#03 - Film As Mindfulness with Serena Ryen & Ethan Itzkow

Mindful & Intentional is brought to you by Idenati   Serena Ryen and Ethan Itzkow are dear friends and incredible artists! In my quest to explore how others are pursuing mindfulness, I was lucky enough to interview the two of them about how they bring intention to the art of film making. Serena and Ethan are on a mission to humanize the film industry by fostering gender, racial, and socio-economic equality, both in front of and behind the camera. Their stories aim to ignite empathy and galvanize action towards social justice, while we do our part behind the scenes to change the working culture of the film industry.   Their latest project, "High Score", premiered at the Chelsea Film Festival where it won Best Short Film and Best Actor. Check it out now at the Hollyshorts Film Festival:   https://bitpixtv.com/orders/customer_info?o=40375&sign_up=false   Instagram: @highscorefilm   Serena: https://www.serenaryen.com/   Ethan: https://www.ethanitzkow.com/   Schmeh Films: https://schmehfilms.com/   (1:24) What is "High Score" about?   (6:50) Why create a film about the chosen subject matter?   (9:35) Moving from from pain & sadness to action & creativity in times of stress.   (16:05) The benefits and drawbacks of the internet & social media.   (23:20) Involving Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) in the creative process.   (26:30) When Serena & Ethan fell in love with art & theater.   (30:15) Art as a powerful medium for changing people's minds.   (39:20) Where Ethan & Serena's paths first cross.   (41:10) The meaning of "schmeh".   (42:25) The thought process & intention behind a shift from working on other people's projects to working on their own.