In an exclusive interview, Flickering Myth sat down with Robin de Levita, a multi award-winning writer, producer, and director hailing from Amsterdam to talk about collecting Tony Awards and the making of his debut film, Lost Cos.
Hi Robin de Levita, welcome to Flickering Myth! Has there been one particular moment in your career that you’re most proud of?
I find this hard to answer. The successes are not always easy to explain. The failures are just as hard. You realize luck is the deciding factor in life. You kill yourself to make stuff work and brace yourself for what comes next. I always try and prepare for success as much as failure.
Tell us about your debut feature film Lost Cos?
A crazy rollercoaster! This was my first movie as director and part of it was, I just wanted to learn how to do it. I had to fight constantly to keep my vision alive throughout the entire process. In this process your vision can be easily lost or watered down. Not everybody understood what I was trying to do, and I lost friends as a result. It is crazy how personal making a movie can really be. I learned quite a lot. At the end of the day, a movie is about making millions of choices and these you have to make according to your vision. I can’t wait to do it again.
How did you come up with the concept?
Originally, I wanted to make a documentary about the relationship between the performing arts and trauma. I have been around performers and artists my whole life and I saw a clear connection. Then Evgeniya Radilova approached me about making a film featuring Vampirella. I said that it was not for me, but I wrote a treatment about a woman who acts as Vampirella. This was the start of the process. First it was supposed to be a pilot for a series, then I decided that it would be better as a movie. The team for the pilot became the team for the movie.
Did you treat the project like a musical production or how did you approach it?
I got inspired and just started writing. Musicals are such a different art form. In movies, the music is there to underscore the drama. In a musical it becomes the drama. Very different. I chose all the music in the film so maybe the connection is there. My motivation was to try and make something I wrote. I wanted to see if I could pull it off.
How did you find the role as a first-time director?
I loved working with the actors. So many surprises they bring, some good, some bad. Also, for the first time I had only myself to blame for every decision. I found it liberating and scary as well. I learned a lot. The biggest lesson is how extremely lengthy the post-production process took. It took a full year. So much of the filmmaking happens there.
How did you approach casting?
We did not work with a casting agent. Evgeniya Radilova, who is our star, was amazing in her ability to find. A lot of people in the film are not actors. They are performers or cosplayers. They brought a lot to the film. They feel real because a lot of them are real—they’re playing themselves.
What were some of the filming challenges?
It was low budget. I had no assistant or dedicated person other than myself. So it was really crazy. Also we were interrupted by Covid. This gave me the opportunity to write additional stuff that we shot later, but it was chaotic all the way. I carried a lot of equipment in and out vans.
How did you select the locations in the movie?
I knew that New York and Brooklyn would automatically serve as the best scenery in the world. When you shoot in a subway it always looks great. Most of the interior locations no longer exist. The club Mehanata was a Bulgarian Underground dive. It really brought me back to my twenties when I was a DJ in Europe. I walked in and loved it at first sight. But it was transformed into a restaurant. Sad.
Any behind the scenes stories?
To be honest, the rape scene was really hard. I wanted it to be ugly and disturbing. I hated shooting it and I felt very disturbed by it. Evgeniya dived deep. We used a fraction of what we shot. Also, we had a fight scene that I wanted to look ugly and harsh. Evgeniya got hurt badly. She is unafraid and it shows.
From script to screen, how long did the movie take to get to theatres?
Close to 3 years. Covid did not help.
Lost Cos has been very well received by critics and film festivals. You must feel very proud.
I submitted the film to many festivals. It won 65+ IMDb qualified awards. I premiered the film in LA and got 14 great reviews. My sales agent does not think any of it counts much in Hollywood. I find it really funny that after seeing the movie many people think Robin de Levita is a woman. I take that as a compliment. The movie is made from a female perspective.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
Three facts are I never cook. I love to be around lots of people. I used to be a bad drummer, now I watch great drummers on YouTube video before I sleep.
What is the best way to keep up with you or get in touch?
There are several ways; Instagram, Facebook, and my Website.
Our thanks to Robin de Levita for taking the time for this interview, and to Liz Rodriguez from EMR Media for helping us with the interview.
Originally published April 14, 2024. Updated April 15, 2024.
