Conversations with Anthony Alyassi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Alyassi.

Hi Anthony, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
.Seventh grade.

I wanted nothing more than to take the coveted Karate Elective Class my luckier peers had so highly hyped up. I soon learned this ambition wasn’t exclusive as just about every other teenage boy had signed up for it, and much to my dismay, I was selected for the chopping block. The trimester was starting and with all other classes filled up I was forced to take the last elective with spots remaining — Film Elective Class.

Any other teacher would have treated it as a free period to play the latest action blockbuster while they caught up on tests to grade, but Mr. Anderson was a true cinephile and our class was his theater. We pleaded to watch Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean, instead he screened classics like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Night of the Hunter. Not one film our eyes digested was in color.

I vividly remember by the end of our trimester every single student hated the class….and I knew it was what I was going to do the rest of my life.

I now live in Los Angeles as an independent filmmaker. That credence has never changed.

I moved from my town in SoCal’s desert to California’s biggest city when I got into the University of Southern California (fight on). There I honed my storytelling skills by studying English and Screenwriting which had a profound impact on my relationship with film. Being able to immerse myself in thought-provoking art, whether it watching The 400 Blows, Killer of Sheep or reading The Bluest Eye, Death of a Salesman crucially developed the narratives I desire to tell, and it’s my hope one day I can produce a work that will inspire a student just the same as I was.

While at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts I wrote, directed, and produced my second short film Only Kids See Ghosts, which follows a Mexican-American immigrant dealing with the terrors of sleep deprivation. Having ancesteral roots in Mexico, I knew I wanted to tell a story about the prejudice my community faces, and there was no better genre than horror. I poured my life savings into the film, and fortunately it played exceedinlgy-well in the festival circuit.

My entire journey as a filmmaker has led me to my third short film which is preparing to enter the festival circuit, The Undergraduate. It concerns mental health struggles that students around the world currently face, and it’s my mission to let these individuals know they are not alone in their fight. The Undergraduate was financed by Morning Moon Productions and stars Chandler Riggs of The Walking Dead — we have a great team and I couldn’t be more excited for people to watch it.

The ultimate goal is to develop it into a feature. Wish us luck!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I grew up with cracked roads paved with dirt, pursuing a career within the entertainment industry is no smoother. Truth be told, it’s easy to fixate on the negatives that come with this path, whether it be due to internal or external conflicts, but in actuality I feel the hardships that come with chasing one’s dreams are the entire point. No art worth mentioning derives from an easy, straight-fowardly passive life but rather the obstacles that prevent such bliss are those that mold our artistic perspective the most. For instance, it’s easy for myself to feel isolated as I have no family members in the industry that consumes my life, yet I channel these feelings into my art rather than let them stand in my way.

A great advantage that comes with the film medium as well is how innately collaborative it is, and it’s those that you collaborate so deeply with that will help you the most. I’ve lost count of how many times my friends have supported me through challenges with my films, and I ensure to pay the favor back. You must accept the nature of our work is not easy, but there is no reason to accept you must do it alone.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Every filmmaker has a question that keeps them up at night, and for me “What does it means to be human?” is the one I’ve lost most the sleep over. At this stage of my life, mid-twenties overstuffing my laundry to save me money on a cycle, that answer is to struggle. To struggle is not what defines us, but rather how we react to said struggles. All of the stories I’ve told thus far, whether in the film or literary medium, have centered around this philosophy. No two characters will react the same exact way to a given which excites me the most. There are endless possibilities that can be explored with the objective of providing identification that lingers with an audience member even after said work is done.

The work I’m most proud of is my upcoming third short film, The Undergraduate. It is the best representation of my artistic ability so far. As someone who possessed mental health challenges in college, this is the exact film I needed to see that didn’t exist. I made it knowing I’m not alone in that sentiment. Again, wish us luck. 

What matters most to you?
It feels crass to provide an answer other than family, so in conjuction I would say my identity. Everything I touch in this world is dictated by my identity, whether it be my art, my relationships, my politics, my ambitions, my fears, and so on. One’s identity is the only thing they alone possess in this shared world, and I strongly believe the greatest shame is the willingness to conform it to match societal expectations rather than exemplify how you alone stand out. I once read “Your fear of looking stupid holds you back,” — I couldn’t agree more.

Also my morning doubleshot espresso, couldn’t do any of this without it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anthonyalyassi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthony_alyassi/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-alyassi-429b4b187/?isSelfProfile=true

Image Credits
Joshua Gravitt, Sam Li, Dominic Morales, Josh Berndt