Courtesy: Instagram
Hailing from Broward, Florida is a badass young director dead set on making her mark in the industry. With creativity and talent oozing from every pore, and an aura that exudes humility and kindness, Cristy agreed to sit down with me to discuss her journey as a director as well as some of the challenges she faces as a woman trying to break into the industry.
Cristy says she recalls wanting to be a director since the tender age of 10 years old, initially attracted to the glitz and glamour of it all, but equally enamored with the opportunity to tell the audience a story.
For instance, her latest production is a short film detailing a personal experience of sexual assault. For many, it’s a topic that’s precarious and too taboo to touch. But Cristy, not afraid to tread into deeper waters when it comes to hard-hitting subject matter, wanted to make sure her story was told not only for personal development and closure but to empathize with the countless other women that have experienced something similar.
The young filmmaker went on to describe some of the challenges she faces as a woman who’s trying to make a name for herself in such a male-dominated industry. “I think women face a huge bias in the industry that their work is subpar to a mans and it’s hard to find job opportunities on set. I hear from fellow female alumni that they get fewer job offers than their white male classmates when they are just as qualified” She also shared some of her personal experiences with gender bias, noting that sexism extends beyond your traditional film set and manages to rear its ugly head in some of her other projects as well. “I love to make music videos and document the underground Florida hip-hop scene, but it is, like film, another sausage fest. Everywhere I go to work I am being sexualized for the most part. Men really can’t leave a girl alone in Miami it seems. They are so persistent and flashy”
She doesn’t allow these unwelcome advances to set her back, however. In fact, they only add fuel to her fire. Cristy’s passion for filmmaking is clear, she shared with me that she “hopes to make movies that let the audience know that they’re not alone and ultimately build empathy amongst people by giving them an experience on screen that could be totally different from anything they’ve experienced, but they’re still able to feel the pain of a character or situation and connect to it in a raw human way”
And even with every reason to be proud, Cristy maintains a heart of gold, offering these few words of wisdom when asked if there was anything she wanted to share with the world: “I want to remind everyone that we are all human, so we have to forgive one another and think deeper into our understanding of emotion and perspective”
So, if nothing else be sure to remember the name Cristy Trabada because one day it’s likely that you’ll be seeing it in lights.