Emerging Filmmaker, Ganna Bogdan on her Must-See Flicks

Born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine, Ganna Bogdan moved to Los Angeles six years ago where she’s built an impressive career as a model and filmmaker. Under her media company, Artmosphere she has collaborated with brands like Braindead, Herschel and V Magazine. Currently she’s working on multiple music videos — including one for her friend, musician Annahstasia, which she’s really excited about — as well as focusing on her first documentary.

WestwoodWestwood caught up with the director recently and chatted about her work. “I think it’s important for an artist to be curious about the world around them,” she explains. “I try everything I’m interested in to get inspired and understand things from different perspectives. And I’m such an active person — I can’t just stay still when the world is moving!”

On the topic of her favorite directors, one clearly stood out as her favorite: “I love very visual films, and the ones that have a lot of humor in addition to the drama. I love all Stanley Kubrick films; the combination of music, characters and locations is so perfect. I went to LAPhil last year to listen to a live concert of Kubrick’s movie scores and it was the highlight of my whole year …”

Read on to glean Bogdan’s top must-see films and your latest list of movies to stream this week.

Senna Documentary

Directed by Asif Kapadia, “Senna” (2010) is a documentary, which focuses on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.

Girl, Interrupted

“Girl, Interupted” (’99) is based on writer Susanna Kaysen’s account of her 18-month stay at a mental hospital in the late 1960s. The cult film was directed by James Mangold and starred Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.

Blade Runner

In director Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 film, a blade runner (Harrison Ford) must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space, and have returned to Earth to find their creator.

Gattaca

Starring Ethan Hawk, Uma Therman and Jude Law, Gattaca” (’97) is about a genetically inferior man who assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel. It’s directed by Andrew Niccol.

Broken Embraces

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches a moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie. “Broken Embraces” (’09) was directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

The Source Family Documentary

Released in 2012, “The Source Family” documents a charismatic leader who founds a commune in LA in the ’70s based on natural food, spiritual practices and psychedelic rock. Directors Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille recreate the era with archival material and the memories participants.

Fallen Angels

A cult classic — as are the majority of director Wong Kar-Wai’s films — “Fallen Angels” (’95) is a Hong Kong-set crime drama, which follows the lives of a hitman, hoping to get out of the business, and his elusive female partner.

Check out Bogdan’s collection of goods for sale on Basic Space here!