The Moment I Fell in Love With Film

This Valentine’s Day, we’re turning the spotlight on the moments that sparked a lifelong love affair with filmmaking. For many in the production community, the journey began with a single, transformative experience — a movie that left them breathless, a childhood experiment with a camcorder, or a behind-the-scenes revelation that unveiled the magic of storytelling. These are the moments that nudged them down the winding, unpredictable road of filmmaking, where creativity knows no bounds, and every frame is a labour of love.

We’ve gathered heartfelt stories from producers, directors, and post-production professionals across the globe. From the awe-inspiring cinematic spectacles to the surreal charm of a family VHS tape, these are the films and experiences that ignited their passion and set them on a path to creating their own cinematic magic.

Grab your popcorn and settle in as we celebrate the moments that made these filmmakers fall head over heels for the art of storytelling.

 

Jason Blanc, director – Diamond View, USA

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

My first ‘I love film’ moment was seeing ‘Jurassic Park’ for the first time — as it probably was for most who experienced Steven Spielberg’s genius first-hand. Then as a teenager, I saw ‘Inception’ by Christopher Nolan, and for the first time, I realised: that’s how I want to tell a story. The way that movie made me feel, I wanted to chase that feeling for the rest of my life.
When I went off to college, while I always wanted to be a filmmaker, I didn’t think I could be successful at the time, so I started school in computer science instead. But for one class, I had to make a video for another project I was working on, and ended up putting more effort into the video than anything I had ever made for class. That was a clear sign and wake-up call that video making was what I really wanted to do since it was almost chance; production doesn’t really come with many computer science classes. I enjoyed the whole process from start to finish and changed my entire career trajectory from there.

Dawit N.M, director – Caviar, USA

‘Chasing Friendly Praise’

I showed my childhood friend a little YouTube video I made, and all he said was, ‘Woahhhhhh.’
Falling in love with film wasn’t instant for me — it was more of a slow burn — but that moment sparked something. I thought, If I’m going to do this, I’m going to chase reactions like that.
Selfish? Definitely. Maybe even a bit egotistical. But honestly, what’s the film industry without a little of both?
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