Meet Daria Daria Strachan | Film Director & Writer

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

Hi Daria, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been a creative person. Ever since I was little, I have always had a love for drawing, painting, and storytelling. During Quarantine, my creativity manifested in different ways; first through painting, then through drawing and storyboarding, and then eventually into filmmaking during my junior year of high school.

Looking back on it, I’m not too surprised I went with the film route. To me, film is one of the most unique mediums as it encapsulates all of my interests: storytelling, writing, visualization, music, etc.

I also understand the importance of doing what you love. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of moviemaking as long as I remember why I’m doing it: to have fun and make the things I’m interested in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been a creative person since I was a child, but it’s presented itself differently over time. Although I’ve had backgrounds in traditional painting, animation, writing, and photography, I don’t take any of these experiences for granted. I feel that each one of my past interests deeply influenced my current filmmaking creative process. For example, I first began my interest in creating media through the show “Steven Universe” by Rebecca Sugar. Their wonderfully well-crafted show inspires me to this day when writing characters and thinking about what matters most to me in my films.

I will say, though, that the amount of time it took for me to understand what I wanted to do creatively also brought some challenges. Although I loved what I did when I was doing it, animating, for example, didn’t scratch the itch I had deep inside myself. This caused me to not be as motivated as I should’ve been and impacted the worked, I had done. Thankfully, since recognizing that my creative purpose can be fulfilled through filmmaking, I’ve found so much more love and vindication for my creative experiences.

These experiences taught me that to be truly successful in life, you need to do what you love. As long as you’re doing something that doesn’t bring you joy, your unhappiness will hold you back, preventing you from doing your best work.

I wouldn’t say my journey as a filmmaker was “easy,” but it hasn’t been as difficult as I had expected it to me. The majority of that can we awarded to Black Girls Film Camp, the incredible program that helped me create my largest-scale film, As You Are. I will forever owe much of my success and love for filmmaking to the wonderful women and supporters of BGFC, and their palpable care for aiding young Black women creatives.

I feel the most important aspect about my work and inspirations I want others to be aware of is my desire to make change. Aside from my creative heart, there is another reason I am so into filmmaking. I want to make films that impact those who watch them because I am so deeply aware of how the media we consume affects how we feel about the world around us, and thus ourselves. If there is more inclusive and vulnerable media presented to the world, we can move closer to becoming a more inclusive and vulnerable community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m from Washington, D.C., so I find that many people don’t know much about the city aside from the White House and the over Governmental establishments, but there is so much life and culture in the city that should be more appreciated.

One of my favorite restaurants is called Ted’s Bulletin (specifically the Eastern Market location) and has been a staple of my childhood. I would probably take the visitor there for breakfast, then we would break off to the Museum of African American history for a couple hours, beginning on the bottom floor. To lighten the mood, we’d drive to the Wharf or Georgetown and get some snacks/go shopping. To finish off the night, we’ll go to U Street and visit Ben’s Chili Bowl, my former workplace.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother and father, Shaunda Patterson-Strachan and Daanen Strachan, Brigid Maher, everyone involved in Black Girls Film Camp, Anacostia Youth Media Festival, Allen Jackson, Agnes Moss, Debby Shore and the rest of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, and many, many others.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariasfilms/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariastrachan/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DariaStrachanFilms

Image Credits
The photo of me in all black was captured by London Pidel.