Exclusive interview with,Spiros Stathoulopoulos, director of PVC-1

Right now I am sitting next to Spiros Stathoulopoulos the director of PVC-1!
I can't believe it!
I went to the CSUN computer lab to write about his movie screening, and when I sat down he was sitting right next to me!
I couldn't contain my excitement because I was so impressed with his film and his work ethic.

PVC-1 is an 85 minute continuous shot that took months of practice and repetitious training to instill uniformity and discipline within the actors and himself.
It is an innovative portrayal of how fragile life is and how quickly it can be taken away. It is based on a true story of a Colombian mother who could not pay a ransom of 15 million pesos and was turned into a human time-bomb when criminals put explosives made out of PVC piping around her neck.
"I shot it in one continuous shot to show that life is not a joke. You cannot go back in time and edit things out. We wake up and in two hours we can die, we can be dust," said Stathoulopoulos.

Last night's film screening drew a huge crowd at CSUN's Armer Theatre. Every seat was taken and people were waiting outside in line hoping to get in. CSUN Professors actually asked students who were only there for extra credit to leave(but they would still get credit) if they were not truly interested in seeing the film because so many people waiting.

Stathoulopoulos at Cannes Film Festival

After the screening there was a Q&A with Stathoulopoulos.
"Last nights questions were the best I ever had," he said.
"Better than Cannes?" I asked.
"Yes, because Cannes was all journalists and last night we were all filmmakers, we all understood each other."

While last nights questions were all good, I thought I would ask him more personal questions since I caught him off guard.
Stathoulopoulos said that as a result of PVC-1 he was able to get an agent and the offers to direct feature films have bombarded him.
"Are the films being offered to you in Spanish or English?(PVC-1 is shot in Spanish) And are you going to continue to direct films that raise awareness about issues happening in Columbia and/or Latin America?" I asked.
"Since I am in Hollywood most of the films being offered are in English, but I am getting a lot of offers to direct movies with Greek plot lines," Stathoulopoulos said who is of Greek ethnicity. He also said he would like to take advantage of this opportunity to direct feature films, but plans to write his own original movie in two years.

Stathoulopoulos is living proof that you don't need to be a graduate of NYU or USC to become a successful film director.
There is a stigma placed on education, that only graduates of elite universities can become successful filmmakers (e.g George Lucas and Martin Scorsese)
But Stathoulopoulos, a graduate of CSUN and LACC, proves that you can make it with determination and drive.
"I made a goal for myself to make it to Cannes by 2007," he said.
"You have to set objectives and chase them, if you want to be a film maker, write a screenplay and go shoot it and your life is going to change."

For more information please visit http://www.pvc-1themovie.com