I V A A S K S

Documenting The Masses

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— @IvaRad on Twitter.

Tagged Cyprus:

image

WATCH Our ::: New Times Op - Doc

There’s been quite a lot going on, a busy time and so a while since my last post. In February we wrapped production on our upcoming feature documentary Evaporating Borders, and launched its beautiful website. 

In the meantime, the New York Times commissioned a short piece based on the material from the film and published my Op-Doc in April. With the controversial subject matter and the extreme economic issues in Cyprus, the short produced an exciting and heated conversations on Facebook and other social media outlets. As hoped for!

While the journalistic approach is not my preferred style of communication, in which a complex story is squeezed in a condensed format, the platform does act as an incredible tool to relay the message and talk about issues that are otherwise tossed aside.

And talking about issues that are tossed aside, a must see film is The Act Of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer, catch it at the Human Rights Film Festival in New York in June. Joshua’s introduces a new way of documenting, a new way of communicating both in contact with people and through film. The film enters the minds of the perpetrators, makes us like them, draws us into an insane world of bizarre layered multiple realities, imagination and appearances…it’s as much about the Indonesian genocide as it is about ourselves and the art of filmmaking and telling stories. Simply brilliant.

And on the fiction side, Noah Baumbach’s new film Frances Ha is a hilarious adventure, beautifully co-written by the director and Greta Gerwig, my new favorite actress. Loved this film, which my be even more fun and closer to heart for us New Yorkers.

Catch it at IFC!

x
May 20
May 20

EVAPORATING BORDERS : on : Ny Times Op-Doc

WATCH HERE ::: http://vimeo.com/50014012

This August, 

I ventured off to Pozega, a beautiful small town in Serbia where summer nights are cold and people are warm. While there for a 10 day film workshop InterDOC, we stayed at Hotel Pozega. Each meal was heavy but brilliantly flavored by Milena’s colorful presence. We caught her just before she took off on her Greek vacation. My partners in crime here and new fantastic friends Isabella Rinaldi and Ana Lucia Ordonez lend their skillful hands. Otherwise the workshop with Zelimir Zilnik and Dragan Elcic were brilliantly insightful.

Otherwise, most of my time was spent in Cyprus and working on my feature-length documentary, working title : Five Star Country. The blog updates are not as frequent because of it but will be done monthly while I orchestrate this beast of a project. In the meantime, some inspiring films…oldies, yes…

Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is a beautiful abstraction of past and present, reflecting on time, memory, spaces between reality.

It’s also cinematic ecstasy.

On the same principle, of time, space, memory, life and death is Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void.

This one kind of disturbs you from the inside. But ultimately, the creativity inspires and you remember why you love making films. 

More for September coming soon.

Enjoy.
Aug 20
WATCH HERE ::: http://vimeo.com/50014012 This August,  I ventured off to Pozega, a beautiful small town in Serbia where summer nights are cold and people are warm. While there for a 10 day film workshop InterDOC, we stayed at Hotel Pozega. Each meal was heavy but brilliantly flavored by Milena’s colorful presence. We caught her just before she took off on her Greek vacation. My partners in crime here and new fantastic friends Isabella Rinaldi and Ana Lucia Ordonez lend their skillful hands. Otherwise the workshop with Zelimir Zilnik and Dragan Elcic were brilliantly insightful. Otherwise, most of my time was spent in Cyprus and working on my feature-length documentary, working title : Five Star Country. The blog updates are not as frequent because of it but will be done monthly while I orchestrate this beast of a project. In the meantime, some inspiring films…oldies, yes… Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is a beautiful abstraction of past and present, reflecting on time, memory, spaces between reality. It’s also cinematic ecstasy. On the same principle, of time, space, memory, life and death is Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void. This one kind of disturbs you from the inside. But ultimately, the creativity inspires and you remember why you love making films.  More for September coming soon. Enjoy.

Across the seas ::: http://vimeo.com/45797403

I’m dwelling in Mediterranean waters over the summer and working on my first full length documentary
that addresses the lives of political refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. Specifically, it addresses tolerance, migration trends, nation-states/nation-building, changing global dynamics and collapse of Eurocentrism through the lens of current migration trends in Cyprus. It has been an interesting journey and a surreal one.

In between incomprehensible refugee stories of exile and plight I return to my life and consider my own reality.
It’s a difficult adjustment. But more than anything else, it reminds me to appreciate it all.
Here on a full moon night, we enjoy Xartini’s song…and appreciate the night.

On a filmic note :::
Here’s a brilliant film by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi that analyzes the crisis in Greece and elsewhere, political agendas and effects of privatization - it features Naomi Klein, Zizek and others. It’s brilliantly executed and free online ::: CATASTROIKA.

And another brilliant project from Greece, a web doc series that dig into all cultural, socio-economic aspects of the country ::: 
THE PRISM.

Enjoy.
Jul 16
Across the seas ::: http://vimeo.com/45797403 I’m dwelling in Mediterranean waters over the summer and working on my first full length documentarythat addresses the lives of political refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. Specifically, it addresses tolerance, migration trends, nation-states/nation-building, changing global dynamics and collapse of Eurocentrism through the lens of current migration trends in Cyprus. It has been an interesting journey and a surreal one. In between incomprehensible refugee stories of exile and plight I return to my life and consider my own reality.It’s a difficult adjustment. But more than anything else, it reminds me to appreciate it all.Here on a full moon night, we enjoy Xartini’s song…and appreciate the night. On a filmic note :::Here’s a brilliant film by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi that analyzes the crisis in Greece and elsewhere, political agendas and effects of privatization - it features Naomi Klein, Zizek and others. It’s brilliantly executed and free online ::: CATASTROIKA. And another brilliant project from Greece, a web doc series that dig into all cultural, socio-economic aspects of the country ::: THE PRISM. Enjoy.

June’s Steel Drum Orchestras ::: http://vimeo.com/45010190

This is very quick and dirty.
Last summer my partner in crime Sarah Hagey and I made a short film on Despers USA,
a full steel drum orchestra from Trinidad. Throughout the summer, various bands gather
throughout brooklyn to practice and prepare for the annual competition in September.
Last year’s winners were Adlib, this is a small excerpt of their performance that Sarah and I
had a pleasure of checking out. The Despers put on a night that featured the best of the best
and asked us to film the event. We haven’t yet had a chance to edit the entire thing.
But here’s a little taste, I was elevated by Adlib and perhaps you will be too.

Our short film, Despers USA is screening at Rooftop films on June 29th, and the
Despers are performing!

Be sure to check it out - they transport you into a trance!

Otherwise, I’m currently in Cyprus working on my first feature films and so the posts are less
frequent but are nevertheless coming…I will be posting some interesting stuff over the summer.


In the meantime,
One of my new all time favorite films 5 Broken Cameras.
Absolutely ingenius, done jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli director.
It’s conveys the problems as you have never seen it before, cleverly and emotionally structured.
Brilliant editing too.

Find it!
Jun 18
June’s Steel Drum Orchestras ::: http://vimeo.com/45010190 This is very quick and dirty.Last summer my partner in crime Sarah Hagey and I made a short film on Despers USA,a full steel drum orchestra from Trinidad. Throughout the summer, various bands gatherthroughout brooklyn to practice and prepare for the annual competition in September.Last year’s winners were Adlib, this is a small excerpt of their performance that Sarah and Ihad a pleasure of checking out. The Despers put on a night that featured the best of the bestand asked us to film the event. We haven’t yet had a chance to edit the entire thing.But here’s a little taste, I was elevated by Adlib and perhaps you will be too. Our short film, Despers USA is screening at Rooftop films on June 29th, and theDespers are performing! Be sure to check it out - they transport you into a trance! Otherwise, I’m currently in Cyprus working on my first feature films and so the posts are lessfrequent but are nevertheless coming…I will be posting some interesting stuff over the summer. In the meantime,One of my new all time favorite films 5 Broken Cameras.Absolutely ingenius, done jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli director.It’s conveys the problems as you have never seen it before, cleverly and emotionally structured.Brilliant editing too. Find it!

Over Christmas ::: http://vimeo.com/39613317

I took a little road trip to Vermont, to my friend Tennessee Watson and her father Bill.
Their beautiful house on the creek, a “hotbed for radical feminism” was once owned by Aunt Lou,
a jailbird Suffragette, who fought for women’s right to vote in Vermont. Here’s her-story.

I’ve been quite busy developing my next project, feature documentary which I am shooting this summer in Cyprus…loosely based on an interview i did with Simon Khan. In thinking about the structure of the film, I’m exploring non traditional documentary forms, others ways of expressing and telling a story and so I have been researching such works.

I picked out a few highlights from experimental filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s book Woman, Native, Other - to stay on the topic of feminism. Her writing is abstract, involved and provoking, as are her films, here are some of her thoughts :

“In this unwonted spectacle made of reality and fiction, where redoubled images form and reform, neither I nor you come first. No primary core of irradiation can be caught hold of, no hierarchical first, second, or third exists except as mere illusion. All is empty when one is plural. Yet how difficult is it to keep our mirrors clean…Theory oppresses, when it wills or perpetuates existing power relations, when it presents itself as a means to exert authority - the Voice of Knowledge…And theory as a tool of survival needs to be rethought in relation to gender in discursive practice… He who represents his own discourse on myths as a myth is acutely aware of the illusion of all reference to a subject as absolute center. The packaging of myths must somehow bear the form of that which it attempts to enclose, if it wishes to come closest to its subject. One cannot seize without smothering,for the will to freeze (capture) brings about a frozen (emptied) object.”

I also recently read an interesting interview with Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian in which he talks about his “distance montage” method which “creates a magnetic field around the film…it allows you to defeat time…when you reach the end, you’re also back at the beginning…And the effect is that the film revolves; it is “revolution” in a new sense…Orbits are created. Sound and image cross each other, intersect each other, switch, change territories. The sound enters the territory of the picture and the image enters the territory of the sound. You start to see the sound, and you hear the picture”.

He closes his the interview with a thought that deeply resonates with me personally when talking about film and ones work:
“I’ve tried to simplify things to get ideas across. But my films are precisely not about language, about verbal communications. The difficulty is that one cannot express with words what one finds in my films. If it were possible to say it with words, the films would be useless. Words cannot express it. One should not talk about films, one should watch them. This is why I have always been against interviews.”

In terms of films to watch, I also checked out a screening of Yugoslavian Experimental Films this past week at Anthology Archives.

Two that stuck out the most are Zelimir Zilnik’s Inventory and Ivica Matic’s Classifieds. They are probably hard to find, but worth noting.

Enjoy.
Apr 26
Over Christmas ::: http://vimeo.com/39613317 I took a little road trip to Vermont, to my friend Tennessee Watson and her father Bill.Their beautiful house on the creek, a “hotbed for radical feminism” was once owned by Aunt Lou,a jailbird Suffragette, who fought for women’s right to vote in Vermont. Here’s her-story. I’ve been quite busy developing my next project, feature documentary which I am shooting this summer in Cyprus…loosely based on an interview i did with Simon Khan. In thinking about the structure of the film, I’m exploring non traditional documentary forms, others ways of expressing and telling a story and so I have been researching such works. I picked out a few highlights from experimental filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s book Woman, Native, Other - to stay on the topic of feminism. Her writing is abstract, involved and provoking, as are her films, here are some of her thoughts : “In this unwonted spectacle made of reality and fiction, where redoubled images form and reform, neither I nor you come first. No primary core of irradiation can be caught hold of, no hierarchical first, second, or third exists except as mere illusion. All is empty when one is plural. Yet how difficult is it to keep our mirrors clean…Theory oppresses, when it wills or perpetuates existing power relations, when it presents itself as a means to exert authority - the Voice of Knowledge…And theory as a tool of survival needs to be rethought in relation to gender in discursive practice… He who represents his own discourse on myths as a myth is acutely aware of the illusion of all reference to a subject as absolute center. The packaging of myths must somehow bear the form of that which it attempts to enclose, if it wishes to come closest to its subject. One cannot seize without smothering,for the will to freeze (capture) brings about a frozen (emptied) object.” I also recently read an interesting interview with Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian in which he talks about his “distance montage” method which “creates a magnetic field around the film…it allows you to defeat time…when you reach the end, you’re also back at the beginning…And the effect is that the film revolves; it is “revolution” in a new sense…Orbits are created. Sound and image cross each other, intersect each other, switch, change territories. The sound enters the territory of the picture and the image enters the territory of the sound. You start to see the sound, and you hear the picture”. He closes his the interview with a thought that deeply resonates with me personally when talking about film and ones work:“I’ve tried to simplify things to get ideas across. But my films are precisely not about language, about verbal communications. The difficulty is that one cannot express with words what one finds in my films. If it were possible to say it with words, the films would be useless. Words cannot express it. One should not talk about films, one should watch them. This is why I have always been against interviews.” In terms of films to watch, I also checked out a screening of Yugoslavian Experimental Films this past week at Anthology Archives. Two that stuck out the most are Zelimir Zilnik’s Inventory and Ivica Matic’s Classifieds. They are probably hard to find, but worth noting. Enjoy.

Just a quick clip ::: http://vimeo.com/25438377

from one of my favorite spots in Cyprus…The Salt Lake. It dries up in the summer and fills up in the winter to host a flock of migrating flamingos, who feed on its shrimp.

A couple of interesting things I came across:

Not to long ago, Anthology Film Archives hosted Migrating Forms, an annual festival of new film and video which developed from the New York Underground Film Festival. There I caught a beautiful surprise by Mario Pfeifer , A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES, PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE.

The incredible cinematography is a real treat for the eyes and serves as a poetic and meditative portrait of contemporary Mumbai.  Some more info & slides here.

And here’s an interview with Frederick Wiseman about his films and workflow, I can’t say the questions are revolutionary but it’s insightful none the less.

Lastly, speaking of Anthology Film Archives, Thread will screen there on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm…Details here.
Jun 13
Just a quick clip ::: http://vimeo.com/25438377 from one of my favorite spots in Cyprus…The Salt Lake. It dries up in the summer and fills up in the winter to host a flock of migrating flamingos, who feed on its shrimp. A couple of interesting things I came across: Not to long ago, Anthology Film Archives hosted Migrating Forms, an annual festival of new film and video which developed from the New York Underground Film Festival. There I caught a beautiful surprise by Mario Pfeifer , A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES, PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE. The incredible cinematography is a real treat for the eyes and serves as a poetic and meditative portrait of contemporary Mumbai.  Some more info & slides here. And here’s an interview with Frederick Wiseman about his films and workflow, I can’t say the questions are revolutionary but it’s insightful none the less. Lastly, speaking of Anthology Film Archives, Thread will screen there on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm…Details here.

Over Christmas I visited family and friends in Cyprus…

WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/25066588

walking around the old town in Nicosia, I ran into Andreas. He asked if I was a journalist (to which I said yes) and suggested I check out his friend Stavros’ shop. According to him our meeting went down a little differently… Here is the dynamic duo.

On an inspirational note; Moma presented DocPoint this past week, a series of documentaries from Finnish directors. I checked out a few films and was thoroughly impressed. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s Steam of Life was extremely well filmed on super 16mm film. The entire film is shot inside sauna’s all over Finland, exposing incredibly poignant stories that men shared with each other, sometimes for the first time. The nudity was beautiful and felt like being in a painting. It also had some great surprises, (like a pet bear jumping in front of the lens) which made for great comic relief. It was wonderful to see men represented with sensitivity and softness.

Another film was Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen’s People in White. A fantastic depiction of the relationship between people with mental conditions and their therapists, as told by the patients themselves. It was shot in an old, unused building of a mental institution in 7 days. What’s really interesting is that the directors used both actors and the actual characters to represent themselves. The roles of all switch throughout the film, in that a person portraying a therapist then becomes a patient sharing her/his experience - the viewer is left guessing as to who is an actor and who is not. Complex, really brilliantly executed and at the same time offering important insights into the practice of mental care. Quite fascinating. Check them out if you can.
Jun 06
Over Christmas I visited family and friends in Cyprus… WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/25066588 walking around the old town in Nicosia, I ran into Andreas. He asked if I was a journalist (to which I said yes) and suggested I check out his friend Stavros’ shop. According to him our meeting went down a little differently… Here is the dynamic duo. On an inspirational note; Moma presented DocPoint this past week, a series of documentaries from Finnish directors. I checked out a few films and was thoroughly impressed. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s Steam of Life was extremely well filmed on super 16mm film. The entire film is shot inside sauna’s all over Finland, exposing incredibly poignant stories that men shared with each other, sometimes for the first time. The nudity was beautiful and felt like being in a painting. It also had some great surprises, (like a pet bear jumping in front of the lens) which made for great comic relief. It was wonderful to see men represented with sensitivity and softness. Another film was Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen’s People in White. A fantastic depiction of the relationship between people with mental conditions and their therapists, as told by the patients themselves. It was shot in an old, unused building of a mental institution in 7 days. What’s really interesting is that the directors used both actors and the actual characters to represent themselves. The roles of all switch throughout the film, in that a person portraying a therapist then becomes a patient sharing her/his experience - the viewer is left guessing as to who is an actor and who is not. Complex, really brilliantly executed and at the same time offering important insights into the practice of mental care. Quite fascinating. Check them out if you can.

While at NAB in Vegas I went on a little mission - inspired by one of my professors Marco Deseriis ::: WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/22641227

Growing up in Cyprus, I was accustomed to the idea of the wild flamingo…they would dock on the island every winter to enjoy the warmth before flying away again in the spring (YES - they DO fly!)…so…I was a little disheartened, to say the least, to see them in captivity at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas last year…it left a bitter taste and so I decided to do a silly intervention at the hotel…The reactions are a bit anticlimactic as people seem to think the flamingos are loving their captive habitat…but… we are talking Vegas where the main aim for most is to be drunk and give away cash…not exactly the PETA supporting center of the world.

On a non intervention note: NAB…there were few things I got very excited about - more on it in a bit.
Apr 11
While at NAB in Vegas I went on a little mission - inspired by one of my professors Marco Deseriis ::: WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/22641227 Growing up in Cyprus, I was accustomed to the idea of the wild flamingo…they would dock on the island every winter to enjoy the warmth before flying away again in the spring (YES - they DO fly!)…so…I was a little disheartened, to say the least, to see them in captivity at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas last year…it left a bitter taste and so I decided to do a silly intervention at the hotel…The reactions are a bit anticlimactic as people seem to think the flamingos are loving their captive habitat…but… we are talking Vegas where the main aim for most is to be drunk and give away cash…not exactly the PETA supporting center of the world. On a non intervention note: NAB…there were few things I got very excited about - more on it in a bit.

Back in business!

Yes, It’s been too long since my last post. My sensitive eyes didn’t react quite as well The Lasik eye surgery…A month after the surgery my vision was blurrier than ever, making doing anything from reading, to being on the computer almost unbearable. Quite scary…so I was forced into relaxation and much of doing very little, which was I admit enjoyable.

Anywho, Dr. Pamel has treated the “severe dryness” with 4 drops a day of Lotemax and 2 drops a day of Restasis; and though not yet perfect, the eyes are healing. So these days I shoot with overdosed/overmedicated eyes in hope of focused images…but also with a new appreciation for health, eyes and pretty much everything.

Now, back to docs and films:

In Cyprus i ran into Saimon Khan, a 22 year old student from Bangladesh. We had a chat about living, studying and what it means to be a foreigner in Cyprus.

Here’s what he had to say ::: http://vimeo.com/19693001

(a quick and dirty edit)
Feb 07
Back in business! Yes, It’s been too long since my last post. My sensitive eyes didn’t react quite as well The Lasik eye surgery…A month after the surgery my vision was blurrier than ever, making doing anything from reading, to being on the computer almost unbearable. Quite scary…so I was forced into relaxation and much of doing very little, which was I admit enjoyable. Anywho, Dr. Pamel has treated the “severe dryness” with 4 drops a day of Lotemax and 2 drops a day of Restasis; and though not yet perfect, the eyes are healing. So these days I shoot with overdosed/overmedicated eyes in hope of focused images…but also with a new appreciation for health, eyes and pretty much everything. Now, back to docs and films: In Cyprus i ran into Saimon Khan, a 22 year old student from Bangladesh. We had a chat about living, studying and what it means to be a foreigner in Cyprus. Here’s what he had to say ::: http://vimeo.com/19693001 (a quick and dirty edit)

So after what felt like a marathon 4 months…I’m taking a little breather…on an island in the sun, Cyprus. (70 degrees! yes…)

I’ll be filming here and will be back with some new island flavor soon. In the meantime, maybe you’ll enjoy this audio project on Identity : I-Identity

Mostly, it incorporates recordings of my grandma reciting a recipe, momma (the accented english), dad, sister, close friends and myself in an attempt to explore:

What is it that gives us our identity? 

What forms our particular identifications with things?

How strong are our roots in the identification process?

And what happens when those roots are disrupted?

How does our family and environment shape our identity?

Is Identity necessary?

Who am I when I’m still - silent?

Enjoy.
Dec 19
Dec 19

♫

In August we drove down to North Carolina, here’s what the landscape felt like…every new experience tends to be interpreted through a past one…so, incorporated in it is some super 8 footage from one of my homelands, Cyprus.

WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/17427364

(an experiment on dual screens inspired by Eija-Liisa Ahtila).

Film Forum is having a retrospective of composer Takemitsu’s work, so I ventured off on a Thursday afternoon and checked out HIMATSURI, a film by Mitsuo Yanagimachi.  A real visual treat, makes me want to fly off to a remote village in Japan…

And…Just finished watching Claire Denis’ 1988 film Chocolate (not to be confused with the more recent Chocolat)…aesthetically lovely - set in 1950s Africa.
Dec 12
In August we drove down to North Carolina, here’s what the landscape felt like…every new experience tends to be interpreted through a past one…so, incorporated in it is some super 8 footage from one of my homelands, Cyprus. WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/17427364 (an experiment on dual screens inspired by Eija-Liisa Ahtila). Film Forum is having a retrospective of composer Takemitsu’s work, so I ventured off on a Thursday afternoon and checked out HIMATSURI, a film by Mitsuo Yanagimachi.  A real visual treat, makes me want to fly off to a remote village in Japan… And…Just finished watching Claire Denis’ 1988 film Chocolate (not to be confused with the more recent Chocolat)…aesthetically lovely - set in 1950s Africa.

EVAPORATING BORDERS : on : Ny Times Op-Doc

Posted on Monday May 20th 2013 at 02:50pm. Its tags are listed below.

EVAPORATING BORDERS : on : Ny Times Op-Doc

image

WATCH Our ::: New Times Op - Doc

There’s been quite a lot going on, a busy time and so a while since my last post. In February we wrapped production on our upcoming feature documentary Evaporating Borders, and launched its beautiful website. 

In the meantime, the New York Times commissioned a short piece based on the material from the film and published my Op-Doc in April. With the controversial subject matter and the extreme economic issues in Cyprus, the short produced an exciting and heated conversations on Facebook and other social media outlets. As hoped for!

While the journalistic approach is not my preferred style of communication, in which a complex story is squeezed in a condensed format, the platform does act as an incredible tool to relay the message and talk about issues that are otherwise tossed aside.

And talking about issues that are tossed aside, a must see film is The Act Of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer, catch it at the Human Rights Film Festival in New York in June. Joshua’s introduces a new way of documenting, a new way of communicating both in contact with people and through film. The film enters the minds of the perpetrators, makes us like them, draws us into an insane world of bizarre layered multiple realities, imagination and appearances…it’s as much about the Indonesian genocide as it is about ourselves and the art of filmmaking and telling stories. Simply brilliant.

And on the fiction side, Noah Baumbach’s new film Frances Ha is a hilarious adventure, beautifully co-written by the director and Greta Gerwig, my new favorite actress. Loved this film, which my be even more fun and closer to heart for us New Yorkers.

Catch it at IFC!

x

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday August 20th 2012 at 07:54pm. Its tags are listed below.

WATCH HERE ::: http://vimeo.com/50014012 This August,  I ventured off to Pozega, a beautiful small town in Serbia where summer nights are cold and people are warm. While there for a 10 day film workshop InterDOC, we stayed at Hotel Pozega. Each meal was heavy but brilliantly flavored by Milena’s colorful presence. We caught her just before she took off on her Greek vacation. My partners in crime here and new fantastic friends Isabella Rinaldi and Ana Lucia Ordonez lend their skillful hands. Otherwise the workshop with Zelimir Zilnik and Dragan Elcic were brilliantly insightful. Otherwise, most of my time was spent in Cyprus and working on my feature-length documentary, working title : Five Star Country. The blog updates are not as frequent because of it but will be done monthly while I orchestrate this beast of a project. In the meantime, some inspiring films…oldies, yes… Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is a beautiful abstraction of past and present, reflecting on time, memory, spaces between reality. It’s also cinematic ecstasy. On the same principle, of time, space, memory, life and death is Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void. This one kind of disturbs you from the inside. But ultimately, the creativity inspires and you remember why you love making films.  More for September coming soon. Enjoy.
WATCH HERE ::: http://vimeo.com/50014012 This August,  I ventured off to Pozega, a beautiful small town in Serbia where summer nights are cold and people are warm. While there for a 10 day film workshop InterDOC, we stayed at Hotel Pozega. Each meal was heavy but brilliantly flavored by Milena’s colorful presence. We caught her just before she took off on her Greek vacation. My partners in crime here and new fantastic friends Isabella Rinaldi and Ana Lucia Ordonez lend their skillful hands. Otherwise the workshop with Zelimir Zilnik and Dragan Elcic were brilliantly insightful. Otherwise, most of my time was spent in Cyprus and working on my feature-length documentary, working title : Five Star Country. The blog updates are not as frequent because of it but will be done monthly while I orchestrate this beast of a project. In the meantime, some inspiring films…oldies, yes… Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is a beautiful abstraction of past and present, reflecting on time, memory, spaces between reality. It’s also cinematic ecstasy. On the same principle, of time, space, memory, life and death is Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void. This one kind of disturbs you from the inside. But ultimately, the creativity inspires and you remember why you love making films.  More for September coming soon. Enjoy.

WATCH HERE ::: http://vimeo.com/50014012

This August, 

I ventured off to Pozega, a beautiful small town in Serbia where summer nights are cold and people are warm. While there for a 10 day film workshop InterDOC, we stayed at Hotel Pozega. Each meal was heavy but brilliantly flavored by Milena’s colorful presence. We caught her just before she took off on her Greek vacation. My partners in crime here and new fantastic friends Isabella Rinaldi and Ana Lucia Ordonez lend their skillful hands. Otherwise the workshop with Zelimir Zilnik and Dragan Elcic were brilliantly insightful.

Otherwise, most of my time was spent in Cyprus and working on my feature-length documentary, working title : Five Star Country. The blog updates are not as frequent because of it but will be done monthly while I orchestrate this beast of a project. In the meantime, some inspiring films…oldies, yes…

Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is a beautiful abstraction of past and present, reflecting on time, memory, spaces between reality.

It’s also cinematic ecstasy.

On the same principle, of time, space, memory, life and death is Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void.

This one kind of disturbs you from the inside. But ultimately, the creativity inspires and you remember why you love making films. 

More for September coming soon.

Enjoy.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday July 16th 2012 at 07:52pm. Its tags are listed below.

Across the seas ::: http://vimeo.com/45797403 I’m dwelling in Mediterranean waters over the summer and working on my first full length documentarythat addresses the lives of political refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. Specifically, it addresses tolerance, migration trends, nation-states/nation-building, changing global dynamics and collapse of Eurocentrism through the lens of current migration trends in Cyprus. It has been an interesting journey and a surreal one. In between incomprehensible refugee stories of exile and plight I return to my life and consider my own reality.It’s a difficult adjustment. But more than anything else, it reminds me to appreciate it all.Here on a full moon night, we enjoy Xartini’s song…and appreciate the night. On a filmic note :::Here’s a brilliant film by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi that analyzes the crisis in Greece and elsewhere, political agendas and effects of privatization - it features Naomi Klein, Zizek and others. It’s brilliantly executed and free online ::: CATASTROIKA. And another brilliant project from Greece, a web doc series that dig into all cultural, socio-economic aspects of the country ::: THE PRISM. Enjoy.
Across the seas ::: http://vimeo.com/45797403 I’m dwelling in Mediterranean waters over the summer and working on my first full length documentarythat addresses the lives of political refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. Specifically, it addresses tolerance, migration trends, nation-states/nation-building, changing global dynamics and collapse of Eurocentrism through the lens of current migration trends in Cyprus. It has been an interesting journey and a surreal one. In between incomprehensible refugee stories of exile and plight I return to my life and consider my own reality.It’s a difficult adjustment. But more than anything else, it reminds me to appreciate it all.Here on a full moon night, we enjoy Xartini’s song…and appreciate the night. On a filmic note :::Here’s a brilliant film by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi that analyzes the crisis in Greece and elsewhere, political agendas and effects of privatization - it features Naomi Klein, Zizek and others. It’s brilliantly executed and free online ::: CATASTROIKA. And another brilliant project from Greece, a web doc series that dig into all cultural, socio-economic aspects of the country ::: THE PRISM. Enjoy.

Across the seas ::: http://vimeo.com/45797403

I’m dwelling in Mediterranean waters over the summer and working on my first full length documentary
that addresses the lives of political refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. Specifically, it addresses tolerance, migration trends, nation-states/nation-building, changing global dynamics and collapse of Eurocentrism through the lens of current migration trends in Cyprus. It has been an interesting journey and a surreal one.

In between incomprehensible refugee stories of exile and plight I return to my life and consider my own reality.
It’s a difficult adjustment. But more than anything else, it reminds me to appreciate it all.
Here on a full moon night, we enjoy Xartini’s song…and appreciate the night.

On a filmic note :::
Here’s a brilliant film by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi that analyzes the crisis in Greece and elsewhere, political agendas and effects of privatization - it features Naomi Klein, Zizek and others. It’s brilliantly executed and free online ::: CATASTROIKA.

And another brilliant project from Greece, a web doc series that dig into all cultural, socio-economic aspects of the country ::: 
THE PRISM.

Enjoy.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday June 18th 2012 at 07:48pm. Its tags are listed below.

June’s Steel Drum Orchestras ::: http://vimeo.com/45010190 This is very quick and dirty.Last summer my partner in crime Sarah Hagey and I made a short film on Despers USA,a full steel drum orchestra from Trinidad. Throughout the summer, various bands gatherthroughout brooklyn to practice and prepare for the annual competition in September.Last year’s winners were Adlib, this is a small excerpt of their performance that Sarah and Ihad a pleasure of checking out. The Despers put on a night that featured the best of the bestand asked us to film the event. We haven’t yet had a chance to edit the entire thing.But here’s a little taste, I was elevated by Adlib and perhaps you will be too. Our short film, Despers USA is screening at Rooftop films on June 29th, and theDespers are performing! Be sure to check it out - they transport you into a trance! Otherwise, I’m currently in Cyprus working on my first feature films and so the posts are lessfrequent but are nevertheless coming…I will be posting some interesting stuff over the summer. In the meantime,One of my new all time favorite films 5 Broken Cameras.Absolutely ingenius, done jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli director.It’s conveys the problems as you have never seen it before, cleverly and emotionally structured.Brilliant editing too. Find it!
June’s Steel Drum Orchestras ::: http://vimeo.com/45010190 This is very quick and dirty.Last summer my partner in crime Sarah Hagey and I made a short film on Despers USA,a full steel drum orchestra from Trinidad. Throughout the summer, various bands gatherthroughout brooklyn to practice and prepare for the annual competition in September.Last year’s winners were Adlib, this is a small excerpt of their performance that Sarah and Ihad a pleasure of checking out. The Despers put on a night that featured the best of the bestand asked us to film the event. We haven’t yet had a chance to edit the entire thing.But here’s a little taste, I was elevated by Adlib and perhaps you will be too. Our short film, Despers USA is screening at Rooftop films on June 29th, and theDespers are performing! Be sure to check it out - they transport you into a trance! Otherwise, I’m currently in Cyprus working on my first feature films and so the posts are lessfrequent but are nevertheless coming…I will be posting some interesting stuff over the summer. In the meantime,One of my new all time favorite films 5 Broken Cameras.Absolutely ingenius, done jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli director.It’s conveys the problems as you have never seen it before, cleverly and emotionally structured.Brilliant editing too. Find it!

June’s Steel Drum Orchestras ::: http://vimeo.com/45010190

This is very quick and dirty.
Last summer my partner in crime Sarah Hagey and I made a short film on Despers USA,
a full steel drum orchestra from Trinidad. Throughout the summer, various bands gather
throughout brooklyn to practice and prepare for the annual competition in September.
Last year’s winners were Adlib, this is a small excerpt of their performance that Sarah and I
had a pleasure of checking out. The Despers put on a night that featured the best of the best
and asked us to film the event. We haven’t yet had a chance to edit the entire thing.
But here’s a little taste, I was elevated by Adlib and perhaps you will be too.

Our short film, Despers USA is screening at Rooftop films on June 29th, and the
Despers are performing!

Be sure to check it out - they transport you into a trance!

Otherwise, I’m currently in Cyprus working on my first feature films and so the posts are less
frequent but are nevertheless coming…I will be posting some interesting stuff over the summer.


In the meantime,
One of my new all time favorite films 5 Broken Cameras.
Absolutely ingenius, done jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli director.
It’s conveys the problems as you have never seen it before, cleverly and emotionally structured.
Brilliant editing too.

Find it!

I V A A S K S

Posted on Thursday April 26th 2012 at 07:41pm. Its tags are listed below.

Over Christmas ::: http://vimeo.com/39613317 I took a little road trip to Vermont, to my friend Tennessee Watson and her father Bill.Their beautiful house on the creek, a “hotbed for radical feminism” was once owned by Aunt Lou,a jailbird Suffragette, who fought for women’s right to vote in Vermont. Here’s her-story. I’ve been quite busy developing my next project, feature documentary which I am shooting this summer in Cyprus…loosely based on an interview i did with Simon Khan. In thinking about the structure of the film, I’m exploring non traditional documentary forms, others ways of expressing and telling a story and so I have been researching such works. I picked out a few highlights from experimental filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s book Woman, Native, Other - to stay on the topic of feminism. Her writing is abstract, involved and provoking, as are her films, here are some of her thoughts : “In this unwonted spectacle made of reality and fiction, where redoubled images form and reform, neither I nor you come first. No primary core of irradiation can be caught hold of, no hierarchical first, second, or third exists except as mere illusion. All is empty when one is plural. Yet how difficult is it to keep our mirrors clean…Theory oppresses, when it wills or perpetuates existing power relations, when it presents itself as a means to exert authority - the Voice of Knowledge…And theory as a tool of survival needs to be rethought in relation to gender in discursive practice… He who represents his own discourse on myths as a myth is acutely aware of the illusion of all reference to a subject as absolute center. The packaging of myths must somehow bear the form of that which it attempts to enclose, if it wishes to come closest to its subject. One cannot seize without smothering,for the will to freeze (capture) brings about a frozen (emptied) object.” I also recently read an interesting interview with Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian in which he talks about his “distance montage” method which “creates a magnetic field around the film…it allows you to defeat time…when you reach the end, you’re also back at the beginning…And the effect is that the film revolves; it is “revolution” in a new sense…Orbits are created. Sound and image cross each other, intersect each other, switch, change territories. The sound enters the territory of the picture and the image enters the territory of the sound. You start to see the sound, and you hear the picture”. He closes his the interview with a thought that deeply resonates with me personally when talking about film and ones work:“I’ve tried to simplify things to get ideas across. But my films are precisely not about language, about verbal communications. The difficulty is that one cannot express with words what one finds in my films. If it were possible to say it with words, the films would be useless. Words cannot express it. One should not talk about films, one should watch them. This is why I have always been against interviews.” In terms of films to watch, I also checked out a screening of Yugoslavian Experimental Films this past week at Anthology Archives. Two that stuck out the most are Zelimir Zilnik’s Inventory and Ivica Matic’s Classifieds. They are probably hard to find, but worth noting. Enjoy.
Over Christmas ::: http://vimeo.com/39613317 I took a little road trip to Vermont, to my friend Tennessee Watson and her father Bill.Their beautiful house on the creek, a “hotbed for radical feminism” was once owned by Aunt Lou,a jailbird Suffragette, who fought for women’s right to vote in Vermont. Here’s her-story. I’ve been quite busy developing my next project, feature documentary which I am shooting this summer in Cyprus…loosely based on an interview i did with Simon Khan. In thinking about the structure of the film, I’m exploring non traditional documentary forms, others ways of expressing and telling a story and so I have been researching such works. I picked out a few highlights from experimental filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s book Woman, Native, Other - to stay on the topic of feminism. Her writing is abstract, involved and provoking, as are her films, here are some of her thoughts : “In this unwonted spectacle made of reality and fiction, where redoubled images form and reform, neither I nor you come first. No primary core of irradiation can be caught hold of, no hierarchical first, second, or third exists except as mere illusion. All is empty when one is plural. Yet how difficult is it to keep our mirrors clean…Theory oppresses, when it wills or perpetuates existing power relations, when it presents itself as a means to exert authority - the Voice of Knowledge…And theory as a tool of survival needs to be rethought in relation to gender in discursive practice… He who represents his own discourse on myths as a myth is acutely aware of the illusion of all reference to a subject as absolute center. The packaging of myths must somehow bear the form of that which it attempts to enclose, if it wishes to come closest to its subject. One cannot seize without smothering,for the will to freeze (capture) brings about a frozen (emptied) object.” I also recently read an interesting interview with Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian in which he talks about his “distance montage” method which “creates a magnetic field around the film…it allows you to defeat time…when you reach the end, you’re also back at the beginning…And the effect is that the film revolves; it is “revolution” in a new sense…Orbits are created. Sound and image cross each other, intersect each other, switch, change territories. The sound enters the territory of the picture and the image enters the territory of the sound. You start to see the sound, and you hear the picture”. He closes his the interview with a thought that deeply resonates with me personally when talking about film and ones work:“I’ve tried to simplify things to get ideas across. But my films are precisely not about language, about verbal communications. The difficulty is that one cannot express with words what one finds in my films. If it were possible to say it with words, the films would be useless. Words cannot express it. One should not talk about films, one should watch them. This is why I have always been against interviews.” In terms of films to watch, I also checked out a screening of Yugoslavian Experimental Films this past week at Anthology Archives. Two that stuck out the most are Zelimir Zilnik’s Inventory and Ivica Matic’s Classifieds. They are probably hard to find, but worth noting. Enjoy.

Over Christmas ::: http://vimeo.com/39613317

I took a little road trip to Vermont, to my friend Tennessee Watson and her father Bill.
Their beautiful house on the creek, a “hotbed for radical feminism” was once owned by Aunt Lou,
a jailbird Suffragette, who fought for women’s right to vote in Vermont. Here’s her-story.

I’ve been quite busy developing my next project, feature documentary which I am shooting this summer in Cyprus…loosely based on an interview i did with Simon Khan. In thinking about the structure of the film, I’m exploring non traditional documentary forms, others ways of expressing and telling a story and so I have been researching such works.

I picked out a few highlights from experimental filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s book Woman, Native, Other - to stay on the topic of feminism. Her writing is abstract, involved and provoking, as are her films, here are some of her thoughts :

“In this unwonted spectacle made of reality and fiction, where redoubled images form and reform, neither I nor you come first. No primary core of irradiation can be caught hold of, no hierarchical first, second, or third exists except as mere illusion. All is empty when one is plural. Yet how difficult is it to keep our mirrors clean…Theory oppresses, when it wills or perpetuates existing power relations, when it presents itself as a means to exert authority - the Voice of Knowledge…And theory as a tool of survival needs to be rethought in relation to gender in discursive practice… He who represents his own discourse on myths as a myth is acutely aware of the illusion of all reference to a subject as absolute center. The packaging of myths must somehow bear the form of that which it attempts to enclose, if it wishes to come closest to its subject. One cannot seize without smothering,for the will to freeze (capture) brings about a frozen (emptied) object.”

I also recently read an interesting interview with Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian in which he talks about his “distance montage” method which “creates a magnetic field around the film…it allows you to defeat time…when you reach the end, you’re also back at the beginning…And the effect is that the film revolves; it is “revolution” in a new sense…Orbits are created. Sound and image cross each other, intersect each other, switch, change territories. The sound enters the territory of the picture and the image enters the territory of the sound. You start to see the sound, and you hear the picture”.

He closes his the interview with a thought that deeply resonates with me personally when talking about film and ones work:
“I’ve tried to simplify things to get ideas across. But my films are precisely not about language, about verbal communications. The difficulty is that one cannot express with words what one finds in my films. If it were possible to say it with words, the films would be useless. Words cannot express it. One should not talk about films, one should watch them. This is why I have always been against interviews.”

In terms of films to watch, I also checked out a screening of Yugoslavian Experimental Films this past week at Anthology Archives.

Two that stuck out the most are Zelimir Zilnik’s Inventory and Ivica Matic’s Classifieds. They are probably hard to find, but worth noting.

Enjoy.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday June 13th 2011 at 06:25pm. Its tags are listed below.

Just a quick clip ::: http://vimeo.com/25438377 from one of my favorite spots in Cyprus…The Salt Lake. It dries up in the summer and fills up in the winter to host a flock of migrating flamingos, who feed on its shrimp. A couple of interesting things I came across: Not to long ago, Anthology Film Archives hosted Migrating Forms, an annual festival of new film and video which developed from the New York Underground Film Festival. There I caught a beautiful surprise by Mario Pfeifer , A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES, PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE. The incredible cinematography is a real treat for the eyes and serves as a poetic and meditative portrait of contemporary Mumbai.  Some more info & slides here. And here’s an interview with Frederick Wiseman about his films and workflow, I can’t say the questions are revolutionary but it’s insightful none the less. Lastly, speaking of Anthology Film Archives, Thread will screen there on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm…Details here.
Just a quick clip ::: http://vimeo.com/25438377 from one of my favorite spots in Cyprus…The Salt Lake. It dries up in the summer and fills up in the winter to host a flock of migrating flamingos, who feed on its shrimp. A couple of interesting things I came across: Not to long ago, Anthology Film Archives hosted Migrating Forms, an annual festival of new film and video which developed from the New York Underground Film Festival. There I caught a beautiful surprise by Mario Pfeifer , A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES, PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE. The incredible cinematography is a real treat for the eyes and serves as a poetic and meditative portrait of contemporary Mumbai.  Some more info & slides here. And here’s an interview with Frederick Wiseman about his films and workflow, I can’t say the questions are revolutionary but it’s insightful none the less. Lastly, speaking of Anthology Film Archives, Thread will screen there on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm…Details here.

Just a quick clip ::: http://vimeo.com/25438377

from one of my favorite spots in Cyprus…The Salt Lake. It dries up in the summer and fills up in the winter to host a flock of migrating flamingos, who feed on its shrimp.

A couple of interesting things I came across:

Not to long ago, Anthology Film Archives hosted Migrating Forms, an annual festival of new film and video which developed from the New York Underground Film Festival. There I caught a beautiful surprise by Mario Pfeifer , A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES, PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE.

The incredible cinematography is a real treat for the eyes and serves as a poetic and meditative portrait of contemporary Mumbai.  Some more info & slides here.

And here’s an interview with Frederick Wiseman about his films and workflow, I can’t say the questions are revolutionary but it’s insightful none the less.

Lastly, speaking of Anthology Film Archives, Thread will screen there on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm…Details here.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday June 6th 2011 at 06:19pm. Its tags are listed below.

Over Christmas I visited family and friends in Cyprus… WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/25066588 walking around the old town in Nicosia, I ran into Andreas. He asked if I was a journalist (to which I said yes) and suggested I check out his friend Stavros’ shop. According to him our meeting went down a little differently… Here is the dynamic duo. On an inspirational note; Moma presented DocPoint this past week, a series of documentaries from Finnish directors. I checked out a few films and was thoroughly impressed. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s Steam of Life was extremely well filmed on super 16mm film. The entire film is shot inside sauna’s all over Finland, exposing incredibly poignant stories that men shared with each other, sometimes for the first time. The nudity was beautiful and felt like being in a painting. It also had some great surprises, (like a pet bear jumping in front of the lens) which made for great comic relief. It was wonderful to see men represented with sensitivity and softness. Another film was Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen’s People in White. A fantastic depiction of the relationship between people with mental conditions and their therapists, as told by the patients themselves. It was shot in an old, unused building of a mental institution in 7 days. What’s really interesting is that the directors used both actors and the actual characters to represent themselves. The roles of all switch throughout the film, in that a person portraying a therapist then becomes a patient sharing her/his experience - the viewer is left guessing as to who is an actor and who is not. Complex, really brilliantly executed and at the same time offering important insights into the practice of mental care. Quite fascinating. Check them out if you can.
Over Christmas I visited family and friends in Cyprus… WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/25066588 walking around the old town in Nicosia, I ran into Andreas. He asked if I was a journalist (to which I said yes) and suggested I check out his friend Stavros’ shop. According to him our meeting went down a little differently… Here is the dynamic duo. On an inspirational note; Moma presented DocPoint this past week, a series of documentaries from Finnish directors. I checked out a few films and was thoroughly impressed. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s Steam of Life was extremely well filmed on super 16mm film. The entire film is shot inside sauna’s all over Finland, exposing incredibly poignant stories that men shared with each other, sometimes for the first time. The nudity was beautiful and felt like being in a painting. It also had some great surprises, (like a pet bear jumping in front of the lens) which made for great comic relief. It was wonderful to see men represented with sensitivity and softness. Another film was Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen’s People in White. A fantastic depiction of the relationship between people with mental conditions and their therapists, as told by the patients themselves. It was shot in an old, unused building of a mental institution in 7 days. What’s really interesting is that the directors used both actors and the actual characters to represent themselves. The roles of all switch throughout the film, in that a person portraying a therapist then becomes a patient sharing her/his experience - the viewer is left guessing as to who is an actor and who is not. Complex, really brilliantly executed and at the same time offering important insights into the practice of mental care. Quite fascinating. Check them out if you can.

Over Christmas I visited family and friends in Cyprus…

WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/25066588

walking around the old town in Nicosia, I ran into Andreas. He asked if I was a journalist (to which I said yes) and suggested I check out his friend Stavros’ shop. According to him our meeting went down a little differently… Here is the dynamic duo.

On an inspirational note; Moma presented DocPoint this past week, a series of documentaries from Finnish directors. I checked out a few films and was thoroughly impressed. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s Steam of Life was extremely well filmed on super 16mm film. The entire film is shot inside sauna’s all over Finland, exposing incredibly poignant stories that men shared with each other, sometimes for the first time. The nudity was beautiful and felt like being in a painting. It also had some great surprises, (like a pet bear jumping in front of the lens) which made for great comic relief. It was wonderful to see men represented with sensitivity and softness.

Another film was Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen’s People in White. A fantastic depiction of the relationship between people with mental conditions and their therapists, as told by the patients themselves. It was shot in an old, unused building of a mental institution in 7 days. What’s really interesting is that the directors used both actors and the actual characters to represent themselves. The roles of all switch throughout the film, in that a person portraying a therapist then becomes a patient sharing her/his experience - the viewer is left guessing as to who is an actor and who is not. Complex, really brilliantly executed and at the same time offering important insights into the practice of mental care. Quite fascinating. Check them out if you can.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday April 11th 2011 at 05:39pm. Its tags are listed below.

While at NAB in Vegas I went on a little mission - inspired by one of my professors Marco Deseriis ::: WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/22641227 Growing up in Cyprus, I was accustomed to the idea of the wild flamingo…they would dock on the island every winter to enjoy the warmth before flying away again in the spring (YES - they DO fly!)…so…I was a little disheartened, to say the least, to see them in captivity at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas last year…it left a bitter taste and so I decided to do a silly intervention at the hotel…The reactions are a bit anticlimactic as people seem to think the flamingos are loving their captive habitat…but… we are talking Vegas where the main aim for most is to be drunk and give away cash…not exactly the PETA supporting center of the world. On a non intervention note: NAB…there were few things I got very excited about - more on it in a bit.
While at NAB in Vegas I went on a little mission - inspired by one of my professors Marco Deseriis ::: WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/22641227 Growing up in Cyprus, I was accustomed to the idea of the wild flamingo…they would dock on the island every winter to enjoy the warmth before flying away again in the spring (YES - they DO fly!)…so…I was a little disheartened, to say the least, to see them in captivity at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas last year…it left a bitter taste and so I decided to do a silly intervention at the hotel…The reactions are a bit anticlimactic as people seem to think the flamingos are loving their captive habitat…but… we are talking Vegas where the main aim for most is to be drunk and give away cash…not exactly the PETA supporting center of the world. On a non intervention note: NAB…there were few things I got very excited about - more on it in a bit.

While at NAB in Vegas I went on a little mission - inspired by one of my professors Marco Deseriis ::: WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/22641227

Growing up in Cyprus, I was accustomed to the idea of the wild flamingo…they would dock on the island every winter to enjoy the warmth before flying away again in the spring (YES - they DO fly!)…so…I was a little disheartened, to say the least, to see them in captivity at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas last year…it left a bitter taste and so I decided to do a silly intervention at the hotel…The reactions are a bit anticlimactic as people seem to think the flamingos are loving their captive habitat…but… we are talking Vegas where the main aim for most is to be drunk and give away cash…not exactly the PETA supporting center of the world.

On a non intervention note: NAB…there were few things I got very excited about - more on it in a bit.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Monday February 7th 2011 at 05:04pm. Its tags are listed below.

Back in business! Yes, It’s been too long since my last post. My sensitive eyes didn’t react quite as well The Lasik eye surgery…A month after the surgery my vision was blurrier than ever, making doing anything from reading, to being on the computer almost unbearable. Quite scary…so I was forced into relaxation and much of doing very little, which was I admit enjoyable. Anywho, Dr. Pamel has treated the “severe dryness” with 4 drops a day of Lotemax and 2 drops a day of Restasis; and though not yet perfect, the eyes are healing. So these days I shoot with overdosed/overmedicated eyes in hope of focused images…but also with a new appreciation for health, eyes and pretty much everything. Now, back to docs and films: In Cyprus i ran into Saimon Khan, a 22 year old student from Bangladesh. We had a chat about living, studying and what it means to be a foreigner in Cyprus. Here’s what he had to say ::: http://vimeo.com/19693001 (a quick and dirty edit)
Back in business! Yes, It’s been too long since my last post. My sensitive eyes didn’t react quite as well The Lasik eye surgery…A month after the surgery my vision was blurrier than ever, making doing anything from reading, to being on the computer almost unbearable. Quite scary…so I was forced into relaxation and much of doing very little, which was I admit enjoyable. Anywho, Dr. Pamel has treated the “severe dryness” with 4 drops a day of Lotemax and 2 drops a day of Restasis; and though not yet perfect, the eyes are healing. So these days I shoot with overdosed/overmedicated eyes in hope of focused images…but also with a new appreciation for health, eyes and pretty much everything. Now, back to docs and films: In Cyprus i ran into Saimon Khan, a 22 year old student from Bangladesh. We had a chat about living, studying and what it means to be a foreigner in Cyprus. Here’s what he had to say ::: http://vimeo.com/19693001 (a quick and dirty edit)

Back in business!

Yes, It’s been too long since my last post. My sensitive eyes didn’t react quite as well The Lasik eye surgery…A month after the surgery my vision was blurrier than ever, making doing anything from reading, to being on the computer almost unbearable. Quite scary…so I was forced into relaxation and much of doing very little, which was I admit enjoyable.

Anywho, Dr. Pamel has treated the “severe dryness” with 4 drops a day of Lotemax and 2 drops a day of Restasis; and though not yet perfect, the eyes are healing. So these days I shoot with overdosed/overmedicated eyes in hope of focused images…but also with a new appreciation for health, eyes and pretty much everything.

Now, back to docs and films:

In Cyprus i ran into Saimon Khan, a 22 year old student from Bangladesh. We had a chat about living, studying and what it means to be a foreigner in Cyprus.

Here’s what he had to say ::: http://vimeo.com/19693001

(a quick and dirty edit)

I V A A S K S

Posted on Sunday December 19th 2010 at 04:50pm. Its tags are listed below.

Iva Rad
—  I-Identity

So after what felt like a marathon 4 months…I’m taking a little breather…on an island in the sun, Cyprus. (70 degrees! yes…)

I’ll be filming here and will be back with some new island flavor soon. In the meantime, maybe you’ll enjoy this audio project on Identity : I-Identity

Mostly, it incorporates recordings of my grandma reciting a recipe, momma (the accented english), dad, sister, close friends and myself in an attempt to explore:

What is it that gives us our identity? 

What forms our particular identifications with things?

How strong are our roots in the identification process?

And what happens when those roots are disrupted?

How does our family and environment shape our identity?

Is Identity necessary?

Who am I when I’m still - silent?

Enjoy.

I V A A S K S

Posted on Sunday December 12th 2010 at 04:47pm. Its tags are listed below.

In August we drove down to North Carolina, here’s what the landscape felt like…every new experience tends to be interpreted through a past one…so, incorporated in it is some super 8 footage from one of my homelands, Cyprus. WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/17427364 (an experiment on dual screens inspired by Eija-Liisa Ahtila). Film Forum is having a retrospective of composer Takemitsu’s work, so I ventured off on a Thursday afternoon and checked out HIMATSURI, a film by Mitsuo Yanagimachi.  A real visual treat, makes me want to fly off to a remote village in Japan… And…Just finished watching Claire Denis’ 1988 film Chocolate (not to be confused with the more recent Chocolat)…aesthetically lovely - set in 1950s Africa.
In August we drove down to North Carolina, here’s what the landscape felt like…every new experience tends to be interpreted through a past one…so, incorporated in it is some super 8 footage from one of my homelands, Cyprus. WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/17427364 (an experiment on dual screens inspired by Eija-Liisa Ahtila). Film Forum is having a retrospective of composer Takemitsu’s work, so I ventured off on a Thursday afternoon and checked out HIMATSURI, a film by Mitsuo Yanagimachi.  A real visual treat, makes me want to fly off to a remote village in Japan… And…Just finished watching Claire Denis’ 1988 film Chocolate (not to be confused with the more recent Chocolat)…aesthetically lovely - set in 1950s Africa.

In August we drove down to North Carolina, here’s what the landscape felt like…every new experience tends to be interpreted through a past one…so, incorporated in it is some super 8 footage from one of my homelands, Cyprus.

WATCH ::: http://vimeo.com/17427364

(an experiment on dual screens inspired by Eija-Liisa Ahtila).

Film Forum is having a retrospective of composer Takemitsu’s work, so I ventured off on a Thursday afternoon and checked out HIMATSURI, a film by Mitsuo Yanagimachi.  A real visual treat, makes me want to fly off to a remote village in Japan…

And…Just finished watching Claire Denis’ 1988 film Chocolate (not to be confused with the more recent Chocolat)…aesthetically lovely - set in 1950s Africa.

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