Meet A.T. Etzweiler | Film Director & Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with A.T. Etzweiler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi A.T., can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Creating my own business was not my original intent after graduating. I was dead set on finding the stable 9-5 that everyone is craving after college. It was not until the Dean of my film school at the time, Tom Halleen, approached me and told me that I had a lot of potential as a filmmaker in the industry. My parents, Charles and Susan Etzweiler, hailing from the East Coast and having no prior knowledge of the ins and outs of the film industry. They have through and through encouraged me to keep chasing this dream of mine, owning my own business. From that point on I was dead set on fulfilling that potential that Tom and my family branded me with. Being a year out of film school, I have acquired a list of high profile clients in my editing/directing ventures. I was Officially Selected and Shortlisted into the Berlin Fashion Film Festival in 2023, and I was able to fly out to Berlin for the event and make connections in the Berlin Film Industry. Starting my own business has been a rocky venture this past year but a very rewarding one at the same time.

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.
I believe the factors which brand me in the film industry are my willingness to dive head first into the abstract and the avant-garde. The love of playing with experimental lighting, composition, and bizarre yet weighty performances. I have taken much inspiration from the works of Nicolas Winding Refn, who I believe to be the most important auteur of my generation. I have also taken inspiration from the filmmakers I interacted with at the Berlin Fashion Film Festival in November 2023, who I believe to be some of the most important voices and most exciting emerging filmmakers today. Having a love for this type of storytelling is plainly not the most popular type in Los Angeles. It has not been easy to find people willing to integrate this aesthetic at this point in my career, but through my experience in Berlin I have found a community of people who all throughly love this type of storytelling. This has inspired me to be more daring in my work, and meet people who I currently edit for that love the same aethstetics. At this point in my career, a year out of college, I am still working to get where I want to be in the future, a full-time director. But I have learned in this immensely tough last year that this is just the beginning and I need to enjoy the journey and not just ponder the arrival. I want the world to know that I am hungry to be in this industry and I have a fighting spirit to make important projects come alive.

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?
My number one favorite spot on the East Side is Walt’s Bar in Eagle Rock. They have rotating craft beers on tap, amazing natural wines, pinball, freshly baked pretzels, and the best hot dog you will have the oppurtunity to eat and experience in your life. I would also recommend Vidiots as a cinephile, they have an extensive blu-ray renting boutique in the back of their theater, as well as a vibrant cinematheque showing rare film prints, as well as crowd favorites. The American Cinematheque chain of theaters is also are great spots to check out in Los Angeles. The newly refurbished Egyptian is stunning to look at, as well as, the 70mm projector at the cinematheque is brilliant. As a loyal East Side resident I would recommend to explore the east side more and find what fits your vibe, over here, there is something for everyone.

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?
I would have the honor to not only dedicate this shoutout to one person but to a union of people in my life that have fought for me and encouraged me every step of my journey, and that union would be my parents Charles and Susan. I perceive their humanity and union as one individual, but each retaining their own distinct personality traits within their union. My father, a man who abandoned his stable 9-5 during the 2008 financial recession and started his own business in the finance industry. My mother, a woman of the world, a vagabond who’s lived in Spain, Chile, and moved countless times across the United States with my father. The common denominator that lies between the two stories is that both individuals were (and are) fearless and bold in their respective ventures in the world. The two never gave up even in devastation. That is what keeps me fighting, their willingness to be dragged through the mud to make their lives the best they can be. If there is no stronger word than love to describe their union and my feelings towards them, than that will simply have to do. This is a shoutout to Charles and Susan, for the passing of the torch to carry on their fighting spirit.

Website: https://atetzweiler.com/

Instagram: @atetzweiler

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-etzweiler

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/atetzweiler

Image Credits
Cinematographers: W. Graham Skinner Timothy “Teemo” Chon