Meet Maja Jacob: Filmmaker & Director

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

Hi Maja, how do you think about risk?
One of the things I always ask myself is: What do I have to lose? My answer is : NOTHING! If you don’t try you will never know if you will succeed. I spent 15 years in Vancouver BC working in post production and building relationships but I felt like my career was at a standstill. I took a risk by packing up my life and relocating to Toronto ON in order to pursue directing. I was finally starting to make new connections but then that all changed when the pandemic hit. It was a major blow to me and the entire film industry. Instead of sitting at home doing nothing I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to finally sit down and start writing my screenplay. 9 months later I completed my first solo screenplay! My goal is to shoot the film in 2021. 

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.
From a very young age I have always been interested in the arts, Drama and English were my favorite subjects in school. But the defining moment of my career path was when my dad purchased a hi8 camcorder. I spent hours alone in my bedroom filming myself singing songs, pretending to be an anchorman and choreographing dance routines. Even at that young age, I knew that I wanted to become a filmmaker. I was also lucky that my parents encouraged me to pursue my passions. I wouldn’t say that my career path has been smooth sailing. I have dabbled in all areas of filmmaking. From working as a production assistant to a post production first assistant, it took me years to finally focus on directing and trust me it wasn’t easy. I shot my first feature film IN GOD I TRUST over a year and half on weekends. This is not a normal way of making films. Usually you shoot an entire film consecutively but we didn’t have the entire funding in place so we raised money for each weekend shoot. On top of this I was working full time as a First Assistant editor on films and TV series. Therefore my free time would be dedicated to organizing the shoots, producing, directing and editing the film! In the end it was worth it. The film IN GOD I TRUST garnered quite the buzz and won several film festival awards worldwide. With hard work and dedication I was able to complete a feature film. I look forward to directing my second feature film ROSE in 2021, this time with a real budget and schedule!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a tough question! As I have stated earlier I had relocated from Vancouver to Toronto but due to the pandemic I have recently moved yet again this time to my husbands hometown of Moncton, New Brunswick. We haven’t really had the chance yet to explore the city of Moncton, but if I were to show someone around in the summer it would definitely be the beaches. New Brunswick is located in the East Coast of Canada on the Atlantic Ocean. Summer in New Brunswick is all about seafood, boating and beach life. Did I mention the amazing seafood!!!! Moving from two big cities to Moncton has been quite the culture shock but so far its been amazing. The people are friendly, welcoming and all mostly speak French. New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that is officially bilingual. My husband’s heritage is Acadian French so my next goal is to learn the language so I can understand everyone at his family functions!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many moments in my life where a person has inspired me or nudged me to pursue my career goals. I would like to focus my dedication to one person who has stood by my side through my current career choices: My Husband. No matter what career choices I have made, he has always supported and encouraged me to follow my dreams.

Website: www.ingoditrustfilm.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maja_jacob_films/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maja-jacob-187123b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MajaJacob4