Interview Series - Carole Ryavec

Carole Ryavec, Ph.D., is director of development for PCI-Media Impact in NYC. She earned her Ph.D. in political history, with a specialization in Japanese medieval legal history, at Columbia University. Thereafter, she took the opportunity to work in the newly thriving Japanese economy, working in banking and finance for nearly twenty years,mainly in Tokyo. She holds a certificate in screenwriting from NYU, and is an award-winning script writer, as well as professional script reader. Right now she is working on a movie from Slovenian artist Bogdan Grom.

You changed your career drastically several times. Why did you choose to be a movie maker?

My career was greatly guided by chance. My interest in law, and history, and in the development of political concepts like jurisdiction led to my pursuit of a Ph.D. in legal history. But as there weren’t any teaching or research jobs by the time I’d finished my degree, since colleges were full of post-World War II veterans who’d taken on this field, I had to find a new course. And, by chance, the Japanese Bubble was just beginning. I was hired as an international banker because I knew finance (part of my studies) and I spoke Japanese. When I sold my finance company to JPMorgan in 2000, I took a deep sigh, and said: Now I have to do what I love. And that’s making films, which I’d done all my life, as a part of my life. I just didn’t show those films to anyone outside my family and friends. 

What made you promote Slovenian culture?

I started a film about my own Slovenian family, who live in a small village at the border between Italy and Slovenia. Four generations of the family had four different nationalities. I made a film interviewing the family about their experiences of the wars, and the peace, for my father. He was reaching the end of his life, and he was sorry he’d not gone back to spend more time in Slovenia. That small film about my family grew into a larger one. The series of TV shows about artists, called “NYC Takes on ART”, features two Slovenian artists out of the six artists’ films. 

What is the most memorable moment with Mr. Bogdan Grom?

I worked with Mr. Grom for over a year, meeting for interviews and visiting him in his studio. I developed a deep admiration for his art, of course. But the most important aspect of his work for me is the sense of humanity, as I show in the film, about his reflections on the captured and tortured Viet Cong soldier. 

What is your next challenge?

It’s time to build a team (production, sound, research, etc.) to finish “Shifting Borders”. Then who knows? I’d like to continue to develop stories about family. Perhaps that will mean directing some of the scripts I’ve been writing over the past 20 years.