Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shira Levin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Each project I work on is meaningful to me at the time I make it. Each in a different way. Since I’d rather look forward than back, I’d say that my most recent film, a feature documentary, ‘Forty Years in a Box’ was quite meaningful in a variety of ways. First of all, it was born from disappointment. Several years before, I had made my first feature film, ‘Starfish’ (narrative fiction), after having done three short films. I was hoping that my second feature film would be of a script I had written after completing ‘Starfish’. However, all the hopes I had were dashed when the person who was going to help me get it produced, turned out to be ultimately unreliable. So I decided to part ways. In order to help myself let go of this project emotionally, I knew I had to create something to take its place. I realized it was time to tackle the box of 16mm footage that had been sitting in my closet for 20 years. The footage was of a short film I had acted in, in 1981, which was directed by a NYU grad student, who later became my boyfriend for a while. I’d always planned to get the film digitally transferred some day to see if I could do something with it. Never having seen the film, I was curious to discover what it looked like and how my performance was in it, since I played one of the lead roles. The sound track had been lost but I figured maybe I could create another project utilizing the old footage. Covid gave me time to think about what I might do and I came up with a concept. I had to wait to get the footage transferred since everything was closed due to the pandemic. During this time, I was also struggling with depressed feelings around my aging face, which would later become relevant in my project. I contacted my old boyfriend, the one who directed the grad student short film, hoping he could give me contact information or at least the names of people who had worked on the film so I could interview them. Shortly after I emailed him, I got a phone call from his wife, telling me he had died. Shocked and devastated, I knew it would not be possible to follow though on the idea I had come up with because the only person who had the information I needed, was no longer alive. I had to rethink and regroup. Eventually, I got the 16mm film transferred and my journey making my first documentary began. I spent almost three years making the movie, during the pandemic. It evolved over time into a completely different animal than what I first envisioned. It took a long time to reconstruct the original short film. I found the original script I had used when I acted in the film, and that became my guide. Since there was no sound track, my husband and I did the actors’ dialogue. It was not an easy task to dub their performances. I was still having issues with my feelings around my face and that unexpectedly became an important aspect of the movie. The movie shifted its focus and became more about the passing of time, aging and my road to self-acceptance. Loss seemed to be everywhere due to the pandemic. In addition to the millions that died of Covid, I also knew several people who died during this time from other causes. Amidst the chaos and sadness, I managed to complete my first feature documentary, ‘Forty Years in a Box.’ It’s a very personal film. I’m pleased that it seems to have touched many of those who’ve seen and enjoyed it. I hope I can find a way to get it to a wider audience. Creating and directing this project was meaningful and memorable. The experience certainly helped me grow and process a myriad of feelings and to move on. And, I got to make my second feature film…just not the one I thought I would.

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

If I had to describe what I do, I’d say that I’m a writer, director, filmmaker, psychotherapist and a creator of art projects. Acting and the theatre were my first loves from a young age. In my twenties I began writing screenplays. Later I became a script consultant. I got a job in the film industry in my mid thirties, at Universal Pictures (NY), in the Story Department. After two years there, I got a job as Director of Development for Martin Scorsese’s company, where I stayed for six years. I continued writing during both of those jobs and had two screenplays optioned and put into development. After being downsized from my development job, I studied to become a clinical social worker. After several years, I started a small private practice, no longer wanting to work at agencies. I eventually returned to my artistic roots and started to teach screenwriting, part time, for ten years at a film school in New York City. This led me to start making movies. Somewhere in there, I began making various art projects in my spare time. I also learned how to edit after making my first two short films, and edited all my subsequent film work. I’ve written and directed three short films and two features. I’ve won two Audience Choice Awards. Last year my most recent script won a Best Feature Screenplay Award along with other semi-finalist and Honorable Mention placements. My movies have screened at festivals around the country and one short film also played in India and Scotland. My films usually focus on character and relationship. Emotional truth is essential to my work. I think my background as an actor and as a therapist, informs all that I do. I pay close attention to detail. I don’t give up easily and give my all. My work keeps evolving. I can’t help but create. It can be something big or something small. Size or scope doesn’t matter. All I care about is whether or not the work engages me.

I am most happy when creating and several years ago, I started to do ‘tree trunk art’. I find smaller pieces of cut trees and peel the bark, sand them and then paint them in different ways. When not writing, editing, consulting or directing, I work on my tree trunks. Along similar lines, I make hanging mobiles made out of wood and shells and other natural items that I find. Recently I began painting unique designs on small wooden boxes. Prior to this, I designed t-shirts, made wooden dog racks and Boo cards, named after my first dog, Boo Radley. I sold some shirts, dog racks and cards, but that was not the reason I created them.

I believe that what might set me apart from others is that I continue to follow my own path, regardless of monetary rewards, fame or typical success. I’ve never created anything in order to make money. I’ve only created to please myself. I love all stages of the creative process, no matter if it is in film, writing, consulting, or working with wood. I also love to help others improve their work. I am very excited about a new project that I’m currently working on. It’s something I’ve never done before but it utilizes skills that I’ve developed over the years and feels like it makes sense with my background and experiences and where I am in my life. I believe that we can keep growing until the day we die and I believe that creating art keeps you vital and alive.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There have been at least three times where I had to pivot in my life and career. First there was the extremely painful time in my mid-thirties when I had to give up my dreams of being an actor – something I wanted since I was eight years old. I realized that I could not make a living as an actor and I didn’t want to be in my forties still trying to get acting jobs. It was not a happy period for me. Eventually, I was lucky enough to begin working in the film industry, which was a life saver. I had discovered that I loved writing as much as, or maybe more than, acting, so I was doing that as well. But after almost ten years in the film business, six of which were as Director of Development for Martin Scorsese’s company, my job was downsized and I could not find another suitable job in the industry at my level. I did not want to move to L.A. So, I had to pivot. I decided to leave the Arts to go to Social Work School with the goal of becoming a psychotherapist (clinical social worker). I was miserable in school. The only thing that kept me there was my clients, who I liked. I graduated and started to work as a clinical social worker, but seriously missed my creative self. I knew after a few years that I needed and wanted to revive my creative life and work. So I pivoted again and weaned myself away from my social work job and began teaching screenwriting at a New York film school. I started a small private therapy practice, part time. I resumed my writing. It was both my writing and my teaching that led me to become a filmmaker. Although I never was interested in directing, I was encouraged to try and write and direct a short film. I did so and discovered that I loved directing because it utilized many of my skills and interests. The first short film led me to make two more. The third, ‘Upside Down,’ won an Audience Choice Award. I learned how to edit before making my last short film and discovered that I enjoyed editing. I went on to edit all my projects. After directing the short films, I decided to make a feature film, which turned out to be ‘Starfish.’ It screened at festivals and won an Audience Choice Award.

Soon, another pivot was around the corner. I wrote a new feature screenplay that I was determined would be my next feature project. It was a satiric comedy about ageism and friendship. I truly believed in and loved the script. I was introduced to a woman who managed actors and was also a producer. She responded very positively to my script and wanted to produce it. She related to it and was enthusiastic. We made cast lists with many name actors. She had access to financing. It was a hopeful time for me since it seemed like my movie was on track to getting money and having a producer, cast, etc. However, once Covid hit, she disappeared from the scene. When she finally re-appeared, she was producing other movies in a fast and furious manner and it seemed that there was no real time for my project. I realized that I needed to part ways from her and let go of my hopes regarding this movie happening. So here it was… time to pivot yet again. I had to come up with another project. It was a challenge to abandon my vision of bringing that particular script to life. But I had to do it for my emotional sanity. I began to focus on a new idea for a movie while trying not to be too despondent over the changed situation. I decided to figure out a way to use 40 year-old 16mm footage, that had been in my closet for 20 years. I knew that whatever I did with it would result in something quasi experimental. It was not going to be a typical movie or a typical documentary. And so, I spent the next almost three years making the film, without having a clear notion of what it would turn out to be. In May 2023, the movie, ‘Forty Years in a Box,’ premiered at a New York film festival. I am proud of all the work put into making this movie. I had to learn new skills and really force my brain and creativity to produce at a new level. The direction of the movie was in itself, a huge pivot because I had to change course mid stream. The plan I had envisioned, could not be completed due to an unexpected death. Both the documentary and I went through an unforeseen journey. I feel that I came out better on the other end of the three years. I now think that having to pivot is nothing to fear. It is an opportunity to discover new things about yourself and your capabilities. A chance to see what you’re made of.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an audience member and as a creator, I cannot imagine a life without art and creativity. The world would be a much diminished place if the Arts did not exist. Being an artist or creative person fills me with joy and purpose. When I was recently feeling depressed about my life and unsure where I was headed next, the thing that cured this was the start of a new creative project. I find it so rewarding to see what I can create from scratch. Whether it be a script I write, a movie I’ve written and directed or the tree trunk art that I make, I’m always amazed by the end result. It is fulfilling. With my tree trunk art and with my wooden boxes, I never know what the end product will look like. It is different than making a movie in the sense that for a movie, there is a script (that was initially a blank page), which gives you some idea about what the finished result could be. Sometimes while making my tree trunk art or boxes, I do things I don’t like and then I must find a way to transform the ‘mistake’ into something better. It is harder to fix than a script or a film edit but it’s all part of the creative process.

I love the challenges that being a creative person can bring. I’ve had to learn new skills and figure out how to do things on my own. I’m sure I often don’t do things in the best or most efficient ways, but I manage. That is another thing that feels rewarding to me… the fact that I am mostly self-taught. I read a book before writing my first screenplay and then learned from my writing partner who knew more than I did. I learned a huge amount when I became a teacher. When you have to explain things to students, it really helps deepen your own understanding. When you’re thrown into new endeavors, like making a movie or editing or trying to make a poster or a movie trailer, you get to see what you’re capable of. The fact that I’ve always had to work with a shoe string budget is another reason I got to try my hand at new skills.

Another rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative person is the positive audience/viewer response and feedback. It feels good to know that your work has touched someone and/or opens them to think or see things in a different way.

Making things with my hands is something I’ve always enjoyed. The reward is in the process and in seeing something emerge where nothing existed before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shiralevin.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShiraLevinFilms/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralevinfilms/