Name: Gregori Viens

Age: 38

Location: Los Angeles, CA (& Santiago de Chile this year)

Film: "Punching the Clown"

Mentor: If he were still alive, John Cassavetes. I feel he knew better than anyone (except maybe Mike Leigh) how to bring real emotion out of an actor on screen.

Motto: "Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others." (G. Marx. because a good copout can always come in handy in life)

What’s your pleasure? Swimming in the ocean with my kids.

What’s your poison? Massages

Drink: Mojitos (I was going to say Gevrey Chambertin red burgundy wine, but I didn't want to sound like a douche)

Concession: What's the least noisy and smelly?

Quote: "You can't eat the Venetian blinds. I just had 'em installed on Wednesday." -Jake Gittes in "Chinatown". The epitome of dirty elegance.

Performance: This year... the kids in "The Class" (Entre les murs) So much human complexity in that film, thanks to the non-professional actor kids.

Album: The Bends by Radiohead. Maybe that's not original anymore, but it was true when it came out, back when I was hip!

Back up career: Film Professor. I've taught most of the 2000s at UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Occidental College... Production, documentary, theory...

Vacation destination: my dad's house near Aix-en-Provence, south of France.

Party spot: nothing like a good friend's house.

Leisure activity: traveling

Reading material: I'd like to say Pablo Neruda, but I end up reading the news more...

Read more about Punching the Clown here.