Photo by Oriana Van Riet
When I was a student, I worked at a small arthouse cinema in Antwerp. I started selling tickets and ushering guests, then became a projectionist. With three screens showing films at 6, 8, 10 PM, and midnight on weekends, I loved the projection booth’s symphony of overlapping dialogue and music.
After weeks of screening Kubrick’s Lolita, the fragile black and white 35 mm film began snapping almost nightly. We’d catch the breaks, wind the celluloid onto spools, and keep the show going, though damaged scenes were gradually cut, making 'Lolita' shorter with each screening.
One night, distracted by another film, I missed Lolita breaking entirely. Celluloid spilled across the floor, forcing me to halt the screening. Facing the audience, I explained, offered free tickets, and narrated the final fifteen minutes myself, complete with a clumsy Peter Sellers impression and pretend bullet-dodging, my shadow dancing on the white screen behind me.
Those nights were my first steps toward filmmaking and photography, a journey that eventually brought me to San Francisco, where I now live with my family.
I am represented by Caviar & Ruhe Management.