Meet A Member: Sabine Sighicelli

NOT ALL MEMBERS ARE BRITISH,

Meet Sabine Sighicelli from Rousset-les-Vignes, France, who moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago to pursue her dreams 

What was the reason you chose Los Angeles?

I was in love with someone who had moved here. Filmmaking was somewhat attractive but I didn’t care for the studio industry.  It wasn’t until I attended a packed screening at LACMA of a film by Robert Bresson, the antithesis of Hollywood, that I thought I could find my people here too.

What do you miss most from home?

My family, lavender fields, quiet nature, cicadas, and biking on country roads.

What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since? 

At first lots of palm trees, very exotic! then LA seemed more like a big ugly suburb. Now I’ve learned to see beauty in this no-mans-land cityscape. I’ve also discovered the hidden side of LA, its innovative centre for the arts, its indie film community, great friends and great hiking trails.

What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus Rousset-les-Vignes?

The tiny village, everybody knows you vs. huge city, lost in the crowd

Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?

The Self-Realization Fellowship Mother Center on Mount Washington and the Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades. It is said you receive a blessing each time you walk through these grounds.  Also Prajna Yoga studio in Montrose with Brit Iyengar instructor, Sue Darling.

What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here? 

Don’t move here now if you don’t have some legal work status or a work visa. and if you do, remember the high cost of living, fires, earthquakes…you have to have a sense of adventure. and if you do, you may love it.

Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 

Don’t take life too seriously and be authentic!

Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?

These days I’m a freelancer in documentary development through post-production, and a collaborator of Production company ShootCutDeliver for which I write, copyright, produce, cast…product promos, website reels, documentary, and event coverage for a variety of clients.  I also maintain a foot in my French culture by teaching French privately, editing grad students’ French papers, recording French voice-overs for tech companies, and by translating anything that lands on my desk (articles, websites, brochures, subtitles).