at university with the aim of becoming a deeper filmmaker, and generally often making choices despite my fear (I’ll admit, I can be a bit of a coward at times), driven by the will and desire to seek out diverse emotions and experiences to live through interesting stories.
What strikes me, among other things, is that since the age of 15 or 16, when I was already contemplating the films I wanted to create, I was always certain that I would become a director in the year Napoli won the scudetto. Even in the full script of the film, this notion is present: it’s not just the opening line, but there are two versions of myself depicted – one who succeeds and one who doesn’t.
Perhaps I’ve stretched the truth a bit with this answer? It’s just that in my case, it’s hard to pinpoint a definitive “what.” Now, the temptation to conclude with a profound statement, a cultured quote, or a witty joke is strong, but perhaps it would also be clichéd.”
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
I believe that cinema has a profound capability to penetrate society. Indeed, almost as if by a peculiar transitive property, cinema, being the creation of an imaginary world, deeply contributes to that nebulous concept we call the “collective imaginary.” Whether cinema, on the other hand, is capable of effecting changes in society is a different matter. I don’t believe that Chaplin being crushed on the assembly line brought about changes for workers; surely the effects on the world of his famous final monologue in “The Great Dictator” fall short of the film itself. Even the cinema of the ’68 revolution era was merely a sounding board for those movements. Cinema manages to immortalize figures like Jake La Motta as one of the greatest boxers of all time. In short, it’s an art form more capable of influencing than effecting tangible changes. Just consider how we imagine the United States. Cinema is indeed a powerful propaganda tool, and I would argue that propaganda is still a rather nuanced way of effecting change. Of course, there’s a strong tradition of political cinema. In Italy, we’ve had some great masterpieces of this kind. But cinema cannot change what people themselves must change. Many Palestinian filmmakers share the sentiment that any film depicting Palestine essentially becomes a Palestinian film, as their objective is to illuminate the realities of the region. The Academy’s decision to revoke the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for a Palestinian entry in 2002 underscores the challenges faced by filmmakers from marginalized communities. Even a celebrated filmmaker like Julian Schnabel faced obstacles with certain communities and governments for his film “Miral,” based on Rudi Jabral’s biographical novel.
In general, I believe that our society is unfortunately very resistant to change. Nevertheless, I still hold onto a glimmer of hope in people, and why not, in cinema too.
-What would you change in the world?
A question like that is always challenging for someone who has graduated in political philosophy. If there is something that our planet is demanding, something that our species, indeed all species, are imploring us for, it’s change. Sometimes, there’s a strange sense of liberation in knowing that nothing is forever, that even the sun will one day collapse and so on. But what should we do with our existence? Surely, we have responsibilities. In many countries around the world, there is more injustice than justice. Even in the Western world, where there is solid well-being, there are deep sufferings and tragedies that often occur because society is flawed.
If I were a wizard, I would undoubtedly change almost everything. Perhaps being a wizard is akin to being a director: you must have a precise vision. I cannot imagine all the solutions, but I support them. I am eagerly awaiting changes, and I try to contribute in my own small way. I hope I am not simply waiting for Godot. Perhaps for this reason, I immediately decided to call the film ‘Waiting for the Revolution.’ It seems to me an appropriate way to use the title creatively, to offer a perspective: people with a common goal are unstoppable, but often the goal itself may not be the right one. In any case, I tried to take it easy. I don’t like the idea of being pedagogical or taking the high ground, so I constructed stories that, with dark humor and a penchant for the grotesque, revolved around some overlooked or unpleasant things.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Cinema is such a young art. Thinking about the next 100 years poses an interesting challenge. I hope that, like other art forms, there will be new cycles of schools, ideas, and masterpieces. I’m quite sure that we won’t see any more superhero movies. Will they follow the trajectory of Western movies? I think so. Perhaps a Swedish director in 2098 will create an existentialist movie on the loneliness of Hulk. Anyway, this has been a good year for cinema. Important festivals have maintained a solid standard, and even the box office has been oriented towards good movies (which is not so common). In Italy, there has basically been an anomaly; films like “Past Lives” and “Perfect Days” have topped the charts. For example, “Anatomy of a Fall,” which was distributed in just 25 theaters, earned over one and a half million euros. It’s something noteworthy in the Italian movie market. I like to think that it’s a positive sign. I’ve read about the box office successes of masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s, referred to as ‘the supershow of authors.’ I hope something like that happens again, that new masterpieces like those emerge once more because people love good stories
I am plural artist : historical writer , poetess , medium with several vibrations , scriptwriter and international painter. My abstraction art is as definite by James Guitet charged of many passions with rapidity of execution . A French painter who paints exclusively with my fingers . I like to be a medium gestural with much liberty . Not preparation ,only instantaneousness in the artistic gesture like the impressionists did, real rebels of pictorial rules and the contours, privileging the sensations . Also I am a woman writer with twenty books published (Edilivre Editions , ABCD’R Editions , ABM Editions ) on Van Gogh , Jean Cocteau, Paul Cézanne, Camille Claudel , Zulawski and on my medium aspect with my spirituality : “La Grâce de Dieu “ , “ Resurrection (Jésus –Christ ) , “Les trois petites lumières d’Orient ‘” (medium book ) with talent , inspiration , imagination , strong and determination under medium aspect . And I also I experienced the joy to playing the role of famous Camille Claudel in a sequence pilot in Marseille according to my published screenplay (Edilivre Editions) .
-What inspired you to become a scriptwriter?
This is open the horizons and go beyond limits with tremendous passion ,creativity and generosity. Over 15 years of historical research , I have published eight books about the treasure of Templars of Abbey Sauniere of Rennes the Castle in the South of France . This is with the historical awareness , the wonderful power of words when I discovered my automatic words by medium ship . When also I transcend myself beyond everything and when I touch the heavens by my femininity and my words . In transcend an emotion arises and with this an idea then a multiplication of ideas and a tangle of emotions who echo each other to finally achieve an ideal not consistent with this reality down here . I’ve combined the wonderful with the spiritual . A path that allows us to access the resurrection long before death through a transcendence linked to innate knowledge of unconscious which falls in the outpouring of human reflection by dismantling then symbiosis of divine ideas . But also that the story begins again in its events and adventures that we are only the repetition of those ancient and advanced times and which in the near or distant future always end up finding themselves beyond our lives . The most aspect is the revelation of building a screenplay with the mystery and spirituality then the action . The structure must be fluid . I manage to maintain the suspense until the end .I also increase tension.
-Do you think the cinema can bring change in the society ?
A screenplay compared to a book embraces action , it is as a living painting where the theatrical dimension is crucial . The mystery like the cross does not demean man but elevate him. Thus I find myself crossing the banks of eternity.
-What would you change in the world ?
That all men and women hold hands .This is also the holy grail .
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years ?
In ability to develop and to enrich Humanity of the new dawn in the mirror of creativity that vehicle the Film Industry .
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.
