Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Gunawan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Victoria , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was younger my parents put me in an art class and I totally fell in love. I grew up exploring different art from drawing to painting, dancing, to finally doing theater. Having a fond interest in theater makes me realize I have a love for performing and storytelling. Film-making came later in middle school, when I had a class project to make a short film. From then on I was hooked. I know I wanted to continue making movies, theater, and making it my career. Now I’m a senior about to graduate with a degree in film/Tv a year from now.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Victoria Gunawan an filmmaker originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. As an Asian women film-maker my goal is to tell stories that are diverse and multicultural that reflects humanity and celebrates differences. I am driven to create moving narratives that resonate with diverse audiences on a profound level and exploring on human condition. I love both movies and theatre and I wish to combine the two into my work.

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

I grew up in a society where working in Film is very much a man’s job. Times have certainly progressed, but back then as an Asian woman, I could feel the worry from people around me when I said I wanted to study film. Being compared to my fellow filmmaker of the opposite gender was a regularity and I was often advised to pursue something else besides film. Though my parents and friends have always been supportive and it really give me the confidence to pursue a career in the entertainment world. As an Asian women film-maker my goal has always been to tell stories that are diverse and really reflects humanity and celebrates differences.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is when my collaborators and I have finished a project and we all get to watch it together and see the audience’s reaction. The months and months of hard work, trying to craft a story, and finally seeing it play together always seems to really pay off. It’s the feeling of relief and pure joy combined at the end of the line that is always very rewarding, and you get to share it with many people you work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://victoriagunawan.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zipedy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-gunawan-7028061b8/

Image Credits
The headshot is by Casey James. Behind-the-scene photos are by Jeevan Topgi and Delvin Victor. The screenshot of the animation film is from my project Songs of the Silk Road.