Ajai Vishwanath
“ON YOUR RADAR” IS A WEEKLY GRAD FILM NEWS SEGMENT THAT FEATURES A STUDENT PICKED AT RANDOM.
AJAI IS CURRENTLY A 3RD YEAR STUDENT AT GRAD FILM. WE ASKED HIM A FEW QUESTIONS, AND HERE’S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY:
Where do you consider home and what is it like there?
I grew up in the outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia on the edge of a national park. We do get lots of deadly snakes and spiders out there, but watching the fog burn off the river valley during sunrise makes it all worth it. My parents moved to Sydney from the south of India just before I was born. I don’t think they’re used to the spiders yet.
Even though home will always be Australia, this is now my tenth year living in the US. I lived in Philadelphia and San Francisco for four years each, and I’m finally starting to feel like New York is home.
What is currently inspiring you as a filmmaker?
My entryway into filmmaking was painting, and that’s usually where I run off to when I’m looking for inspiration. I’m always looking at Gerhard Richter’s stuff, and have recently found myself trying to mimic the work of Salman Toor in my own paintings. They both pack so much into a single frame, and I think there’s a lot of lessons to take from that when making images that move.
This past year has also pushed me pretty far down the rom-com rabbit hole in my movie watching habits. There are endless goodies down there.
What has been your most rewarding experience at NYU Tisch Grad Film so far?
I didn’t come from a filmmaking background, or from an environment where people had anything to do with making movies. So to have had the chance to come to NYU and meet so many people from such different places and walks of life, who are all excited by making movies, has been endlessly rewarding. It’s expanded my own storytelling horizons and has taught me so much more about the world than I ever thought I’d get to learn.
Visit his website.