Category: Senza categoria

-Who is Serah Henesey?

Born and bred in Sydney, Australia to European/Middle Eastern parents, I danced from a young age. After joining a Youth Theater at age 16 as a stage actor, I finished my training in London, where I performed in
both period and contemporary plays. I am an award-winning actress, with an established career in Europe. I was a lead on a hugely successful sitcom in Turkey for four years. After accruing a huge
following and success on Turkish TV for several years, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a more international career. Since then I have enjoyed roles on _Ray Donovan_, _Scandal_, _Entourage_, and other
series, while also performing in several plays, including most recently Darren Bousman’s (SAW II, III, IV & Spiral) _Theatre Macabre_. My latest venture, _The Surprise Visit, _is one I both star in and produced. This is  my first time producing a film. _The Surprise Visit _story belongs to Nathan Cowles and myself, and is based on a true story that took place on the historical Virginia estate it was filmed on.

-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?

Yes I do. I was raised by a single mom who worked 3 jobs trying to do so. The only outings I had with my mom were a very special time for me & usually involved a movie theater & some popcorn. It was like being transported to a magical universe. And other times were when I was sick staying home from school & was allowed to watch old classics on TV. Because I loved dance they were usually a Fred Astaire, Gene
Kelly, Ginger Roberts, Rita Hayworth film. And that was also a fun time (so much so I’d forget I was home with a cold).

-Tell us about your project “The Surprise Visit”.

During the pandemic we drove from LA to Virginia where my- then boyfriend/now husband is from. We originally had another script we wanted to shoot on the historical estate his family live. It was a horror film that had kids in it. We quickly figured out it was going to be impossible to shoot a movie with kids during a pandemic without getting people sick & we couldn’t risk that. So we scrapped that idea & tried coming up with other ideas for a script, that we could feasibly shoot during the pandemic. My starting point was The Strangers – the film had 3 people in it (the rest are in masks- how perfect for a pandemic film!) on a single location. And my husband kept telling me about this story of how the groundskeeper’s drug addict son & daughter in law robbed the property when his family were away – and that is how we came up with the story of ’The Surprise Visit’ – it is based on a true story. We just changed the ending.
And we got to shoot it on the property where the events took place. I produced the film, I’m in it. I helped cast it. I hired pretty much everyone on set with the help of our director Nick Lyon. We wanted to keep the cast & crew small (this was before COVID vaccinations- it was a scary time) So we shot it in 2 weeks with a crew of 10 people. So we all wore a lot of hats. Vertical distributed it. We got a limited theatrical release & are now on Amazon Prime & almost all VOD platforms. We won a few awards at indie film festivals. We landed on Amazon Prime Video’s Top 10 the week it came out & went viral again
a year later & made the Top 10 again. The Surprise Visit is a solid indie thriller that just goes to show you, you can make a decent film with a smaller budget & it’s an endeavor i’m proud of.

-Which Director inspires you the most?

Oh my gosh I have a list. I can’t name one!!! Lars Von Trier is probably at the top. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is up there with Guillermo Del Toro. David Fincher. Paul Thomas Anderson.

-What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?

Greed. I think greed is the root of most evil. I’d like to Imagine a World that John Lennon Imagine’d. I’d like to Imagine a World where all children are safe from wars, illnesses, guns, trafficking, starvation & all the suffering that is going on in the world right now.

-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?

I’d still like to imagine cinema as it was intended to be seen- in a movie theater. It is a collective experience. It is a collective experience making a film. And watching it. I’m sure a more futuristic/high tech experience will be explored but I do hope movie theaters are here to stay.

-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?

Fantastic, I love reading your articles & learning about talented people in our industry. There are just so many talented artists everywhere in the world & I have so much respect for anyone who is out there, trying to ‘create’. I’m so inspired by creativity. And we just won the ‘Best International Thriller’ Award at the Brooklyn Pizza Film Festival. So that’s awesome. Thank you so much.

What are your expectations for 2026?

Well my goal is to make two movies in 2026. Also I’m a Sag-Aftra actor, I have one acting gig lined up for 2026 outside of my own two movies, I’m going to work to get a few more.

What projects are you currently working on?

I just finished writing a script, a story of a man in a tough situation. The fine line between a good samaritan or vigilante. It’s in pre-production-(props, set designs, costumes, securing locations etc.) Probably start casting auditions in late January. I would like to start shooting in late March, early April.

What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

Providing more crucial platforms – creative workshops, panels to connect with the industry professionals. Topics such as screenwriting, financing, and legal matters. Exposure and networking which can lead to meeting producers, distributors, and agents. Gain media attention through screenings and Q & A’s. A wide range of voices by bringing new talent to the attention of the industry.

What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

It starts with the story, would I like to see this movie or show. My visions and desires usually start with the telling of different, interesting kinds of stories. That hopefully resonate with people and they think about it later. I truly enjoy working on a project with the crew and cast helping make the story come alive on screen.

– What are your expectations for 2026?

My expectations for 2026 are to build on the momentum of the last few years and continue to grow every part of my creative ecosystem. I want to expand Cinemagi Productions with new original projects, continue to grow the international success of Urban Eats MTL, and strengthen platforms like Rising Stars and Elevate the Mic that showcase emerging talent. 2026 is also the year I officially launch The Academy of Koutroubis — a major step in sharing the knowledge I’ve gained over my career and giving new storytellers the tools they need to succeed. I expect to form new partnerships worldwide, push my work into new markets, and continue to grow both as a filmmaker and an educator. My focus is on elevating stories, inspiring artists, and proving that with a camera and conviction, anything is possible. If 2025 was about building, then 2026 will be about elevating.

– What projects are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m in one of the most creatively exciting phases of my career because I’m developing multiple projects across film, series, education, and publishing. My first feature film, Whispers in the Walls, is moving forward — a psychological thriller that blends surrealism, emotional depth, and tension in a way that truly pushes me as a filmmaker. I’m also incredibly proud to be producing a new web series created by one of my graduates, Nickiesha Flemmings, titled The Unconventional Dream. Supporting emerging creators and helping their visions come to life is something deeply important to me.
At the same time, I’m starting pre-production on another feature film, Ta Kala Pedia (The Good Children), a contained, character-driven drama set entirely in a Greek church basement. It’s one of the most ambitious and emotional scripts I’ve written. I’m also moving forward with pre-production on Cleaning Up Murders, a darkly comedic mystery series I created that unfolds entirely within a single house. It’s a project built around tension, wit, and unexpected twists.
Beyond these major productions, I have several short films that I want to shoot this year, each exploring different styles and cinematic techniques. I’m also developing Macabre, an anthology series based on terrifying and eerie Quebec horror stories — a new way to highlight the folklore, myths, and dark legends of our province.
On the educational side, I’m preparing to officially launch The Academy of Koutroubis, my online film school dedicated to teaching writing, directing, producing, cinematography, and the real techniques behind the craft — chapter by chapter, book by book, and through practical assignments. And alongside that, I plan to release two to three filmmaking books that I have already written but have not yet published. These books break down the storytelling formulas, techniques, and creative systems I’ve used throughout my career.
Every project I’m working on reflects where I am creatively: pushing boundaries, supporting new talent, expanding education, and building a slate of stories that challenge, inspire, and resonate.

– What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

I would ask event organizers to truly open the doors for independent artists, to give everyone a fair chance to shine. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. Independent creators often work with limited resources but boundless imagination, and what we need most is visibility, encouragement, and a platform that values originality over politics. Politics have no place in the arts. The moment government or institutions dictate what stories should be told or how they should be told, that stops being art, that becomes propaganda. Art should challenge, provoke, inspire, and reflect the human condition freely and honestly. So my message to organizers is simple: support authenticity. Celebrate diversity in storytelling. Provide spaces where new voices can be discovered. And judge the work based on creativity, craft, and passion — not on political checklists or industry favoritism. If we remove those barriers and let the work speak for itself, the industry will not only grow, it will evolve.

– What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

Right now, my artistic choices are guided by a deep commitment to studying the great filmmakers of the past while building the future of my own cinematic voice. I believe that to build anything meaningful, you need a solid foundation, otherwise it collapses. And there is nothing more solid than learning from the masters. Being a master has nothing to do with fads or trends. It’s about creating work that still stands 50, 75, even 100 years later. Techniques that continue to move audiences, generation after generation, are the ones worth studying, protecting, and passing on. Those timeless principles are the backbone of my teaching and the core of my own creative process. So my vision is simple: honor the past to shape the future. I absorb everything I can from the filmmakers who came before us, and then I apply those techniques with my own voice, my own stories, and my own experiences. That balance, respect for the craft and the courage to innovate is what guides every choice I make as an artist.

What are your expectations for 2026?

So far, all my scripts have performed well and received numerous awards in international contests. My expectation for 2026 is that one of them, “The Man with a Glove”, which is currently optioned, will lead to a positive outcome. Additionally, I hope that my multi-award-winning action/thriller script, “The Dead Ringer”, will capture a producer’s interest and reach a broader audience by making its way to the silver screen.    

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m thrilled to announce that I have completed a sci-fi thriller titled “The Star Seeker”. This project tells the story of a homeless teenage math prodigy in a climate-ravaged future who competes for a coveted spot on a space exploration mission while simultaneously searching for her father’s missing spaceship. It combines elements of “Interstellar” with the thrill of an “Escape Room”, showcasing resilience and the hopeful pursuit of a brighter future in the face of challenges.

What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do to support the creativity of talented independent artists like yourself? 

I appreciate the work event organizers are already doing to showcase and promote independent artists. To further support our creativity, I suggest creating a platform that facilitates connections between industry executives, producers, and artists, ideally serving as a stepping stone to production.  If not, just providing a means for artists to see that these professionals have recognized their work would serve as valuable encouragement. This kind of acknowledgment can significantly boost our morale, much like the applause a performer receives on stage. Ultimately, fostering this supportive environment would affirm the idea that contests can help us gain traction and achieve success.

What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

As a writer, my mission is to craft compelling stories that resonate deeply with audiences. My journey from Vietnam to France profoundly influences my narrative style, as I intentionally explore themes of belonging and identity. By focusing on these compelling concepts within the realms of Sci-Fi, Action, and Supernatural Thrillers, I aim to foster a connection with my audience, inviting them to join me on this creative journey.

-Who is Ibrahim Buznego?

I am a Venezuelan director, writer, and screenwriter. I currently reside in Mexico City. My passion for storytelling began through science fiction. In 2019, my novel titled SERES was published. From there, I made the leap into cinematography. I began professional photography studies at the New York Institute of Photography (LATAM), which helped broaden my cinematic vision.

Since then, I have created short films and screenplays that have been featured in high-impact international festivals such as the Rhode Island International Film Festival (a qualifying event for the prestigious BAFTA and Canadian Screen Awards), Short to the Point, Venezuelan Film Festival, Shorts México, among others.

I am currently developing my debut feature film titled Syncope.

-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?

At home, since childhood, my family has always been passionate about cinema—especially my mother. She would bring home movie tapes, and every Sunday we’d gather in the living room to watch them together. Several films captured my imagination as a child: Independence Day, E.T., Bicentennial Man, among many, many others. I’ve been in love with cinema and its stories since I was young; it became a vivid and essential part of my upbringing. It shaped countless wonderful and unforgettable afternoons.-Tell us about your project “MUTE”.

Mute is my latest short film, shot in Venezuela with a multidisciplinary and exceptionally talented team. Mute tells the story of a young violinist who is abused by the Orchestra Director, shattering both her psyche and her life. Through Mute, I seek to keep the conversation alive around one of the most devastating afflictions of our modern society: sexual aggression and violence.

The narrative of Mute explores aspects of the personal prejudices that victims often face after a sexual assault—prejudices amplified by misinformation, social stigma, and both public and personal scorn. These elements compound the trauma endured by survivors.

With Mute, I do not aim to lecture the audience, but rather to expose the tribulations and psychological harm that victims confront and endure—individuals who, while demanding justice, also yearn for empathy-Which Director inspires you the most?

The directors who have most influenced me are Steven Spielberg, Tarantino, Nolan, and Guillermo del Toro—not only for the stories they tell, but for the way they see and live cinema. Their journeys into such a complex and competitive industry are truly inspiring.

Likewise, two of the most influential writers for me are Isaac Asimov and Stephen King—both visionaries, ahead of their time.

-What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?

Today, the world—and the way we see it—is steeped in overwhelming frivolity. I believe the weight of the trivial clouds what truly matters, or should matter, in order to take a step forward toward collective evolution and a clearer vision of a better world.

I believe in the enduring effort of the arts to serve as a counterbalance to everything that tries to distract us from what is essential. I hope that artistic expression—regardless of its medium—can expand that vision and, at the very least, make our passage through time more gentle and more hopeful.

-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?

Cinema has always been one of the great survivors of modernity. It endured silent film, black-and-white film, television—and it will continue to endure. Creativity is a human gift that will prevail through the changes of the future.

A hundred years from now, I imagine cinema returning to its roots, having crossed the threshold of AI and disruptive technologies. A cinema that is more democratic, and at the same time, more human.

Perhaps it will become an eloquent curiosity amid the overwhelming abundance of content, carving its way through the fog of countless consumption platforms—bringing us back, once again, to the darkened theatre.

-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?

Wild Filmmaker is a space for connection, for truth, for inspiration—bringing together emerging filmmakers in the challenging task of sharing our work with the world. I believe this platform is not only important but commendable; having access to it offers a showcase that is both necessary and timely. Let’s keep making Wild Cinema.

– What are your expectations for 2026?

Maybe the question should be “What are my hopes for 2026?”  I would love for at least one of my many award-winning scripts to enter into production.  

ALTA CALIFORNIA, for one, is a script that has won over 200 national and international awards.  Its subject is particularly appropriate now given that Governor Newsom’s recently signed a bill requiring the true history of the Mission Era and its effect on California natives be taught in schools.  As an immigrant, from Wales, I am surprised how many Californians cannot name one person, other than Junipero Serra, the “Good Padre,” from the Mission Era. 

Then there’s my six-episode teleplay, young-adult fantasy adventure series, “The Boy Who Earned His Magic.”  In it I use the relatively unexplored world of the differing characters, peoples, languages, myths and dramatic landscapes that make up my adopted country, the United States.  

 
– What projects are you currently working on?

Whenever I receive a serious, professional critique of my work, I review it and make changes commensurate with the criticism. 

At the end of the sixth episode of “The Boy who Earned His Magic,”  there is a mystery, a forward: one of the characters had not returned home.  And so, to my seventh episode.

Then there’s the continuation of “The Mongrel,”  pilot for THE COMING MORROW.  At the end of the pilot, Johnny Z, the mongrel, is captured!  What now?

I am constantly reading and reviewing various prompts.  For example, a story from Irish mythology prompted my mystery THE SCRIPT, A CELTIC HORROR TALE.  There are other stories from Celtic mythology that are worth reviewing.

There could be other projects.  As an elder in the writing community, I am continually seeking and creating.  We live in very challenging times.  I believe it is the task of the artist/writer to confront those challenges.  

I am definitely not planning “to go gentle into that good night” (Dylan Thomas)

– What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

Unfortunately, I see so many requests for scripts that seek to replicate a recent hit.   

A cursory glance at some of these “experts” is revealing.  So-and-so will read your script and talk with you for an hour.  Cost $290!  I fell for this and realized, in the case of two of these, the person hadn’t even read the script!  

I had a career as an academic.  I rose to the rank of full professor in a university.  Some student’s work was not easy to read, but I always read everything and tried to offer some positive advice and hope.  That’s what I ask.

I have won about 400 festival awards through FilmFreeway, ISA, MovieBytes, Wild Filmmakers, etc.  I would really like to believe that someone reading one of my scripts has an avenue by which he/she can guide my script to a producer/agent/director and say, “You might want to read this!”

– What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

As mentioned, in my “previous life” I was an academic teaching the works of dramatic writers, Celtic literature, humanities, critical thinking, philosophy, etc.

Variations of the earlier works often guide my decisions.  “Ghost Town, N.M.,” for example, is a comic variation on a Midsummer Night’s Dream.      

“Pirandello’s Wife” is an example of my seeking the truth hidden behind an accepted untruth. When teaching Pirandello’s plays, I dutifully trotted out an accepted biographical “truth”:  the playwright’s wife, Antonietta, was placed in an asylum for the last 40 years of her life.  Reason? She inherited her father’s “gelosia suprema”/intense jealousy.  I wondered if this was an acceptable rationale given details of her “lived experience.”  And so was born PIRANDELLO’S WIFE, a stage play at first which later developed into a screenplay.

Questioning, questioning, aways questioning.  Questions range from those about a character’s existential quests (Alta California), his/her wants desires, etc. to those involving the reworking of a character’s dialog/line over and over.  

– What are your expectations for 2026?

Riding on the crest of all the recognition and accolades that we have received worldwide from the Wild Filmmaker team this year, we are positioned to make 2026 our best and most productive year of our careers! Thank you, Wild Filmmaker, for putting us on the map and making magic happen!

– What projects are you currently working on?

We are currently working on another documentary titled “Growing Up In The Land Of Kryptonite,” about the global effects and consequences of atomic testing worldwide. President Trump has ordered the US to resume nuclear testing, making this topic especially timely.

We will be shooting a feature Christmas movie, THE ORNAMENT, this winter. It has been said of THE ORNAMENT, “Not since IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE has there been a Christmas story about forgiveness and redemption like this one.”

We are also currently in pre-production on a 10-part mini-series about Helen Foster Snow, a woman and foreign correspondent from rural Utah who coined the phrase, “Gung Ho,” during the Japanese occupation of China in WWII. She became a hero to the Chinese by establishing industrial cooperatives nationwide, saving millions of lives during the devastation of war and subsequent revolution.   

– What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

Three things immediately come to mind:

1. Provide connections to industry mentors
2. Provide opportunities to connect with distributors and secure distribution.
3. Provide grant opportunities, connections with investors, and any funding opportunities that may be available.

– What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

Our goals are to create films that advance the art and language of cinema, transcend the ordinary, are cost-effective to produce, speak to the hearts and souls of people, educate and elevate, and generate strong profit returns.

– What are your expectations for 2026?

The year 2026 will, I hope, unfold as one of profound artistic creativity. I remain deeply grateful that several of my films—among them Not Without Gloves, The Rorschach Test, In the Eye of the Beholder with Bo Cavefors, Truth Is in the Eye of the Beholder, and The Aesthetics of Failure—have garnered international acclaim and prestigious awards in recent years. Having devoted many years to the medium of film and moving image, I continually strive to expand the boundaries of what it may encompass. As a filmmaker, my foremost mission is to open the door to the unknown—that which we may resist seeing, that which has hitherto eluded representation in moving image—while remaining steadfastly authentic and drawing narratives from the depths of my inner world. In this context, film becomes a visual embodiment, a rhythm, a poetry, intended to evoke reflection in the beholder’s eye. Is it not, ultimately, a matter of daring to see? Of questioning what we behold? Of perpetually scrutinising the world with a critical gaze? With surgical precision, I depict life’s varied scenes, painting both darkness and light from its palette. To perceive the light, one must embrace the darkness. I can assure you that, on a deeply personal level, I have gazed into the abyss in manifold ways throughout my life. As recently as this past autumn, I teetered on the brink of dissolution, nearly drifting into the misty quays wrought by severe asthma and pulmonary effusion—or, to speak plainly, the precipice of unconsciousness—which has lent me a renewed perspective on existence. I may now inscribe a new diagnosis upon my extensive medical curriculum vitae: laryngospasm. Yet, like a cat with nine lives, I was saved by the consummate expertise of the intensive care team and emergency staff at Malmö University Hospital. For this, I am profoundly thankful. The year 2026 represents an opportunity to secure the time I require for unfettered creative exploration and experimentation with sound and image, in pursuit of the optimal expression of my narratives, wherein I frequently interweave the lived and the experiential. Above all, I must endeavour to obtain the economic resources necessary to devote myself entirely to the creation of innovative films that push boundaries and, artistically, open the door to the unknown and to the magical realm we term cinema. I am presently immersed in an intensely creative phase, sketching new artistic projects. In 2026, I aspire to develop screenplays and synopses, to direct, shoot, lay sound, edit, and complete several new film concepts for presentation in cinemas, at international film festivals, in art institutions, galleries, and museums. Concurrently, I am writing scripts and sketches for large-scale works in the public realm. For me, there are no limits to how or where moving images may be exhibited; each work is equally significant and shaped in relation to its intended site or platform. This demands considerable effort from myself and my exceptional artistic collaborators. I have the privilege of working with the versatile Conny C-A Malmqvist, who, as ever, composes the evocative music for my films. Malmqvist is a composer, musician, art critic, and philosopher who has, inter alia, created scores for me, and for other filmmakers. Recently, we have won awards for the film The Rorschach Test, in which the gifted young artist Ebba Melber plays the lead role. A new, norm-critical, thought-provoking collaboration among the three of us may emerge in the near future. Keep your eyes open. I am feverishly sketching a new project with the working title In the Artist’s Eye.

– What projects are you currently working on?

In the Artist’s Eye is the title of a new film project that demands both financial resources and a visionary producer. Originally trained as a classical visual artist, I began my career as a painter; I still regard myself as a painter, albeit one who now employs moving image and projection to render reality. I work consistently from a norm-critical perspective; this foundational stance is decisive for everything I create. I also serve as a curator of contemporary art, wherein I highlight overlooked gems of artistic practice that have been effaced from art-historical memory. In In the Artist’s Eye, the viewer is invited to confront and experience that which we would prefer to avert our gaze from. We are taken on a journey that shakes and touches us to the core. My profound engagement with our shared contemporaneity and my passion for art, music, literature, and film history permeate all my works. I strive to produce pieces that penetrate beneath the surface, illuminating both the present and the past through poetic, metaphorical, and visual means. Therein, I explore and elucidate our capacity for perception, interweaving past and present. I seek to open the door to the spiritual and the inner chambers of our consciousness. This is my current focus. The journey itself constitutes both path and destination: to continually challenge myself and to discover new modes of expression. To render visible the singular narratives of diverse individuals who enrich my films is the central vocation of my life—to touch, to make visible the unseen, and to open the door to norm-critique and reflection is the essence of my artistic practice.

– What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

In a world marked by violence, polarisation, and superficiality, I urge greater openness to non-linear visual storytelling and a bolder commitment to experimental cinema. Film must be recognised as art rather than merely as entertainment. It should be self-evident to provide economic and institutional support to filmmakers who take risks, thereby enabling both younger and older artists to exercise creativity unbound by celebrity cults, red carpets, market demands, or blockbuster conventions. For a devoted passionate film lover cineaste, and filmmaker such as myself, the art of cinema possesses a singular capacity to engage both the audience and the individual on a profound plane. Few art forms can address all our senses as cinema does. Harness this unique medium, take courage, and forge new paths—what might they look like? I implore event organisers to broaden their horizons and perspectives, to dare establish contact and to open new avenues to the unknown. Only together can we transform cinema and its history. This requires innovative forces that cherish our cinematic cultural heritage while creating fresh opportunities for renewal in film and the cultural sector. In so doing, I refer not primarily to myself but to all who labour in film, art, and culture.

– What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

My artistic choices are perpetually governed by the imperative to illuminate our shared human vulnerability and to honour the courage required to forge new paths when we stumble from life’s precarious metaphorical ladder. To lay bare the fissures in the fabric of reality. To discern beauty in the imperfect. This is exemplified in my most recent internationally acclaimed film, The Aesthetics of Failure—a short, experimental, and deeply poetic work in which I explore universal human reflections on failure. Rendered in black and white, the film celebrates the quiet courage inherent in embracing the beauty of the imperfect. Long live free cinema—uncensored, bridge-building, and generative of spaces for intellectual discourse.

– What are your expectations for 2026?

I am building Hunyifilms.com, so early days… To grow my social media following and try to build an audience who want to participate in the whole process of making a film so they even know about the characters *perhaps can even contribute creatively) before the film is made. Developing meaningful relations with local independent film makers.

– What projects are you currently working on?

I have a feature film project Garbage Rex and am approaching pharmaceuticals and Exec Producers and other Production Companies, Sal;es Agents and Distributors both here and internationally for funding. I have raised 20 000 euros so far. https://popl.co/card/uSaH3Fwu/5/dash

I plan to complete another short film “Puzzle Demon” in January 2026.

– What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

Success is defined by various paramaters. Right now, I wish to develop a career as a writer director – I am looking for mainstream acceptance and a breakthrough project, significant attention (actual meetings, virtual or in-person, including mentorship, support and advice, not just funding) and in the mid-term a stable group of likeminded investors to help with my slate of projects.

– What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

Do-ability. I am writing another script right now with my eye on a microbudget for a single – already identified – location in a rural area which is character-driven.

What are your expectations for 2026?

I actually do not have any expectations for the new year. Being an independent artist with expectations is nothing more than a dream killer. It’s mostly a daily grind of disappointment, so I take each day as it comes and just hope for the best. The one thing I will continue to work on through next year is distribution for my most recent project Wacko. To have a little fun though, I would love it if I could film a short and secure funding for my next feature. That would be my dream for ’26. 

What projects are you currently working on?

Sadly, I’m not working on anything right now. I do have a couple of projects in the queue. I have a short film called Where is Lady? I have submitted for a couple of grants to help fund this project and am currently waiting for the results. It is an action film, based around human trafficking. I also have a feature length film I will be pitching around to try and get funding for. It is called True Friend. I derived a short film from it that I tested through the festival circuit and it cleaned up well world wide. If I’m able to obtain distribution for my current film Wacko, then I will use whatever proceeds from there to help fund this project. 

What would you ask event organizers in the film industry to do in order to support the creativity of highly talented independent artists like yourself?

That is a pretty open ended question but I’ll attack it from all angles. It really depends on what these organizers are capable of doing but for all intents and purposes let us say there are no boundaries. It really depends on what stage a filmmaker is at. If they are at the beginning stage with just a script or an idea, then they would need to be put into a mixer with investors who are looking for a project to fund. It would be something similar to Shark Tank, where investors are ready to put their money down, but in the setting of speed dating. The filmmaker or director/producer are able to mingle and get to know investors who might be right for their project and vice versa, the investor is able to find a project they are passionate about as well and are excited to get behind. Let’s say they already were able to get the project made, but now need to find an outlet for this project. They would need to be able to put these projects in front of the eyes of the right people who can distribute these films. Ultimately developing a market that ultra low budgets without star status can have an opportunity to succeed. The market that exists for “independent” filmmakers is saturated with celebrities and multi million dollar budgets. It’s more of a hybrid between studio and indie.  

What vision or desire currently guides your artistic choices?

This will probably sound like a line out of a movie but it’s the truth. I’ve always followed my gut and my heart. Might need to use this line in one of my films. I’m not really sure where the story/idea or vision comes from but it usually has to do with something that I have come across that I found interesting and that I think others will find entertaining as well. From there, is where I let this idea stew in my brain for a while until I can find the right characters to use, that will help tell the story. To help explain, my most current film is called Wacko. I first got the idea for this film from a character I came across. I was intrigued by this person and thought others might find him interesting as well. From there I needed to find a way to put this person/character into a situation that others would find entertaining. I chose to use bullying because it is a current ongoing issue that our country (USA) has been dealing with. Once I have the basics put in place, BAM, my gut and heart take over and my imagination runs wild.