-Who is Anthony Riach?

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.