Artist's Statement

"...almost inconceivable to an American audience."

Journal of Media, Information, International Relations, and Humanitarian Affairs

"...a big-hearted intellectual type, a cosmopolitan perspective yielding stories of humanity, culture, and humor."

Le Menteuses, IX

"He's a conquering worm or an implacable shark -- something you can't turn away from."

TIME Magazine

artist's Statement:

Things are not always as they appear. We live in a media landscape where our perceptions are constantly being manipulated. Truth is a choice. As a director, I'm interested in manipulating perceptions in a playful way (see above).

People electrify me. I use simple tools to tell outsider stories. Whether it's called "folk filmmaking" or "outsider art", what's important to me is to celebrating the extraordinary stories of everyday heroes. Our sense of humanity is eroding; I hope in some small way my work contributes to its conservation. (Unless the robots win, in which case this is all a joke and all praise be upon our new leaders.)

I take my humor seriously. There is power in laughter. And it was always the way I made friends. Let's be friends.

I love creative cross-cultural exchange. It's the soil for a healthy world.

Brady Calestro, M.Ed.

email: brady.calestro@gmail.com

tel: + 1 614-499-3247

February 2023

Mondokio International News was an educational resource that allowed high school students to consider multiple perspectives on the same news topic. My objective for this project was to pierce the culturally-specific lens by which everyone perceives the world around them. In its place, the idea was to develop a kind of a global lens for understanding important world events and create a better framework for cross-cultural communication. The service positively impacted hundreds of young people and was used by many educators in several countries. It was also the reason I became a high school teacher. The project ended in 2015.