dearest story seekers,

Welcome to the very first issue of the She Films newsletter!

First off — what is She Films?

She Films is a newsletter for girlies in their storytelling era who want to break into filmmaking. It started as an idea last October and is my way of merging my two biggest passions—film and community building.

I’ve built communities before, like Women in Web3. But after working in that space, I realized my true love wasn’t crypto—it was storytelling. So, I came back home to film 🥰.

She Films isn’t a community yet. Firstly, my focus is on finding my tribe 🫡. But one day, when the time is right, I’ll add ‘Society’ to the name—creating a space for intimate, meaningful gatherings where we can all come together, get shit done, and make lasting memories 🫶🏼.

Second — what’s a Story Seeker?

A Story Seeker is someone who’s obsessed with uncovering, creating, and sharing meaningful stories. They’re the dreamers, explorers, and creators—the ones who see the world a little differently and want to capture that feeling through storytelling.

They tell stories to inspire, connect, and grow. And they do it with curiosity, intention, and vulnerability.

Honestly, doesn’t the name Story Seeker sum up both of our journeys perfectly? 🥹

But being a Story Seeker isn’t just about making stories—it’s about embracing the entire process: the discovery, the expression, and the impact.

So here I am, embracing the process by sharing it with you.

for context

It’s been three months since I quit my part-time video editing job to chase my dream of working on a movie 😬. Since I’m an independent film student, my plan to get there pretty much revolves around this weekly newsletter.

Here are sections to expect in every issue:

1. So, how’s life? — A quick update on my film journey & upcoming movies I’m excited about.

2. Steal the Frame — Every week, I’ll watch a movie, break down how it was made, and share what I’d steal—not just the style, but the thinking behind it. My #1 goal? To help us see like the movie’s creators 🙂.

3. Story Seeker of the Week — A little spotlight on someone who embodies the Story Seeker spirit ✨.

4. Helpful Links — Events, free resources, and opportunities for us Story Seekers.

Basically, this newsletter is my proof of film study. And Instagram? That’s my proof of art—it’s where I’ll share film wisdom, vlogs, and mini-releases of my short films.

This process is kind of romantic, because it forces me to figure out my voice by using it—over and over, every. single. week. 🙃

And maybe, just maybe, the right person will hear it, and help me make my dream a reality, lol.

so, how’s life?

system

Thursday, March 6th was super special because it was the day I successfully completed 66 days of being physically active and focusing on my film craft 🥹.

Ever since I read Atomic Habits by James Clear a couple years ago, I’ve been obsessed with building better habits and killing bad ones. And honestly, my ‘why’ can best be explained by Rick Rubin:

After a strong start to the year, I took a month-long break that was filled with deep family time, quiet introspection, and the liberating freedom to forget my habits and break all of my own rules 😜.

Now, I’m back with a longer and harder challenge 😏: 3-months to build 14 habits.

I’ll be sharing a weekly vlog about my progress on Instagram — here’s week 1!

personal brand

Tbh, my delulu ass expected to have 70k followers on IG by now…but it turns out I still have some innie and outtie work to do. BUT at least we can celebrate my first-ever IG reel to surpass 100k views, and growing my tribe to 6k+ followers!!!

Ofc, the numbers are amazing, but wanna know what’s even better?? The fact that my first viral reel was the perfect one—the one that brought my type of people (filmmakers) into my orbit.

I can already feel that this is only the beginning of something truly wonderful 🥹.

adjustments

My biggest struggle this month was accepting the fact that I needed three weeks of break. Three weeks to experience life without feeling the need to record, edit and share every wonderful minute of it.

Tbh with you, I wasn’t able to accept that until this week…because for the first two, I felt like I needed a better reason to go MIA. Thankfully, my right mind eventually screamed, “FUCK THAT.” Because a vacation day spent worrying about whether I deserved a break…isn’t really a vacation.

So, here’s my key takeaway from March: if you’re gonna take a break, do it unapologetically.

goals

Here are my goals for next week (April 7-13):

• Post 002 of the Film Wisdom series on Wednesday, April 9

• Share ep. 2 of The Spell That Broke Time on Friday, April 11

• Share vlog 002 on Saturday, April 12

• Publish issue 002 of this newsletter on Sunday, April 13

Hbu? Reply to this email with your goals! Would 💗 to hear what you’re working on.

movies

Btw, here are the top 3 movies I’m planning to watch when they release:

1. Death of a Unicorn • Directed by Alex Scharfman • March 28, 2025: A unicorn dies, and all hell breaks loose—because magic was never meant to be found. (Genre: Monster in the House meets Supernatural Drama)

2. Life of Chuck • Directed by Mike Flanagan • June 6, 2025: Three acts, one man’s life—told backwards, as the world ends forward. (Genre: Dude with a Problem meets Sci-Fi/Fantasy Drama)

3. Materialists • Directed by Celine Song • June 13, 2025: They have everything money can buy—except meaning. (Genre: Institutionalized meets Satirical Comedy)

steal the frame

🚨 SPOILER ALERT — pls skip this section if you haven’t watched Anora!

The first movie we’re gonna steal from is Anora starring Mikey Madison—a 2024 film directed by Sean Baker. Anora has won 140 awards this season, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes and Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards 🤯.

Sean Baker is a filmmaker who gets that great storytelling isn’t just about technique—it’s about truth, representation, and making the audience feel something real. His work—Take Out, Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket, Anora—tells raw, human stories about people who are chasing the American dream, but don’t have easy access to it, and he does so with humor, empathy, and an unfiltered lens.

After 1 week’s worth of research on Sean Baker and his films, I’ve decided that my favorite part about Sean is also what sets him apart from other filmmakers I know: his desire to break stereotypes both on set, and in his films.

Instead of treating his scripts like the bible, Baker treats it as a living entity; allowing it to evolve with the actors by fostering a safe space for them to improvise and bring real moments to life. He believes in controlled chaos—90% planning, and 10% left to the “film gods”—because, sometimes, the best moments aren’t scripted 👏🏼.

He also shoots on real locations, embraces natural light, and throws actors into real-life environments just to see what happens. Which is why, in a world of polished, manufactured stories, his films feel alive. Anora is no different.

Anora is about a free-spirited Brooklyn stripper named Ani, who impulsively marries Vanya—the son of a Russian oligarch. Ani believes that she has secured the dream life, until Vanya’s powerful family intervenes, forcing her to fight for love, survival, and dignity before they erase her from their world.

After watching Anora, I would say that Sean Baker did an incredible job at:

1. Pulling me into Ani’s Cinderella story in Act 1.

2. Getting me invested in Igor as a potential love interest for Ani in Act 2.

3. Leaving me feeling relieved, sad, disappointed and a tad bit hopeful in the end.

Now, let’s geek out about my favorite film aspects of Anora 🤓.

dialogue

Oof, the dialogue in Anora felt raw, real, and deeply human. Sean Baker’s approach to storytelling plays a big part in this. His documentary-style filmmaking (telling real stories as they naturally unfold), combined with a mix of seasoned and first-time actors, creates fascinating, unexpected moments of authenticity.

In the opening scene, Sean directed Mikey to go up to random background actors and work her improv—allowing Ani to reveal herself naturally, which immersed me in her experience as a sex worker.

And during the desperate hunt for Ivan on Brighton Beach Boardwalk, we see a comedic quarrel between Toros and the younger characters (Ani and Garnik) about walking vs. driving to the next destination. The mood had been pretty serious up until this point, but even though I was stressed out over Ani’s crumbling dream, I was able to laugh during this scene. In that moment, I appreciated Sean Baker’s love for realism and how he incorporated it into the dialogue. He showed us color and beauty, even when Ani is going through a hard time.

Lastly, I loved how the dialogue gave me a glimpse into the Russian culture in Brighton Beach, New York. Scenes like Toros casually walking into places like Tatiana Grill and speaking with people in Russian added layers of authenticity—it felt real, rather than performative. Anora’s dialogue didn’t just push the plot forward; it pulled us deeper into the characters’ world, making us care, laugh, and reflect all at once.

Here’s what I’m stealing from Sean Baker, in terms of dialogue:

• Embrace improvisation. Give actors space to explore, letting unscripted moments shape authentic dialogue.

• Let humor arise organically. Find comedy in character dynamics, frustrations, and everyday absurdities.

• Ground dialogue in culture. Use regional slang, values, and social cues to add depth and authenticity.

tonal shifts

Tbh, I didn’t know about this term before…but you and I have definitely felt it while watching our favorite movies. Tonal shifts are basically when the vibe of a story changes—sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically.

The tonal shifts in Anora kept me completely immersed, almost as if I were experiencing everything alongside Ani.

One minute, I felt light and euphoric for Ani’s marriage.

The next, I was suffocated by the stress of her fairytale story turning tragic.

Then the following minute, I could breathe again and even laugh at the absurdities of life.

The film constantly moved between chaos and relief, mirroring Ani’s emotional rollercoaster in a way that felt so natural.

Again, Sean Baker pulls this off by treating filmmaking as a living, breathing process. One way he does this, is by “editing while directing”. He plays with pacing and energy in real-time, which makes the tonal shifts feel effortless rather than forced.

This blew me away. It made me wonder: “How the hell does he even do that?”

My guess? He kept putting his art out there—despite the hell he had to go through.

Side story time! 🎉

Did you know that, at the age of 29, Sean Baker decided to rebuild his life after struggling as a heroin addict for 5 years?

Since then, he has consistently worked on a project:

• 2000: (The year Sean began addressing his heroin addiction.)

• 2000: Four Letter Words

• 2004: Take Out

• 2008: Prince of Broadway

• 2012: Starlet

• 2015: Tangerine

• 2017: The Florida Project

• 2021: Red Rocket

• 2024: Anora

I have a feeling that years of hard work and experience can help you build the intuition to feel when a tonal shift is energetically right for a scene.

Here’s what I’m stealing from Sean Baker, in terms of tonal shifts:

• Edit while directing. Treat filmmaking as a living process—shift pacing and energy in real-time to reflect the characters’ emotional highs and lows.

• Let emotion lead the scene. Whether it’s joy, grief, or absurdity, trust the feeling of the moment to guide the tone, even if it changes suddenly.

• Earn your intuition. Years of making films and sharing your work build the gut instinct needed to shift tone without jarring the audience—it becomes muscle memory.

props

Can we talk about the ring and red scarf?!

It was SO cool to see Sean Baker use these props not just as objects, but as symbols woven into the storytelling.

The ring started as Ani’s fairytale dream, something she fought for, believing it was what she wanted.

But by the end, it became something else entirely—perhaps a catalyst for her to rewrite her own story.

Then there’s the red scarf, which felt like its own character, going through as much chaos as Ani herself. It started as a tool of suppression, literally used to silence her. Then Igor repurposes it for Ani’s comfort and warmth. But by the end, it transforms again—no longer something she wears, but something she casts off (at Ivan’s mother 😭). In that final gesture, it becomes a symbol of defiance and release.

These shifts make the red scarf feel so much more than just a prop—it’s a visual representation of her journey. It also played an interesting role in how we saw Igor as a love interest 👀. The way it connected them helped us invest in their dynamic in a subtle but meaningful way.

Here’s what I’m stealing from Sean Baker, in terms of props:

• Give props emotional arcs. Let objects evolve in meaning throughout the story. E.g. what starts as a dream (like the ring) can later become a symbol of transformation.

• Use props as silent characters. Let them mirror the protagonist’s journey, like the red scarf shifting from suppression, to survival, to self-liberation.

• Connect relationships through objects. Use shared props to subtly deepen character dynamics and build emotional investment, as seen in Ani and Igor’s connection through the scarf.

Note: Listen, I’m ngl to you. The last time I watched, studied and wrote about a movie was in my 2012 film class…and I got an F for it. It’s been over a decade since then. So pls be nice as I figure this out, lol. But also, pls lmk what you liked or found boring. Ty 🫶🏼.

story seeker of the week

Our very first Story Seeker is Tati Kapaya! I found Tati on IG last month and was immediately drawn to her art. Her profile makes up a beautiful assortment of stories—carousels about her travels, tips and thoughts on fashion, music, life, and so. much. more. But my absolute favorite are Tati’s vlogs.

She talks to the camera as if we were having a good conversation. And it’s good because she’s a great storyteller—telling us the plot (what happens in her vlog) and the story (how she feels about what happens). But that’s. not. all. Tati also has magic eyes. She knows which cinematic scenes to capture and share with us to make us feel like we’re part of the journey with her.

As you know, I’m starting to vlog and lemme tell ya, I am utterly inspired by Tati. I have no doubt she will inspire you too 🙂.

Know someone who embodies the heart of a Story Seeker? Recommend them here and they might be featured in an upcoming newsletter 💗.

helpful links

• Camp Film Fest • April 26-27: Creator Camp’s first ever film festival where storytellers will gather to watch 10 short films and 1 feature film, learn & connect in workshops, panels, and speaking events, and enjoy 5 music performances. I’ll be there, and I can hardly wait! 🥹

• Vimeo Short Film Grant • Deadline: April 18 — Apply for an opportunity to win $30,000 for the production of your original short film.

• AAPI Renaissance Rally • Deadline: May 20 — Got a film with multidimensional Asian or Pacific Islander characters? Crowdfund it from June 2–27, 2025 to qualify for $10K, mentorship, and a pitch at TIFF. Submissions are open now until May 20th!

Yay! I am officially done yapping 😌. Did you enjoy it? If so, pls help a sista out, and forward it to a Story Seeker friend 🫶🏼.

See you next Sunday morning,

Mari

P.S.—My bad about how long this issue was 😅. I’m going to make the next one wayyy shorter 🙂.