As far as creative pursuits are concerned, Hungarian-born beauty Maximilla Lukacs is a bona fide jack-of-all-trades.  Aside from being the co-founder -- along with fellow filmmaker Sarah Sophie Flicker -- of the production company The Belles of the Black Diamond Field, Lukacs, 28, is also a musician, graphic designer, and editor of Dickbreath, a porn-inspired publication for women.  She has won awards for the film, “Kill Your Darlings” (2004), which she co-directed with Flicker, and has collaborated with the likes of Vincent Gallo and Cat Power. 

Her constant curiosity has also led Lukacs to take up residences all over the world—from Budapest and New York, to San Francisco and L.A. Most recently, it was Brighton, England that piqued her interest. 

One of the most famous seaside resorts in England, the southern coastal town is known for attracting its share of creative individuals.  Fatboy Slim is a resident, and this year, it hosted its 40th annual namesake arts festival.  Here, Lukacs discusses its allure. In her own words: 

I went to the UK last summer on an invitation from my friend Guy (who later became my boyfriend), who performs under the name Entrance. He asked me to come and play music with him. I ended up playing a typewriter with tons of delay on it that sounded like a William Burroughs melody. Everyone sort of laughs at that, but it sounded pretty cool and freaked out all the sound guys along the way. I made a book of all the stuff

I typed on stage. The first three dates were sold-out shows opening for Antony and the Johnsons, so that was a bit nerve-wracking... I also played bells and other percussion things. He was performing by himself, so I just sort of added a surreal ambience to the whole thing, similar to what I like to do with film. We made a little home in Brighton and would go and play shows. Brighton is very romantic.

It is sort of a sleepy beach town, filled with what I call "retired young people.” It is really cheap to live there, and there is a thriving art and music scene, and there are lots of great places to walk around. It is sort of Woody Allen, Coney Island in a strange way – but, at the same time, very English. I love the spirit of everyone I met. They’re really bold and ballsy, and sort of nuts -- in a great way.

During the day: One of first places we went was an old handcrafted carousel that runs its music off a huge stack of piano rolls covered with handcrafted figurines. It’s super magical and it is always a bit misty there, and you are looking at the ocean. There’s also the Royal Pavillion, which is also called "The Pleasure Garden" where you can sit and drink tea and people watch... Also, "The Lanes" for just a lazy stroll. There are really cool shops there, and I can't remember the names of any of them, but it's just a great place to get lost.

At Night: There are some great underground clubs. One is called Born Bad, at the

Engine Room on Preston Street. It’s a tiny club where they play lots of ‘60s soul and everyone’s has amazing style and is sweaty dancing. Another is called I Plugged Her In and She Just Blew Up at The Freebutt. They have cool girl DJ's playing mind-blowing tunes in sexy outfits. Yes!

~Alisa Gould-Simon

Go There:

For more from Lukacs and The Belles of the Black Diamond Field, check out thebellesoftheblackdiamondfield.com

To get your copy of Dickbreath Magazine, $10, go to dickbreathmagazine.com

The Royal Pavillion, Brighton, BN1 1EE, +44 (0) 1273 290900, royalpavillion.org.uk

The Engine Room, 1 Preston Street, Brighton, +44 (0) 7730 946319

The Free Butt, 1 Phoenix Place, Brighton, BN2 2ND, +44 (0) 1273 603974

Photo of Maximilla Lukacs by Yelena Yemchuk, yelenayemchuk.com.

All other photos by Maximilla Lukacs.