We had the good fortune of connecting with Rodrigo Occelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rodrigo, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I been taking risks since I was young, the first risk was to make the decision to chase my dream.  I believe that when you are an artist and you have something to say or show to the world, you are gonna have to take the risk to go and make it happen, no plan b.

If you want to play it safe and don´t make waves maybe you dont have anything valuable to say at all. But if you have that fire inside you, that idea that keeps you awake at night, go for it. Take the emotional risk, the financial risk, the personal risk you need to live your life in your own terms otherwise you will always live with the price of regret around your neck.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In the world we live in, art is an act of rebellion. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro said in an interview “to be a film director you need to have the sensibility of a poet and the endurance of a boxer, it is the strangest job in the world”. And this is so true. I wanted to make films since I was 14 years old. Today I am living my dream but to get here I had to make very hard decisions every single day and this hasn´t change I still do. I learned that things don´t get easier, you just become stronger and better at facing whatever life throws at you.

I am a storyteller and to become a film director and screenwriter was the obvious move for me. I love to make documentary films and currently I am getting ready to start doing fiction films. As a storyteller there is no limit, once you have the story in your head, you just have to choose what is the best way to tell that story.

It is a privilege to be able to give back to the world using your talent. Films are a powerful tool to open up conversations, to provoke change in society and also to remind people what makes us human. A film can make you feel in such a different way about yourself , about the world.

A good friend of mine once told me “You have the most important job in the world, you have the talent to make people dream, cry, to forget about the world for a while, to get in touch with their souls. And believe me, most of the people out there dont have this power and those people will find sanctuary in your art”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was born and raised in Mexico City. We will stop for tacos for sure. My top spots would be “Tacos de Etiqueta” that are “carnitas” also “El Venadito” and “El Arrollito”. You can´t miss tacos al pastor, “El Arrollito” and “La casa del pastor” would be great options. Many museums to visit I personally like the JUMEX Museum, The Natural History Museum, also great historic places like Castillo de Chapultepec, the pyramids in Teotihuacán, the Zocalo in the historical center. And to find great food and bars for sure go to La Roma and Condesa. There is a great japanese restaurant named KURA and if you want great coffee visit Tierra Garat and ask for a criollo, a mix of mexican chocolate and coffee.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To be successful at something, you need more than discipline and focus. Those two characteristics will get you started and going but you need to build a emotional support system. Whomever believes in you and gives you love and support hold onto them. Because you will loose focus, motivation, discipline…and its ok. But in those moments those people will be there to remind you that you are in the right path, you just have to keep going, because there is no way you can skip the process and the faster you understand this, the better. The process means growth and wisdom. In my case is my wife, my family and a very particular set of friends. No one actually makes it alone.

Website: www.vetafilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roccelli/?hl=es

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigo-occelli-8872a436

Other: IMDB (international movie data base): https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9253225/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_1_q_Rodrigo%2520Occelli

Image Credits
Veta Films

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