Daily Inspiration: Meet Madina Ismailova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madina Ismailova.

Hi Madina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I loved movies ever since I was little. I was always mesmerized by the magic of films. I was born in a small country with picturesque nature in Central Asia called Kyrgyzstan. Movie theaters were far away from our city so we would watch movies in VHS and right after that, I would go to my friends to make a performances pretending we were doing a movie. Growing up in multicultural environment and having friends speaking different languages, watching films in different languages, you absorb the beauty of differences and similarities with other cultures which influenced my worldview. Seeing the world with many colors and point of views. But becoming a filmmaker never crossed my mind because I never saw or heard about woman filmmaker. So I would imagine different professions for myself even though I loved creating stories and theatre performances.

Finishing high school and learning about women directors, I started thinking of making something I love into a profession. I applied to film school in Kyrgyz State University of Art and Culture and got in. Since then, my journey as a filmmaker started. I’ve experienced the beauty of creating something and hardship of the industry itself (even quoted for year and went to China with circus). Parallel to film school, I started working in film crew and I probably worked in every department of film crew (assistant, costume, sound, camera, grip and electric, second director, producer, etc.). After finishing film school in Kyrgyzstan, I wanted to learn more so I applied to film school here in LA. It wasn’t easy to be away from my family and friends but I’m very lucky I have all the people who surround me right now. Right now, I’m working on movie sets and developing a script for my own film.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s like people say if the road is easy then you’re likely going the wrong way. You should be prepared for rough road. Making films is not just hard, it is also expensive if you want to make a decent one. You have to prove yourself to people everyday, fight for your ideas and your stories. But I’m grateful for everything that happened on the way because I’m here today thanks to all the struggles. It motivates me to work more, to get better in what I do, to learn lessons from every fall. My little sister just decided to be a documentary filmmaker and I would love to be a good example for her.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a young filmmaker, I write, direct and produce my own movies. I want to explore the struggles of a human being in the face of beautiful and cruel world. Especially women. I mostly prefer drama but right now, I’m working on horror short film. It’s going to be an experiment for me and interesting project to work on.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mado_independent/