Check out Dominique Schilling’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique Schilling.

Dominique, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Germany, Italy and Switzerland. My father was an internationally successful music producer and my mother ran a music publishing company. As a result, my childhood consisted of rock concerts and a wealth of time spent in recording studios.

When I was 12, my mother and I moved to Tuscany. We lived in a community of artists, musicians, painters, and theatre performers. They had a more intellectual, deeper, artistic approach to their work. Both of these experiences shaped me. After theatre school, I decided that I wanted to direct, so I went to film school. I directed music videos, commercials, short films, and then made my first feature film called “A Reason”. I started Risberg Schilling Productions with Caroline Risberg in 2012. I’m currently writing a new film, which I will also direct and am working as a writer with Byron James on an international TV series about humanitarian Dirk Planert – who saved many lives during the Bosnian War – for producers Kim Planert and Taylor Lawrence.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a writer and director, I think of myself as a storyteller. I tell stories about people’s lives, their joys, and their struggles. Hope is always my key message, but I also write a lot about the importance of family.
I often ask the question: If we are not led by our hearts, by our compassion, our sense of justice, then what are we? I tell stories with the desire that my audience can relate and identify with them. If someone walks away from seeing one of my films feeling even a little a bit more understood and a little less alone in the world, then I’ve done my job.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
Many people will tell you that they’ve been in the business “forever” and that they know exactly how your career will go. They say they know what you can or can’t do, because they’ve seen a million people just like you. I have learned that these words carry absolutely no weight. They are meaningless. You alone know what you can achieve.
Do what you love, follow your goals, be passionate, and persistent. Take advice, but always consider the source. Never let anyone take your fire, you need to be heard.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My film “A Reason” has had a limited theatrical release and was released OnDemand and DVD. It is currently available on streaming services. People can support my work by watching my past and future films and by supporting other female directors and independent voices.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.risbergschilling.com
• Twitter: @domschilling

Image Credit:
Risberg Schilling Productions

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