We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shoval Tshuva a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shoval, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Thank you for having me. One project that has meant a lot to me is my first film, “Funky.” This film is incredibly important to me because it set the tone for who I am as a storyteller and allowed me to delve into a deeply personal and often overlooked aspect of recovery.
“Funky” explores the complexities and nuances of the recovery journey, shedding light on the emotional and psychological struggles that many people face but are rarely discussed. Through this film, I wanted to create a narrative that resonates on a personal level and brings awareness to the challenges and triumphs of recovery.

Working on “Funky” was a transformative experience for me. It not only helped me grow as a filmmaker but also as an individual, allowing me to connect with others who have shared similar experiences. The feedback and emotional responses I’ve received from audiences have been incredibly validating and have reinforced the importance of telling these kinds of stories.

Shoval, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Shoval Tshuva. I’m a writer, director, and actress based in New York. I wanted to make movies my entire life. I see the world in filmstrips. It was an inevitable path for me. I focus on female-driven narratives. In my opinion, only a woman can tell a story about a female experience and carry it truthfully. I find most of my inspiration from and in life. I am most proud when people experience a connection with my work.

My first short film, ‘Funky’, is currently in the festival circuit. I recently launched an essay collection on Substack and will be starting production on my next film soon.

I fully immerse myself in the world of each of my films and make them as vibrant as possible. I make a playlist for each of my films and create vision boards for each scene and character. The names of the characters always have a meaning. Every character I write is a color, an element, a season, and an animal.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

‘Funky’ revolves around a young woman’s struggle with intimacy following a sexual assault. It’s a dramedy that delves into themes of healing, dating, and life after such traumatic events. ‘Funky’ is heavily inspired by my own experiences. When I couldn’t vocalize what happened to me, films and books were my companions in trying to understand what I couldn’t say in words. I’m hoping this film will help others heal.

Ela’s story is different from my own. I wanted to be vague with how long it took for her to overcome her trauma because, for me it took years, and I don’t think there is a formula or a specific time frame, it takes time to heal and it’s okay.

I was asked a lot why I chose to include humor as such an important aspect of the story. Humor as a form of resilience is often overlooked for survivors. It wasn’t a choice as much as it was a need. It happened very naturally. With Funky everything was very clear. I knew the story, I knew the name, I knew the characters as soon as I had the idea. Comedic relief was a big part of it from the very first moment. It is one of the moments that happened to a writer that everything is just super clear. It is what the story wanted. I also think that it is very true to life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

With Funky, I made the kind of film I needed to see and I was hoping it would make others feel better. I wanted to focus on healing, to give others hope. Some of the shots were inspired by the psychological state my character Ela is in. I wanted to stay true to my feelings and experiences as a sexual assault survivor learning to live again.

As ‘Funky’ started screening I realized how important my voice was, and I decided to share my dating experiences on Substack. I was thinking about what to do with all of my first date stories. Entertaining and horrifying as they are. They could have been a great montage. A great story within a series or an episode, but I decided it is my public duty to share them sooner rather than later. I try to be very comedic and transparent with writing them. A bad date is a good story.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shovaltshuva
• Other: https://shovaltshuva.substack.com/

Image Credits

Funky (DP – Matthew Benjamin Canada)
Photographs – Yarden Amsalem