Emmanuella Zachariou
Born: Melbourne, Australia — 1996 / Living: New York City, NY
Still from Are You There, directed by Reinis Spaile, on which Zachariou was Director of Photography.
Interview by Speciwomen — December 2015
Speciwomen: How did you get into cinema?
Emmanuella Zachariou: I got into cinema by taking an Experimental Cinema pre-college class at San Francisco Art Institute when I was 15. It was so refreshing to see how there were such a variety of films out there that were from all sides of the spectrum. I learnt how to develop my own 16mm and super 8 film, shoot on a Bolex, splice and tape film, and so much more. The 16mm film I did for the final, became the official music video for Captured Tracks band Holograms and got premiered on Interview + SPIN magazine! It changed my life for the better.
S: Who inspires you?
EZ: Ingmar Bergman, Wong Kar Wai, Maya Deren, Jaromil Jires, Aela Labbe, and all types of music.
S: Are you working on anything currently?
EZ: I'm currently editing my final film for class. It's a 16mm short about a geisha who discovers a temple in which she is not familiar with. Since I am a cinematography major, it's more cinematography oriented and visual than narrative based.
S: Do you have other interests?
EZ: Photography! I always take my 35mm camera everywhere I go and constantly take photos. I don't think you can be a cinematographer without a solid photography foundation. So in a way it's kind of like a fun way of practicing my craft
S: What are your favorite places?
EZ: My room back home in California, anywhere in San Francisco (especially the Sutro Bath ruins), Chinatown, and wherever my family is.
S: Do you have future plans?
EZ: My future plans consist of finishing my degree and freelancing. I really want to direct and shoot more music videos too.
S: How is being a woman shaping your life today?
EZ: Honestly it's a bit more of a challenge being a female, especially in film. People tend to not take you as seriously and underestimate your talents. It's very competitive and jealous people will always try and make you feel like you aren't good or try to discourage you, but this only motivates me to do even better... I admire all successful female DP's in the field for getting to where they are today and it's very inspiring!
Emmanuella Zachariou is an award winning director and cinematographer currently living in New York City. She is concentrating on both directing and cinematography. Zachariou graduated from School of Visual Arts in New York and is currently residing there directing and shooting music videos, fashion films, and shorts.