Meet Vyky Saiz | Director

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

Hi Vyky, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
The most difficult decision I ever had to make was to believe in myself. When I was toying with the idea of leaving my career in education to pursue filmmaking there were a lot of practical reasons that held me back. I thoroughly enjoyed being a high school educator. I was close to reaching a decade as a teacher so I worried about stirring up life. I was one year away from paying off my undergraduate student loan debt so considering the financial burden of film school, and filmmaking in general, was stressful. I was preparing myself to take the next steps in adulthood, such as buying a home (and a motorcycle!). I considered the possible familial or social sacrifices given how much time and energy filmmaking requires. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t consider a single good reason. I always thought fear manifested itself directly (“your ideas suck”) but that wasn’t my experience. My fear flooded me with reasons that felt sound and not personal, so I wouldn’t question it. When I finally asked myself aloud, “Do I not believe in me?” that’s when everything changed. I discovered all of that “logic” was masking an intense nausea. Choosing to believe didn’t happen immediately, but knowing the real reason meant I could apply solutions that would work. Also, those practical reasons were still important to address but I was able to tackle them with a clear head. Now, I’m at a point where complacency in my art scares me so I keep pushing myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I went to undergrad, I initially pursued filmmaking but personal events redirected my path. There are moments I wish I didn’t lose that time, but in reality I grew personally and professionally. Life and work experiences made a positive impact on me as a filmmaker. I started my career in education at a school designed to assist students at-risk of not completing their high school diploma. I was 22 and my students were 20/21 so learning boundaries had to happen swiftly if I wanted to last–my students were not my friends. I grew up in those same neighborhoods and had a tough time in school so I wanted to show it’s possible to grow. But I learned that hope, enthusiasm, patience, and consideration for your students must be balanced with high expectations and follow-through. Never tower them when they’re feeling low, but they must stand up again. My fellow educators were older than me so I leaned on their experience while making sure I found my own way as a teacher. Growing up my parents allocated whatever resources they had to travel, so that carried over to me as an adult. My discretionary income was used on experiences rather than material items allowing me to spend my vacations on travel, such as cross-country road trips and solo-travel to two continents. I prioritized learning more about my home state of Florida using weekends to visit a different museum, botanical garden, restaurant, and more. I learned I am resilient, curious, observant, and that my excitement reveals itself through very intense facial expressions. When I reflect on how much I grew (through plenty of mistakes), I’m reminded that I made the switch to filmmaking at the right time for me. One of my current challenges is working with my desire to share my films with minimal social media. I haven’t had Facebook or Instagram in years, never had X nor TikTok, so I have to learn how to increase my digital presence without the trappings of it. I am excited to keep creating films through my focuses of hopeful, not dystopian science fiction and true stories with my dream of directing a Britney Spears biopic.

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.
The first thing I tell people is what I wish I knew when I visited Los Angeles years prior to moving there: focus on a specific area for the entirety of the trip or, at minimum, one area per day. It’s important to be efficient with time so you can experience more things outside of the car than in traffic. Given the abundance of birrierias in LA, I made it my mission to find my favorite one. As of now, Birrieria San Marcos is still holding the number one spot so I love to share that with visitors. Since I live in Studio City and watch movies weekly, it has been a special experience to make AMC @ Universal CityWalk my regular movie theater. And, as an A-List member, parking is affordable so a great place to walk, shop, and people-watch, even if you don’t go to Universal Studios Hollywood. Recently, I did the hike at Millard Falls which is accessible for all fitness or experience levels with a great reward at the end. Also, I love dessert but it wasn’t easy taking my lactose intolerance seriously. Luckily, LA is not short on high-quality, plant-based desserts. Do yourself a favor and stop at CREAMO, if you haven’t already, for some of the best ice cream, in general, I’ve ever had. Last, but certainly not least, What the Float Los Angeles had a major impact on me. I recommend this for everyone, especially those new to LA, because every month it takes place in a different location so it’s a way to explore in the safety of a welcoming group curated by masterful team leaders and DJs.

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?
Two separate events happened nearly at the same time. First: a student of mine randomly said one day, “You’re not meant to be here”. I was shocked because this student would always show up to class early and be very engaged so, if anything, he was reassuring me that teaching was the right choice. Second: a friend of mine invited me to join a 48-hour film project. He knew how much I loved films and, admitted, “We need some girls!” I took that as a compliment and this is when I met Tristan Wauchope. That experience showed me how easy (and how hard) filmmaking is at the core. Tristan’s enthusiasm made me comfortable enough to say, “I wrote some films” and, when we finished 48, he offered to help me make a film. Once my first short film was complete, it was like a sealed door was pried open. I finally had the main requirement needed to apply to film school. My student’s directness, my friend’s candor, Tristan’s generosity, and FSUFilm’s trust are at the core of this shoutout. I want to also dedicate this to my family for having my back and joining me on this ride, especially my brother and composer Vishnu Saiz. I met Kaitlyn Kelly, Morgan Miller, and Marlange Piard at film school and we continue to collaborate despite being on different coasts. Lastly, and only because I could write a book of thank-yous, Gregg Binkley and the actors from his workshop took in this LA-newb with open arms and allowed me to witness the truth depths of acting.

Website: https://www.vykysaiz.com

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

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

Image Credits
Headshot by Brad Buckman
On the set of OUR TERMINAL
On the set of RECALL by Kaitlyn Kelly
On the set of RESTORE by Javan Richardson
On the set of RESTORE by Javan Richardson
Still from RESTORE written/directed by Vyky Saiz
Still from OUR TERMINAL written/directed by Vyky Saiz
Still from AMATEURS written/directed by Vyky Saiz
Still from RECALL written/directed by Vyky Saiz
Still from RESTORE written/directed by Vyky Saiz