Q. Can you tell us more about how growing up in Bucharest influenced your artistic journey?
A. I love the city I was born in for so many reasons. Artistically, I think it influenced me in the sense that it instilled in me a bit of a dark side, this sense of eternal nostalgia, melancholy and longing for better times. It seems very weird to say that these emotions spark something in you on a daily basis. If we are to take a look at the regional cinema- any movie of Tarkovsky’s for example- we, as audiences, can feel this continuous heartbreak for the character or the story itself. And that’s how life can be sometimes where I am from. Even though my personality is very much in opposition with those feelings described, I find myself sometimes being surrounded by this unexplainable nostalgia and I do use it in my art when I need to.
Q. What inspired you to seek color in the arts and film during your childhood?
A. I was fascinated with the world of entertainment from an early age and being exposed to so many sets only made my fascination even more tangible. I wanted to be part of stories and a community so much at that time that I couldn’t even explain it. Although my journey started mainly because my parents saw me dancing at my sisters’ baptism and thought I would enjoy taking classes, I continued to ask them to enroll me in different art classes because I simply loved doing it.
Q. Could you share some details about your latest project, “If trees had eyes”?
A. My latest project is an ambitious, horror border-lining, short independent film in which I play a mystical creature named Crystal. It is set in a quiet forrest that is surrounded by a lonely lake, in which Bell and Will, a couple with deep relationship issues, are hoping to seek refuge from their complicated selves. The story is inspired by Ukrainian folklore, but has personal touches by our director who also wrote the piece.
Q. How has your Romanian heritage shaped your approach to filmmaking and the arts?
A. As I mentioned before, I believe it brought me a feeling of continuous heartbreak that I don’t always feel, but I know it’s there. Outside of that, in terms of characteristics, I think my Romanian heritage definitely influenced my work ethic, my kindness and wanting to be involved in other people’s passion projects.
Q. What themes or messages are you exploring in “If Trees Had Eyes”?
From my point of view, the movie explores messages of self discovery through basically stripping down of all society norms. It is obviously set in a mystical world – we have a character whose existence revolves around a revenge she seeks from men who hurt her, but I believe the idea is to have together three different individuals, each with their own interior conflict, who need to face lust, distraction and resentment in order to move past this phase in their life. It’s a spiritual cleanse journey that all three characters embark.
Q. How do you balance the grey reality of the city with the vibrant creativity of your work?
A. It’s a beautiful metaphor you just described! I would associate the “grey of the city” with real life and all its problems and attach the meaning of a magical escape to the creative world. As an artist, I find the most safe and joyful world in my art and my craft. However, the more I grow up, the more I realize how essential living life is. Going through obstacles and eventually overcoming them ads so much of gravitas to an artist heart. With every experience and emotion, I feel like we evolve as artists. So, without the “grey” of the world we live in, there isn’t much of an escape in our creative world.
Q. What challenges have you faced while working on “If Trees Had Eyes” , and how did you overcome them?
A. We filmed the entire film over five days, all of which were spent in the nature. The challenging part of filming in nature is having to deal with it. All the insects, humidity, cold, scary water lilies and animals having a first class seat to watch you perform are difficult to overcome. There were many scenes in which I had to play with natural elements and act very close to a fire or swim in the cold water at midnight that required my utmost skill of pretending I am enjoying myself or appearing to look fine when I was, actually, not. I was lucky enough to have the greatest cast and crew beside me, because they- literally- held my hand through the most difficult scenes, I was always let known that I do not need to go out of my comfort zone and we used the “green, yellow, red” system for intimacy between actors. Looking back, those challenging scenes became the most memorable and hilarious.
Q. How do you see the cultural landscape of Bucharest influencing contemporary art and film today?
A. I believe there is so much to be influenced about in Bucharest. A perfect combination of the Western European World, which can be found in many districts through its architecture and culture, and the Eastern European World, which can be found in the rest of the districts, carrying the melancholy from the national communist times. I think filmmakers can use this mix of contradictory landscapes to juxtapose the interior conflict of a character, maybe depict a character’s mood or just set up a specific atmosphere.
Q. What’s next for you after “If Trees Had Eyes”?
A. At the moment, I am focused on expanding my network and reconnecting with European filmmakers. I would love to ultimately be able to work in both European and American markets, because I feel they both represent a different kind of art of filmmaking which I find captivating. Outside of that, I am looking forward to getting our movie in the film festival circuit!
