Meet Adrian Kader | Film Writer/Director/Editor

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

Hi Adrian, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica, and I lived there until I left to the US for college. In Costa Rica, I went to an American school, where we were taught bilingually in English and Spanish; and my classmates came from all around the world.

Being raised in such a multicultural environment allowed me to understand the importance of individual stories, and and our global connection through them. Yet even with a more globalized primary schooling, Costa Rica is still a small place.

Having gone from an upbringing in Latin America to college in New York was a transition which greatly informed my personality and way of observing the world around me. It forced me to grapple with a world that was much larger than the one I grew up in, and exposed me to lives and personalities far different from my own. This had the dual effect of both opening up my understanding of the world, and learning to further embrace my individual background, particularly when it comes to the art I engaged with.

It has affected the projects I work on and how I approach these projects, both as a writer/director and editor. On a practical level, it has allowed me to work on projects where characters speak both English and Spanish. By effect, I have been drawn to films which involve the Latin American experience in the United States. Sometimes this can be the main subject of the piece, such as in a short I edited called “Ñaños” which tells the story of an Ecuadorian young man in queens struggling to escape the bounds of his family life. Or it can also come up in more subtle ways, such as a character in my short film “Jungle Rhythms” having an Argentinian background, which manifests itself in the ways he decorates his apartment, with items that evoke a sense of nostalgia for Argentina; or with him speaking in Spanish to his family back home on the phone.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a writer and director, I am mostly excited by mixing elements of genre in a way that can feel fresh and exciting. I get a kick from taking the audience in a direction they didn’t see the story going. In my short, “Eyes” I wanted to create a twisted romance that unexpectedly evolves into a “giallo” style body horror, for instance.

In my work as an editor, I am driven by making strong connections with fellow creatives and to bring their stories to life in the best way possible. I collaborate closely with the directors, many times re-shaping projects to truly find their essence.

My professional journey has evolved for the most part through meaningful connections and friendships. By living in places such as New York and LA, I have found myself surrounded by extremely talented and creative friends, who’s opinions and work I hold with the highest regard. I tend to collaborate with them on projects, and then those projects might allow me to meet new people who I can collaborate with in the future. These new people I work with have gone on to become lifelong friends, and it ends up being something like a virtuous cycle.

This type of career development, though sometimes fruitful, is also somewhat unpredictable. There isn’t a set blueprint to what you have to do to move your career forward, and I struggle with that every day. There’s always that nagging question of wether there is more you can be doing at any given moment to progress your career, and that can come with a fair share of anxiety.

Something I have learned along the way is to embrace these low points of the journey, trusting that things move at their own pace. I try to make the most out of these quiet periods by taking the time to absorb as much as I can- wether thats art, education, or life experiences.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Much of my intinerary would inevitably revolve around food. In the morning, I might take them to Homestate in Los Feliz for some delicious breakfast tacos.

After that, we could go to Weho to one of my favorite spots in LA- Braindead Studios. Its primarily a clothing brand (with really cool stuff in my opinion) but their store in Fairfax is a shop on the second floor, a very nice coffee shop with snacks in their back patio, and a Movie theater (!) on their main floor. They do amazing programming with a general theme each month.

Maybe afterwards, if its a sunday we could cross the street to the Melrose trading post and shop around the flea market.

In the evening, I would take them to Jitlada- an absolutely incredible and authentic Thai Restaurant which was a favorite of Anthony Bourdain. The place has so much personality and insane food.

At night I might take them dancing at Short Stop, or any of the clubs around that street in Echo Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my parents for being extremely supportive all along the way. The artist’s journey can be complicated and confusing, and they have been extremely attentive- being patient when needed, and pushing me to keep moving forward.

Website: www.adriankader.com