Today we’d like to introduce you to Ziggy Mrkich. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Ziggy Mrkich is the Founder and Festival Director of the San Pedro International Film Festival in Los Angeles. She freelanced as a photographer in her native Australia for several music magazines and national newspapers, photographing major acts during the early 90’s. She began a short career in radio as a deejay until she completed studies in Photography/Film & TV at the Western Australian College of Media Design and Fine Arts. She lived in Croatia from the age of 13 to 19, during the political influence of former Yugoslavia, and came to the United States in 1995 after spending time in Australia, Toronto, and London. Ms. Mrkich has worked as a development executive in Hollywood for several production companies. Ziggy Mrkich founded the Dubrovnik International Film Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia which ran from 2003 to 2006.
Throughout her photography career, Ziggy Mrkich has participated in several photography exhibitions which have included one solo exhibition in Australia and more recently her work was included in the opening of the new Annenberg Community Beach House in partnership with the City of Santa Monica, inaugural Beach Stories exhibition. Ziggy’s photography has also been used in feature films such as No Strings Attached and Paranormal Activity 2.
I studied photography in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia, and learned to use manual Nikon cameras and develop film as well as the black and white printing process. Soon after this, we saw the dawn of the digital camera and Photoshop. Even before I finished school, I started freelancing for local entertainment newspapers and magazines, photographing rock concerts and would come home and work all night to process the film and print up some images, which I hand-delivered to the editor of a magazine. It was about this time that the war broke out in Croatia, and my parents were still living there. I desperately wanted to travel there and become a war photographer. Concert photography was my dream, but seemed frivolous when a war was raging back home, and traveling from Australia was very expensive at the time. I did eventually get to Croatia and traveled near the warzones three times to get to my parents. I just wanted to make sure they were safe.
I watched my mother photograph us using her vintage Rolleiflex TLR camera which was such a beautiful piece of machinery in itself. I was fascinated to look through the lens box from the top and see objects in reverse. I first travelled to Europe when I was 11 years old and begged my parents to have my own camera, however, the one I received was my very much older brother’s Kodak box brownie and this was 1977! Nevertheless, I was so happy to be snapping away at the Roman Forum in Italy and the heavenly vistas of Dubrovnik, Croatia, from high up on the mountain above the city. This was my first taste as an artist and photographer.
As Founder of Art In Motion, Inc. that oversees the San Pedro Film Festival, we have taken the next step and started a community radio station KCLA-LPFM 100.7FM in San Pedro.
I enjoy taking photos while I walk my dog along the coastline in San Pedro, the area is so beautiful, and it’s not yet been spoilt.
This jumps around a bit as it’s from different sources.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Organizing a film festival and radio station takes dedication and vision. In addition to funding.
What were you like growing up?
I was very shy as a kid. When we moved from Australia to Croatia when it was part of former Yugoslavia, a socialist/communist country, there was also the language barrier, so I had to learn Croatian very quickly in order to keep up with an already progressive level of education.
I was always interested in photography and media.
I stopped eating meat and dairy at 14 and 9 years later, vegan at the age of 23…
Contact Info:
- Website: spiffest.org
- Instagram: @spiffest
- Facebook: @spiffest
- Twitter: @spiffest
- Youtube: spiffest
Image Credits
Moby