We recently connected with Mirejah Cruz and have shared our conversation below.

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

My short film Hell Week is a dark comedy that was created to bring more awareness to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. PMDD is a monthly mood disorder that comes with a range of symptoms including mood swings, binge eating, manic episodes, insomnia, etc. I was diagnosed with PMDD in 2016 and grew frustrated by the lack of universal education around it. I felt extremely alone and unable to express myself. I eventually found a support group with other women who lived with PMDD. It became clear to me that many other women were dealing with the same struggles every month. That’s when I knew I needed to make a film about those struggles that was informative but also entertaining and intriguing. I didn’t initially set out to make a film that was meaningful, instead I went for personal and relatable. The realization that it was a meaningful project came recently when the film had its’ premiere and women from all over began to share their stories and their struggles with me and how they could relate to the film. It reminded me just how powerful filmmaking can be in spreading awareness as well as bringing people together,

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

I was born in Michigan and was a very active kid growing up but what I really stuck with throughout the years was performing. I did beauty pageants, talent showcases, theater productions, etc. I fell in love with the art of expression and making an audience react. I studied theater in college but knew I needed to move out of Michigan if I wanted to make acting a career. I moved to New York City where I studied acting and writing with a focus on comedy. I began to make my own content during the pandemic and moved to Los Angeles to found a production company. I realized the importance of being a multifaceted artist and got to work. I aim to produce diverse and women centric tv/film projects that have an emphasis on comedy. My style of writing is witty and dark which I think for women ,as both writers and actors ,is a rare genre in today’s industry and I’d like to change that.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the freedom of self expression and being able to tell your unfiltered story. There will always be critiques on how you go about that and the content that you create but nobody can take away your perspective and your opinion. It will always be your own truth to tell.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Writing groups have been a huge help in in my creative journey. Writing scripts can sometimes be isolating and you can easily get stuck in your own head. Being able to share your work and discuss it with an unbiased group of people who give you constructive feedback is a game changer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cruzcinema.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirejah/?hl=en

Image Credits
Personal Photo taken by: Lokii Reis da Silva (@lokiiproblematic)