My Mission

When I was ten, I got lost in a forest. The trees were tall, the air smelled like wet moss and pine needles, and the worn path under my feet had been lost five minutes ago. Looking back on it now, I probably should have been scared, but back then, I wasn’t. I was on an adventure. I was the main character in a story I’d made up in my mind. Eventually, I found the trail again and found my way back home but for a brief fifteen minutes, I was prepared to live off the land, prepared to fight beasts, and prepared to be my own hero. I was an avid reader and creator, even back then, and it was rare to find characters in stories that were like me, so I made them up myself.  That is why I became a filmmaker, a storyteller.  

I believe that everyone deserves to see themselves in stories, and the stories I write reflect my devotion to proper representation of those who usually don’t have it.

I make films to showcase unique characters and to question outdated and overused narratives. As a writer, I challenge narrative stereotypes and create uncommon stories. These stories elicit an emotional and personal relationship between the characters and the audience. As an editor, I use the same storytelling skills to reshape plotlines and distinguish emotional cues in order to create the best version of a film. I believe that all stories have the potential to be great, to really make a difference in a life, even if it's just one person's life, even if it's just mine. It's my job as a filmmaker, a writer, and an editor to find or conceive of these stories and tell them. I believe that proper representation of minorities both accurately represents the diversity of the world around us and opens the door to innumerable stories waiting to be told. My goal as an artist is to bring those stories to life and to put forth a unique line of films that challenges the way mainstream media is made.

Sometimes I still feel like I'm back there, in that forest, alone, with only myself to save. Only now, I know my way back, and it's not by finding the old, worn path again. It's by chopping down the weeds, pulling down the fences, and creating my own path.  

Film experience