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

Hi Andres, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The latest project we’ve recently shot and we’ve got in post production as we speak is titled #Ladyfinger. This short film is currently the most meaningful because it pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I am a perfectionist by nature and very meticulous on every aspect of building together a film, and this time around, since this was a short film for the 48 Hour Film Project, it all went out the window.

It required me to write a script, put together a cast and crew, film and deliver a film within 48 hours. The limitations, lack of time, budget and sudden setbacks allowed me to discover aspects of both the cast and crew that I did not know of and that ended up enhancing the quality of the film and frankly… are the reason there is even a film in the first place.

I tend to be very picky to a fault as to of every angle, line delivery, lighting that should deliver what I envision… but with #Ladyfinger, I was glad to have a crew that calmly moved even while under time pressure and a cast that delivered the unexpected and also experimented with little actions and particular pacing that filled each frame with the life needed for this short.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Founder of Psychotrope Productions. I’m a writer, director and producer residing in Miami, FL. I was born and raised in Honduras, and my passion for film started ever since I was 3 years old thanks to my Mother’s risk by taking me to the movie theater for the first time at such a young age. Fast forward a couple of decades later and I still eat and breathe film and tv.

The main filmmakers that inspire my work are Christopher Nolan and David Fincher, although I always tend to mix other genres, styles and designs set by other filmmakers. This naturally affects the style, tone and genres I gravitate towards as they are usually psychological thrillers, and large concept ideas.

Entertainment comes first, thats my job as a storyteller… to entertain an audience (as wide as it can be), but if I can keep an audience guessing, subvert expectations, deliver twists and turns, and allow them to come out of a film of mine thinking about it, analyzing, questioning or discussing it, then thats the overall goal I wish to accomplish.

Because I am very meticulous and I need creative control, I only work on projects of my own. As of this day, I’ve written, directed, and produced short films that have been awarded on a global scale, as well as distributed via platforms Amazon Prime, PBS and Piccen Latin America to name a few.

Currently, I am developing my first feature psychological thriller titled Imago as well as a TV Series titled Walküre. Inspired by true events, Walküre is an ice-cold terrifying series about a guerrilla of five women led by Auschwitz escapee Freya Vogel, during war-torn Germany, as they journey through a road of revenge, betrayal and death in order to stop the Third Reich from accomplishing a mission of cataclysmic proportions. Spanning the runtime of three seasons, Walküre leads us to a headlong plunge into history that is both made and erased by a German device created for a single purpose… time travel.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Most people work 9 to 5 jobs (nothing bad about it) and with inflation and such a volatile market, I can understand why a lot of people play it safe… many times they can’t even take a risk, especially when being a parent or having a mortgage. These things tie the hands of many,

I’ve had the luck to have been supported by my Mother to pursue such a career from the very start. She’s never said no and she’s been my best and worst critic. But that aside, the majority of the people I know, do not work in the industry, and they know this industry either makes or breaks you with such a small number of people making it, so most people do not understand why I do what I do.

Reality is, I bet on myself. I take risks left and right. My life and my career has been what it is due to me taking a risk in the first place… and I still keep on doing it. Nothing is guaranteed, it is always a roll of the dice, and the majority of the time, my career is not financially viable, which is stressful and scary, but it is also what drives me.

I get to do all of this without feeling it is a job, I get to think and work in visual and storytelling terms without having to sit in an office 5 days a week looking at a monitor and numbers all day. That would kill me. I would be miserable. I know that in another life I’d be a great Lawyer because I love the subject/career… but medicine, finance, real estate… as much as these careers due provide, I would be terrible at them.

This industry is very much so about the right moment at the right time and about connections… I’ve received many “No’s” in the past that I no longer get emotional about them… that same shell one creates and the experience only makes you a tougher person because in a world of over 8 billion people and counting, all I need is one “Yes”. So whenever I get another “No” it is just one “No” less to get to where I need… and hopefully if my work is good and the time and effort those that worked with me is noticed, then I am confident that I’ll get there.

These are the type of things many struggle with understanding because it goes against their way of living… but just like my films, I make them for me and myself, everyone else is invited to watch and enjoy along.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I read a lot of screenplays to better my usage of language and writing skills. I still have a long way to go so I read as much as I can.

I also read and have a collection of “making of” books of multiple films as well as autobiographies of some of my favorite filmmakers.

I’m a big advocate for physical media, and I have a grand collection of my favorite films and shows on blu ray, but one of the highlights of physical media is the many behind the scenes/featurettes included. These are a great way to learn about the methods, secrets, practical effects and shortcuts to deliver the most magical experience possible.

Through these, you learn from first hand experiences the way certain filmmakers, think, work and primarily collaborate/communicate with other team members, this is the most valuable tool I constantly try to learn in order to better mold the filmmaker I am with my cast and crew.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @andresi09

Image Credits
– Keon Gaynor – Angela Andronache – Jack Kierski