We were lucky to catch up with Sofie Verweyen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sofie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

The film industry is built on human connection. In order for you to be successful you have to be someone who people want to work with— a strong leader but also kind and a team player. I’ve found that I can handle some of the most difficult sets if I’m working with a team that keeps a positive attitude and is just as passionate about making a great piece of art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Director/DP who is passionate about connecting people and inspiring change through my work. What I find so special about filmmaking is the human connection aspect– both in the production process and the final outcome when the audience watches the film. It’s amazing how a story may not be the same as our own, yet we can still connect with it because, at the end of the day, all our experiences are part of the human condition. My short film, Greta, a personal, subjective journey into the mind of Greta Thunberg, screened at Cannes in the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase, was the Opening Night Film at One Earth Film Festival, won Best Student Film at Cinequest and screened at San Francisco Intl. My first documentary, Never Forget, about the remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, won “Best Documentary” at the Teens of LA Film Fest. As I continue to better my craft, I aim to tell visually compelling stories about the human condition.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A cheesy as it may sound, a big lesson I had to unlearn was that it’s ok to ask questions. Starting out, I was hesitant to ask them. I felt this pressure to know everything. However, since this is not only a creative but very technical field I’ve come to realize it’s absolutely necessary to get those seemingly “dumb” questions out of the way in order to grow. So ask those questions! I bet you there’s someone more experienced than you who’d love to share their knowledge. And when the time comes, you can pass on that knowledge to others.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m passionate about telling stories through my films about people from different cultures that we don’t normally hear about. This allows us to realize that we are all connected, all the same in a way. This diminishes the divide between people from different economic, ethnic, and social backgrounds. I truly believe that films have the power to remove biases and make the world a more accepting place.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Subito_sofie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009903725083&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-verweyen-ab9a85229
• Other: Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/sofieverweyen

Image Credits

BTS photography: Dylan Turbow
Cinematogapher: Sofie Verweyen