My stories
So at one point, I found myself at a loss for love of the art. I was producing constantly generic videos meant to sell or promote, and I wanted more. Or perhaps it was a midlife crisis, who knows. In anycase, it was then that I quit my day job as a producer in Canadian TV, and decided to go with passion projects. Looking back, I can’t say it was the most financially sound idea, but it did create a whole new trajectory for me, where I began making short films, documentaries, stories, and best case examples of communities that strove for inclusion, sustainability and social transformation. Below, you’ll find a wide range of stories. From documentaries to dramatic short films, sci-fi to expose’s. This is all part of my work over the last few decades – enjoy the variety.
Short films
My first short film was Dr. Zack. It was a micro-budget film Mostly funded by Bahanur, my soulmate, who believed in me and my absurd dreams (for some odd reason.) It was also a family affair, my sister helped on set, my mom cooked and I felt like Scorcese for a while. The film was my first experiment in establishing a film language of sorts.
I’ve created more since then, and you’ll find them all below. Each and every one is an over-reach, an attempt to somehow attain the technological capacity and shine of mainstream cinema, without the resources. Yes, each and every film is a micro-budget production.
I have since, changed my stance on aesthetics and cinema, and experimented with what I call “poetic explorations” in storytelling from a first person perspective, however I do have to admit that everything I do does possess a deep knowledge of the materiality of film – and as such, is fluid and “smooth.”.
A common thread among them all is obviously systemic critique, and an indispensable sense of fatalism. I have since discovered Gramsci and now believe, despite the dominance of the system, a counter hegemonic path is possible.
Fear and Public Space
From the State of the Art document regarding the term: “Women’s personal fears limited their use of public space in the city and is rooted in the socio-sexual construction of space and the feeling of illegitimacy that women experience in public space: it is by transgressing spatial or temporal boundaries (travelling at night) that they expose themselves to the risk of violence (Pain, 1997). Women are therefore forced to conform to what is expected of them in the public space, on pain of being exposed to harassment or violence.” FairMobility aims to improve mobility frameworks for women and gender minorities in small towns and rural-urban areas, where accessibility issues are major. The main objective is to increase women’s empowerment: legitimacy, sense of safety and pleasure, when moving around the city.
Bioyoutoon
BioYouToon is an Erasmus funded international cooperation project that uses comics and webtoons to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation among young people.
By merging art, storytelling, and science, the project transforms complex ecological concepts into engaging, accessible narratives that inspire action and curiosity.
Through workshops, training modules, and collaborative toolkits, participants developed original stories and illustrations that explore themes like species conservation, urban ecosystems, and human-nature relationships. You can access the outputs of the project here.
POSEIDON
POSEIDON is a collaborative EU initiative designed to facilitate the transformation of existing urban districts into Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) by integrating energy, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. The project focuses specifically on Mediterranean cities, which share not only similar climatic conditions but also common cultural practices and social structures.
Within this framework, I contribute by aiding the designing and implementing Urban Living Labs, as well as developing methodologies, exhibitions, and films that engage communities in co-creating their energy futures. Wonderland’s (hence my) role emphasizes participatory approaches and artistic research to translate technical challenges into accessible, actionable narratives—empowering residents, municipalities, and stakeholders to collaboratively shape resilient and inclusive energy systems.