When you think about our judges panel, I realized we have been building to this for years. The three judges profiled here have all been Barclay Award winners and have worked with TikiKiti off and on over the years.
Here is Iranian filmmaker Arman Karkhanei. He first came to attention with his video to “Goodbye” by Apparat. This video won nine International Festivals and Finalist, Nominee or Selected by eight Global Festivals. When we first reported on this video our write John Chandler said, "Our memories of love often take on the consistency of a dream or hallucination. Iranian filmmaker Arman Karkhane conveys the elusive, ineffable qualities of that particular feeling through precision art direction and utmost patience.”
In Spring of 2022 we were fortunate to collaborate with Arman in the production of his short film based on the song “Twin Cinema” by The New Pornographers. Produced by his company Gestiqe Art, it was the winner in three international film festivals.
Born in 1995, Arman is a Director, producer and editor. He began his career in editing experimental feature films and is one of the most promising editors and directors of his generation. He won the best editing award for the film "The Labyrinth and More" on 39th Fadjr Festival which is the most authoritative film festival in Iran. He has won eight international Awards for his short film “Twin Cinema", 6 International Awards for his short film "The Goodbye" and also has 25 selections, nominations, and a finalist in global festivals.
Graduating in 2016 with a degree in civil engineering from Azad University, he began working in graphic design, marketing and producing some of his early videos. He evolved to include branding as his skills in film and video continued to grow. He ended up becoming the media manager for the branding agency Tik Bama in Tehran.
Arman Karkhanei is one of the most brilliant producers we have worked with. We hope that one day we will be able to present him with his Barclay Award in person.
He can be reached on Facebook at /Armankarkhanei; on Instagram @Armankarkhanei or his company @Gestiqe; on YouTube at @Armankarkhanei.
Three years ago we met Matthew through his company, Appalachian Ghost Productions, with his video to “Nose on the Grindstone” by Tyler Childers. Not only was this our introduction to Matthew but also to Tyler Childers. As an US Army veteran he knows his subject and how this video captured the emotion of all vets when they return to “the world.” It was while in the Army he learned how to tell a story. Attending Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, helped him use film and video to realize his vision.
Then he moved back to Kentucky where we have followed him since.
As a former veteran myself, I know first hand how traveling and learning about other cultures is an eye-opening experience. Telling these stories visually is part of a life-long adventure that his works details.
His YouTube channel is filled with local musicians such as The AC Unit.
You can watch our podcast with him here....
We look forward to working with Mr. Smith in the not-too-distant future.
Let’s begin at the beginning. He was there all those years ago when the ideas for TikiKiti began to take shape. Then, he just started producing. You can see all his videos on his YouTube channel. Especially the ones he produced for TikiKiti. There is the video for X to their song “Have Nots”; alt-J and “In Cold Blood”; Arctic Monkeys and “Do I wanna Know?”; the mashup video he did to Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Don’t Forget Me” (unfortunately for all mashup producers since, this is the video we rate you by. I know. It’s tough.): and one of his greatest accomplishments, a video that was used by many in the #metoo movement, here is April March and “Chick Habit.”
It seems he makes music videos in his spare time. That is, when he is not making documentary films.
This is an award winning filmmaker is from Bend, Oregon. He has made six short films and two feature length documentaries. Each of these films have been officially selected by a number of different film festivals throughout the world. Three of these films have won awards including ‘best in show’ for his documentary “Radiance of Resistance” at the Human Rights Film Festival in Belfast, Ireland. He has been providing high quality video production for local businesses in Oregon since 2012.
He says, “UnLocked Films represents an idea. That idea is that film cannot only unlock minds but it can entertain, educate, and hopefully inspire. With every client I promise to bring an unmatched work ethic and creativity. I will work hard to produce the highest quality product for your business. I will never stop pursuing my dream of a fully interactive film experience. I will also never stop telling stories that break down stereotypes.”
Last year he created a series of short tutorials about how to make your own music video. These video now reside on the TikiKiti YouTube channel. Called DIY from TikiKiti, Jesse braved the elements — and thousands telling him how this should be done — and did it his way.
He started the TikiKiti podcasts program — one that continues. Here’s a side note I will share now. It’s about Jesse’s style and experience. I recently spoke with a colleague who told me in all honesty, that I’m not very good at being an interviewer, or even on camera. I was not offended. In fact, I agreed completely. Jesse is the talent and the show behind our Podcasts. He insisted I be there with him (because he is in charge), even if it’s just to make him look good (LOL). He doesn’t me to make that happen.
TikiKiti would not exist today if not for the contributions of Jesse Locke.
Here's the mashup video that set the standard for all mashup videos we see.
