Director and Producer Victor Pigasse on Working With Award Winning Studios and His Future In the Film Industry

For most people, living out their dreams and learning from their heroes is something that they can only fantasize about. Movie director and producer, Victor Pigasse, is among the few who has found a career in something he loves, and benefited from the education of one of his cinematic idols. Born and raised in Paris, France, Pigasse’s career has already won numerous accolades, including the 2024/25 Clive Davis Award for Excellence in Music in Film.

His journey began in his home country where he worked at the world famous Les Films du Worso, before relocating to Los Angeles and having the opportunity to work alongside the prestigious production company, Iconoclast. Always looking to improve and broaden his horizons, Pigasse’s next move took him to the bright lights of New York City where he graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts with a masters in graduate film. It was there that the Parisian director first met Oscar winning Director and Producer Spike Lee, who has since become a close mentor for him. These formative experiences have ensured the continued success of his career, allowing him to contribute to countless award winning film productions, and has given him the necessary inspiration for his first independent feature film “Game of Love” which is currently in post-production.

We were lucky to have some time to sit down with Victor Pigasse, despite his busy schedule, and get a chance to talk about the formative experiences that have shaped his style and career. He discusses not only his journey from Paris to New York, but the collaborations and people who have inspired him.

You had the chance to work at le Films du Worso, can you describe that experience and how it has helped your career?

Victor Pigasse: I try to use every opportunity I get to learn more and gain experience in this industry. To work at Les Films du Worso in Paris was an extraordinary opportunity, one that I learned a lot from. Sylvie Pialat, a producer and founder of the company, was especially important during my tenure, supporting my work and impact on their productions. The production company itself is such a success, with many movies such as the Oscar nominated movie Timbuktu (2014). During my time there I was given holistic mentorship, with my work exposing me to every aspect of film production, from accounting and the film financing system in France, to the legal department and organizing premieres. Beyond that, I was able to support script and screenplay development, reviewing drafts and providing my insights in how to improve the projects. The whole experience was fundamental in my learning how to make movies, and gave me the chance to work on countless distinguished movies such as Les Gardiennes (2017) and La Prière (2018), which won the Silver Bear for Best Actor.

Can you talk about what it was like learning from Spike Lee at NYU?

I consider myself very lucky to have had him as a mentor during my time at NYU. It really is a privilege to work with a master director like him. He was really open and allowed us to ask him questions about making movies, his writing process, even his approach to the music he uses. But he also brought in a number of directors who joined in the discussions and brought their own viewpoints. We were even able to meet with him one on one to show him our scripts to read and give us feedback. His help and support was instrumental in the writing of my first feature.

Who are your idols or mentors within the industry?

I consider myself lucky as I have met and worked with one of my idols. I always enjoyed Spike Lee’s movies, and his ability to write dialogue with such a dynamic “mise en scene”. He elevates his films through a unique blend of music and the movies are both entertaining while simultaneously delivering powerful political messages. “She’s Gotta Have It”, his first low budget film is a source of inspiration for me, so to have met him, learned from him and had the chance to get his feedback was incredible. Beyond that I love American screwball comedies, and admire directors such as Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder for their versatility of genres. I also love Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, Ernst Lubitsch and more!

You have worked a lot with Manya Glassman, how did that first happen?

I met Manya Glassman at NYU. It didn’t take long to realize that she was different from the other filmmakers, all she had to do was show me her shorts. It was then that I decided to produce all of her next shorts: Sofia’s tapestry (2021), Acquiescence (2022), Deep Tissue (2023), Remember to Remember (2023) and How I Learned to Die ( 2025).

This collaboration proved to be both successful and creatively rich, quickly gaining recognition on the international festival circuit. Their projects were selected for screenings at prestigious festivals such as the 2021 Rhode Island International Film Festival (an Oscar-qualifying festival), New Generation Film Festival, New York Shorts International Film Festival, Central Florida Film Festival, Atlanta Women’s Film Festival, the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions at Pinewood Studios, and the CMU Short Film Competition. As their partnership deepened, accolades followed, with Pigasse taking home awards for the Best New England Director Award at Rhode Island in 2022, Best Editing at the Prague International Film Awards, Best Student Short at the Independent Short Awards, Best Student Film at the Toronto International Women Film Festival, Best Original Score at the 8 & Half Awards, both Best Short and Best Original Score at the NYC Independent Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Brilliant Indie Film Awards and Best Female Director at the Medusa Film Festival, to name just a few. Their shared creative journey was further validated with the prestigious Spike Lee Funding Award for their most recent collaboration “How I Learned to Die” marking not just the strength of their artistic collaboration, but the start of a lasting and impactful filmmaking legacy.

What stands out about her work?

Manya has this ability to tell stories in a different way. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but she is a very talented editor and says that she visualizes her stories first before writing them. That’s not to say her writing isn’t incredible, but she has found a way to visually and viscerally transport you into her stories. I love her scene transitions, use of music, the overlapping dialogue, integration of slow motion and camera movements, it blends together beautifully into one wonderful story. She tackles personal subjects while making them so emotional but also very entertaining. Her stories deal with all sorts of subjects, love, death, memories, parenthood, and friendship. There is something so real about her movies, they will make you laugh then cry and will stay with you long after having watched them.

What does your future hold? Are you looking to get into more feature length films that blend humor with serious topics? What does your dream scenario look like?

Honestly it feels a little like the future is right now. I am finishing the post production of my first feature. I am in the process of writing a couple more features that I would like to make after I am finished with this one. Some are ambitious projects such as one which is an homage to Screwball comedies (a genre that was around in the 1930s), while others are low budget passion projects. Ultimately, I will continue to make movies, and the dream scenario is that I can build off of what I have already accomplished to meet more producers and other artists that would be interested in my next projects. If they are anything like the people who I worked on my current project with I will be lucky!