Riyan Durrani, Director & Co-Founder of Anomaly Films, on Making Sustainability Stories Resonate

Winning is always great, but being acknowledged for your work on a global level is always another high! Seeing some of my peers up on that list and winning against/with them is incredible!

I’ve always loved doing car films but with a story! I guess sticking to the basics worked. We just tried telling a good story.

Substance over style! I just tried telling a good story and not just pursuing style for the sake of it.

Budgets and execution are always challenging. On GWM - The Calling, we specifically wanted to use Unreal, but not just as a stylistic choice. We had to build a story around it to justify its use and give a certain look to our film. Blending that with live-action shots was, I guess, the biggest challenge.

Winning does come with its perks, but we’re just focusing on pushing forward and making a greater mark on the global landscape.

Oh, I’ve been so blessed to work with some amazing clients. The amount of trust they put in us is always encouraging and makes me strive to go the extra mile for them.

Just make art, and do justice to it and yourself. Consider yourself privileged to be in a position to create! Hard work and an honest approach never go unnoticed.

Change is good. It makes you strive to be better every day and be able to stand head-to-head with your contemporaries.

I would say to them, you’re privileged to be able to make or create art. Show that to the world, and there will always be somebody out there who loves what you do.

I’m constantly reminded by them all how I need to up my game every single time. I don’t think I’d be here without them!

Oh, there are so many people out there who deserve to be mentioned. And they all know who they are. Some of my longtime collaborators, friends, and family — I wouldn’t be who I am today without them!

GWM - The Calling is all about shifts in perspective. How we see ourselves and the world around us. We can either trap ourselves in the noise around us or liberate ourselves from the material world to truly understand what matters!

Oh, there’s always something exciting ahead. But right now, I’m focusing on penetrating the global market as much as I can.