Snapshots presents Laurence Warner on 'Closure Cafe'
I see 'Closure Cafe' as being about the peacebuilding power of intercultural dialogue
Video Snapshot
Closure Cafe
Closure Cafe is a story by Abhishek Pandit depicting a Soviet soldier in the bar of the afterlife, trying to figure out why his Afghan lover let him die by speaking with people from different countries. I see it as being about the peacebuilding power of intercultural dialogue, as a Fulbrighter obviously.
I was in LA, trouping my music around the dive-bars, I realised that it would be the perfect place to film an adaptation of his story. With the Cold War tensions re-emerging, it's more important than ever to zoom in on personal impacts of war, so I teamed up with a Ukrainian rapper for the soundtrack and we staged a discussion with an Afghan doctor upon the release.
We are delighted the film was selected by festivals in all three continents that it depicts, and is now available to watch everywhere on Vimeo and Youtube!
Impact of Fulbright award
Well my next major production - Snowflakes in SoCal! A Pandit & Warner Musical - owes a lot to Fulbright. Firstly, without my Master’s project on smartphone dependence, I'd never have got thinking about how consumer tech - spatial computing & AI - isn’t just going to damage Gen Alpha’s attention but also their planet. Secondly, I wouldn't have met co-writer Pandit in class at UChicago, if I'd been stuck back in smalltown England. Thirdly, I don't think I’d have learnt the American accent to play our tech bro villain Conrad.
Inspirational musicians and filmmakers
I only got the ambition to make a short film after shooting dozens of music videos by popular demand of my hometown Eastleigh - home of the spitfire - so I’m mainly influenced by independent-minded artists, like Little Simz, M.I.A., who pushed forward what a musician can do with filmmaking.
About
I was a UK Fulbrighter to UChicago 2017-19. You might recognise me from the Fulbrighter conversations I hosted on this platform's News and Reflections in 2020. But now I’m a human entertainer for this artificial age. You can follow my music and filmmaking at LaurenceWarner.com.