Meet Gregory Shark | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gregory Shark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregory, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by morning coffee, erosion, American servicemen, nature and diners. I appreciate the poetry and prose of Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, David Wojnarowicz, Trisha Lowe and Saint John of the Cross, as well as the Incoherency Manifesto of Bertrand Mandico. I admire the film scores composed by Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani and Peter Thomas. I admire the films of Rod Serling, Jordan Peele, Gregg Araki, Yorgos Lanthimos, Gus Van Sant and David Lynch and the risk-taking tendencies that these filmmakers have. I know that you need things to be shaken up for your life to change, so risk is needed. When it comes to my own filmmaking, I just want to make a film that becomes a bit of a relic, an object, like a supposedly cursed limited print of a film that a bunch of kids stay up late to watch during a winter storm.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am twenty four years old and I write and direct films that are shot on both 16mm and 35mm film. Currently I am in pre-production of my new film called ‘Brigitte’ starring Masha Breeze and Ryan Brennan. In the film Brigitte searches a dying star for any record of a flashing light that drove her late great grandfather to insanity. The film is a queer, science-fiction adaptation of a real life experience my grandfather had while serving in the US Navy during the Vietnam war. The film focuses on the inversion of time, femininity, transness as well as uniform as authority. I hosted a print sale in late October of this year where I sold gelatin silver prints as a method of raising funds for the film. I made these prints while volunteering as a dark room monitor at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. The film has been mainly financed by this print sale and a material donation from Kodak. The film is still accepting donations for materials and you can write to me at gregorygshark@gmail.com if you would like to support the project.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ok, this is the best day ever: Wake up, head to Little Barn and get a lovely breakfast sandwich and coffee and then drive to the west side. Drive on the PCH past Point Dume and then just pull off at a random point. We’d hop the guardrail and perch up on some rocks on a thin part of the beach right against the highway, and photograph each other and have a picnic with peanut butter and jelly. We’d jump in for a quick swim and then drive back downtown and go to the public library. This place is massive and fun to explore. On the way we would see whatever show is up at Sarah Brook in East Hollywood because the work is always exceptional. It’s now the afternoon so I’d fill a hydro flask with ice and beer and take a soccer ball or slack line to Elysian park and play as the sun sets. Following this outing we get some drinks at permanent records and some pizza from shins! Back home we develop the film photos we took and scan the negatives until we fall asleep. That is my perfect LA day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Samaaya Jayamaha sent in my name to you guys so I should thank her. She has advised and provided creative direction on my last two films and is a major part of my life and practice. So I’m sending some love to that particular horse girl.

Website: https://gregoryshark.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryshark_attack/