Vicki Psarias
Vicki Psarias is an award-winning writer-director passionate about depicting the untold stories of her community. Her short film Rifts—focusing on warring kebab shop owners—first bought her to the attention of the filmmaking public and her short, Broken won a 4Talent Award in 2007 and was nominated for a Kodak Award for Best Film and Cinematograph Most recently, she has filmed music videos and a documentary for Ten Alps. She is currently working on an animation.
What training have you received?
I got a BA in Media and Communications where I specialised in Documentary and Journalism and then a distinction in my MA in Screen Drama and Direction, both from Goldsmiths’, University of London.
What kind of projects attract you?
I write as well as direct and a lot of my films such as my shorts Broken and Rifts, have been exploring my own Greek Cypriot cultural identity so telling these untold stories of my community and going on my own journey of exploration, are important to me. I want to work on other material too though and other people’s scripts. For a project to attract me, it is always about the story, does it move, entertain or make me gain a different or deeper understanding of the world on a human level-is it universal? For me, cinema is emotion on screen.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a director?
I have been given lots of great advice. My ex lecturer and mentor John Beacham from Goldsmiths’, University of London, who has sadly passed away, always told me to believe in myself and I think that’s so integral to filmmakers. As creatives, we are all often riggled with self doubt but you have to believe in yourself and have passion, it is the only way!
Most significant moment in your career so far
Making my short films and sitting in a cinema at a film festival and watching my work. A recent one was meeting the Prime Minister Gordon Brown when I was the first filmmaker to be one of the 5 finalists for the Daily Mail Make your Mark Enterprising Young Brits Awards 2007 in the Creative Category, for my enterprising approach to filmmaking. I asked him to do more for the British film industry and he promised to try his best! To be acknowledged as an enterprising filmmaker and to meet Gordon Brown was surreal but unforgettable.
You’ll die happy when…
we have world peace and I’ve made lots of feature films, reached my own personal goals and can look back and feel proud of what I’ve achieved as a filmmaker and most importantly as a person!
