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

Hi Niclas, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
When people ask me for advice about how to become a filmmaker, I always ask: “Could you see yourself doing anything else?” If the answer is “Yes”, don’t even try it. But if the answer is “No”, you know that you will never give up, and that you will be happier to have died trying than never to have tried at all. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The pandemic threw everyone for a loop, and I think it’s important to roll with the punches. When I realized that it was going to be impossible to go into production on the US feature that I had prepped, I relocated to Sweden, cutting my expenses down to about a quarter and started writing a Swedish folklore film. We’re going to go into production on that next year, and it’s ironic to think that it would never have happened were it not for the pandemic.

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.
I have to give a shoutout to Art Unified on Abbot Kinney, which is an exciting new gallery that exhibits great works from a diverse group of artists. But in terms of how to have “the best time ever”, I think that a good plan must always leave room for the unexpected; I love to go to some event, like an art show, meet people, and be open to where it takes you.  Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I was in high school back in Sweden, I was writing a “novel” about the American West, which was a bit silly considering that I was a 17-year-old Swede, so when my teacher, Anders Jansson, asked me what I was going to say about the West that hadn’t already been said, the answer became obvious; I had nothing to add to that canon. It made me realize something that stayed with me for the rest of my life, which is that whatever you do, you must always try to move the medium forward. What is it that only you can say? That is where you’ll find your voice.

Website: www.niclasgillis.com
Instagram: @niclasgillis
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niclas-gillis-72529954
Twitter: @niclasgillis
Other: www.thecollectif.com

Image Credits
Steve Annis, Erik Lundback, Eric Ryan Anderson

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