Viktoria Ershova

Born in Bulgaria, Viktoria came to the United States on her own at age 18 to attend college. She spent her first two years at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, dealing with the cultural shock of being immersed in an isolated college community in small town America. After her sophomore year, she transferred to DePaul University in Chicago, where she finished her BA in Communication. During her first year in Chicago, she lived among undocumented immigrants in the gang-ridden poor neighborhood of Albany Park. She interned as a writer for two Chicago newspapers, as well as for a TV show. After graduating, she took a job as a market research analyst in a small consulting company. While still working as a 9-to-5 professional, she became involved in independent and experimental film projects, took acting classes and started writing screenplays. She participated in several projects organized by Split Pillow, an independent production company based in Chicago, including two 60-hour filmmaking events. Viktoria moved to California in 2003 to pursue her passion for filmmaking full-time. She is currently finishing her MFA degree in film production/directing from Chapman University in Orange. Her goal as a filmmaker is to create movies that employ the power of film to speak to the human soul, to inspire and uplift, to bring a positive change.