Rising Stars: Meet Farida Rafique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Farida Rafique.

Hi Farida, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My love of storytelling and social impact started in my younger years working with Refugees and advocating and community building with Human rights groups and grassroots community relief groups. In our efforts to advocate and empower new refugees from war-torn, high-conflict countries, we needed to communicate immediate Refugee family needs in their newfound home in America.

Storytelling and first-person narratives became the thread that connected our communities and brought more understanding. From raising funds for Disaster Relief to raising awareness for displaced communities, visual stories opened the heart of many donors and allies. That is when I realized the magnitude of storytelling and interconnectedness as a change agent for good and more significant understanding amongst our human family. Some of the first families our groups helped were Kosovar refugees and Afghan refugees. I went on to study media, communication, and film in school, which helped shape my purpose and professional goals of using storytelling, film, and art for change, connectivity, and understanding.

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?
The road to producing, specifically social impact producing, has been a process of continuous learning, adapting, and deepening knowledge of the subjects I predominantly work in. Producing has been a challenging career ladder with elements of a good thriller, lots of curve balls, and surprises. Still, you keep your spirits up and surround yourself with sincere intrepid collaborators who are just as invested in producing a purposeful product and have the heart to listen to stories and dive into new material.

I personally had what you call a career setback that was unexpected early in my career that took me out of Los Angeles for a while. I went from reading scripts and writing coverage for movies of the week and horror films to finding myself in Texas. That pushed me into social impact storytelling for non-profits and prompted me to produce independently. Those years, what first seemed like a step backward, gave me more courage to explore the projects I want to make as a Producer and reinforced my love of community arts groups. Back in Los Angeles, I realized I needed that time away from the hub for developing and refining my creative projects against the magnificent backdrop of Dallas, Texas.

When I returned to Los Angeles, it was initially hard to get back into the older circles and systems, but thanks to indie films, I found myself working again.

I remind myself that you pursue and persist in the process of your goals because you genuinely love what you do, and because of that love, you can withstand the uglier moments, the not-so-great times, and the curve balls. Then you go to Ojai, return with a full reset, and are ready to work again. It sounds blase, but everyone has their creative process. I am in awe of my Mentors and those who have been Producing/Directing for many years in the business and making an impact and not losing their humanity and spark for new projects and ideas. You have to have that persistence and joy for creating to sustain a career in storytelling.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am fully invested in seeking out stories that center around Humanity and relationships within Climate and Conflict spaces. As an Impact Producer who believes that community and cooperation will sustain us as a species, and as a creative wayfarer, I seek to document and share stories that open hearts through art and storytelling.

One of my least-known but favorite projects I produced and worked on was a Social Impact Video Series and Activating Art Event called “Love Letters to An Addict.” I worked alongside community Art Groups, sober coaches and counselors, and resilient people who have overcome their addictions and used their recovery to uplift and inspire those battling heavy addictions. I learned a lot from that project, and it was rooted in the love of many lost due to addiction, estranged from family, or passed on because they lost hope. We joined in the community and wrote letters to those who were missing due to an addiction, Sober-in recovery Participants wrote letters to their old self, and those who lost a loved one due to addiction wrote a letter to their loved one. It was very cathartic, empowering, and healing all the same time. It reinforced that as long as you are alive, you can make a comeback and recover and pay it forward. Truly a project that brought community, story and art together in the purest way.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Patience, persistence, and continuing your life as a student are the bedrock. There is always more to learn and more to seek. Staying open, seeking and following your ideas, and going down the rabbit hole of discovering new ideas keep you from staying stagnant and one-dimensional.

Contact Info:

• LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Cereusfarida