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Meet film director Ryan Oksenberg! Since he was a kid, Ryan Oksenberg has been creating stories on his family camcorder or with his toys. He’s a Los Angeles-based writer, director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Oksenberg got started in documentaries with the online “cult favorite” documentary, “Cease To Exist” (2007, 1M+ views), which explores the music motive to the Manson murders. His skid-row set docuseries about homelessness, “Life Line Booth” aired on Participant Media’s TV network, Pivot.
His short films are available on Alter, Amazon Prime and Vimeo. “Damage Control,” now on ALTER (240K+ views), premiered at the 2018 Fantasia Film Festival and was awarded Best Thriller, Best Director and Best Actor by Top Shorts Film Festival in 2019. “Together,” now on ALTER (230K+ views) premiered at the 2019 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in the ‘Bucheon Choice’ international award competition. It made its North America premiere at the 2019 Fantasia Film Festival. He was awarded $50K by StudioFest to direct his first feature which is currently in pre-production.
His 2020 short film “Teardrop,” shot on the precipice of quarantine, is now being submitted into film festivals.
-Briefly describe who you are as a creative! What got you into pursuing a career in entertainment, and why your field specifically?
My ideas are often wild and irreverent explorations of behavior. Behind the scenes though is the opposite. I am executing this very methodically like a technician. It all started when I was a kid and would create “movies” with my toys and then write down the story when I was finished. Film is a composite of so many art forms and as a director, I enjoy partaking in each and every one of these disciplines.
-Can you think back to your first piece of work and what you learned most from it? How much of your voice has changed since you began?
There was an obsession with relevance and creating something based on what was successful at that moment. I learned to focus on making films that have something to do with my life. Something specific that I’m keeping secret. Not like a movie that tries to pacify people for entertainment.
–Do you feel you are still finding your voice? What can you say your voice is right now?
I find my voice with every project I take on. It starts with an expression or curiosity that has to be addressed. I like exploring concepts about love, humanity and embody things that I am angry about. This all gets filtered through what people tell me is an “off-the-wall,” “unpredictable,” “comedic” lens. It’s just who I am and I try not to think about that part so much. I try to have a good time doing it throughout the long process or else we (the crew) all die.
-What do you hope to be known for during your career?
I’ve never thought about that. I’m just trying to prove to myself that I’m worthy. I have no idea how to measure that except for creative endurance, productivity, growth and somebody saying, “hey, I want to help you with your next one.”
-In what ways do you plan on utilizing your platform to better the world?
I’m not cool. I have no platform. Hopefully for whoever sees my work, they can address uncomfortable truths about themselves — the world — and see the absurdity of it.
-What do you have in the works at the moment?
I’m writing a pandemic-friendly micro-budget feature. I recently completed post-production on a new short we got in the can right before quarantine called, “Teardrop.”
-Where can folks find you on social media!
@roksenberg on Instagram
Ryan Oksenberg on Youtube, Vimeo
