they ask if i get homesick...

our super 8 short film (in nyc)!

I’m so excited to finally be able to share a little Super 8 film my friend Denis and I made!

When I was last in New York City, I brought my Super 8 camera with me despite a few projects falling through! I knew I would still be able to capture something fun in my favourite city, and as luck would have it…once I arrived, my talented friend Denis Gutiérrez-Ogrinc (check out his website and instagram!) immediately said “let’s make something!” when he saw it! I didn’t even have to ask!

We both bonded over our love for NYC and Paris, and as I had been living in Paris earlier that year, I couldn’t help but enjoy how often the two cities get compared. Although they are totally different from each other at first glance, they complement each other perfectly with a similar spirit and common interests. For example, thousands of lovers of art, literature, film, food, fashion, and history etc., flock to both cities on a daily basis.

Another commonality both cities have are the Statue of Liberty! I would often laugh at just how many times I would accidentally stumbled upon a mini Statue of Liberty in Paris (why are there SO many?)! Of course, the French were the ones that gifted New York their now iconic statue as a symbol of their shared values, friendship, and celebration of USA’s 100 years of independence. France gave critical financial and military support to America during their revolution to help them gain independence from Britain, France’s “forever foe”. In fact, France pretty much went bankrupt helping America, which was a major contributor to their own revolution less than a decade later!

So, if Paris or New York interest you, please lend 1min and 20sec of your time to watch our short film :)

Here is the accompanying poem in the film!

they ask
if I get homesick…
but France is enveloped
in the cracks
of this city.
and Lady Liberty,
the “mother of exiles”,
lends a light
in our joined revolutions.
No one
with an appetite for ambition,
could resist a bite
from The Big Apple.
We don’t hide
from rats
eating the core
of the underground,
or seeds of ghosts
in The Whispering Walls.
The push and pull
of appointments and first dates
makes seas of strangers
dock on common ground.
But sometimes,
I race.
through the chaos of concrete windows
scraping at the sky
I race.
through my heart beating for an old flame,
…Paris…
I race,
to find my prize:
the perfect place
to rest my eyes
in The City That Never Sleeps.

Thanks so much to Steffi and Thomas who helped us with this passion project (the first translation of one of my poems into another language was a fun experience!), and especially to our director Denis, who lifted my creative spirits and always inspires me with his work.

P.S. This is my first public introduction to my YouTube channel!! Please subscribe, comment, and like if you can, I’m going to need all the cheerleading I can get for this new journey😂!