Creativity Unleashed: Jake Yuzna's Approach to Diverse and Conscious Filmmaking
JAKE YUZNA
Show Notes:
Welcome back to another captivating episode of The Slow Dive. In today's exploration, we're gifted with the insights of Jake Yuzna, a beacon of independent cinema. Hailing from the snowy landscapes of Minneapolis, Jake brings us a world steeped in passion for filmmaking that transcends the ordinary. Join your host, Farida Rafique, as we navigate the intricate dance of passion and craft in the film industry.
Together, we'll unearth the essence of Film North's Inclusive and Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab, an initiative born from the heart of societal movements and Jake's deep-seated desire to reshape the narrative of storytelling. This conversation promises to venture through the trials of indie film visibility amidst the digital age, the import of collaborative frequency in creative endeavors, and the profound impact of personal callings on the cinematic journey.
Expect to delve into the rigors and revelations of Jake's time at the American Film Institute, the nuances distinguishing filmmakers from directors, and the often misunderstood role of the producer in bringing art to life. As we discuss the complexities of project collaboration, we celebrate Jake's artistic upbringing and their unyielding drive to champion diversity within the film community through the lab's global outreach.
Takeaways:
- Jake Yuzna's Background and Experience
- Emphasizing the importance of caring and craftsmanship in filmmaking
- The role of individual passion in contributing to a project's success
- Challenges of visibility in a dense platform landscape
- Finding like-minded creatives and aligning on a shared vision
- Benefits of formal film education
- Film North Inclusive and Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab
- Childhood influences from a diverse artistic family
- Early engagement with technology in a state-run arts high school
- Debut feature film "Open" and the experiences working with a small crew
- Jake Yuzna's ongoing genre film projects
Music Credit: Artist: Sero Song Title: DIVE
About Guest:
Jake Yuzna is a Minneapolis-based writer, director, and curator. Their films have been presented at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, London Film Festival, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Walker Art Center, and the British Film Institute, among others. In addition, their work has been broadcast nationally as well as on cable in the US, across Europe, and streamed internationally on Netflix.
Yuzna is the first American feature director to win the Teddy Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and has received additional awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital Foundation, Frameline Foundation, McKnight Foundation, IFP MN, FilmNorth, as well as a Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Film Institute.
Yuzna founded the cinema program at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC where they curated the first American retrospectives on VHS, Italian Zombie Films, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Sion Sono, and the medium of VHS. In addition, Yuzna has curated retrospectives on Andrei Tarkovsky, Godfrey Reggio, Crispin Glover, HR Giger, Roy Andersson, and the Science Fiction cinema of the 1990s.
Their scholarship has been collected by the libraries at Yale University and NYU.
