Cybela Clare is an award-winning director/producer/writer/actress, known for her popular series ETs Among Us, and feature films Birds Eye View and Animal Magnetism. Cybela’s films and series can be seen in 183 countries on Amazon Prime Video, Gaia, and 44 other streaming networks worldwide. Fluent in six languages, she is an Ivy League graduate and former Drama Tutor at Harvard University. A proud member of the Explorers Club, Cybela has traveled the world documenting international wildlife rescues, as incorporated in several of her films.
Her latest film Déjà Vu: The Peril of Pauline had its theatrical release in October 2025. Clare’s song They Say Nothing Dies from the film is an official submission as FYC: Best Original Song for the 98th Academy Awards.
In the film, French environmental scientist Dr Pauline Joubert, about to expose secret warfare technology, was assassinated by her hitman/lover in New York’s Central Park in 1985. In present day Manhattan, Cassie Cole, a hillbilly True Crime blogger from the Deep South, continually re-lives Pauline’s murder, discovering that she is her reincarnated soul, and eventually solving a decades-old crime. Did the impending revelation of Nikola Tesla’s biggest secret cause the mysterious murder of scientist Pauline Joubert? Life after life. Justice after death. The Karma of reincarnation!
Trailer: https://youtu.be/E6uRoOrDn40
We had the chance to speak with Cybela Clare about her inspiration for the song.
“They Say Nothing Dies” beautifully ties into the film’s reincarnation theme. What emotional or philosophical core inspired you to write this song? How did you approach crafting a sound that mirrors the film’s journey between lives and decades?
First it’s important to understand the inspiration for the film Déjà Vu: The Peril of Pauline. Grieving the recent death of my lifelong soulmate and mentor, I was reading Professor Jim Tucker’s book Return to Life, which contained amazing true stories of children’s memories of their past lives. The author had carefully researched the factual details and found them to be astonishingly accurate.
Suddenly my mind became open to the fact that perhaps I’d always had tunnel vision in my thoughts about death being the final chapter, and that reincarnation might actually exist!
Meanwhile I’d been wanting to write a story about the heroism of whistleblowers, who throughout history have been known to potentially lose their lives due to their great courage and integrity.
It all came together in the character of French environmental scientist Pauline, about to expose the use of a top-secret warfare technology, when she is murdered by her hitman lover. And only due to her reincarnation will Pauline and her work receive eventual justice and recognition.
After months of reflecting on Karma and immortality, I suddenly sat up in bed one night at 4 am, opened my iPhone and started singing into the mic. The song came pouring out and miraculously, it all rhymed. No joke. I have no idea how it happened, but it did.
The bridge of the song came to me a few nights later, in exactly the same way: a rush of music & words which seemed to make sense and rhyme perfectly, pouring out like a waterfall.
You have a rich background as a filmmaker and storyteller. How does composing music expand or complement your storytelling voice on screen?
I don’t in any way consider myself a “composer.” Yet somehow a song may inexplicably come to me as an “accompaniment” to a powerful, deeply emotional event in my life or an intense creative process. This usually happens in the middle of the night. I’ve learned from bitter experience that if I don’t force myself to get up and record it somehow, that by morning it’ll be gone forever.
Your film blends mystery, science, and metaphysical ideas. How did the lyrical and musical motifs in “They Say Nothing Dies” evolve from the script or narrative’s emotional beats?
The lyrics of the song “They Say That Nothing Dies” encompass many of the interconnecting plots and themes of the movie. Sung by the disembodied voice of the murdered Pauline over the final picnic scene/ flashback montage, the song hopefully becomes a haunting “recap” of the film’s interconnectedness and Karmic essence, while reminding us of the immortality of the soul.
As both the writer-director and performer, you inhabit Pauline’s story from multiple creative perspectives. How did that deepen the authenticity of the soundtrack?
Yes, as the creator of the story and characters of “Déjà Vu: The Peril of Pauline” I believe that the song, which also emerged somehow from my heart & soul, has a much greater authenticity based on my intense personal life’s journey in creating the depth and scope of this film’s alternate universe.
What message or feeling do you hope Academy voters and audiences carry with them after hearing “They Say Nothing Dies” in the context of the film?
A feeling of optimism. A feeling of hope. The inspiration to rise above limited thinking, to have an open mind, to understand that absolutely everything is possible.
Déjà Vu: The Peril of Pauline
Credits: Déjà Vu: The Peril of Pauline
Cast: Cybela Clare, Dana Watkins, Philip Embury, Jonathan Hamilton Ragins, Eric Kuzmuk, Stephanie Marie Schieder, Michael Murdock. John Petrizzi, Michael Slack, Herbert Gould
Director: Cybela Clare
Writer: Cybela Clare
Producers: Cybela Clare, Michael Slack
Associate Producer: Lawrence Oliver Cherry
IMDB Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21344314/
Official Website: https://cybelaclare.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CybelaClare
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