CHRISTOFF MOLESWORTH

Dreams are much like movies.  

Both are often dismissed as intangible or false, yet both have the power to arouse very real and overwhelming emotions within us. There is a kindred magic between dreams and films that can cause our hearts to race and our blood to quicken, we can become swept up and consumed in joy or sorrow, intrigue, fear, inspiration, romance. 

I think that is what has always drawn me to filmmaking. The mystery, the seduction of poetry in motion, the culmination of all art forms intertwined in harmony for the sole purpose of enveloping us in illusion. Everything from writing and music to performance and illustrating storyboards, it encompasses all of the magic, all of the dreaming; all of the facets of artistry that one can conjure is poured into the making of a moving picture and that's exactly why they can be so powerful. They can resonate so deeply, so substantially within our hearts, our minds, our souls. They can take us somewhere we have never been before or they can prompt us to remember something we thought we had forgotten.  

I was born and raised in Portland, OR and to me it always felt like an entity in and of itself. A living, breathing spirit, like a character in a film, and it was the compassion and creativity of the city itself that always propelled me to try to bottle the intrinsic nature of a dream, like catching smoke with your bare hands. 

It was in Portland that I did experimental short films, much of them based on actual dreams, some just attempts to convey a feeling. For years I made short movies for various film festivals, I did intense time-based competitions, went on tours with rock bands, wrote short stories and poems and made movies out of those, but I wasn't content in where I was with my medium. All too often I felt that I was sacrificing my own personal well being to maintain the lifestyle and productivity of a starving artist. Though the term itself sounds quiet romantic, the reality was that it could be very much stifling and unfulfilling at times.  

I took a step back from making short indie films and a couple of years ago decided to come out to Hawaii for a week. That week turned into months and now years as I found myself falling in love, reclaiming my prosperity, and fortuitously reuniting with my passion for filmmaking on the beautiful island of Kauai, crafting love stories. The human experience is vast and mystifying and inexplicable and I am humbled and grateful everyday for where it has led me and for the people who have helped me out along the way.  

I'm still learning ways to capture a feeling through cinematic storytelling. I don't think that search is ever complete for someone striving to be a filmmaker, or a writer, or a poet. And the most alluring, stimulating, invigorating, energy or feeling one can evoke is... Love. Summoning the illusive spirit of love, the essence that dances between two lovers, can't just be about light entering a lens, or a song choice, or capturing that perfect kiss. Love is a dream, it is magic, and so I feel it must be met by a dreamer, or a magician, or a romantic if there is any hope of inciting that most precious sentiment.