As a filmmaker and a family man, I appreciate the opportunity to work with my sons when the occasion arises. I have worked closely with Soledad since we first met in Buenos Aires twenty-five years ago, and together we built a library of more than 60 films for Heritage Film Project, the studio Soledad and I founded together in 2008.
Today, my wife enjoys a well-deserved break from documentary filmmaking, and she's almost full-time dedicated to the culinary arts, her other passion. I now occasionally work with my children as they seem eager to learn and see the world.
The first to show an interest was Ben (22). While working on K.J.Lankes: Yankee Printmaker in Virginia, he joined me on the field, and we traveled from location to location documenting the Ripshin Farm, Sherwood Anderson's farm in Virginia, and Robert Frost locations in upstate New York and Vermont.
Today is William (18), the one by my side. However, I am more prepared for homeschooling in photography and filmmaking this time. The relationship with William is closer to that of teacher-apprentice dynamics. We work daily, share a common platform and operate identical equipment in the field. We both like the new Sony cinema cameras and like editing in Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier. William is also learning to record sound on the set, he's learning about using different microphones under different circumstances, and that alone will always come in handy to both. Furthermore, he's also interested in reading theory and learning from the great master photographers of the past.
As I become older and wiser, I'm learning to depend on and learn from my children. Even Raquel (10) has some relevant advice for me now and then, and she is also exploring the basics of portrait photography in casual photoshoots organized with friends.
It is hard to say if my children's future is in photography, filmmaking, or an unrelated vocation. They will follow their dreams just as I followed mine, and that's alright. However, this experience of working together will contribute to their personal growth as much as it has helped me to rediscover myself as a teacher and, why not, a better father.
My family and Heritage Film Project all came from the same seed. This month, it all started twenty-five years ago- on a first date with Soledad in Buenos Aires, then came Europe, and then the world. In many ways, that tree continues to bear fruits today; the fish have multiplied, and we shall continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
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