A Bed-Stuy Filmmaker is Connecting People Through Their Stories

"How was your day?"

Most people find this a simple question that typically elicits a mundane reply. But not Iva Radivojevic, a Bed-Stuy filmmaker who uses the question as a springboard for creating short films.

One of those films, Nelson, was selected by the Brooklyn Arts Council to be screened on the closing night of its Scene: Brooklyn series, from May 5th through the 12th. Scene: Brooklyn showcases independent films in the hopes of exposing diverse works of art to new audiences.

Nelson is only three minutes and 19 seconds long, but during that time, viewers get to peer inside the life of Ik Nam Cho - or "Nelson" - a man who spends his days working at a deli on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

Ik Nam Cho opens up to the camera, talks about how he received the name Nelson - during his time as a soldier in the Vietnam war, his superiors renamed him because they felt no one would remember his real name - and the gradual psychological numbing he experienced, as he grew accustomed to killing enemy soldiers.

Radivojevic says that Nelson was exactly the kind of story she's interested in telling: "It's human. Nelson's is a heart rendering story and he is extremely honest in telling it; he doesn't hold back," she says.

"He has these stark Vietnam combat photos posted on his cash register and in chatting with him, I realized his is a powerful story -- one that most of us could never even begin to construct in our minds, and I thought it was important to share."

From a very young age, Radivojevic felt compelled to convey her thoughts through art, and as time went on, that desire only increased.

"I started painting at the age of 9, which was followed by an exploration into photography which eventually turned into film and video," she explains.

"Film has been an interest and a passion since my teenage years, though at that time I wasn't quite sure how and if I could make it a reality. [But] It became the tool with which I can express myself best. And now, it's an addiction."

By expressing herself, and getting people from all over the world to answer, "How are you?" Radivojevic hopes to increase empathy in her audiences by showing them how each person they meet has a story to tell.

"We are all so individual and different, and yet very much the same at the core," Radivojevic says. "I'd love it if my films can help us understand each other better, make us more compassionate. It would make for a better world."

Perhaps Radivojevic's question isn't so simplistic after all.