Life & Work with Agnes Shinozaki

Today we’d like to introduce you to Agnes Shinozaki.

Hi Agnes, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
You should never become a filmmaker if you have literally any other option – if anything else makes you happy, you should go for anything else. I never had this choice, filmmaking is the only thing for me.

It all started out with a passion for movies as a child. My aunt and uncle have a movie theater in the south of Brazil and they don’t show Hollywood movies. They have a very specific taste, so they only show independent films, mostly from Europe and other countries around the world and that’s what I grew up watching.

This passion for the screen turned into a fascination for documentaries and journalism, but after my freshman year in college I realized I’d fallen for the myth of journalistic impartiality. Soon it was clear to me I needed honesty and sincerity to be the foundation of my work, and the only way I could achieve that was by not being impartial.

Art is never impartial, it’s your truth revealed to the public in the most uncomfortable ways. But this is how you get to make a difference in someone’s life and that’s the biggest reward I believe I want for my projects. Today I’m a writer and director and all I want is to tell some stories.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been a long journey, but it’s been amazing. Not easy, there was definitely a lot of change and self-reflection involved.

There’s not a lot of support and incentive for art where I’m from, in Brazil. The film industry is still really small. And definitely, there are very few people that call themselves artists.

I believe the deepest change I went through was accepting that I am an artist and that I believe in myself enough to stick to the path I chose. I do not have a plan B, so I’m just working towards growing in the industry.

I made it to Los Angeles three years ago when I was 25, after dreaming about it every day for six years, finishing journalism school in São Paulo and living in Australia for a little while.

Right now, I’m going through the biggest challenge of them all: I just became a mother. My daughter is now five months old and I’ve grown a whole bunch since she was born. Now that everything’s changing in my world, I have to rearrange my life and creative style entirely. Becoming a mother changes the way you see every single thing and I’m sure it’s going to change me as a filmmaker as well.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like to think I’m a visual storyteller altogether. I’m a writer, director and editor mainly. I’m in love with every step of production and shaping the final story.

All the work I do comes straight from my heart and more than ever, I feel like the world is opening up to different points of view. Every artist has something to say. My one and only goal is to invite people to think outside their boxes and take a peek into the mysteries of the Universe, the beautiful ugliness that’s the life of the less privileged, as a Latin woman, as an immigrant and spiritualist.

As a director, I learned from the best how to be trustworthy and reliable to my actors. I believe that’s one of my strongest characteristics. It helps that I have a background in journalism where you need to read people, have your sources trust you and make them comfortable. With everything that I’ve learned over the past few years, I can make my actors so involved that they’ll be willing to dive really deep into the character to achieve their best performance. The feedback I get from them is really rewarding.

I also love to help others bring their visions to life, writing a screenplay or running their set – I’m a tough AD, I’m the one you can call when things are falling apart! I do a great job as a script supervisor, which I love because it connects so much with the editing, and I’ve done my share of lighting work as well, it’s always fun.

As a director, I like to know at least the basics of every department so I know exactly what I want and the changes I want to make on my set. If I’ve worked under each department head, I can be a much better director and lead my team more closely, with more competence and empathy.

Right now, I’m working on finishing my short film LOLLIE, which is based on a true story and shot in Brazil. I’m working on going to festivals and writing the feature screenplay of the story. I can’t wait to finish. You guys will be able to see it on the festival run soon. It’s my best work so far and it’s one of the most touching stories I’ve ever heard.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
At the moment, my main focus is getting my film to the best festivals around the world and I would love to have an experienced producer on board. The logistics are a challenge to me – submissions, paperwork, scheduling – all the things that are extremely necessary.

Other than that, I’m focusing on the feature film of the same story and this is where I want to invest the most from now on. Collaborators are always welcome.

And last but not least, I’m always looking for other stories to bring to life. As a writer and an editor, I can work with other directors/producers and it’s always a pleasure to collaborate.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agnesshinozaki/

Image Credits:
Brian Lau Rafael Marques