We recently connected with Shai Frumkin and have shared our conversation below.

Shai, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is “Crush”, the first short film that I co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in with Kyvon Edwin. It was directed by Giacomo Gex.

The film went to film festivals around the world, including Cannes Film Festival – Court Metrage, the Canadian Screen Awards Qualifying Oakville Film Festival, Chelsea Film Festival in NYC, and more. The film won Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best of Fest at the Strasberg Film Festival.

We had an amazing experience with the film throughout the whole production, as well as its outcome.

Being at these festivals and connecting with talented filmmakers from all over the world felt so special. Watching stories that come from different voices and of different cultures was so powerful and important to witness. They impacted us so positively and it made me realize how powerful storytelling can be. It inspired me to create more as a filmmaker.

Crush tells the story of a young woman that eyes a man on the subway. She decides to follow him. They begin an unlikely connection that leads them down the path of a happy marriage. But is it all real?

Crush is a reflective film that exemplifies humanity’s growing disconnection as the world becomes consumed by our smartphone devices. We aimed to hoist a mirror up to society and capture this message in its rawest sense through the film.

Crush is now available to watch worldwide through Omeleto: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8o2DTYbtSk

Shai, 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?

My name is Shai Frumkin. I am an Actress and Screenwriter based in Los Angeles. Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, I grew up a musician, playing Flute and Piccolo and performing in ensembles and orchestras in Israel, Europe, and the US. I served two years in the Israel Defense Force Orchestra.

I was invited to play the Flute on a movie’s soundtrack. I then booked an acting part in a music video, and also got to be on a film set. It intrigued me to learn more about acting and filmmaking.

After the military, I moved to NYC to study acting. I graduated from the Two Year Conservatory Program at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, where I received the Vincent D’Onofrio Scholarship.

I started making my own films. Among them, Crush and Dream State. I strive to tell stories that are real to me. Stories about humanity; how we connect and disconnect, the things that hurt us, and the things that make us unique.

I recently moved to LA and I’m currently developing several films and a mini-series.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up in Israel, serving in the military, and coming from a family where my mom served for 24 years and my dad and grandfather fought in a war, influences the kind of artist I aspire to be. I want to be involved with projects that will reach traumatized soldiers and share their realities, bringing attention to issues such as the disconnection with life experienced by soldiers after their military service.

A movie can shed light on the misunderstood and misrepresented. Through film and TV, we can discuss mental health, PTSD, and the struggles people go through.

Watching a movie where a character goes through a difficult time in their life can help viewers who are struggling to speak up and have conversations with others who have watched the film. It can help them to feel less alone, knowing that others feel the way they do, and that there are ways out of it.

I wrote, produced, and starred in a film called Dream State. It was directed by Sean Velasco Dodge. It tells the story of two siblings who are trying to cope with the recent death of their father. The story came from a place of not wanting to be alone. The characters in the film desperately need to communicate with a loved one, share their traumas, and face the nightmares that haunt them, in order to heal.

I recently finished writing a film that I’m expanding into a mini-series called Mia. It tells the story of a traumatized soldier who struggles with her new reality, after losing her partner in a military mission gone wrong.

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

Having something that you have made is especially rewarding. When you have an idea for a film, you start with words on a page. Eventually, those words turn into a script. You bring together a cast and crew, film it, edit it, master it, color it; it takes shape and becomes art — It’s incredible. The feeling you get watching something on screen that used to be just a thought in your mind, is amazing.

The best thing about filmmaking is the ability to tell a story that is close to my heart, hoping I could affect a person in the world, even in the most minimalistic manner.
Having someone tell you your film meant something to them, that it affected them and made them think, truly means the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ShaiFrumkin.com
• Instagram: @ShaiFrumkin
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9671090/Watch the movie Crush: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8o2DTYbtSk

Image Credits

Photos of Shai Frumkin and Kyvon Edwin are stills from the movie “Crush”

Photos of Shai Frumkin were taken by Elise Direktor