The Work That Made Me: Liam Higgins

Liam Higgins is an award-winning cinematographer and photojournalist. Liam's early years of images were shaped by a love of cinema and the photographic works of Harry Gruyaert, Alex Webb, and Roy Anderson. Splitting his younger years between Windsor and Detroit, the two cities acted as a moving force in shaping his true-to-life style, with an edge of grit and honesty. Liam is best known for his work on Wake (2022) and Soft (2022). Liam's next film Differently, Still is set to be released in June 2024.

LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Liam> Dazed and Confused and Lords of Dogtown were two movies that stuck with me as a kid.

Dazed and Confused has a sort of magic about it. It was the first time I saw a project that encapsulated a feeling in a space rather than a complex narrative or one that made me laugh. It made me feel like I was there, I felt inside the film, and I’ve always wanted to encapsulate that in my work as both a filmmaker and an artist in general. 

Lords of Dogtown was the first time I watched a film about a topic or something that I was deeply passionate about: skateboarding. This film has always been one that I come back to and it reminds me of growing up skateboarding and how amazing that feeling of being on the board is, and I find it amazing that the film could capture that feeling. 

LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Liam> Akira was the film that made me want to get into filmmaking because it kickstarted my love for imagery. From that film, grew a love for images which then turned into my love for photojournalism. 

LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Liam> I revisit the album Voodoo by D’angelo a lot. It’s so in the pocket I can’t deny how perfect it is. The Roots, J Dilla, Pino Palladino, D’Angelo... the album is filled with some of the best musicians of the film and they made something magical.

LBB> My first professional project…

Liam> Is too old to remember, and even if I did remember it, I’d probably be too embarrassed to showcase it. But, I did my first showcase of my photography at Phog Lounge in Windsor as a kid growing up, I was young and hadn’t ever showcased any of my work publicly before that, and Tom Lucier gave me the space to showcase it, which was really rad. I felt good about that. Those photos are hilarious looking back on them. Haven’t seen them in years though haha.

LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Liam> The Fanatic. It was co-written by Fred Durst - that’s pretty much all you need to know. Genuinely the only film I was ever mad watching for how bad and insensitive it was.

LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Liam> Pretty much anything shot by Lukasz Zal, Linus Sandgren, or Daniel Bouquet. They are my favourites through and through.

LBB> The creative project that changed my career and that I’m proudest of…

Liam> My film Wake. It’s singlehandedly the best piece of art I've ever made in my 30 years of being alive. I couldn’t be more thankful for it. Wake is a short, fictional drama detailing a man's experience of the aftermath of losing his wife and soon-to-be daughter. The film focuses on grief and struggle. We shot it on 35mm film which was an experience in and of itself.

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Liam> Any of my film school films... not cringe in a bad way, just… we are all learning haha. 

Liam’s next film Differently, Still is set to be released in June 2024, produced by Big Pig Co and directed by Paul Shkordoff of OPC.