Meet Teo Marinakis

{on channeling emotions in motion }

With a prophetic name translated as “gift of God” or “people” in Ancient Greek and Germanic, Director Teo Marinakis seems to have been predestined for an international journey. Raised by loving Greek/Argentinian and Brazilian parents in Chile, Teo has currently settled ground in Brooklyn and never misses an occasion to travel the globe - when it’s not ravaged by a pandemic. His natural curiosity and savviness around human beings and their cultures have allowed him to translate the world into his own language of art and elect motion pictures and photography as a way to share his own interpretation.

Teo shares a slice of his unique universe with us for an honest and genuine conversation around his roots, his motivations, and his deep passion for constant creation - a conversation that I truly wish never ended.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in Santiago, Chile to a Brazilian mom and Argentinian/Greek dad, and I spent my summers going to their countries to see family. In each of these travels I connected with different cultures, languages, and was exposed to varieties of music, art and media. I feel like deep down it gave me a wide range of cultural capital and expanded my perspective of artistic possibilities. A lot of my tastes from food, to fashion to film come from these influences. Like exploring my grandfather’s bossa nova and jazz records in Brazil or my dad’s Argentinian rock records in Argentina.

How did you get into filmmaking? 

Before I even fantasized about cinematography and direction I was already fascinated by the worlds behind the screen but in a different way. The stories of my favorite films took over way more of my life than the 2-hour duration. Whether it was imagining alternate plots, as if I was a student at Hogwarts or Ferris Bueller’s high school, or building a life-size R2-D2 or a miniature Indiana Jones set with action figures, films took over a lot of my headspace from an early age. Which misled me to believe acting and performance was my calling, but I just wanted to live in the movies. After acting in a few commercials and school plays and taking acting classes one summer, I got interested in what the people were doing behind the cameras. Making up characters, stories, worlds, writing scripts, bringing your vision to life through the lens, that’s where the secret sauce I had been looking for for years. I bought a camera and started shooting and editing videos with my friends and it all grew from there.

Credits: Teo Marinakis

What is it about it that attracts you the most?

I guess for me it’s a combination of it being the ultimate fusion of all art forms, and the power it has of moving humans. The arts were always my strongest means for creative expression along with athletics. At different stages growing up, I dabbled in sketching, painting, drama, dance, music production, photography, short stories; and when I started making video content it kind of felt like the final frontier. Filmmaking in itself is made up of all these art forms, encompassing different aspects of the craft: screenwriting, scoring, performance, composition, use of color, movement, and on and on. I love that the creative process behind it takes on so many different shapes, allowing you to take each project as deep as you want in each of all these directions.

“To make a film so genuine and true in its essence that it brings completely different people from across the globe to connect with the story and reflect upon their own lives; it’s universal language.”

Teo Marinakis

And what is the most challenging part?

The most challenging part is the second thing that attracts me the most, it’s the power to move humans so deeply emotionally, politically, and spiritually. My favorite films are the ones that can make me feel so intensely that it’s almost as if the things happening on screen were happening to me. Films that make me laugh and cry, get excited and disappointed and scared and inspired in the span of 2 hours. These are the films that I truly love and what I aspire to provoke in people with my own films. That said, it’s a double-edged sword because as much as it’s what attracts me to the craft, it’s also a level HARD task. To make a film so genuine and true in its essence that it brings completely different people from across the globe to connect with the story and reflect upon their own lives; it’s a universal language. I'm still learning to speak it.

Credits: Teo Marinakis

What was the most challenging circumstance that you had to experience, that profoundly impacted and changed your life?

Probably one of the most challenging circumstances I’ve been in has been the two years since the pandemic started in which I probably have never been so alone. I spent almost two years without seeing my mom or sister before they were able to come to visit me and as a family-oriented person, this really took me out of my comfort zone. I lived alone and spending a lot of time in isolation during Covid started to drive me insane, not only as a social person but just in terms of human nature. There’s a reason why solitary confinement is used as the harshest punishment in prison. It definitely has affected me in different ways, I’ve noticed that it pushed me to mature and find ways around the problems I encountered on the way. At the same time it’s hard to tell the extent of how it changed me. Although the Covid situation has eased up a lot, I still haven’t been home in over two years and am still learning to deal with it all.

What meaningful things did you learn about yourself through your creative work?

Certain projects are almost like therapy. Those are the ones I work off of experiences I’ve lived through, and in tackling these topics or moments I am forced to process facets of my history and psychology. It sounds obvious and pretentious, but it’s that work that I think really makes you grow as an artist. It's in those moments that I work through figuring out what it is I want to say. What matters to me.  

In VIVO  I explore themes of loneliness and fears of failure. It started with the idea of how inspiration comes from places you would never expect. Then I expanded on that idea with a character who feels defeated, whose writer’s block has gotten the worst of him. Through channeling these ideas and expanding on them even more, I start to understand what’s behind my intention. The WHY am I trying to say what I’m trying to say.

About life, what life lessons do you wish you knew 5-10 years ago?

Perfectionism is the enemy of good. Whatever project you are working on, set yourself a deadline and try to make it as good as you can until that day. After that, release the project and move on to the next. It’s how the real world works and the fastest way to progress in your career.

What good habits do you want to cultivate?

For the past two years or so, since the pandemic hit and I simultaneously graduated from college I have been working a lot on organization, time management, and discipline. These habits don’t come naturally to me but I have come to understand their value and importance in becoming a successful professional in any field. I’m the kind of person that can get sidetracked into YouTube rabbit holes on Russian lenses or any random topic for four hours straight, but also often forget to eat meals when I’m concentrated on a project. I guess it’s part of learning to find balance and navigating life as an adult from taking care of your mind, body, and spirit to your business and finances and still finding time to create and explore interests and inspirations.

What is the one rule that you hope or wished for that everyone lived by in order to live a more meaningful life?

I truly don’t think there’s a one size fits all approach to living a meaningful life, each person has to find their own or the one that works for them. But the one teaching I got as a kid that I carry with me and can improve life, in general, is “your rights end where mine begin.” It’s kind of a spin of “treat others how you want to be treated,” but less demanding. Most injustices, pain, problems, headaches would be gone if everyone practiced this. Of course, it’s easier said than done but you gotta start somewhere.

If there were no money concerns involved, what is that one thing that would love to do or create?

My friend and I have thrown around this idea for a feature film that takes place in multiple countries in Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. Without saying too much, the plot in itself involves a man who gets the opportunity to travel around the world and takes it on. Actually putting this into production would take a lot of money and infrastructure allowing us to travel and shoot in all these places. Or I would want to shoot a period piece in Argentina in the 70’s, allowing me to recreate the time period with the set design from costumes to old Cadillacs and such.

Discover more of Teo’s work and latest adventures on his website teomarinakis.com and on his Instagram @teomarinakis and @ooofandthewalrus