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Rising stars from all schools at the Catalyst Film Awards

The inside scoop on who took which prizes home at the fourth Film Awards

Sure, you’ve heard of the Oscars. And if you’re reading this, you’ve most likely also heard of the Golden Globe Awards and the BAFTAs. Hopefully you’re familiar with the Razzie Award in the States and Berlin’s very own Teddy Awards. Another that needs no introduction: Catalyst’s very own Annual Film Awards, which returned in June 2022 for its 4th edition. The night was an opportunity to dress smart and indulge in some red carpet activity. But above all, it was a celebration of another year of really astounding talent training their creative muscles in our Film Production, Screen Acting and Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation degree courses at Catalyst. 

Some of the Catalyst Film Awards were prestigious, such as Best Film (3rd year BA & MA courses category), which landed a €500 distribution prize from Catalyst - awarded to Álfgerður Malmquist Baldursdóttir’s “Guts”. Baldursdóttir was also awarded Best Director, which landed a one year VIP subscription to MUBI 

Best Film (1st & 2nd year category) was sponsored by 25p Cine Support, a digital film equipment rental here in Berlin. This award came with a €500 equipment voucher to use in their Prenzlauer Berg store, and was awarded to “Il Profumo di Casa - The Scent of Home”  by Francesca Rotundo. Rotundo’s film also received a nomination for Best Documentary. 

The Distribution prize is not just the money. It is also special guidance on the process of how to submit the movie to relevant Film Festivals worldwide.

Other awards, such as the Golden Gorilla Award, celebrated the profound - given to the most adventurous, audacious or bold film maker. It was awarded to Karun Gill. Special thanks to Dino Berlin, a Kreuzberg based film equipment rental service, who granted three 50% discount vouchers. The Golden Gorilla Award, Best Producer was awarded to Miranda Siegel and Best Cinematographer, to Emma Guiliani for “The Birdcage”. “The Birdcage” also took home the award of Best Experimental Film, which came with a year subscription to Celtx - a cloud based collaborative and project management software for creative films. “The Birdcage” also received nominations for Best Film (3rd year & MA category), Best Director, Best Editor and Best Original Music. 

Freelance photographer Caroline Wimmer bestowed the Best Lead Performance winner a €250 headshot package, which was awarded to Ruut Ahonen for “The Tale of Vasalisa”. Former Catalyst Film programme lead Malachi Rempen provided a copy of his “Roll Camera Board Game” as a prize for the Spirit Award, given to Viktorja Baltusyte for personifying the Catalyst spirit of collaboration and community. 

"Making a movie is not enough. It’s not the end of a process, it’s just the beginning of the journey. You are not an artist until you have an audience, and the festival recognition is the first step to starting a filmmaking career. Alfie and her movie “Guts” are also a great example of the level of artistic quality we want in our Film school and we are proud to have this beautiful piece of work representing Catalyst," said  Leandro Goddinho, Programme Lead of Film Production. 

While the Spirit Award, Best Producer and Kids Choice Award were decided by a student vote, a Guest Jury of 11 Film Industry hotshots deliberated over who took home which award. Many thanks to Easton West, Dominga Ortuzar, Renee Coulombe, Elinor Lewy, Gaby Szambelan, Silvia Cannarozzi, Adam Munnings, João Pedro Prado, Yosuke Hosoi, Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon who devoted time, effort and energy to choosing the 2022 winners, who may go on to define the Berlin film scene in the coming years.

Woven throughout the night were performances and entertainment by a curated selection of Catalyst alumni and students. The opening act was singer songwriter Olivia Mamberti , who gave a live performance of acoustic sweetness and depth.  Olivia was also present for a nomination for Best Original Music.

Across 23 awards given that night, students were recognised for outstanding music & sound, direction & performance, storyline & script and Best Death. Long after the gold champagne bottle that each winner received is drunk and gone, the glory will remain. The rights to the films remain with the makers, so to see the films first hand, keep an eye out at film festivals, and of course Catalyst will relay any future premieres or screenings nearby. 

To learn more about our hands-on and collaborative film, visual effects and acting courses in Berlin, join any one of our taster workshops or Virtual Open days!  

A run down of the evening events. Find out who won which prizes this year.

Catalyst Film Awards 2022

We reflect on a powerful recent Creative Production MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by award-winning Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

At Catalyst, we believe storytelling is one of the most powerful means to inspire, influence, teach, connect and ultimately drive change. And there are few storytelling mediums that can transport us into the moment and leave a lasting impression like film. Êxtase, the award-winning film by Brazilian director Moara Passoni – the co-author and producer of Petra Costa's Academy Award-nominated film The Edge of Democracy – is a striking example of how weaving personal stories into the wider societal narrative can encourage, en masse, important new perspectives on often misunderstood topics. 

Êxtase is an elliptical essay portrait of a young girl experiencing both rapture and torture, starving herself as a way to find a place in a brutal uncertain world. Moara Passoni “transmutes a young Brazilian woman's experience of anorexia into images and thoughts of almost ecstatic beauty. Against the backdrop of political and social upheaval in 1990s Brazil, and interweaving memories of her own adolescence with those of other women, Passoni goes beyond pop-culture conventions and the sensationalizing of eating disorders to meditate on the dissolution and perfection of the self, the modernist architecture of Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia, the meaning of Humpty Dumpty, and what she calls ‘the geometry of hunger’.”

We were honoured to host Passoni for a guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, as part of our Creative Production MA Modern Cinematic Perspectives Workshop. Students from all of our film courses, as well as alumni, were invited to view Êxtase and take part in a Q&A with the director. 

“Moara's film, and the discussion we shared about the film after viewing, shattered my preconceived notions and the stereotypes around women who have experienced Anorexia,” reflects MA student Jenny Jo Stokka. “Her film beautifully explores the psychological and emotional complexities of a condition that most of society overlooks as merely a problem of vanity. The way Moara wove together real-world stories of women who have lived with Anorexia –  along with her own personal story – helped to highlight the unique and varied ways that one can experience and process the trauma of an eating disorder.” 

First-year Film Production student, Mia-Maria Schanz, learnt from Êxtase how architecture can play a big part in the character’s narrative. “It was also nice to hear how the team managed to produce a hybrid documentary while still using an organic filming process,” she says.

“Passoni’s art brings a fresh way to produce, teaching us how to write not only with words but with images in a very courageous and modern way,” reflects Patricia Gomes, senior foreign correspondent at Wall Street International Magazine. “Through this session, Moara, ‘provoked’ me, woke me up and invited me to leave my comfort zone. The session was a great encouragement to restart and pursue my goal to produce and to film.”

We reflect on a Film MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Exploring Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Just as photography is said to capture souls, film, as a moving, multi-angled, image, has the power to peer into the centre of a subject’s personality, revealing both the seen and the unseen. As Creative Production Film Masters student, Jennifer Jo Stokka, puts it, “Cinema allows the audience a direct view into the psyche.” What better way to explore the conscious and unconscious realms of the Self than through a combination of documentary and fictional film?

In her practice-based research project, Jennifer aims to capture an original version of character studies in a hybrid documentary film, by utilising Jungian methods of analysis. The project will examine three unique individuals and how they navigate their everyday realities using the documentary observational mode. Meanwhile, fictional sequences will showcase unconscious elements of each subject’s psyche – namely, dreams, fantasies and spirituality. The goal of the film is to ask the audience to reflect on their own psyches and forms of Self-expression. Jennifer is harnessing the creative autonomy afforded by our unconventional MA programme to explore her vision to the fullest.

Are you currently putting together your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Jennifer’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Need some guidance on how to put together your project proposal? Reach out to our Admissions team for a recording of our latest online workshop with programme lead, Jon-Carlos Evans.

How did you come up with the idea for this project? 

I have always been interested in documentaries, as well as character studies. However, in early 2020, I happened to see two films within the same month that set me on the path to this project: Close Up by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami; and, Whose Utopia? by Chinese visual artist Cao Fei. Viewing these films and, subsequently, learning about their constructions, presented to me a new way of seeing the documentarian-subject relationship. I was inspired by the level of autonomy given to the subjects in each film, and the ways in which the directors allowed the subjects to express themselves. I knew I wanted to make a film that followed similar principles, and I also had a strong desire to make an intimate character study. Finally, I settled on the hybrid film format, as: 1) It would give me the freedom to show the subject in various lights and facets; and, 2) it would allow me to flex multiple filmmaking muscles, as many skills are required to complete the different parts of the hybrid film. 

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore psychological themes?

The struggle to understand one’s Self is a universal truth – every human experiences this for at least part, if not all, of life. Cinema (and I would also argue Theatre) allows the audience a direct view into the psyche of another for (roughly) two uninterrupted hours, whether it’s a real human subject in a documentary or a character in a fictional film. We all become psychologists and anthropologists when we sit down to watch a film. 

What are your influences within documentary and fictional filmmaking?

So many! To name a few: Abbas Kiarostami (doc & fiction), John Cassavettes (fiction), Agnés Varda (doc & fiction), William Greaves, (doc), Kirsten Johnson (doc), Kelly Reichhardt (fiction), and basically anyone who is trying to do something original in order to uncover a new facet of truth. 

How have you planned out your creative process?

Much of my process is improvisational, which is both a blessing and a curse. I am a meticulous planner by nature, so many of the logistical aspects of filmmaking come quite easily to me. However, there are many creative and aesthetic ideas that I simply cannot plan ahead of time and must figure out in the moment through play and collaboration. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to documentary filmmaking, as it allows for more spontaneity than scripted formats. 

“I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria”

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea? 

The works of Carl Jung, especially his works that deal with accessing the unconscious mind through dream analysis and Active Imagination. And, of course, the subject of my film will be my most valuable resource, as we will be working quite closely together in the construction of the fictional sequences of this film. 

Are there any tutors that have had an important impact on your process or experience so far?

Jon-Carlos, María, and Leandro have all given me quite valuable feedback and references along my journey. I am eternally grateful to all three. 

What was your creative background before starting the Catalyst MA?

I was a performer for many years with a focus on theatre in my teenage years and early twenties, and then shifted to improv and sketch comedy, as well as filmmaking, in my mid-twenties. Since 2019, my primary focus has been on filmmaking. 

Why did you feel this programme in particular was a good choice to pursue your creative goals?

I’m from the US and it seems that most film programs there are designed to teach you a rigid, traditional, studio-focused structure, which is fine for some, but I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria (i.e. genre-specific, meeting certain technical requirements, etc). 

“If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others?” 

Could you share something valuable that you have learnt or discovered through this MA so far?

Our first major deliverable in the first trimester was a three-minute autobiography. When we received the prompt for the project, I thought: “This is an impossible task. How can one summate their life in three minutes?” In retrospect, it was a genius assignment to have given us, especially at the start of our MA journeys. It forced us to think about which parts of ourselves most urgently need to be shared with the audience. This is a question that I think should be at the root of every new project for a filmmaker/director/writer/artist/etc. If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others? 

Also, this may be boring to some, but learning about budgeting, funding, and pitching has been quite valuable. These are tools that are ESSENTIAL for independent filmmakers. 

What would be your advice to those who are putting together their project proposals right now?

Don’t worry about having every single element of your pitch perfectly figured out at this stage. Things WILL change. Just know which core question(s) you are hoping to address with your work. For me, I knew I wanted to figure how I could personally use the elements of hybrid filmmaking to explore one individual’s identity. It wasn’t until later – after I’d already submitted my proposal to Catalyst – that I realised Jung’s work would play such a pivotal role in my project. And it wasn’t until even later that I knew who my subject would be, which again changed my approach to the project. So, establish your core question(s) and know your unique POV as a filmmaker, and then the rest will fall into place over time. 

“I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it.”

Play! Stimulating conversation! Learning from others! But also, I need to do the work – I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it. The truth – at least for me – is that inspiration comes more often, and more potently, when I sit down and do the work. 

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Jennifer Jo Stokka shares her ideas for her Jungian character studies inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Jennifer Jo Stokka on Her Cinematic Study of the Psyche

We chatted to Creative Film Production Masters student Alexandra Concordia about her spirituality-inspired project proposal, her influences in film and art, and the ecstasy of creation that she has dived into while developing her short film and immersive installation project at Catalyst. 

The creative process is all about making connections. It starts with an idea, which deepens and broadens until you find yourself, months later, in the centre of a labyrinthine rabbit hole, from which you can’t imagine ever resurfacing. Creativity is flowing joyfully into unfolding. It’s revelling in the aha-moments that propel your journey forwards, then backwards, then sideways, ahead to the beginning, and back to the end again. 

It is this ecstasy of creation that Creative Film Production MA student Alexandra Concordia has dived into since she embarked on her practice-based research project at Catalyst last year. Harnessing her wealth of traditional and contemporary art knowledge, she set out to portray, through a short film and an immersive installation, the feeling of religious transcendence that inspired so many of the paintings and sculptures she enjoys. The flexibility of our Masters project has allowed Alexandra the freedom to blaze her own creative trail, while receiving the mentorship and accountability required to fully develop her artistic voice.

Are you currently crafting your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Alexandra’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Above: 'The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia' by Raphael

The idea for this project came up about a year ago when I was applying to the MA at Catalyst. Initially, I was trying to come up with a short film that could visually represent an experience of transcendence through music. I was really inspired by a song by Philip Glass called ‘Vessels’. Then, serendipitously, through a series of coincidences, I started researching paintings and sculptures of women and depictions of female religious ecstasy and transcendence. 

When I applied for the MA, I decided that I would try to link these two interlinking themes by reinterpreting – or just inventing, at this point – the ecstasy of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. I wanted to tell her experience of ecstasy as an experience of spiritual transcendence, that develops visually through music as well. 

Since I applied, the project has just taken a complete life of its own, and has developed into an incredibly complex and layered project that I’m very excited about.

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore spiritual themes?

I thought film would be an interesting way to add more complexity and depth to the themes of spirituality, religion, faith and sacredness, which I had experienced in paintings and sculptures. I thought it would be a challenge to recreate a similar moment or story through moving images. I also believe that film in general can be a form of expression that is not only contemporary, but also incredibly human in the way that it’s able, stylistically and narratively, to explore themes.

Why did you opt to create both a short film and an immersive installation?

I was really interested in both visual mediums and their potential. I wanted to challenge myself to create content that would experiment with both types of filmmaking during my MA experience. As I developed my research proposal and project, I decided to use the short film to tell the story of spirituality and ecstasy, and the immersive installation to represent the more abstract, inner state of mind connected to the theme. 

What are your influences within film and art?

At this point, my influences within film and art are quite extensive and interconnected. I come from an art history background; I’ve been formed by Old Masters, Renaissance and Baroque art traditions. I’ve also worked in contemporary art, so I have a wide knowledge and interest in contemporary painting and sculpture, as well as contemporary video art. 

With film, it all feeds in. I have a great appreciation for a huge range of film directors, from documentary film to narrative film. At the moment, the directors I’m most inspired by are the likes of Andrei Tarkovsky, Pawel Pawlikowski and Carlos Reygadas. I’ve also been incredibly influenced by female directors such as Agnes Varda and Chantal Akerman. I guess the list always keeps evolving, and I’m constantly influenced by everything I watch, so it’s quite wide-ranging and a constant process.

"The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering."

The creative process is something that is constantly fed into – whether you’re learning about post-production, pre-production, scriptwriting, or narrative storytelling, or you’re just reading a book, watching films, or listening to music. Everything just feeds into everything. 

Luckily, the MA at Catalyst makes you really structure your work, as if developing your project were your actual job. You are held highly accountable for how you structure your work, how you hand in deadlines, and how you think about your projects. I’ve spent the past few months doing stylistic research. Now, I’m focusing more on narrative and technical research for the script and story development. Then, I will spend the next few months in pre-production and filming.

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea?

My tools and resources are very diverse and all-encompassing. My research spans academic and creative sources. On one side, I’m researching religion, spirituality and mystical experiences of ecstasy. And on the other side, I’m watching films, studying other directors and their stylistic storytelling techniques, and exploring camera work through test shoots.

All three of my tutors at Catalyst have had an incredibly important impact on my process and experience. I’m very lucky to have such supportive tutors, who not only inspire me, but also provide great external support for developing my ideas. Maria, Jon-Carlos and Leandro are all equipped with different backgrounds and different personalities, but very much feel like both mentors, and also colleagues, in this filmmaking journey.

I studied politics and economics as an undergraduate, then went on to study art history, before working in art galleries for four years. This MA is my first creative endeavour, and the first time I’m leading my own research.

"I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance."

This programme was a very good choice to pursue my creative goals. I felt like, although I had a lot of enthusiasm and ideas, I was in a place where I was really missing both the theoretical and the practical skills to fully develop the film projects that I wanted to create. I wanted to find my own voice, message and style, and cultivate my independence – figuring out what I wanted to say and do, and where I wanted to go.

I feel like Catalyst, and this programme in particular, gives you a complete, all-encompassing look at the film industry and all of the possibilities within it. It also lets you tailor your experience and your project. I like the fact that it’s all based on your independent project, and that it’s independently led. You are very much deciding where you want to go and what you gain from it. That’s what interested me the most.

The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering. It makes you take what you do and what you develop very seriously as an actual profession, and I have found that incredibly valuable and stimulating. It gives you the confidence to take your time, effort and choices as seriously as you possibly can. That’s amazing, as it all starts from you. No one’s going to tell you what to do in life, and no one’s going to take you seriously until you take yourself seriously. That’s what Catalyst has shown me so far.

My advice is to really trust the process, trust your movement within the process, and keep going no matter what. Everyone’s work is personal, so always look into yourself for answers, for comfort, confidence, and courage. Keep moving forward and things will always figure themselves out.

The sense that the deeper you dig, the more that comes out of it. Right now, I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance. This sense of movement is something that really keeps my creativity going, and definitely makes me feel like every step I make in a certain direction has meaning and is important to the whole process.

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Alexandra Concordia discusses her ideas for her spirituality-inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Alexandra Concordia on the Ecstasy of Creation

Dive deeper into the immersive emerging art movement that fuses visual effects and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

What’s the formula for an artistic movement? New technology multiplied by accessibility to the masses. From screen-printing technology came pop art, and from digital tools comes our current obsession with VFX-fuelled immersive experiences. With the power to elevate any art form, visual effects are providing a new dimension of creative expression. In fact, as the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds become less and less distinct, so too do the lines between art forms. In an immersive space – or installation – audio, visuals and motion are not to be examined separately, but as a combined experience that influences our perception. 

Catalyst’s Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation programme is built for this movement, encouraging creators to forge their own future with such diverse skills as filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, 3D animation, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, installation and interactive art. With VFX artists, filmmakers, screen actors, electronic musicians and sound engineers all under one roof, our international community is also the perfect melting pot for interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Our annual community showcase, Signals Festival 2021, placed our resident artists on Berlin’s new frontier of immersive art, otherwise occupied by such pioneering events as our recent partner, CTM Festival. Among the vibrant programme of performances, installations, screenings and dialogues, were two VFX-driven works: Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum’s performative dance installation, Embodied, and Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani’s audiovisual performance Ignes Fatui. Scroll down to learn more about these exceptional art pieces.

Header image: Embodied, performative installation by Matthieu Schmit and Marlee Weinberg at Signals Festival 2021. Photo by Rita Couto.

Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum

Marlee Weinberg & Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum Present 'Embodied' at Signals Festival 2021

It was only a matter of time until Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Certificate alumna Marlee Weinberg would combine her dance and VFX talents in a performance at Catalyst. In fact, when we interviewed her in early 2020, she cited the dance piece, GLOW, as the mind-blowing synthesis of technology and contemporary dance that inspired her to pursue VFX. Our multidimensional course became the perfect playground for her ambitions. 

At Signals Festival, she collaborated with programme lead Matthieu Schmit, founder of the GhostRaum production studio, to create their stunning performative installation, Embodied, which revolved around a narrative of incarnation. Matthieu used TouchDesigner to create the organic visuals, and interestingly, though he was creating an artificial realm, the creative process didn’t feel as artificial as you might think. “The language of nature is mathematics and code is also mathematics,” he tells us. “So it’s very interesting to recreate nature elements for code, because there’s a direct fit and it’s really organic.”

Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani

Imaginaria & Alessandro Adriani Present 'Ignes Fatui' at Signals Festival 2021

Club closures over the past couple of years have made room for more conceptual and immersive takes on electronic music. At the forefront of the movement in Berlin are events such as CTM Festival 2022, where audiovisual installations further cultivated our desire for multisensory electronic music experiences. A couple of months earlier, at Signals Festival, Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation tutor Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and music producer, DJ and Mannequin Records director Alessandro Adriani showcased the potential of audiovisual art for emergent interactive storytelling.

Their project, Ignes Fatui, (Latin for ‘will-o’-the-wisp) interprets folklore tales about the light phenomenon caused by organic decay. “The concept is to create these audiovisual illusions that are uncatchable and constantly changing,” Paulina explains. “Our performances are never the same. We usually perform live and every time it’s a different one. So it’s an interesting challenge to design a new performance; to coordinate music, narrative, soundscapes and visuals.” 

As we saw in her collaboration last year with IDM duo Soft Crash, Paulina crafts her visuals with VR sculptors, whereas Alessandro works with analog synthesisers and samplers. 

Dive into the emerging art movement that fuses VFX and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

Visual Effects and the Future of Performing Arts 

Interested in studying our Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation course? You’re invited to our next introductory workshop with tutor Anton Egorov, taking place online on Wednesday the 23rd of February from 3:30 pm.

Study Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation at Catalyst Berlin

Visual effects are no longer reserved to the film industry. Today, there’s no creative practice that can’t be explored and transformed through this high-powered discipline. The explosion of NFTs brought digital art to the masses. Audiovisual projects are proliferating in the creative scene. Motion-tracking technology is providing exciting new possibilities for movement artists. That’s not to mention the visual effects that come so naturally to science infographics. 

Thanks to the flexibility of Catalyst’s multidisciplinary project-based Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation programme, if you can dream it, you can do it. Whatever your creative background or approach, in the one-year and three-year courses, you’re invited to employ your new skills in expressing your unique voice and autonomously forging your own direction. It’s all about artistic exchange: our team has the knowledge and experience; you’ve got the right questions. 

Subject areas include 2D and 3D animation, filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, audiovisual installations and interactive art.

Ready to start bringing your ideas to life? On Wednesday the 23rd of February, from 3:30 pm, you can get a taste of what it’s like to study Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation at Catalyst. In the online introductory session, led by digital artist and tutor Anton Egorov, you’ll learn about our action-packed approach to visual effects for film productions, audiovisual projects, gaming and digital arts. Don’t delay! RSVP to the workshop to receive your invite to the Zoom call.

VFX course introductory workshop with tutor Anton Egorov, taking place online on Wednesday the 23rd of February from 3:30 pm.

Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Free Intro Workshop

Get a Taste of Our Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Course

We reflect on the fantastic opportunities our Film Production students recently gained as a result of Catalyst’s partnership with ArteKino Festival 2021: a spot on the festival’s European Youth Jury and an enlightening interview with the winner of the European Audience Award, Karin Heberlein.

He applied, he succeeded, he collaborated, he learned, he networked. That’s how brilliantly first-year Film Production student Tiago Felício’s December panned out after he won a place on ArteKino Festival 2021’s European Youth Jury. The judges – all aged between 18 and 25 and selected from a handful of partnering film institutes, including Catalyst – were given the opportunity to award one film from the competition. 

“The experience has been great!” Tiago tells us. “I decided to apply because I really love cinema and I am always interested in what festivals have to offer because they are usually films I would have no opportunity to see otherwise. So far, the most rewarding part was probably the Zoom call we had with all the members of the youth jury to decide on the winner. It was very interesting to discuss these movies with other passionate people and to listen to everyone's opinion.” 

The sixth edition of ArteKino Festival took place online throughout December, presenting 12 European films in six language versions on the ARTE website and ARTE Cinema Youtube channel. The goal of the festival – an initiative of ARTE France Cinéma, ARTE GEIE, and Festival Scope – is to give greater exposure to original feature films which might otherwise have difficulty finding distribution in European movie theatres, despite critical success and inclusion in festivals. 

SAMI, JOE AND I written and directed by Karin Heberlein                                               produced by Abrakadabra Films, Zurich - 2020                                                          SJI_TLR_DE-EN_PRORES_2.0.mov

SAMI, JOE AND I - Trailer, 115 sec, english

The winner of the European Audience Award – as voted by the public – was Swiss writer and director Karin Heberlein. Her feature film Sami, Joe and I (2020) follows three friends who are ready for a truly epic summer after finishing school. But what is to come is diametrically opposed to their expectations and of a different magnitude then they anticipated. Determined to stand up for themselves, the trio find out how right Leyla’s mom was when she told them: “Always keep more dreams in your soul than reality can destroy.”

Heberlein initially trained as an actress, working for various UK theatres, co-writing and performing in a number of ensembles and touring festivals across the globe. Her focus later shifted to film, after a masterclass and a scholarship ignited her passion. 

What did she learn from creating her first feature film? As part of Catalyst’s partnership with ArteKino Festival this year, a group of our Film Production students were blessed with an hour of Heberlein’s time, in which they were free to fire off all their burning filmmaking questions. 

“The collaborative parts are the best parts, where the magic happens”

First-year student Viktorija Baltusyte led the upbeat interview. “One of the most vital steps of making a truly good film, as mentioned by Heberlein, is to discover and to really solidify its core,” Viktorija gives as her major takeaway. “What is its essence? Once that is defined, you become the ‘keeper of the heart of the film’ and are able to stay true to the message that you want to deliver, whilst still being open to new ideas and spontaneous change.”

Spontaneity, in fact, was one of Heberlein’s favourite parts of the project. When Viktorija asked her what she wished she knew before she started her first feature film, she emphasised the value and beauty of a filmmaker not knowing all the answers when they are starting out. 

“Knowledge comes at the price of innocence,” she said. “When you don’t know how to do things, you just do them because you don’t know what problems can occur. In a way, my first film is a kind of coming-of-age story. I feel very grateful for the experience of having been able to do that.” She stressed that a director should never be embarrassed on set if they don’t know something: “If you don’t know something, ask. If you don’t know, the actor will know. If you both don’t know, try to find it together.”

One thing Heberlein learned about the creative process during the course of the project was the true power of collaboration – our favourite word at Catalyst. “All the people that you meet along the way give so much to that project and I think that didn’t cease to amaze me up to the editing, to the colour grading, to the last sound mix,” she explained. “All those stages, all those different people that come in, and each one has a different perspective on that same thing and adds their knowledge… The collaborative parts are the best parts, where the magic happens.”

Jayden Bailey, who is currently working on his final-year film, Slow Rush, was impressed with Heberlein’s approach to one potentially challenging collaboration: directing children. “Karin’s sensitivity and care for the youth story is an inspiring reminder of our connection to our childhood and furthermore its importance,” he says. “Working with younger actors is a challenge I'm very much looking forward to in future. Karin reminds me of the beautiful possibilities that can surface from that challenge.”

“The more stories we tell, the richer and more inclusive our culture gets,” Heberlein pointed out. Still, “how can you tell stories if you don't have a life?” Indeed, in order to tell great, culture-enriching, stories, it is important to seek out remarkable experiences. At the time Heberlein came up with the idea for Sami, Joe and I, she was leading storytelling and filmmaking workshops for 16-year-olds, which reminded her of her own experience of growing up, whilst also giving her new, inspiring, perspectives on young womanhood. 

“From a writer’s perspective, Heberlein’s question inspired me to explore and experience life around me,” Lior Klein reflects, “and not to be afraid to write about personal and meaningful events in my life, because these are the kind of stories only I can tell.”

In December, our students won a spot on ArteKino Festival’s European Youth Jury and met winning director of 'Sami, Joe and I', Karin Heberlein.

Catalyst Partners With ArteKino Festival 2021

Catalyst Students Get Involved With ArteKino Festival 2021

As part of our recent series of Film Production BA workshops on the business of the cinema industry, TV screenwriters Ava Tramer, of Central Park, and Daniel McLellan, of Lost in Space, joined their good friend, programme lead Malachi Rempen, and his students for a live Q&A. Here’s how they climbed the career ladder. 

TV Screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan Share Their Success Secrets

Want to be a TV screenwriter? Then be prepared to climb the career ladder – unless you’ve got great connections, a shining portfolio or, like Mickey Fisher, your first-time script is so remarkable that it fast-tracks you from competition entrant to Steven Spielberg collaborator. “If you have the stomach for a lot of gruelling assistant work, that is still the most reliable path in,” argues Daniel McLellan, writer on the epic sci-fi adventure Netflix series Lost in Space. He and wife Ava Tramer, comedy writer on such animated series as Central Park and Duncanville, recently joined our Film Production Bachelor students for an insightful Q&A session, where they shared just how they rose to the high rungs. 

Hosted by programme lead Malachi Rempen – one of Dan’s film school roommates – the session was part of ‘The Biz’, a series of 12 workshops which introduced our students to the wider business of the cinema industry, emerging and ancillary technologies, and the peripheral worlds of new media and video art – all the while initiating invaluable professional connections.

Ava’s internship on the wildly popular American sitcom The Office, which she initially saw as nothing more than a fun college summer job, was where she had her epiphany moment. Though she subsequently graduated from sociology and went on to work at a yoghurt company, the culture of the writers’ room was hard to shelf. “I realised you could get paid to sit around and play make believe and make jokes with friends,” she recalls of one of the hottest writers’ rooms of the era.

“To work in this industry, you have to be hopeful, you have to have that blind hope that someday this is going to be worth it.”

As it turned out, cute notes, perpetually sharp pencils and neatly hung laundry were Ava’s tickets to getting noticed. At age 20, she was welcomed back to The Office as a personal assistant, where she traded her extra-mile attitude for the privilege of getting her creative voice heard. When a writer’s assistant role opened up, she was immediately recommended, and thus began her ascent to script coordinator and beyond on a number of acclaimed shows. “To work in this industry, you have to be hopeful,” she said, “you have to have that blind hope that someday this is going to be worth it.”

After film school, Dan worked his way up the production ladder at Fox. Yet, just when he was about to get his name on the door, he realised that the ladder was resting on the wrong wall – a wall that, although much shorter, would never lead him to the peak of his creative potential. His leap of faith to an assistant role at another company paid off: his impressive work acumen and dedication to building relationships earned him a promotion to writer’s assistant, despite not having any relevant experience.

“If you prove yourself as a hard worker at your assistant job and you have a creative mind, eventually you can start pitching ideas verbally, in the [writers’] room, and contributing to the discussion,” Dan explained. “Then if those go over well, a lot of times you will be given the opportunity to write freelance.” In fact, that’s exactly how it panned out for Dan. A freelance opportunity to write one episode of Lost in Space (season two, episode seven) led to his recruitment as a staff writer.

Robot saves Gypsy | Lost in Space - 2x07

One of the many traits Ava and Dan share is an excellent ability to read the room – sensing when it’s appropriate to put forth ideas to their superiors and when it’s best to zip it. One stellar piece of advice they shared is to never show an unfinished or unpolished script. “Never show a script unless you’re happy with it,” Ava advised. “Opinions are formed so early.” Dan added that “you only get a first read once and you have to protect people’s unvarnished opinion.” He also stressed that you should focus on being the best at your job before you even think about stepping outside of your lane or asking for a promotion. Being the perfect writer’s assistant is not just about being a good writer or a fast note-taker. It’s about taking the initiative to offer an ear to the writers and, above all, making life as easy as possible for the showrunner.

“I wish I had known earlier that the things you don’t get make you available for the things you were meant to get.”

It took each of them a good decade to clamber up to their current positions. Naturally, our students were eager to discover any “cheat codes” that might help them skip a few rungs – or at least make for a smoother ascent. Dan made the point that viewing culture, and culture as a whole, have changed greatly over those ten years. As a result, both the career progression and the challenges encountered may be different. One advantage: toxic behaviour in the film and TV industries is on its way out. One potential drawback: TV shows are more plentiful but do not continue for as many series, meaning writers always have to have their eyes on the next gig.

Dan also shared some brilliant advice that he would give to his younger self. “I wish I had known earlier that the things you don’t get make you available for the things you were meant to get. So much of this job is getting rejected,” he revealed. “You need to navigate rejection and not let it bring you down. A lot of what this job is is finding the right fit for you. Secondly, get good at taking notes and hearing feedback in a positive and productive way and don’t push back against people who are giving you constructive criticism. There is no such thing as a bad or false note...all you can do is either chalk it up to taste or you can take the note and...try to address it…You want to be able to hear it and graciously take it.”

Above: Still from the Central Park episode ‘A Decent Proposal,’ co-written by Ava Tramer

Ava would tell her younger self not to compare herself to other people. “Don’t feel bad and beat yourself up about what other people are doing...the main path is working harder than everyone else.” According to Ava, it really is the difference between hanging up the dry cleaning and leaving the laundry bag on the floor; simply checking a script for errors or offering polite suggestions.

Screen Acting tutor Ariane Mason, who sat in on the discussion, asked the duo for their outlook on the future of the industry: “What do you think are going to be the big trends? What are we going to be watching in five years’ time?” Ava suggested that, due to the pandemic, we can expect more uplifting content for the next couple of years, and that the popularity of movie theatres may continue to decline since ‘Netflix and chill’ became the new normal. 

“I think we’re seeing a return to a mid-level, lower budget, lower IP [intellectual property] original feature,” Dan suggested. “If you’re comfortable in that space, you might have a better shot at making an original film. If your goal is to get your work out there and you don’t care about it being a conversation piece [part of an existing movie franchise], it’s a good time for a lot of people.”

Read our round up from screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan's Q&A on the TV writing career ladder with Catalyst Film Production students.

Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan's TV Screenwriting Success Secrets

The Biz /// TV Screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan Share Their Success Secrets

As part of our recent series of Film Production BA workshops on the business of the cinema industry, director and producer Waheed AlQawasmi  joined tutor Jon-Carlos Evans and his students for a live Q&A. Read our round-up. 

'Jacir' Director Waheed AlQawasmi Shares His Advice to Aspiring Producers

Is filmmaking a chance to live many lifetimes? Or is life a chance to make many films? Emmy award-winning director and producer Waheed AlQawasmi would probably agree with the latter, having invested the past four years of his life working tirelessly on his labour of love, his first indie feature film Jacir, alongside running his production company.

“Everyone expects Mike Tyson to train when he wants to win the world championship, but for some reason they don’t want to apply that to art.”

“Everyone expects Mike Tyson to train when he wants to win the world championship, but for some reason they don’t want to apply that to art,” the former Fox Television creative director told our Film Production Bachelor students in a recent online Q&A session. “It’s like, no, I want to win… You have to put two, three years of working 18-hour days on something you love, to build [something] that’s your own, that no one can take away from you.”

Hosted by tutor Jon-Carlos Evans, the session was part of ‘The Biz’, a series of 12 workshops which introduced our students to the wider business of the cinema industry, emerging and ancillary technologies, and the peripheral worlds of new media and video art – all the while initiating invaluable professional connections.

Jacir explores the unlikely friendship developed between its eponymous protagonist, an orphaned Syrian refugee who settles in Memphis, Tennessee – the city to which Waheed himself emigrated as a teenager – and Meryl, a reclusive opioid addict who is fearful of the local immigrants. Meryl is played by Lorraine Bracco, the Oscar-nominated supporting actress of Goodfellas – one of the movies Waheed grew up watching in his native Jordan in the formative years of his filmmaking interest. 

How did he go from watching Bracco to directing her 20 years later? It would be tempting to talk of fate. Yet, what we learnt in our two hours with the creative powerhouse is that his shining career is built of solid graft, painted with passion and glazed with luck. The Jacir project began with a promising script. What Waheed didn’t anticipate were the many obstacles that lay ahead on his journey to realising it.

“If I’d have known it would take four years to make that film, I’m not sure I would have gone down that road,” he revealed. Taking on the production and securing the funding was only the beginning of an uphill struggle. Waheed scheduled the shooting to begin in May 2020. When the pandemic hit, he decided to employ his logistics mastery to keep on pushing. That included staggering the schedule of the cast and crew and rethinking entire scenes to eliminate mask-wearing crowds and to comply with hygiene regulations – a huge addition to the workload and to the budget. Jacir is currently in post-production, which Waheed and his team are aiming to complete in under six months. “There are five original songs in the movie that two of the characters sing,” he shared. “That’s a lot of work. That’s like producing an album in addition to a movie, that you have to merge into that world of the movie.”

Above: Jacir starring actress Lorraine Bracco with director Waheed AlQawasmi. Photo from the Jacir Instagram.

“Don’t forget, even if it is your first time as a director, that person still chose to do the project with you… they are already coming to you with respect for who you are, so now you have to earn that respect. And sometimes you earn it by collaborating, and I like to collaborate.”

Just like Jon-Carlos, Waheed has worked in nearly every role on set, allowing him to lead in his various roles with a great deal of empathy and humility. Valuing the experience of his collaborators, he is not afraid to work with their feedback. “Lorraine gives the gift of having worked with directors who shaped the whole industry, so she helps you change that hat,” he said. “It’s really about the people that are around you. If you can function in different capacities and it’s hard to do it all at once on the same day, it’s about the people around you and how they know to get your attention, because they come in with things to solve, not problems, with solutions...I wasn’t intimidated directing Lorraine because, at the end of the day, what I know is this: we’re all human. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen someone on TV or how big of an idol they are...Don’t forget, even if it is your first time as a director, that person still chose to do the project with you… they are already coming to you with respect for who you are, so now you have to earn that respect. And sometimes you earn it by collaborating, and I like to collaborate.”

What was Waheed’s biggest advice to aspiring producers? “You have to put it in your head that you’re there for the movie, and you’re there for everyone else there,” he explained. “You’re the person that builds the table that everyone else is going to stand on... The most crucial part in producing – especially if you’re a creative producer, meaning you really have good creative ideas – is learning how to manage creatives. It’s called herding cats. Herding creative cats? Super hard… And go learn budgeting. Budgeting is very important. You have to be honest with yourself about the numbers. You have to be honest about the capabilities. If you hear a crazy idea, you’ve got to steer and shepherd that whole thing away…”

“That’s my best advice for producing: learn math and learn how to handle different people’s personalities.” He also stressed that having fun with whatever you are doing should be a priority. “When I’m not having fun, I’m not as effective,” he said, revealing that it is by applying his director’s creativity to even the most unexciting production tasks that he gets the most enjoyment out of his work.

When Jon-Carlos opened up the Q&A to the students, Jonah asked what everyone was thinking: how does Waheed juggle so many projects within his marathon workdays without getting overly stressed? Honest communication is key. “As long as you’re calm, everyone else around you will be calm,” he said. It’s something he’s learnt from being on sets – the learning by doing we value above all at Catalyst. “It’s just doing it over and over. It becomes a part of you; it’s like breathing. And you don’t think about breathing.”

Read our round up from Jacir director and producer Waheed AlQawasmi's Q&A on the cinema industry with Catalyst Film Production students.

‘Jacir’ Director Waheed AlQawasmi Shares His Filmmaking Advice in Q&A

The Biz /// ‘Jacir’ Director Waheed AlQawasmi Shares His Filmmaking Wisdom in Q&A

Our second-year Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation students present their end-of-year projects: an exciting array of interactive installations which explored one of the most exciting emergent applications of VFX technology.

VFX19 - Second Year Final Projects

Want to become a visual artist tomorrow? Then it’s essential to master the digital tools of today. Fluency in cutting-edge software and cross-media technology not only exponentially expands the palette of creative expression, but it places creators in the optimal position to contribute to the design of future realities. That’s why our Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation courses give powerful insight into diverse subject areas – including filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, 3D animation, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, installation and interactive art – all the while fostering the independence, open-mindedness and awareness to become an exceptional artist. 

Our second-year students’ recent exhibition of their interactive installation projects demonstrated one of the most exciting creative applications of VFX technology. Blurring the boundaries between the artwork and the experiencer, such installations focus on active play and experimentation rather than passive spectation – the perfect way to make an impact on today’s engagement-hungry world. 

Though all of the students began their project from the same foundation – taught by programme lead Matthieu Schmit and tutor Paulina Greta – it was thrilling to see where their unique interpretations led them. Diego SanJuan Villanueva combined a laser grid with motion capture technology and sound to explore how the movement of the different participants affected the visuals and frequencies. Leander Blaschke adeptly employed an assortment of cutting-edge software to create a striking VR space game. Freddy Gutierrez beautifully combined laser light sensors with cymatics. And Margarita Govedarska encouraged her participants to guide their projected external bodies with the feelings induced by the dynamic frequencies in their ears. In short, the exhibition was emergent storytelling at its finest.

"This experience was one of the most exhausting and challenging, but first and foremost creatively and emotionally fulfilling, projects I've ever worked on."

"This experience was one of the most exhausting and challenging, but first and foremost creatively and emotionally fulfilling, projects I've ever worked on," says Leander Blaschke about his VR project. "I not only learned so much about efficiency, patience, software and, of course, working with people and their feedback. I was also able to professionally dive into a field that I, as an artist as well as a consumer, have genuinely loved and enjoyed since I was a child. All the  knowledge about myself and the pipeline that I was able to gather makes me very confident going forward on the path as a creative person. And in the end, seeing people's enjoyment playing this small demo of mine made all the work worth it. I really want to keep on working on this project in the future and integrating the feedback I received so I can maybe properly launch it as a game at some point."

Second-year Catalyst Berlin Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation students present their interactive visual art installations in this video.

Creating Visual Art Installations with VFX Technology

Step Inside Our Second-Year Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Students’ Interactive Visual Installations

Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation student Tommaso Capruzzi shares what he loves about learning his craft at Catalyst. Photography by our recent intern: designer, photographer and filmmaker Aurélie Nydegger.

What I love about Visual Effects is the absolute freedom. You can create things that exist only in your imagination. You can create stories that you can't tell, you can't see. You have the greatest freedom of imagination and you can create whatever you want. There really are infinite possibilities. 

The first year at Catalyst was an introduction to the craft and art of VFX. In the first semester, we started with the basics of everything, like filmmaking in general, production, directing, post production, flash colours, how the camera works, compositing a set. We are a bit like cinematographers. We don't spend all day in front of a computer building our world in 3D. There are several stages before that.

When a project starts, we meet before we set up and it's always different, unless it's all CGI, like in advertising for example. On a film shoot, I have to be part of the crew to supervise and make sure that everything – camera, shot, lights and all the little electrical things – are in place. It's important for my VFX production that everything is perfectly placed, so that I don't have any problems with realism or perspective when I start editing and special effects on my computer.

 "It's a group effort, you'll never work alone in a VFX production."

In VFX we learn to use 2D and 3D Photoshop, After Effects, and also the various editing software. We also have to learn how to analyse film footage in order to optimise our work, because in essence we are creating a virtual film, like a video game. Throughout the year we make small projects, both personal and in collaboration with other sections of Catalyst, such as the film and music students, not to mention the actors. It's a group effort, you'll never work alone in a VFX production.

Photographer Aurelie Nydegger presents her portrait of Catalyst Berlin Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation student Tommaso Capruzzi.

Aurélie Nydegger Photographs VFX student Tommaso Capruzzi

A Snapshot of Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Student Tommaso Capruzzi by Aurélie Nydegger 

Our recent intern, designer, photographer and filmmaker Aurélie Nydegger photographs Creative Film Production MA student Leonardo Greco and asks him to chat about his work.

Leonardo Greco was born and raised in Catania, Italy. While studying in “Liceo Scientifico” (scientific high school) he got closer to the arts, with special regard to cinema. After graduating, he decided to follow his passion by enrolling in Catalyst’s Film Production Bachelor. He’s now continuing his journey with us as a Master’s student in Creative Production.  Besides his commitment to school, he has had the chance to work as a freelancer on side projects such as commercials, music videos for local artists and short films. His latest film, You Don’t Know Them, which he wrote and directed, was awarded Best Short Film at the Mexico International Film Festival. Leonardo is currently working on two short films and the script of his first feature film. I asked him to tell us more about his work.

I decided to make films because it makes me happy. It's the thing in the world that makes me smile. We live in a world where you exist through your work. Imagine not being happy when you go to work. I tried a few activities when I was a kid, and film was always the feeling that brought me the most passion, the most joy. So I thought, why not write stories, do something about it, create? I tried it and then I loved it. Every day I'm more excited to go to work. There are a lot of challenges, but it makes me feel alive. It's a way to express myself and make my dreams come true.

For me, film is about telling a story. When we tell it, we decide to mix images and sounds, and we choose the format, the shots, and the actors to tell our story. The story can be anything, because cinema has a lot of freedom, no limitations. You can express your dreams with a film. It's like writing a book but bringing to life what you saw in your head. It's really free as an expression, without limits. It's a new art, without many rules. Before I was a filmmaker, I was a cinephile. I watched a film to lose myself in the story, to feel something. If it was an action film, I was excited, a horror film I was scared, if it was a drama I felt the emotion of the character. When I make a film, I want others to feel what cinema made me feel as a child. Maybe my subconscious wants to send a message through my film.

An example is the story I'm working on. At one moment, two characters meet who were not supposed to. This creates interest and suspense. I like that moment of anticipation when I'm telling and seeing a story, because you didn't expect it and what happens next. I like people's reaction as well as my own. Stories that surprise you and bring you new things, things you didn't expect. That's why I particularly like the writing stage. I write while waiting for a response from the audience. It's always a surprise for me to see the reaction of others to one of my films. I never get tired of it.

"How can we aim for a better future if nobody is leading the way?"

This short film is something I am personally attached to because four years ago I left my home town, Catania, Italy, to come to Berlin to study. After a long time abroad I, for the first time, felt I didn’t belong anywhere. I felt out of place in Berlin, just like I did when I was in Catania. If you don’t have a home, you have nothing, and if you have nothing, what’s left? You. And here we have the big question: who am I? Or worse, who am I expected to be? In my case, the answer seems to be ‘a man’, but what does it mean to be a man? Do I have to be strong? Do I have to be powerful? Do I need to have a lot of women? Am I allowed to have feelings? I’m a bit confused, who could I look up to? Some successful men, like Berlusconi? Weinstein? James Bond? Dirty Harry? It is becoming clear that we are living in a moment where masculinity is having its worst crisis and society is not offering any solutions. Toxic men are hunted down, the idols that have fallen are not replaced, leaving all the boys, myself included, without a hero anymore. How can we aim for a better future if nobody is leading the way? 

Dante, the main character of the short, finds himself in a similar place: he doesn’t have a home, he doesn’t have anybody, he is left alone with his quest, to find where he belongs. What he doesn’t know yet is that first he needs to find himself. I truly believe that who we are is defined by our actions and with whom we decide to do them. I think this is something worth telling, something worth sharing. 

Photographer Aurelie Nydegger presents her portrait of Creative Film Production MA student and freelance filmmaker Leonardo Greco.

Read all about it

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Film MA Student Jennifer Jo Stokka on Her Cinematic Study of the Psyche

Film MA Student Alexandra Concordia on the Ecstasy of Creation

Visual Effects and the Future of Performing Arts

Get a Taste of Our Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Course

Catalyst Students Get Involved With ArteKino Festival 2021

The Biz /// TV Screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan Share Their Success Secrets

The Biz /// ‘Jacir’ Director Waheed AlQawasmi Shares His Filmmaking Wisdom in Q&A

Step Inside Our Second-Year Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Students’ Interactive Visual Installations

A Snapshot of Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Student Tommaso Capruzzi by Aurélie Nydegger

A Snapshot of Film MA Student Leonardo Greco by Aurélie Nydegger

We Chat to Visual Artist Aurélie Nydegger About Her Striking Creative Vision

The Biz /// Filmmaker Carman Ho Shares Her Film Industry Advice in Q&A

The Biz /// Cinematographer Kevin Klein Shares His Film Industry Advice in Q&A

Short Film & Practical FX Sensation Craig Murray Shares What Fuels His Creativity

Filmmaker Jayden Bailey on His FEST 2020 Selected Film ‘Not Olives’

'Menarca' Filmmaker & Catalyst NoBerlinale Guest Lillah Halla on Feeding the Power of Imagination

Binge-Worthy Extras For Our Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Students

Meet Our Roster of Specialist Guest Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Tutors