We were lucky to catch up with Andres Irias recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andres thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Although every project I’ve made (Perception, Synchronic, Rememory as the latest) is meaningful to a certain extent because of the people I have the pleasure of working/being creative with, I can’t deny that the project I am currently working on could be one of the most meaningful ever.

The short film titled Walküre, is actually the last short film I will develop. I have always been wanting to make feature films and naturally I will transition to those, but Walküre feels like the perfect last short to go out with a bang.

Walküre is a short film inspired by true events that took place in the 1940’s in Nazi Germany. Having read the story Walküre is inspired by haunted me ever since I discovered it back in 2018. Walküre is meant to capture what I love about a dramatic, thrilling and compelling story filled with twists and turns. This would be the first time I’d need my team to build an entire and 1940 authentic set. It is the first time that I’d direct actors who would speak in the film in other languages (German, and Sign language). These are just a few of the many new challenges that I am facing for this project and that excites me. Nothing from Walküre feels like a safe bet and that process keeps me on my toes.

Through Walküre, I have the opportunity to apply everything that I have learned on my previous films and elevating it. So much of that entails a complex and tough development process that as of this moment, has already made it an almost impossible film to execute, but one that can deliver as the screenplay alone has won over 10 awards internationally.

This short film has taken a while to come together, so much so that its been over six months since I started my development process. Many have recommended me to quit on the film and move on, but instead, it drives me to further making Walküre possible. Not only do I have a responsability to myself to not quit halfway through, it is also my responsability to shed a light to a true story that most would not have thought as possible, just as I did when I first read the news article on it.

This entire process alone, even if tedious or stressful at times, has already made it a meaningful project. It has proved to me how much I believe in it, but also how much I care for the story behind it. I’ve discovered through film that sometimes, entertainment can be educational. Loads of historical moments that I was never taught in school, I’ve learned through Film & TV. It is only fulfilling to realize that a film like Walküre might not only entertain, but also open the eyes of an audience to subjects that were once thought of as impossible (if ever even having crossed their minds to begin with).

Andres, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Honduran Filmmaker based in Miami, FL. that attended New York Film Academy.

My films have been awarded and selected in over eighty film festivals up to this date. All of the work I’ve directed has also been written and produced by me.

These films have garnered attention through multiple articles, both domestic and internationally. This has allowed not only my work to be discovered by audiences on an international scale, it has also allowed the people I’ve worked with to be discovered by others for future productions.

I am a former Brand Ambassador for KODAK Motion Picture and Film, as well as a former Programmer for the Miami Independent Film Festival.

Out of my latest short films, “Reverie” was distributed by PBS. “Perception” was acquired by Amazon Prime. “Synchronic” and “Rememory” have been acquired by the streaming platform PICCEN.

Apart from currently working on my last short film Walküre, I am also developing four feature films. The first of the four to enter production will be a psychological thriller titled “Imago” (expected for release in 2024).

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Freedom is the short answer. That depends entirely on the filmmaker and if he/she negotiates properly, but I have been lucky to have been entirely free to be creative with no one above me changing anything that affects the overall story/narrative that I am trying to put together.

The other side to freedom is the fact that this is what I have been wanting to do since I am a kid. I respect 9 to 5 jobs, but they are not for me. I would be miserable if I ever had one, especially those that take place in a cubicle. Not everyone is born to handle or thrive in a cubicle, but the same can be said about art and filmmaking, not everyone is born to do it…

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Non creatives will never understand that our lives as artists (and I can only speak for those that are indie filmmakers, crew and actors) are entirely based on the idea of risk. By nature we jump into a cliff with zero safety net (at least those that truly bet on themselves). Actors hear thousands of “no’s” during auditions, filmmakers hear hundreds of “no’s” for financing, film festivals or distribution. Those that give up were never really meant for this industry, but those that don’t give up… thats because they LOVE film/tv and the art and craft of it all.

So many argue that those in our industry “starve” and so much of that is true, but the same can be said of many famous artists/painters in history who died penniless and are now praised globally. Others argue that what we do is simple, yet our craft is so tough that even we struggle along the way. I know many who have succeeded and many who are still working towards success, but it all boils down to whatever each person decides success means.

This entire process and career is highly emotional, volatile, slow and rapid at the same time. It is not for the faint of heart… yet this is a cliff we all blindly and ever so gladly jump into… but not a cliff that any non creative is willing to even consider. Humans in general want a safety net, stability & fitting in a status quo, but us artists/creatives… we just want to be left the f*ck alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8446468/
• Instagram: andresi09

Image Credits
Jack Kierski