Seven years ago, DJ (Dikran Janus) Kadagian of Ridgefield retired from his business as a hedge fund manager, to pursue another career. He spent two years pondering what he was going to do and ended up creating something he had never done before, an independent film company, Four Seasons Productions. Now a scriptwriter, director and producer, his only previous attachment to independent films was a Tuesday “date night” with his wife Debbie, for dinner and a film.

With the goal of making films that challenge, provoke and inspire, the filmmaker created a four-part series: A Crisis of Faith, State of the Union, Portrait of a Radical and Quest for the Grail, featuring a cast of philosophers, theologians and authors who took a critical look at materialism in America and the spiritual fallout being experienced because of the choices made individually and as a society.

“Mirroring the subject and rhythm of the film, the imagery and soundtrack is powerful, diverse, challenging and sometimes disturbing,” said the filmmaker during an interview at his Ridgefield home where he has his own screening room. A Crisis of Faith has been shown on the Hallmark Channel, Discovery and PBS.

“Drawing from the music of The Doors, Gabrielle Roth, The Mirrors and Jean-Luc Ponty, A Crisis of Faith attempts to seduce the viewer into a space where they can experience the depths of the struggle we are in,” said the filmmaker.

Recently Mr. Kadagian wrote, directed and edited another three-part series, Riff, Rant and Rave, that is not a documentary or a feature, but a “new form” he describes as “Moving Poetry.” The words are by some of the masters — Pablo Neruda, Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Carl Sandberg, Langston Hughes, Antonio Machado, and others — with images and music created by the filmmaker to surround the poetry read by selected performers.

“Great poetry should be performed by great poets,” said Mr. Kadagian, who selected Robert Bly and Coleman Barks, among others, as readers. In addition to performing in the films, many of the readers provided translations.

Each of the poems has been crafted into a short film with its own unique image, set and soundtrack; each hits on a broad spectrum of relevant social, political and spiritual issues. Mixing powerful footage with dynamic soundtracks, the films transport the listener through time and space.

“You could find yourself on the front seat of the Cyclone in 1940s Coney Island, scrambling for cover in present day Iraq or on the Space Shuttle looking back at earth. Maybe you would prefer hanging out in a smoky tango bar in 1922 Argentina, participating in a union strike during the Great Depression, wandering in the desert in Israel looking for meaning, or dancing with a tribe of American Indians in 1895,” said Mr. Kadagian.

“Others have attempted the melding of poetry, sound and cinema, but Rant, Rave and Riff are among the few successes,” according to the Cleveland Film Society. A fourth Moving Poetry film, Rap, is a possibility.

Continuing, DJ Kadagian said, “The success of Def-Jam and Slam Poetry demonstrates the tremendous hunger for poetry as performance art, and I want to take that concept to the next level and to a broader audience, particularly in area schools. These films have the potential to turn a whole new generation on to poetry, and what better way than to construct films that contain moving and provocative audio/visual content in a format and length that makes them easy to digest and share in schools. On television or YouTube, either way, I have the right content, at the right time, and in the right form.”

The filmmaker showed excerpts of his Moving Poetry Film Series in April at a Creative Voice group exhibition of sculpture, painting and works on paper at the Sculpture Barn performance gallery in New Fairfield established by former Ridgefield residents David and Carter Boyajian. A poetry series reader at the performance was Carlos Alfaro of South Salem.

In order to appreciate the “magic” the filmmaker has created in the Moving Poetry Series, DJ Kadagian suggested “cover your ears and let beautiful streaming imagery take you on a journey not bound by words or rhythm.” Then, he continued, “Close your eyes and let the poetry and music pull images out of your own imagination, and sit back and fully experience some of the distilled wisdom of the human race.”

Documentary films by DJ Kadagian have been screened at 46 festivals internationally. He won a best documentary award in the Hollyood.com Indie fest; a finalist award in The New York Festival; and a silver medal in the Houston International Film Fest. His documentaries are available for purchase by visiting www.4seasonsproductions.com or by calling 800-728-2008.