Diran Lyons, a former Bakersfield College teacher, has decided to take another direction and direct indie films.
Lyons worked at BC in the spring and fall semesters of 2008. He taught figure drawing, drawing and 2D design classes.
He was motivated to leave BC because he was hired as a temporary full-time instructor. After the position came to a close, he went to Reedley College to teach video art and 2D design.
“I’ve been interested in video as an art medium for a little over 10 years. I started off using video as a way to capture performances that I was doing in the early- to mid-portion of the 2000s. Some examples are on my blog or on IMDb in the documentary I completed in 2006 titled, ‘California Excursions,'” said Lyons.
Lyons’ latest project was an indie film he co-directed with Matthew Potter titled, “Goodbye Victoria.” This film was about a young adult who is trying to pursue his dreams. He leaves everything behind for a promise that never happens and is left in California with no money and no way to get home.
“One accomplishment I am very proud of is the remix work I made titled, ‘Jake Gyllenhaal Challenges the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize’. This work scaled the popularity charts on IMDb this spring and sat at number one for one month’s time,” said Lyons.
Lyons said in the next five years he would like to complete more full-length narrative films, remix videos, installation artworks and paintings.
As of now, Lyons has moved to Fresno and is teaching at Reedley College. He’s also involved in putting together remix video programs and festivals. This will be the second remix festival that he has put together in the past two years. It will screen at Gallery 25 in Fresno January 2011.