Tell us a bit about yourself - all the basics! Where you’re from, where you grew up, interests, hobbies, siblings, causes you’re passionate about, anything else that comes to mind…

I am a girl of many interests, but all of them have one thing in common: storytelling. I love telling stories, I love hearing about other people's stories, it doesn't matter if it's fictional, or based on true events, or exaggerated versions of actual things that happened. If you have a good story to share, I am here to listen. Whatever I do, tell jokes as a stand-up comedian from the stage, follow real people's lives with my camera, or host tourists on their journey to my country, all of this is part of storytelling.

I can't even tell you where it comes from, even though I am in therapy and like to overthink stuff, and drill down on small events. I never thought about the fact that I love stories so much. Until now, when I am writing these words, and trying to figure out how to tell my story in a fun and engaging way. Probably, there are several reasons; there must be, usually when things happen, it is caused by several reasons, and I am guessing my love of stories also comes from not one, not two, but 10,000 things that have happened to me in the last 33 years that I have been alive on this magical planet that we call Earth. Maybe it is because I grew up watching shows. In the 90s, Georgia was the only entertainment, maybe stories, creating them in my head, and living in my fantasy, made me survive in harsh realities, maybe because I was an only child when I was growing up, until my little sister was born, maybe because I am wired that way. I can't do anything about it, even if I wanted to, and maybe it is just human nature, and I am not that special, and everyone loves to tell stories. That's why people like to gossip, because, as I always say, it is not gossiping, it is storytelling. And to quote my favorite “Doctor Who”, we are all stories in the end, just make it a good one.

How did you become interested in film?

I used to have a tiny TV at my house that would take me everywhere in the world. I was on a sinking ship with Jack and Rose, I was travelling through time with Doc and Marty, I was witnessing the heartbreaking romance of Monica and Juan across 130 episodes of a telenovela. And as a kid, I was amazed at how vast and beautiful and full of love and tragedy lives can be, so I probably had zero chance of not being interested in filmmaking, because that's how I was learning about the world.

How did you arrive at the subject of your Close Up project?

I got lucky enough to be a friend of the most wonderful, interesting, and complex woman, who loves magic and exploring religion, and our working relationship became as magical as this film will be. She trusted me with the editing of her film, and I took on the challenge wholeheartedly.

If you weren’t a filmmaker, what might you be? What did you want to do or be growing up?

It's an interesting question because there is no "if." I don't believe in "if onlys" in my life. As someone who was born in a war and started their life by losing everything, I spent my young life thinking about what if things were different, but lately I've realised that is not a way to live your life. And I can answer this question easily because I am a person who can never be just one thing. I am a director, I am an editor, I am a stand-up comedian, I am a tour guide, I am a sister, an eldest daughter and a friend, a lover. I am everything that I always wanted to be, and if I am not one of those things, that means I don't exist anymore.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

There is no if only’s. Everything will happen; just keep moving.

Other than documentaries of course, what’s your favorite film genre and why?

It is and always will be Romantic comedies.

What has influenced your work as a filmmaker the most? A person, an educator, another filmmaker, a film itself, an experience, etc.?

I am always influenced by other female artists' work; it is established filmmakers, writers, or editors I love, or people whom I know personally. I get so inspired watching The Departed, which was edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, admiring the plot twists in The Party, directed by Sally Potter, or diving into the messy life of Sarah Polley in Stories We Tell. Or laughing at the jokes of Joan Rivers. I see women bending rules, breaking through barriers, redefining what it means to be a woman and what we can achieve even when things work against us.

If you could have coffee with any filmmaker, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I don't like to drink coffee, but I think I would really enjoy afternoon tea with Nora Ephron. Maybe I could even convince her to get a drink with me, and then we could talk for hours, hoping she would give me really good advice.

Is there an anecdote about your project you’d like to share?

This is so private, you need to ask me when you see me in person.