Rising Stars: Meet DJ Furth

Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Furth.

Hi DJ, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a film director and visual artist, currently focused on music videos, tour visuals, and art projects.

One summer a long time ago, a close childhood friend of mine let me borrow a medium-format film camera. I spent the entire summer with it, continuously having my mind blown. It was my first real creative outlet, and I’ve been deeply in love with the process of image-making and capturing the infinite details of humans and nature ever since.

I lived in Beijing and Shanghai for about 15 years before moving to LA last year and am happily becoming less and less of an expat here back home, re-assimilating.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was a serious challenge existing continually outside of my comfort zone while navigating the film industry as an outsider in China. At the same time, I was super fortunate to enter into the world of film and grow there, specifically because I was one of the relatively few foreigners fluent in Chinese and English who were dedicating their energies to more artistically inclined, less commercial filmmaking. It allowed me the flexibility to work on a wide range of project styles which gave me the opportunity to find my own voice.

Being able to engage creatively with the gift of linguistic and cultural fluency as an outsider-foreigner in China was a huge privilege — having that lens with East and West, forming some kind of a blend that felt fresh and honest.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My focus has always been to contribute work to the creative ether that I haven’t seen or experienced — things which I want to see in the world and which would give me inspiration to keep pushing and prodding.

So as a film director, that’s meant investing a lot in personal projects which nobody would give me money to produce but which have fed my creative spirit and kept me engaged and curious.

I’m most proud of two series of motion portraits that I created in China — Portraits of Sound and Portraits of An Other. They’re conceived as living paintings designed for digital frames, designed to slow damn, calm the nervous system and engage with the material and themes.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I find the film and video industry to be inherently unpredictable. I just try my best to stay in my lane and do my thing with people I love and share a certain sensibility with. The wild industry rollercoaster’s gonna do its thing but the genuine connections with collaborators keep me sane and are the only reliable thing to weather the storms.

That said, there’s no doubt we’ll all need to stay nimble and adapt to changes in technology and cultural nuances and tastes to make projects which remain relevant, resonant, and entertaining.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.djfurth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djfurth/

Image Credits
Portraits of Sound poster design by Vladimir Crvenkovic aka Wc7.