ASHLEY MARIA, DIRECTOR

When you were a kid, did you ever feel like the whole world received an instruction manual on life but you? Personally, I still feel like that awkward kid interpreting life from afar. And, that curiosity feeds my voice as a storyteller.

I did try to fight this part of me, though. As a kid, while my single mom encouraged me to dream big, my Oma (grandmother) taught me to embrace the “weird” and “dry sense of humor” in me. She owned her path, enjoyed telling stories that would leave me in shock, and made me giggle as she commented in what seemed to be very inappropriate German words. When she passed away, I chose to honor her by fully embracing the awkward side of me. I then chose filmmaking as my vehicle of expression.

It worked! My first student film won a Directors Guild of America award. When other winning films focused on intense topics, my film (“Friday Night Fright”) was an unconventional comedy/horror à la Twilight Zone!

Being recognized so early in my career solidified my choice, and I never looked back. But…looking to the future soon became the challenge. After seeing female filmmakers winning the awards yet NOT getting the jobs as directors (me included), I was determined to find a solution, so I made my first feature, “Pioneers in Skirts.” Though I see myself as a narrative storyteller, I felt the cultural need to make a documentary about the stereotyping and sexism women confront in their careers, and more importantly, what we ALL can do about it. And, as terrifying as it was to admit my own struggles, I put my own story into the film.

This self-discovery journey helped me to reclaim everything that made me a filmmaker. And, while I work on new projects, I continue to supplement my income by working as a Production Sound Mixer on major productions, as well as teach “Production Sound for Directors” at UCLA.