Michela Lansing

THE PRODUCTION OF LIFE EXPERIENCES

- Farheen Nahvi

For some of us, stories are everything-our own, those of our family, our friends, or people we’ve come in contact with. For Michela Lansing, her own life as a child of the conflict-ridden zone of Iran, and the stories of wonderful people in her life such as her aunt have inspired her to voice the stories of people and places seldom touched in mainstream media. Based on the true story of her aunt helping and protecting vulnerable and abused women in Iran, her independent film, The Vigilante, portrays the lives of three women suffering from violence and abuse in a volatile territory, in need of refuge, finding solace in the arms of Fatersheh, a strong and determined woman-Lansing’s aunt. Her new project focuses on the life of a man condemned to live outside the accepted notions of ‘normalcy.’ Nonetheless, living his best life. Lansing has also undertaken the creation of a new YouTube channel, Everyday Persian, sharing her culture through food and recipes she inherited from her mother, with her friends and viewers online.

When did you know you wanted to explore filmmaking?

After I had my children and I could not find work as an actor.

Tell us about your musical interests. Are you willing to explore that side of yourself more professionally?