Sigurjón Sighvatsson Recalls Propaganda Films and David Lynch

A very experienced storyteller named Sigurjón Sighvatsson talked about his long career at a big movie festival called Locarno.

People call him Yoni, and he received a special award for being an independent producer, which means he makes shows and movies without relying on big studios.

Years ago, Yoni helped start a company called Propaganda Films that made lots of music videos with famous directors like David Lynch and Michael Bay.

He worked with David Lynch on the movie Wild at Heart and the TV show Twin Peaks.

When a big company did not want to make Wild at Heart, Yoni bought the book himself so the movie could happen.

For Twin Peaks, he found clever ways to pay for it, like selling VHS tapes in Europe.

He also helped make Tales of the City, a show about people who happen to be gay, which many TV companies did not want at first.

Later he produced the thriller Arlington Road, where the hero loses in the end, which is unusual for Hollywood.

At the close of the talk, he told young filmmakers to just go make their own stories, even with just a phone.