Meet Azuri Vallatine | Director & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Azuri Vallatine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Azuri, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
So far I know that having staying organized, setting goals, and motivation have been the key to my success. For example, this year, I was selected as a Teen Director for a program called Black Girl Film Camp, to direct my first short film. I knew this opportunity was absolutely amazing, but without any personal or production goals, I would have struggled to thrive as a director in the program. Knowing this, I strived to stay organized to meet deadlines during the production process. I found that keeping a schedule of both my schoolwork and production schedule helped my workload become more manageable and my production team stay organized.

Setting specific goals has also always given me a sense of direction and purpose for any project I’m apart of. Whether I am working on a short film or my personal development, I quickly realized that mapping out my future has upheld my success. Finally, staying motivated keeps me energized and focused. I’ve learned that without having clear motivation or desire to complete a project, it is difficult to concentrate on my goals.
Maintaining these habits has not only helped me succeed in my short films, but I know they will be valuable as I continue to work towards my future.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Impactful creative storytelling is my biggest passion. When I realized that only 7% of filmmakers are Black Women, I knew I wanted to change the statistics.

As a kid, I have always loved animated series. I would frankly watch anything that was animated. The magical feeling and crucial impact of animated series inspired me to become an animator. I was confident I wanted to be a children’s storyteller for the rest of my life. Or so I thought. When I turned 13, my interest in the media I consumed changed drastically. By this time, I also began to develop a deep fascination for human psychology. This fascination sparked a newfound interest in psychological animes and thrillers. I valued the thrill and creative writing within psychological stories because they challenged my worldviews and inspired me to consider mental processes and societal indoctrination. The significant change in my original media interests led me to wonder what stories I wanted to tell.

In 2024, I was selected for a program called Black Girls Film Camp, where I learned how to make my creative ideas come to life and realized that by being a director in the film industry, I have the opportunity to develop alternative messaging. Now, I aim to create stories that will positively influence future generations while simultaneously developing untold stories that psychologically evoke emotions, stretch imagination into unknown possibilities, and represent those who were once voiceless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I could take my best friend anywhere, I would definitely take them to enjoy a stay at Universal Studios! Immediately when she got off the plane, I would take her to FIVE on the Hill Restaurant for dinner and mocktails. In the morning, we would head over to Universal City Boardwalk to grab drinks and a quick snack at the Hello Kitty Cafe before having a shopping spree at all the shops in the area! Finally, we’ll enter Universal Studios Hollywood theme park! I’d want us to check out all the rides and attractions before the day ends and get The Simpsons famous Big Pink Donuts before we leave. The next day, we would have brunch at California’s Restaurant and then drive to indoor skydiving at iFLY! But the day isn’t over yet! I would 100% want to stop by to check out the “Things From Another World” store and buy some souvenirs. For our dinner, we’d check out Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and try their homemade guacamole and tasty fish tacos! For our final day, I plan to keep it light. We would go to AMC and order tasty buttery popcorn and Blue-Raspberry ICEE, then sit back to watch Wicked!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give my mentor and producer, Mrs. Regina Hoyles, a shoutout! I met Mrs. Regina this year and ever since she met me, she wanted to help me enhance my storytelling abilities to be the best they could be. When I asked Mrs. Regina if she was interested in helping me create the second short film I was submitting to my selected universities, Mrs. Hoyles selflessly took it upon herself to support and encourage me during the development of my film. As a filmmaker and director herself, she gave me guidance and wisdom throughout my entire filmmaking process. Because of her support, I have become a better storyteller and director!

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