We recently connected with Chiara Padejka and have shared our conversation below.

Chiara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My debut independent feature length film Rope Tied has no doubt been the greatest risk of my career so far. Making movies is a privilege, but in the midst of it, every decision, whether creative, technical, or financial, feels like life or death. There is no retaking the test. It is funny to think that Rope Tied, a project that started off as a joke, a dare from my cinematography professor, has become my life for the last two years. It has rewarded me with lessons you just can’t find in a classroom. Education is a gateway. Mentors are a gift. A great team is essential. But just like learning how to swim, no one can really teach you how to make a film besides yourself.

As a 20 year old college student, I had little to no experience beyond the small short films I had made, no resources save for a shoestring budget, and no blueprint except some YouTube videos on how to assemble and distribute a project at this scale. But, call it a unique blend of naiveté and ignorance, I took the gamble. Since then, it has been a wild ride. I always jokingly equate making a movie to organizing a multi-day wedding. From arranging for all the guests (cast and crew) are able to be there a year in advance, to feeding everyone on budget and on schedule (producing), to seeing through that the couple gets married in perfect harmony (director and vision), it’s an affair of commitment. Learning to navigate the ups and downs of all stages of production has amplified my greatest doubts but also heavily deepened my confidence in myself. But there is something reassuring in knowing that most other independent filmmakers have had to tread through the same trenches on their first merry go round.

From a filming location denying shooting to a festival turning you down, rejection is never easy. Yet I have found that it is in the spirit of independent moviemaking to face every no with grace and get on with it. It hurts a lot the first time, but after a while it has just fueled me to share my vision with the world more.

Rope Tied as a movie is a risk itself. As a niche arthouse movie about an artist and his muse filming themselves tied together for a year, it’s a unique, strange, and ironic satire. It stars a Hollywood actor who has been pigeonholed into stereotypical roles because of his foreign accent across from an unknown, self made model turned actress. It’s camp. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unsellable. Who would want to watch that? Gen Z. In a saturated social landscape, we are aching for new inspiration.

From the exaggerated costumes to the grungy cinematography and problematic characters, there’s a lot of weird and wrong happening here, just like the times we find ourselves in and the people we interact with on a daily basis. I was interested in exploring two ugly questions that the artistic industry should ask itself: What would we do for clout? To what lengths would we put ourselves through to find true connection with each other?

The film might be an imperfect risk, but I have no regrets going to that extreme. For me and my creative team, it’s worth the failing and finding out. I could not be more proud to be a Gen Z, internet raised, scrappy, first time director, especially at a moment when the American movie industry and its creative core are under threat. It excites me that this film has been made in collaboration with emerging artists making strides in the industry including a soundtrack featuring artists like Nuclear Monkey, Kris Kollins, and Jenny Kravitz. Whether it takes me days or years to break it to Hollywood that strange concepts, thoughtful storytelling, and provocative content are fun to watch and interesting to engage with, I and the next generation of filmmakers and creatives are here and are not waiting for permission. Rope Tied will be released in 2026.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, readers! This is Chiara Padejka.

I’m an independent director + writer from Brooklyn, NY. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo made me fall in love with the world of movies. I am a first generation American and my family is originally from Bulgaria, a small country in Europe. After being admitted to the Lee Strasberg Young Actors Program, I grew up in participating in the the visual and performing arts.

In high school, I appeared on shows for Investigation Discovery and trained in ballet pre-professionally at Steps on Broadway. Acting in media campaigns for NCHB made with the Black, Brown, and Women-owned company Culture House Media was a transformative experience for me. The set was led by a female directing and producing team, which encouraged me to pursue filmmaking. I am an alum of the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, FAMU in Prague, and GoodCapp Arts (Charlotte Arnoux x Katie Capiello) in NY.

ROPE TIED starring Dimiter D.Marinov (2019 Academy Award Best Picture The Greenbook) is my co-debut feature. Becoming the University of Miami’s first ever undergraduate feature, I was awarded a post-production grant to complete the film. The picture was shot by Ed Talavera (Sue – Tracee Ellis Ross, HBO). Other work includes award-winning festival shorts coming-of-age CYCLES (Charlie Koepp) selected to stream on iWOMANTV and satire C.I.R.P.I (Yale, Coconut Grove Film Festival). As an arts and culture writer, I have been commissioned to cover international art fairs such as Frieze, Art Basel, TEFAF New York and interviewed international artists including Nikita Kadan, Citra Sasmita, Yehwan Song, and Steven Harrington.

Currently, I am in development for an independent comedy pilot. Cinemas with Chiara is my series across social platforms where I share about my filmmaking journey and historical cinemas, aiming to highlight the importance of preserving the theatrical experience through sharing these storied institutions with a young generation that may not have heard of these third spaces or how to enjoy them.

I am a member of NYWIFT, the organization for New York Women In Film and Television.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

In terms of entrepreneurial thinking, two lessons from a wormhole video on the internet permeate my daily approach to creation. The first taps into philosophical mentality, while the other talks about art as execution. The referenced points in mind are the affirmations musician and designer Tyler the Creator gives young Parisian based creatives in his his 2022 All Star Series: Tyler Talk. It’s fascinating to me how a random promotional event to promote a shoe dropped enough small wisdoms for me to carry when seeing through a project. Tyler points out a few great qualities with which I approach a my writing or a set.

A. Everything is figure-out-able. Tyler talks about using a small and limited budget to hand-iron shirts before committing to screen printing, which requires more resources. Budget is usually the biggest issue on a set, but knowing how to navigate to find a solution no matter the restraints is a mentality which has let me persevere through situations in production. Whether it was scheduling less shooting days to pay crew and cast better or going with an original composition on the soundtrack instead of a more expensive popular song, I just had to find another way.

B. Being anti-passive with you approach to both the work and promotion. Creatives usually hit the first. The second part has taught me to buckle down. Making a film takes time, effort, and money. As a first time creator working within the perimeters of a super low budget independent production, it means I go the extra mile to make sure the work will be seen and heard. Tyler iterates to be proud of things that you put time and energy into and to be not be nonchalant about telling people about it. You are never too cool to not continue to promote your project, even long after it is out. Channeling this philosophy has allowed me to open up on social media and create fun ways to interact with community to find audience. For ROPE TIED, that meant walking around NYC tied with a rope in iconic public spots like Times Square and Washington Square Park or asking strangers if they could be tied together by a rope on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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

Seeing someone react to your film the way you intended is like someone you like laughing at a joke you’ve made or their face lighting up when they’ve tasted something you cooked. You just can’t beat the warm, fuzzy feeling that something you have done has stirred so much emotion in someone else that they reciprocate it with love. Film is a powerful instrument to harness a level of empathy that can transform culture and society, as well create a place that mentally helps us escape. Stories don’t necessarily need to have some sort of lesson built into them, but characters have been some of my greatest teachers and influences. I can mentally map out periods in my life because they are connected to certain movies I have watched or albums I have listened to. At different phases in my life, films have helped me to express a feeling I felt towards life at the time: whether it was melancholy, angst, lust, hope, or happiness. These characters can see you in a way nobody else can. These are real world actions and implications. They transform the way you see yourself and act in the world. To share that with someone bonds you in some way, like sharing some sort of memory together, whether it was a joke or a nightmare. Being a filmmaker or creative of any kind also means being able to transform and discover different parts of myself. Writing encourages me to sift through my unrestrained thoughts without judgement. It allows me to filter the implications and people in the world around me, whether I choose to ignore or react to them. Directing pushes me to always be curious, and imagination is the gift that keeps on giving. It helps me to change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chiarapadejka.com
• Instagram: @youfoundchiara
• Other: TikTok : @y0ufoundchiara
  Imdb : https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10025875/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

Ed Talavera
Anna Lucchese
Sage Kirk
Lewis Walker