MULTIDISCIPLINARY PORTFOLIO
ARTIST STATEMENT: We live in a country that devalues humanism, and sets up obstacles for people of the majority to thrive. Art is a consistent protest that collectively, can show people how important it is to break down those barriers. My goal is to reinforce prosperity and community empowerment through creative action storytelling and new media.
MEDIUMS USED: I use art to amplify abstract subjects, designs and stories, thus compelling the participants and observer to focus on them in detail. I create with film, installation/visual art, and sound, constantly exploring new ways to manipulate them, and once shaped, to take form in digital space. My process brings stories back to life. I produce works in a very precise and detailed manner, however, not perfect, imitating life. I would like to allow the observer, when facing my subjects, often common objects, to experience desire, compassion, critical thought and action.
I AM A FULL TIME DIRECTOR, FILM MAKER, VISUAL ARTIST AND STORYTELLER BORN AND RAISED IN PORTLAND, OR.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
MARGARET BURKE - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | CONVERGE 45 | margaret@converge45.org
SUSAN COHEN - SUPERVISING PRODUCER | ITVS | susan.cohen@itvs.org
KRISTIN CALHOUN - DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ART | RACC | kcalhoun@racc.org
LOUISE WOODWARD - LEAD PRODUCER | JOINT EDITORIAL / WK | louise.woodward@jointeditorial.com
JULIANA MINN - DIRECTOR | SBLC LEGAL CLINIC | jminn@lclark.edu
LISA LIPTON - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | NEWPORT SYMPHONY | ll@mendelssohnspdx.com
ADOLFO VILLAREAL CANTü - CREATIVE FILM DIRECTOR | TMOZ MEDIA | hey@adolfocv.com
MICHAEL HULL - PRODUCER | BETRAYAL AT ATTICA HBO MAX | mike@fifthcolumnfilms.com
WORK SAMPLE 1
TITLE: WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES (CINE-REEL SAMPLE)
ROLE: DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, SCREENPLAY, EDITING, MUSICAL DIRECTOR, SET DESIGN
TOTAL LENGTH: 30 MINUTES
BROADCAST PREMIERE: PBS INDEPENDENT LENSE FALL 2023
LOGLINE: "From a child painting on the walls of his family home in a war impacted city in Iraq, to a young man commissioned and mandated to paint for a brutal dictator and then a world superpower —When I Close My Eyes is the true story and journey for artist, survivor, refugee, and US citizen, Samir Khurshid.”
WORK SAMPLE 1 PRODUCING ORGANIZATIONS
WORK SAMPLE 2
TITLE: WITH THIS FIRE (DIGITAL DECK AND PROJECT SYNOPSIS)
ROLE: DESIGN & BUILD, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, SCREENPLAY, EDITING
TOTAL LENGTH: 8 MINUTES
FORM: LONG FORM FILM AND DIGITAL ART INSTALLATION
YEAR: 2020 - PRESENT (ONGOING)
WORK SAMPLE 2 PRODUCING ORGANIZATIONS
WORK SAMPLE 3
TITLE: IN REFLECTION
ROLE: DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, SCREENPLAY, EDITING, MUSICAL DIRECTOR, SET DESIGN
TOTAL LENGTH: 25 MINUTES
SYNOPSIS: The selected shorts are part of a larger body of work responding to an internal dialogue around shame, healing, trauma and transformation. An abstract reflection and creative short film produced in one month in Portland, OR. It features different artists, poets, dancers and improv based direction.YEAR: 2021 - PRESENT (ONGOING)
YEAR: 2021 - PRESENT (ONGOING)
WORK SAMPLE 3 PRODUCING ORGANIZATIONS
WORK SAMPLE 4
A BRIEF MUSICAL HISTORY
A BRIEF MUSICAL HISTORY
“In my formative years I spent nearly a decade pursuing a music career and was constantly on the road, grinding to the point of exhaustion. The music industry was and continues to be a challenging industry to navigate. However music is an integral part of my brain as an artist, and I tend to focus for months on creative new bodies of musical works and performance art to inform healing and process, both for myself and producing for creatives. It has informed a lot of my current work as a filmmaker.”
password: music
WORK SAMPLE 5
ROOTS IN OIL PAINTING
ROOTS IN OIL PAINTING
“I have been painting with oils since I was 17 years old. I received a degree with a focus on mixed media art and installation. I have been fascinated by colors, composition, and the ways that paint and canvas can be used to tell stories since I was a child. As I don’t paint much these days, I use the process as a tool to create visual storyboards and narratives for the films I make. My artistic background as a painter has informed the way I see color in moving images.”
