Jon Yiannis Escobar brings together Greek culture and dreamlike worlds

Jon Yiannis Escobar’s yiayia and papou did much than assistance rise him, they introduced him to Greek cinema.

For the 23-year-old Greek Colombian filmmaker, this infinitesimal shaped the people of his creator journey.

His abbreviated film, Red Cloth, a intelligence thriller acceptable successful the past “explores the dangers of obsession and serves arsenic a nuanced allegory for the stages of grief.”

The works of Greek filmmakers similar Theodoros Angelopoulos, Yorgos Tzavellas and John Cassavetes person had important interaction connected him.

Inspired by European fearfulness and avant-garde cinema, Escobar uses “ambiguity and affectional complexity” to some “challenge and intrigue audiences.”

“My films often research intelligence themes such arsenic grief and obsession, blending world and phantasy successful visually immersive, dreamlike worlds,” Escobar told Neos Kosmos.

For experimental Marceline’s euphony video, 3AM, Escobar said they “took a much spontaneous and approach,” successful opposition to “the much stable, locked-off visuals of Evil.” Photo: Supplied

The intelligence layers of Red Cloth

Red Cloth is influenced by the works of David Lynch, Lars von Trier, and Yorgos Lanthimos, the movie follows Kenneth’s travel done “denial, guilt, and the ways the subconscious tin unravel reality.”

Escobar aimed for the communicative to beryllium unfastened to interpretation, allowing the “audience to signifier their ain conclusions.”

“Ambiguity, to me, holds a definite poetic power—it reflects the complexity of the quality acquisition and engages the viewer arsenic an progressive subordinate successful the story.”

“Transforming modern locations into a believable 1960s landscape” required extended collaboration – a situation Escobar admitted helium was drawn to.

A still for Marceline’s euphony video, 3AM. Photo: Supplied

Escobar says that capturing the “mid-century aesthetic with authenticity required painstaking attraction to item and an clasp of visual effects to reconstruct what clip and urbanisation person erased.”

Escobar has experimented beyond filmmaking, helium directed a bid of euphony videos for alternate physics popular creator Marceline’s latest release.

Jon Yiannis Escobar down the scenes. Photo: Supplied

In the euphony video for her single Evil, inspired by precocious 1970s European horror, “visually ambiguous elements blur the enactment betwixt fabrication and reality.”

For experimental Marceline’s euphony video, 3AM, Escobar said they “took a much spontaneous and approach,” successful opposition to “the much stable, locked-off visuals of Evil.”

“Marceline and I initially bonded implicit our shared Greek heritage, which lone deepened our originative transportation passim these projects.”

In the euphony video for her single Evil, inspired by precocious 1970s European horror, “visually ambiguous elements blur the enactment betwixt fabrication and reality.” Photo: Supplied

Exploring Greek identity

From a young age, Escobar “was immersed successful Greek culture, done the music, art, and films” helium was exposed to.

Surrounded by Hellenic paintings and Byzantine creation astatine his grandparents’ house, helium said the “colour palettes, intricate patterns, and almighty imagery” proceed to power his originative vision to this day.

“I often find myself drafting connected these visual elements successful my work, attempting to seizure the aforesaid extent and emotion that resonated with maine during my childhood.”

Escobar’s purpose for “Change’s” manner movie was to blend “primitivity with innovation,” a theme helium feels is “often overlooked successful modern manner films.” Photo: Supplied

Last year, “in hopes of connecting much deeply” with his heritage, Escobar travelled to Greece.

There, helium was “stunned” by a position helium had ne'er considered before.

While successful Athens, Escobar was approached by a accumulation location aft his work was featured connected Kodak’s Instagram and different platforms.

During a visit to their studio, Escobar was “surprised” to larn that his Australian accumulation style is considered “unfeasible” successful Greece owed to constricted budgets and resources.

A still from the euphony video for Marceline’s single “Evil.” Photo: Supplied

“Historically, Greece has been a cradle of creation and culture, with creativity embedded successful our corporate identity.”

“This conversation” forced him “to bespeak connected the state of Greek practice successful the arts, some successful Greece and within the diaspora.”

Challenging stereotypes

In Australia, Escobar said, there is “a disparity when it comes to Greek practice successful filmmaking.”

“Within our community, there seems to beryllium a deficiency of encouragement and inspiration for young Greek creatives to prosecute careers arsenic writers oregon directors.”

He believes this imbalance stems from nationalist stereotypes that bounds the “recognition of Greek artists arsenic storytellers with unique, multifaceted perspectives.”

Escobar believes “filmmaking is not simply astir confronting problems, dilemmas, and fears” but “it besides involves embracing the nuances of life’s quiescent moments—its dreams, its secrets, its fleeting memories.” Photo: Supplied

The contented “is exacerbated by the prevalence of ‘tall poppy syndrome,’ where those who strive to excel are often discouraged oregon undervalued.”

Despite the Greeks successful Australia having entree to resources, funding, and innovative tools, Escobar feels these opportunities are often taken “for granted.”

“It’s indispensable for us to make authentic, nuanced Greek narratives that clasp a reflector up to the complexities of our culture—stories that spell beyond the comedic stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media.”

A still from the manner movie of Melbourne-based marque “Change.” Photo: Supplied

The creation of inspiration

Escobar believes “filmmaking is not simply astir confronting problems, dilemmas, and fears.”

“It besides involves embracing the nuances of life’s quiescent moments—its dreams, its secrets, its fleeting memories.”

For him, inspiration often begins with a single image: a look illuminated by soft light, a subtle gesture, a quiescent infinitesimal similar aged women sitting isolated connected a bench, oregon an intimate conversation.

These fragments, helium said, “attach themselves to my originative process similar superb food caught connected a line.”

“I find myself drawn to that line, whose texture and meaning I whitethorn not afloat comprehend, but whose propulsion I americium willingly guided by.”

“My films often research intelligence themes such arsenic grief and obsession, blending world and phantasy successful visually immersive, dreamlike worlds,” said Jon Yiannis Escobar to Neos Kosmos. Photo: Supplied

Shifting absorption from euphony videos, Escobar is present drawn to manner films, where helium believes his “surrealist tendencies tin make an intriguing opposition with the world of fashion.”

He precocious completed a manner movie for the Melbourne-based marque “Change,” aiming to blend “primitivity with innovation,” a theme helium feels is “often overlooked successful modern manner films.”

Looking ahead, helium expressed excitement astir the imaginable of creating his archetypal diagnostic movie “when the timing feels right.”

“Narrative work, particularly connected a larger scale, is simply a earthy adjacent step for me, and I’m anxious to take that leap when the accidental arises.”