Her Movies Might just Change the World | Daniella Raphaël

Welcome to episode 24 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry, and help you build a career doing what you love. Today, we bring on Daniella Rafael, a USC film director and producer, who shares her experience making movies in the Middle East during geopolitical tensions. We discuss the behind the scenes of her dance film used to empower Iranian women and her plan to make her first feature film right after film school.Timecode:(0:00) - Intro(2:04) - Going to School with Nuns and religion(3:54) - Coming to LA for Film School(8:09) - Producing(13:09) - Collaboration at USC(16:25) - Junior Thesis Film(22:49) - Building Trust(23:36) - War films(29:25) - Making an Iranian Dance Film(40:08) - Directing a movie the Middle East(48:23) - Planning on Making First Feature Film(55:13) - Fundraising Advice(57:22) - Freelance vs Studio(58:23) - How to find Ideas(1:02:51) - Internships(1:11:35) - Social Media(1:12:26) - Theater(1:14:25) - What makes a good Script(1:18:56) - Student Assistant at USC