Meet Valeria Zuniga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Valeria Zuniga.

Hi Valeria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Primero que todo soy orgullosamente MEXICANA. I was born in Mexico City, Mexico. My family came to the U.S. when I was just 1 year old because my grandma was seeking safety from domestic abuse. We came to this country with nothing. I am amazed and grateful that 35 years later, our family is doing exceptionally well thanks to all their sacrifices. My grandmother and mother are the epitome of hard work and resilience. Since my father abandoned me when I was five, my uncle Jaime took it upon himself to raise my siblings and me. I grew up attending a Catholic school but thanks to him I am a Christian. As a kid playing video games and watching movies with my brothers and uncles when they babysat was a must. I think that’s where my love for film sparked, my uncle had every VHS in existence at the time and we would stare at that screen for hours. The endless possibilities to tell stories about anything possible or impossible in the world of film is just remarkable. I was also a huge TomBoy, playing outside with my brothers and their friends (who are also like brothers to me now after 30 years of friendship) was always the best part of my day. I even owned a pair of Chad Muska shoes and a skateboard. We would ride around our apartment complex and I would try to bust tricks like them but that never worked out, don’t laugh. Playing basketball was a huge joy for me as well. I’m so grateful that even with 2 jobs at a time my mom always made sure we were playing a sport or learning a craft.

Unfortunately, when I was 13 years old, my uncle suddenly passed away from cirrhosis of the liver. He struggled most of his life with alcohol abuse and finally lost his life after he relapsed at the age of 34. My family was never the same after that.The day I lost him I also lost myself. The trauma from losing him that way and feeling abandoned all over again made it easy for the depression to take over. Soon I was doing drugs and drinking to drown out the pain. Life became pointless. I dropped out of school, gave up on my dreams and began working so I could fund my bad habits. Then at the age of 19 I became a mom. Thanks to my son I got clean and once again felt like I had something to live for.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all. It’s really hard being a happy child one day and the next your whole world is turned upside down. It’s also very hard growing up to realize that because I am a woman and not from this country the challenges I would face would be even more extreme. I’ve always had to be the hardest worker in the room to get to where I am today. In 2015 after being hospitalized because of what I thought was a heart attack (anxiety attack), I learned that I was suffering from chronic depression and Generalized Anxiety disorder on top of my alcohol abuse problem. I was reluctant to take medication at first. But when I did, everything changed. It was as if I could see clearly. I quit my job as a bartender at a restaurant I had worked for 11 years and went back to college. I did not know what I wanted to do and I didn’t care how long it would take to find myself. I started off studying music and piano, moved on to fitness and finally decided to take a screenwriting class in 2017. I knew then in my gut, heart and soul that I wanted to be a filmmaker. That I wanted to tell stories, make people laugh, cry and everything in between. I began taking every single Film study and Film production class that Santa Monica college had to offer. In 2019 we shot our thesis film for which I was a prop master as part of the art department. It went on to be an official selection at the prestigious CANNES Film festival and even won best student short. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Juggling my mental illness, a fulltime job, 2 kids and the uncertainty of whether I could stay sober or not really took a toll. I relapsed many times but I never gave up. I’m so grateful that I didn’t. During that time I met the amazing humans that I now call my Film family. Continuing to work with them to this day means the whole world to me as a creative.

When I finished college in 2019, I felt so happy and accomplished. I was really becoming the person that I always knew I could be, someone my uncle could be proud of. I had this passion burning inside me, I was ready to go out there and create. But the world had other plans and came to a stop in 2020. I lost my full-time job, there were no film gigs to go around, and I had to home-school my kids. I can’t even explain really what was going on in my head when I let things get so out of hand. The uncertainty and anxiety was too much for someone like me. So, I drank. I drank every day. I wouldn’t eat at all some days. And soon enough I was so malnourished that my immune system could not fight off infections that I started getting in random parts of my body including my intestines. I was hospitalized twice during the pandemic for my severe alcohol abuse disorder. The doctors told me if I didn’t get my drinking under control, I could potentially lose my life. It’s incredibly hard knowing that I did that to myself, but with the help of a prescription drug called naltrexone I got my life back on track and even went on to write my very first short film called TONTO. It’s based on the past and present events in my life. It talks about the importance of healing so that our children don’t have to. The environment my uncle lived in as a child caused his alcoholism. My abandonment issues, anxiety and the trauma from losing him caused mine. So, had I died, what would happen to my kids? Would they go on to be alcoholics too? I really hope that telling my story can help people recognize/accept they have a problem and take that first step into healing, if not for themselves then for their children and future generations to come. #spreadhealingnotpain

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love acting, writing, editing and of course what I’m most known for, Production design. Currently, I am the head of the Art department for the non-profit Film mentorship program, OSK Films. Our mission is to produce high-quality, low-budget short films in which aspiring filmmakers can participate as part of our cast or crew in their desired department. We are very honored and proud to be running this program for a second year this year. Because we are a non-profit we rely on funding from different initiatives and cast/crew members are all volunteers including myself and all other heads of departments most of which I met in college. I am tremendously lucky and blessed to have found such a wonderful community of filmmakers, our Film Family as I like to call it. It’s really never work when we are on set together, and getting to mentor others and help them find that sense of community like ours really means a lot to each and every one of us.

I have also had the honor of writing, co-directing, starring in and editing my own film, TONTO, produced by OSK Films. The amount of love and support I received in pre-production, production and post-production will never be forgotten. Opening up about the trauma caused by the sudden death of my father figure at age 13, and the downward spiral that led me into was truly an emotional venture. But also, very therapeutic in so many ways. Talking about generational trauma and wanting to be that person that breaks that chain of pain and suffering can be very distressful. But realizing that not healing is what is causing my alcohol abuse disorder and that my choices could potentially lead my children down that same path was what kept me going. All children deserve a happy childhood. Regardless of what ours was like, we need to make a conscious effort to be different, to be better. That is the message I hope to spread with my film. #generationalhealth

What matters most to you?
My faith and my family are what matter to me most. I come from a big family that would do anything for each other, without hesitation. My beautiful mother is a single mom of 5 kids. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I think that for the most part of my young adult life, I was operating on fear and keeping my struggles hidden. Limiting myself to what felt comfortable. I would take the easy way out when things got rough by coping in extremely unhealthy ways. Becoming the best version of myself has proven to be a very long, tough and uncertain journey. I’m still getting better and have to do the work every single day. With all the love and support my family pours into me so freely, I no longer let the fear stand in the way. I walk with faith and gratitude now toward my goals, dreams and the future I hope to provide not just for my kids but for my entire family. Hopefully, I will get to help others along the way as well. With my kids by my side, I know I can do anything I put my mind to. They are my inspiration, my motivation, my everything. I want to show them that it’s ok to dream big and follow your dreams no matter what age or what you’ve been through. You can always start over, you CAN get better and your dreams will come true if you work hard enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.imdb.com/name/nm11412317/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/valeriamakesfilms/