It’s time to meet Finnish-born filmmaker Diana Ringo as she is definitely a name to look out for. Her passion for filmmaking and music have come a long way. She made her feature film debut with the Russian-Finnish co-production Quarantine, revolving around a man living in a bunker for 20 years since an apocalypse occurred and his feelings of guilt begin to get the best of him. A visual trip of a harrowing journey, Ringo did it all here from writing and directing as well as acting and scoring the film.

I had the chance to talk to Diana about the film and her next project, an adaptation of the George Orwell classic 1984.

Diana, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thanks to you, I had the chance to see your feature film debut Quarantine and it a very emotional ride full of spectacular visuals. Before we talk about the film, can you give us a background of how you decided to get into the film industry?
Thank you, Albert. My love affair with cinema started early. Since I was about 1 years old, I always liked watching the film “Gone with the Wind” (1939). I remember that I watched it countless of times, and even would drift off to sleep to it sometimes. When I was 5, I began to play classical piano and later I started to compose music. Starting from 2016 I became involved with the organization of film festivals and have watched lots of independent films from all over the world. In 2018 I started to compose music for cinema. I decided to make my directorial debut because by making my own films it would allow me to integrate my music exactly the way I would want it to be done. Music in 1960s-1970s cinema used to play the central role but now the film score has been mostly relegated to the background, which as a musician I find to be disappointing. I fell in love with editing films, since it is really where the film first starts to live. For me cinema is truly the perfect synthesis of arts.

Where did the idea from Quarantine come from?
I first got the idea for the film when I was living in Vienna, Austria during the COVID-19 lockdown. I saw that the world is on the brink of global changes, including confrontation of powers which could lead to a military conflict destroying the whole world. Some scenes in my film were shot in Ukraine, including the castle ruins and other abandoned destroyed buildings. The ruins symbolize the fragility of the world in general and single human life in particular.

You practically did it all on this film. Directed, produced, wrote, lensed, and even did the music. This seems like it was a definite passion project.
Yes, it definitely is my passion project – I had an amazing time doing the film as it was very creatively fulfilling. As an independent filmmaker who is not tied to the big-budget studio-system or government funds I have the privilege of being in full control of the filmmaking process, which is extremely important for me.

You even appear in the film as Felix’s loved one and what’s great is that you let your emotions and body language show what your character was like. From the dance at the nightclub to where we see you holding a camera with no emotion, it was fantastic. How did you come up with bringing that character to life in that notion?
We see the woman in the film through the eyes of the protagonist, years after they separated, so her image has some mysterious sides and is not as realistic as it could be. I decided on a non-linear narrative when making the film and chose to leave her character an enigma. The woman finds out about an important state-secret and wants her friend Felix (Anatoly Bely) to reveal it on live television. He however decides not to do so and remains haunted by this decision. Regarding dancing, thanks for the compliment! It is also an important means of self-expression for me and in my new film I also have some scenes with me dancing.

You have an upcoming film in an adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. What inspired you to make a film adaptation of the novel and what can we expect?
My upcoming film is a dystopia and a philosophical parable of existential turmoil inspired by George Orwell’s “1984” and Evgeniy Zamyatin’s “We” (which formed the template for Orwell’s famous novel). It is not only a film adaptation of the book but is also a contemplation on art, faith, freedom, human imagination and fragility of human existence. The problems described in the book “1984” have become more and more relevant because the means of control and enslavement of people have become tremendous. There are many layers in the book which I felt were unexplored by previous film adaptations. I also enjoy Andrei Tarkovsky’s dystopian sci-fi films, in particular “Stalker” (1979) – watching his films has definitely influenced my work. As with my previous film, I have composed the whole film score, as music continues to play a large part in my filmmaking.

My film “1984” offers an exploration of a totalitarian society governed by unrelenting reason and rigid conformity. It portrays the significance of art in the lives of individuals existing in a bleak and hopeless society who strive for self-expression and freedom. Art plays an important role in challenging the oppressive regime and fostering the awakening of human individuality. In the film I play a woman who introduces the protagonist (Aleksandr Obmanov, who played also in “Quarantine”) to a world of artistic expression, gradually awakening his dormant rebellious spirit and his strive for freedom.

Finally, where can fans see Quarantine and know more about you and your work?
The film is available to watch on Amazon Prime and FilmDoo. I am active on social media and I always try to inform the public about my new projects there.

Thank you so much Diana for taking the time to talk about yourself and your films. I hope we can get to keep in touch.

You can follow Diana on Twitter, Instagram, and her official website.