Film Director Franck Trozzo Kazagui
Franck Trozzo
Kazagui
A self-taught French director building immersive worlds that are not only seen, but deeply felt.
Some directors chase the seen. Franck Trozzo Kazagui chases the felt. A self-taught French filmmaker who packed up and moved to Berlin to find the room his creativity needed, he works at the place where culture, performance, and innovation meet, where cinematic storytelling and technical execution move as one.
His films build intimate connections between audience and character, from the stigma-breaking short LUCIA to the widely recognized MOVEMENT. Through his collective Explore, Create, Repeat, he self-produces the personal work that keeps his vision honest.
We talked about routine and solitude, about the parents who became his greatest inspiration, and about why he believes the art world is finally opening its doors.
Antakly Projects · Film Series · Berlin
From LUCIA, his short film breaking the stigma around pole dancing.
Watch on Vimeo
Behind the camera, where storytelling and technical execution move as one.
Franck Trozzo Kazagui, who signs his work < F.T.K >, is a self-taught French film director based in Berlin. He is naturally drawn to projects that sit at the intersection of culture, performance, and innovation, focusing on emotionally driven narratives and immersive visual worlds.
Together with his team, he approaches every project with creative ambition and precision, developing ideas with a strong conceptual vision and bringing them to life with clarity and intention. He is also the founder of Explore, Create, Repeat, the film collective through which he self-produces personal projects, including LUCIA, a film challenging the stigma surrounding pole dancing, and MOVEMENT, which earned widespread recognition.
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
From an artistic point of view and the way they managed their career, Pharrell, Samuel Ross and Daniel Arsham inspire me a lot. But lately, since I moved to a new country, I have realised that my parents, especially my mother, are my greatest inspiration. They worked so hard to give us everything we needed without complaining. Now it is my turn to work hard and give them everything.
Tell us a bit about your creative process. Work you are most proud of, things you are looking forward to this year?
My creative process is pretty easy. I have a routine when I get an idea. First I write it down on my phone, then I need to be by myself without talking to anyone for two days, and during that time I ask myself where the starting point of the story is, how I drive people through the story, where the connection is between each part of the film. Finding the proper balance to my story is really a priority for me.
I always try to push for authenticity with a bit of fiction in my work and make it feel real so people can relate to that.
How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?
When I was in France I couldn't get the proper tools to fully express my creativity, so I decided to take a step back and move to Berlin. It was here I got the chance to meet up with people that believe in my creativity and allow me to fully express myself in these times.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I don't consider myself an icon, but if my story can inspire others to never give up on their dreams then I have done my part. Being an artist is very challenging. You need to ask yourself what direction you want to take with your work, if you do that from an artistic perspective or to make money. Again, it is all about the right balance and being true to yourself.
Do you think the art world needs to change, and if so how can it be improved?
The art world is already changing by allowing artists like Daniel Arsham to bring a wider perspective and touch more people outside the art box. Social media platforms like Instagram are great tools to discover unknown artists that are providing new visions.
Visit our Film Archive
Directors · Cinematographers · Storytellers →A conversation with Franck Trozzo Kazagui for the Antakly Projects film archive, with context drawn from his own words.
Part of the Antakly Projects film and design archive, conversations with the people shaping the stories we watch. Read all interviews here.
Stay curious,
