We recently connected with Juan Zuloaga Eslait and have shared our conversation below.
Juan , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My story started before I even knew it. My childhood fondest memories happened in my room surrounded by countless toys. I remember playing with them and creating complex stories in the scenarios I imagined. Movies during that time had not yet revealed itself as my life purpose, back then it was limited to the three films I would watch every weekend with my father after renting in the video store. But even then, without having a clear conscious about it, I was fostering and developing my skills as a storyteller… My toys where that starting point. Thanks to them I understood characters, journeys, and very surprisingly, life itself.
Today, as a film director, I have discovered that the love I have for cinema, is that same love I had for my toys once, but now it has evolved, only to become something greater. What I did back then, is the same thing I am doing right now, in a way I am still playing with my toys, but instead toys, is filmmaking now, is a camera, is lights, actors, scripts, but most importantly, storytelling.
My only hope is to be able to translate to the language of cinema, that simplicity that I would find myself in as a kid, that beautiful, and magnificent simplicity, that we call life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My life and my career intertwined in a such a way that they are one and the same, as a film director I want the same thing I hope to achieve in this life, to preserve memory and uplift the human spirit. I believe telling stories, is an act of service to humanity. I have come to understand that life is a beautiful endless cycle filled with the uniqueness of billions of individuals. This uniqueness is what creates character and the possibility of being able to see ourselves reflected in other people, is ultimately a step towards connection. But how to connect in a world that apparently seems to be so evil? Cold hearted? Merciless? Where war, violence, and hatred are part of the norm. That is precisely my goal, to unveil the truth, to find that hidden thread that connects us all, that light that bounds us together, and makes us inseparable, for life everlasting.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
To all of those who want to pursue a career in filmmaking, I would say:
1) There is no greater teacher than the big screen… Watch everything, cinema is not only Hollywood films. Watch films from all around the globe if you truly wish to become a good filmmaker.
2) Read, read, read, read, read as much as you can… never stop reading.
3) Live your life, if you wish to tell stories, you must never stop the pursue of life itself, it is a journey and we all wish to discover what it really is about, never stop.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I recommend to all readers to read Homer’s Illiad. It is a must for all storytellers, the epitome of epic literature resides within the pages of this book, but most importantly, one of the biggest, most harsh and truthful depictions of humanity are written in this wonderful piece of work.
After reading this book you will understand that:
1) Storytelling is character
2) Character is Humanity
3) Humanity is Storytelling
Is an infinite cycle that never stops, a cycle where art shows its true colors in order to become life itself.
Contact Info:
- Website: zuesfilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zuesfilms/
