Allen Sunshine: a portrait of Harley Chamandy’s singular vision

For Harley Chamandy, filmmaking is less about storytelling and more about creating a deeply personal and meticulously constructed world. This obsession with detail permeates every aspect of Chamandy’s work. From sourcing vintage Margiela and McQueen for the wardrobe to scouring eBay for the perfect handkerchief, his aesthetic sensibility informs every frame. “I believe filmmakers should know the exact colour of the shirt their character is wearing,” he says. “It’s all about creating a cohesive and immersive world.”

At just 25 years old, the Lebanese/Greek-Egyptian director has already garnered critical acclaim with his debut feature, Allen Sunshine. The film earned him the prestigious Werner Herzog Film Award, an accolade that carried an especially meaningful weight for Chamandy, given that its namesake prompted him into the craft. The award—given for innovation, courage, and vision in cinema—is emblematic of Chamandy’s uncompromising approach to his practice.

“To be recognised by Werner Herzog, the man who made me want to create films in the first place, is beyond surreal,” Chamandy says, recalling the moment he discovered he’d won the award. The email from Herzog himself had landed in his junk folder, a twist almost poetic in its absurdity. “There’s so much rejection as a filmmaker,” he reflects. “When the wins come, you have to celebrate them.”

Shot on 16mm film, the evocative Allen Sunshine tells the story of an ex-music producer who, having retreated to the woods to grieve his wife’s death, gradually opens himself to a new reality through unexpected friendships. Chamandy describes the film as a meditation on love, loss and optimism. “It’s not a film about grief,” he explains. “It’s about what happens after. Can we find new realities to live in? Can we wake up one day and decide to view the world through a different lens?”

Chamandy’s approach to filmmaking is distinctly similar to that of Werner Herzog, who once famously spoke of striving for “poetic ecstasy.” Like Herzog, Chamandy is driven by the search for transcendence. “Cinema is a visual medium,” he asserts. “Too many filmmakers are obsessed with narrative and storytelling. For me, it begins and ends with images.” The opening image of Allen Sunshine — a man living alone by a lake, making electronic music — became the seed for the film’s richly layered world. “I was fascinated by the juxtaposition of nature and technology, this clash of the organic and the synthetic,” he explains.

Chamandy’s artistry was shaped by his upbringing in Canada, where he grew up watching his Egyptian mother, a musician, work in her home studio. “I’d come home from school and see her recording,” he recalls. “She became my first creative partner. We made my first short film together when I was 14, and she’s still my editor and producer.” Their collaboration extends to music videos and even to the set of Allen Sunshine, where she stepped in as first assistant director during a production emergency. “When you work with someone you love,” Chamandy says, “the possibilities feel endless.”

Despite his strong connection to his Lebanese and Egyptian heritage, Chamandy admits to grappling with the diaspora’s sense of dislocation. “Sometimes I feel imposter syndrome,” he confesses. “I grew up in Canada, generations removed from my cousins in Lebanon.” When asked if art could become part of that identity, he reflects, “Maybe. It’s both liberating and challenging.” This duality, a tension between distance and belonging, subtly informs his work.

For Chamandy, the future of cinema lies in bold, singular visions. “We live in a world where art is so democratised,” he says. “It’s not enough to just make something good. You have to have a point of view, an aesthetic manifesto.” He points to Herzog’s influence once more, emphasising the need for “poetic ecstasy” in a world increasingly dominated by formulas and algorithms.

With Allen Sunshine now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon, Chamandy’s relentless pursuit of his artistic vision is already inspiring a new generation of filmmakers. His advice to them is simple: “Be relentless. Be persistent. Find people who share your vision and never let anyone tell you it can’t be done. The possibilities are endless if you take it into your own hands.”

Chamandy, who at the time of our conversation was preparing for the award ceremony, has since received the Werner Herzog Film Award in Munich. Reflecting on the experience, he remains focused on what’s ahead. “Winning the award doesn’t mean I’ve made it,” he says. “It just means I’m heading in the right direction. And that, for me, is enough.”