Director's Talks:
The Craft of Emotion

The 2025 edition of CICLOPE Festival saw more directors take the stage than ever before – and they were generous in their honesty, as they reflected on their work, the realities of the industry, and the future of creativity. 

From Jovan Todorović (SMUGGLER) opening the program by encouraging the audience to get comfortable with failure, to Ian Pons Jewell (ProdCo) closing out three days of talks with a passionate defence for the director’s cut, these speakers took us behind the craft and straight to the heart of what drives standout work: emotional authenticity. 

“Film is the interaction of life itself – that’s how [the work] is created.”
– Ian Pons Jewell

Eliza McNitt (Chromista), director of generative short film ANCESTRA produced in collaboration with Google DeepMind and Creative Lab, shared how poetic language was the foundation of the film; its imagery composed through emotionally resonant prompts.

“The vision comes from us – the storytellers who give the words weight. The shaping of feeling into form will always belong to artists.”
– Eliza McNitt

While Steve Rogers (Biscuit Filmworks, Revolver) unpacked how it takes confidence to “let the tragedy of the real world be the humor”, so that audiences are offered the chance to laugh at themselves in a redemptive way.

From the most exciting young directing talent speaking on the first FutureFrames panels, to icons who’ve made their mark on the industry, all of the 2025 talks are now available online. 

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