We recently connected with Ivanka Lawrence and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ivanka thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I think the biggest risk that i’ve taken is coming to LA on my own during the pandemic. Being brought up in a conservative society, being out of the box, or not following the family tradition was shunned. They would say “Filmmaking, that’s a hobby “,
Risk-taking has been an impact on my life. When I convinced my parents that I want to pursue filmmaking, I had to prove to myself that I could achieve and not let them regret their mistakes. And that was when I got accepted to AFI.

Ivanka, 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?

I’m currently pursuing my master’s as an editing fellow at the American Film institute aspiring to be a film editor in Los Angeles. I have been editing for almost 5 years before coming to LA,

I edited a short for my undergrad called “Anamika” which is a slice of life, coming out, and self-love that I cherish with all my heart
I have been editing teasers and upcoming events for a startup company called OFFBEAT CCU where they promote local artists and promoting short film events.

AFI is my biggest turning point as it helped sharpen and hone my editing skills
Living alone for the first time and away from family in India, I assess my own work and growth as a person and as an aspiring editor. I appreciate the skill of the more accomplished fellows and learn from it.
In terms of technical, I did assist editing projects which helped me learn and solve technical problems.
I also have been honing my skills in sound and music editing which helps edit with rhythm and beat.
I have also been getting an opportunity to work on other school film projects and am excited to get more editing gigs in the near future.
I measure my skills in need of growth, technical and creative.
Despite any momentary setbacks, I am an optimist, determined to learn and succeed as a film editor.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When my relatives, teachers, or anyone asked me what were my plans for the future, I would say “I want to be a filmmaker”. Their reply would be, “That’s a hobby”, “You….a filmmaker…in your dreams”, and “You don’t earn much from it”. But that didn’t stop me from achieving it, I did my undergrad in mass communication and filmmaking for three years and during that time, watched films in classes and learned practical techniques. I made shorts with my classmates from fiction. Documentary, music video, and advertisement.

After graduating, I wanted to excel in my field of work which is editing, I did internships for a startup company as a content creator by filming, photography, and editing all on my own. I then had the opportunity to be on the set of a short Hindi film and be at the editor’s bay seeing them cutting the film. It was an experience. I wanted to be hands-on with editing. And started researching for a master’s degree in film editing. After getting into AFI, I have been getting imposter syndrome,” Was I meant for this?”, and “Am I on the right path?”, “do I deserve to be at AFI?”

From the Bootcamp days to the end of cycle 3, there is a certain arc/ growth in me as an editor and as a person. Learning to collaborate and learn new techniques was so interesting but at the same time, I felt out of place. I loved the classes, the assignments, and watching films, it made it more interesting and intriguing. Meeting new people and learning from them is also a wonderful experience for me as that also helps me grow even more. AFI helped me broaden my way of editing both creative and technical.

I may not have a spectacular background in editing but deep down I knew I love editing films and I am forever grateful that AFI has given me the platform to highlight my passion.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When they recognize and appreciate you and your work, your talent, and what you are capable of doing it is so rewarding and motivating to keep up as a creative artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lawrenceivanka.wixsite.com/ivanka
• Instagram: ponka_wonka
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanka-lawrence