Sayna Fardaraghi on filmmaking, the creative journey & finding your niche

I had the pleasure of speaking with creative director, filmmaker and artist Sayna Fardaraghi. She recently released “Glint,” a short film covering themes of horror, coming-of-age and desire. Read below for an insight into her filmmaking process, creative journey and vision as an artist. 

SAVANNAH MATTHEWS: First of all, thank you so much for meeting with me. I am so excited to chat! Starting off, can you give me a quick tour on your journey to where you are now and how your work has evolved with time? 

SAYNA FARDARAGHI: I would always identify with my work and just be like, “This is an extension of me.” It’s very influenced by what I’m honing in on and noticing in my life right now. And in a way, my confidence lies in my work, which is not the best thing to do. But I was just like, “If someone doesn’t like it, oh my God, this is a shot in the heart.”

So it’s been hard to, kind of, find the barrier between [myself and my work]. I’m trying to… separate me as a being and then me as…this person who’s shaping and sculpting an art form.

But I’ve been doing this for a while, I guess. I think I had a little imposter syndrome, which I feel is so prominent in creative direction and in filmmaking. I got a late start because I was going to study film in uni, but then I was like,”No, I’m not good enough. I’m not going to belong there.” So I did graphic design for a year, and I was miserable. Just the worst I’ve ever been.

And then I thought, “This is clearly a sign.” I made the leap, moved to London all by myself and I studied a contemporary media practice course, which is basically like a fancy way of doing film.

I don’t know if you studied film at any point or if you have something similar, but they’re very controlling of what you make. So if they don’t like it, you’re not getting it made. And I hate that because the whole point is to be shaping and sculpting yourself. I studied there for two out of the three years it took to complete my bachelor’s. My first year I worked at Dazed, which was crazy and something I wanted by the time I turned 30. Everything just fell into place. Then, I graduated and I immediately started freelancing as a director of fashion films. My second short film got recognized by Barry Jenkins. He’s just texting Nicholas Patel and calling me, like, a boss lady. That is the power of just being like, “Fuck the imposter syndrome.” Beautiful stuff comes from it.

I find that when you try different things, you’re kind of, like, chipping a diamond, right? And you’re kind of carving who you really are at your core. Then you just run for it, full force.

SM: On that note, how would you describe yourself — do you say filmmaker, or do you say director? Or is it just kind of like wearing a million different hats?

SF: I used to say filmmaker. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this, but in fashion, everyone knows what a photographer is but they don’t understand “director,” so they just say “videographer.” I’m like, “Please don’t tell me that.” So it just makes more sense for me to say “director,” and then I merge that with art direction because the pre-production work is very similar — making pitch decks, researching.

SM: So your first steps in stepping into that role — what did it look like? I can imagine that it was pretty scary to go from almost, like, a safety net to taking that full leap. How did you navigate that big change?

SF: I think, honestly, I was trying not to take it too seriously, being quite open. I think sometimes people are scared to ask questions and just put on this fake-it-’til-you-make-it vibe. I was lucky that I had people who believed in me, people who I could fall back on. Directing a fashion film straight out of university — such a scary thing. Just really believe in the work and everything will shine through.

SM: That first fashion film that you did — was that your eureka moment where you were like, “This is what I want to do for the next period of my life?” 

SF: Yeah, it was when I was making my shorts, because that’s specifically your voice, right?  It’s not client-commissioned work. I think I’m quite a sensitive person, and I also like to work in a very sensitive way. I’m kind of like a sponge, too. So if a fashion brand’s like, “We want this, this, this,” I’m like, “Okay, okay, okay,” and I like to absorb it all. And then I lose myself in it because I want to impress them and I want to make sure that they’re happy. With a commercial, I have to slow down and work really hard to think about my fingerprint on the project. Outside of work, I think something that makes me realize what I really want to do is watching other films. I watched “Birth” by Jonathan Glazer three months ago, and that feeling came back again. And I think it’s quite rare now because we’re so oversaturated with the media. But whenever you have those moments, whether it’s in a movie or in a bookstore or, like, you meet someone who you really admire, really hold on to that. 

SM: Going with your note of a specific vision, I feel like you have a very unified theme among your works. It’s nostalgic — there’s a very soft beauty with it. Is it intentional, or does it just happen to reappear?

SF: I think it just keeps reappearing. There’s a very specific language that I don’t necessarily think about, but it’s always been on my mind since I was growing up. When I was doing therapy, [my therapist]asked, “Have you noticed these themes are also showing up in your work?” And I had not. 

I moved around a lot in the world as a kid, so cultural differences have always impacted me. I always had an issue with finding a place where I belonged and liked belonging to. So it’s inherent to my work, but visually, sometimes quite intentional. 

I think I know what I like, but you know when your brain is like 10 steps ahead of [where] you are right now? I’m at that point — everyone’s seeing my work as quite feminine and soft, but I’m trying to bring out this darker side as well. So I’m excited to take these next steps, but it’ll intrinsically be about finding a place among other people. 

SM: How did you find your creative niche? Do you draw from certain inspirations, like artwork, other films, musicians?

SF: It’s always been magazines, always been obsessed with fashion imagery.  And that’s where some of my imposter syndrome came from, because I haven’t watched a lot of cinematic classics. Someone on set said, “Oh, this is so ‘Inland Empire.’ I was like, “I haven’t seen it, but that’s gotta be good.” But yeah, for me, it’s always been magazines. Right now, I love 16 Magazine. 

Also, I think watching things that aren’t specifically short films, features and documentaries was my gateway into filmmaking because they’re not necessarily approved for the silver screen. I also find my language from just wasting time and, in a sense, consuming people and scenarios and being in tune with my emotions.

SM: I don’t know if you can speak about this yet,  but what is your dream project or dream shoot that you’re working towards?

SF: There’s one right now, but it’s still in the pitching process and it’s still in the writing process. I find this thing really difficult because I never see myself as a writer, but I need to trust myself a bit more. If you can tell a visual story, you’re fine. And I essentially want to explore intimacy through the concept of mirroring, through mirroring people we love and admire. I’m trying to write three vignettes of intimate films, about 30 seconds to a minute long, and pitch them to a major brand. 

I recently discovered Sam Samore’s photography. They overlap images together to create these huge, cinematic and intimate images that take up really big spaces in a room. So Samore is a point of reference for this project. I’m writing a sequence about ballerina-like dancers because I find that whenever I’m in a room with other girls, we’re always kind of, like, inspecting each other. We’re always deconstructing someone’s appearance and self-presentation or what they’re, like, doing or how they present themselves, and it’s such an unspoken language and form of intimacy. And I think that’s such an intimate, unspoken language that we just don’t even clock. There’s a Samore photo that captures this — there’s a gaze that’s soft but piercing at the same time. 

SM: What would you say to aspiring filmmakers and directors who are just getting started? 

SF: I think as you’re coming up, I think it’s a very crucial thing to really stay in tune with yourself.

People are gonna pick you up and maybe sign you. It’s such an exciting thing, but never lose sight of your drive, everything like that. It’s all still within you. When I first got signed, I was like, “Great, we’re done.” It’s not like that. 

I went to Luca Guadagino’s talk two months ago, and it changed my life. He said something along the lines of this: no one is instrumental in your “becoming somebody” unless you know who you are as a person. 

That’s basically what I’m trying to get at.