Meet Joewi Verhoeven | Cinematographer

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

Hi Joewi, how do you think about risk?

I believe in taking risks! It keeps you sharp. Not to the extent that it would be considered reckless of course, but I think taking calculated risks and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is a great way to grow creatively and as a person. Especially in the process of making a film, it always pays off to take some creative risks, because you’re embarking on a journey of exploration and that’s how you discover the really interesting stuff. I take that same philosophy in how I approach my career and the projects I do. I’m always looking for films that challenge and push me to a place I didn’t even know I was capable of going, those always end up the most rewarding of experiences.

Going to China when I turned 18 was definitely a leap of faith too, and I ended up staying there for 17 years studying and working as a cinematographer in the Chinese film industry. Making the choice to come to LA and attend AFI meant taking a new risk in turning down many job opportunities I had in China. But ultimately I knew it would bring me closer to my dream of working in Hollywood.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I’m a cinematographer, and I believe we’re not exactly a rare kind in LA, but I think that my journey becoming one has been unique. I was born and raised in the Netherlands and went to China when I was 18 to study Mandarin Chinese. My heritage is Dutch/Chinese, so because of that I felt I should at least learn how to speak the language. A few years later I decided to pursue my lifelong dream of filmmaking and I studied cinematography at the Beijing Film Academy, one of the best film schools in Asia. I was the only foreigner in my class and had to work hard to fit in and overcome any language barriers. It also taught me so much about the collaborative nature of filmmaking, I’ve made many lifelong friends studying there. Not long after graduating in 2013 I had a great opportunity to be the cinematographer on a Chinese feature film with a talented director and a decent budget. It was a booming period for Chinese cinema, a lot of productions were happening, and it was a great learning school for me to do bigger scale projects early on in my career. I ended up shooting several feature films, commercials, music videos and short films. This busy life continued until the pandemic hit, and I had time to reflect on my path so far. I felt intuitively that it was time for a new challenge so I took proactive steps towards my goal of working in Hollywood. I applied for the cinematography MFA at AFI and would move to Los Angeles if I’d get in. I’m so happy it worked out because I absolutely love it here!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Aside from giving them a tour of the beautiful campus of AFI, I would take them to the obvious attractions close to where I live like Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign, I would try to combine that with a hike in the hills just to have a great view of the city. I want to show them that nature is always close by in LA, which I absolutely love. I would also take them to some of the great museums this city has like The Getty and LACMA. Obviously, a day at the beach can’t be missed, a stroll along Venice Beach and further along the coast towards Malibu. Last but not least, I would take them to Universal Studios, one of the best theme parks in the world in my opinion.

Food wise there are so many places I would love to take them, restaurants are so good here. I would definitely pay visits to Thai Town, K-town and Silver Lake for some really authentic and solid food. Additionally I would take them to little gems like Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine, because this cuisine is hard to find outside of China, but LA has it!

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?
I would love to dedicate this to my parents and family, who have no background in film at all, but who ended up supporting me in my journey as a filmmaker all these years. And of course, I want to dedicate this to my wife Xiaoyan Li, who embarked on this journey to LA with me and who I’ve learned so much from, I couldn’t do any of it without her.

Website: www.joewiverhoeven.com

Instagram: @joewiverhoeven

Other: https://vimeo.com/joewi email: joewiverhoeven@hotmail.com

Image Credits
Luisa Dale, Rick Lim