Meet Makarya Santilla Diaz | Filmmaker, cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Makarya Santilla Diaz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Makarya, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up surrounded by artists and activists, so from a young age I’ve been exposed to passionate people. From a young age, I recognized that I just need to have a outlet to express myself and my perspective. My mother is a well known poet in the filipino community and I’ve met so many people who have been moved by her words. I don’t think, I know art is a powerful and has the capacity to bring lasting change. I’ve always wondered what my role is in making a more liveable future and I think visual story telling is my small contribution. Not everyone can spend their time researching injustice, sometimes people just don’t have the words to describe what they’re feeling in this crazy world, but we can all collectively identify ourselves in art.

I always joke the reason why I chose film is because I cried in movies growing up and I want to make people cry. I think that’s just a simple way of saying I want people to find the humanity in the stories I’m trying to tell. I pursued this because of humanity and I could of been a human rights lawyer or a social worker but art doesn’t have to be so serious all the time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Where do I start? So I take a lot of film photography primarily of the cityscape of everything east of Ktown. The eastside is my home, will always been my home, and has been my family’s home since they first came here in the 70s. I’ve been shooting a lot of old school super 8 film. Film is my medium of choice, film creates images through chemical processes rather than a digital one and I think that’s what people are getting at when they say film is alive. For the projects I’ve shot I use mostly digital cameras because its just more accessible, but I’m always trying to replicate film. The last music video I shot was a mix between digital and super 8 film, which was perfect because there was a park scene and the super 8 looked like a home movie.

What sets me apart would probably be the fact that I’m not trying too hard to be anything obscure. I didn’t go to a proper film school, I started out working as a camera assistant on low budget movies I found on Craigslist. I think I’m proof that you don’t need a degree with tons of debt to be a filmmaker. I wouldn’t call myself self made it either, I hate when people call them self made self taught whatever. I messed up and there’s been some kind people on my journey who taught me their tricks or the trade. I’m still learning, I’m still assisting on bigger shows.

None of this is easy. Even my friends with degrees got it hard. I’ve worked crazy hours and unfortunately the film industry is full of people trying to exploit people’s talents. I’ve met the best people and the worst. Sometimes I wonder why I let something so personal to me like art become my primary money making gig. It’s the wonderful artists I’ve met along the way that keeps me going day to day. There’s a special comaraderie that I’ve built with my fellow filmmakers. I also run on the idea that my community needs our perspective shown our way. I’m talking queer people, filipino, members of diaspora, eastside, LA born, etc. Hollywood is running out of ideas whole time there’s hundreds of thousands of stories just east of hollywood.

I’ve learned a lot and I’m constantly being humbled. I’m still in the very beginning of my career. Everyone young needs to learn quick, this is a marathon not a sprint. I’m not doing this for views, all though the recognition does feel great. I constantly have to come back to myself. I’m doing this to tell the times, perserve my history, and collaborate with other people who are about what I’m about. I’m about art for justice. I just want to leave my tiny piece on culture or maybe counterculture depending on who’s asking.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m anti westside, anti gentifier so maybe I’m bias. If the dim sum got no msg, then it’s not good. San Gabriel Valley got the best dim sum, I can’t tell you the exact dim sum spots because the lines get long. The best Vietnamese spot, Golden Deli, has already been exposed by Jonathan Gold, RIP.

If you are a meat eater go to The Park’s Finest in historic Filipinotown, but not before you get your appetite from the one or three drinks at Thunderbolt right next door. If The Park’s Finest is closed then drive up Temple St. to Dollar Hits.

Little Tokyo has a really special place in my heart. I interned at an organization in Little Tokyo called JACCC. Their building has this beautiful garden open to the public.

Sometimes I drive my bike to little tokyo, historic filipintown and I take streets from my house in the San Gabriel valley. That’s really special because I drive through Boyle Heights. You can just feel the history in Boyle Heights. Make sure to stop by Espacio and Midnight Books in boyle heights, they’re both shops that really center the boyle heights community culture.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout my mom. Shoutout to my parents. They taught me my values and I know having people who believe in you is more imprtant to your success than anything else.

Shoutout my grandparents for making the crazy choice of leaving the philippines and then making it in America. My grandmother went from an undocumented secretary to an engineer, My grandfather fought at 13 in WWII and fled to the US escaping marshal law.

Nothing but love to the community center SIPA LA, the first Filipino community center in LA. I also had my first birthday at the original SIPA building.

Beatrock Music and Klassy who I recently shot a music video for. I promised Klassy I’d shoot a music video for her when I was 19 years old not knowing how much goes into shooting. I had the honor of showcasing my community, historic filipinotown, and showcased our resilience. I hope to continue making projects surrounding Beatrock values.

Shoutout all the community organizers that babysat me.

Instagram: @not_makarya

Image Credits
group photo taken by Isak Bae @illegal.alien9000 in 3rd and last photo @emceeklassy 2nd photo is of a music video I shot Samuel Green @thesamuelgreen Gaffers on my music videos Adam Leene and Laurence Geronilla