Meet Voices that Matter Scholarship 2022 Recipient – Diana Cheivan
By Elise Czyzowska
16 January 2023
MetFilm School is thrilled to introduce one of the 2022 recipients of our Voices that Matter: Women in the Screen Industries Scholarship, Diana Cheivan.
Meet Diana Cheivan
Diana is from a small town in the east of Romania, and has joined MetFilm School Berlin on our BA Practical Filmmaking degree.
On receiving the scholarship, she said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I heard that I had won. I was in the car with my dad when I got the call – he pulled over and the parked the car and we both started crying tears of happiness.’
Before deciding on film school, Diana opted to focus on maths and science while at school, but her love of film has always been strong:
Growing up in Romania, we consume a lot of Hollywood blockbusters and superhero films… but when I was around 14 years old, I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds‘.
That experience is what really ignited my passion for films, it was such an amazing concept – and something I hadn’t seen anything like before.
Alongside Hitchcock, Diana cites her biggest inspiration as Romanian Director Cristian Mungiu, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2007 with his film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. ‘It’s an amazing film, and it encourages me,’ she shared. ‘I know that one day I can do the same.’
The Girl with the Blue Coat
When she was sixteen, Diana made her first film, The Girl with the Blue Coat, which she submitted to a book festival – the film ended up winning the competition.
For the film, Diana played the lead role (Hanneke), as well as leading the project, getting involved in the screenwriting process, as well as editing, producing, and directing. The film won Grand Prize at Boovie 2020, as well as ‘Best Editing’ and first place in ‘The Chosen Book’ category.
‘Winning this really spurred me on,’ Diana said, ‘and I knew then that I definitely wanted to work in the film industry.’ Acknowledging that, due to the smaller size of the Romanian film industry, she might not be able to make a career for herself, she began to look for schools abroad that offered scholarships. For her application to the Women in the Screen Industries Scholarship, she created a short film, The Interaction, which she believes is ‘the best thing [I’ve] created so far’.
Watch the trailer for Diana’s Boovie Festival-winning short film The Girl with the Blue Coat
Looking to the future
‘I think there should be more women working in the screen industry,’ says Diana. ‘It should reflect the population – around 50% of the world is made up of women! There is such a lot of female talent, I think it’s a shame that there are not more of us working in the industry – and that’s why I’m especially proud to have won this scholarship.’
Looking to the future, Diana again mentions the inspiration she has pulled from the likes of Hitchcock and Cristian Mungiu:
Now, I can see myself creating something like ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’. I want to be a director and a screenwriter, and I want to make films that can win at Cannes.
I have big plans for the future – and with this scholarship, these plans now feel possible.
Voices that Matter: Women in the Screen Industries
According to research from the Centre for the Study of Women in Television & Film, the percentage of women working as directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers increased just 7% between 1998 and 2022, to currently sit at 24%.
Recognising the importance of diversity, equality, and inclusion within the screen industry, the Women in the Screen Industries Scholarship was designed to support the next generation of female filmmakers.
This scholarship covers full tuition fees for the selected programme of study, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and is assessed based on financial need, as well as talent and achievement in the screen industries. There is one scholarship available, in either London, Berlin, or Leeds, and you can learn more about our eligible courses below.
- Diana Cheivan is studying BA Practical Filmmaking at MetFilm School Berlin.
- We have four Scholarships: Voices that Matter: Women in the Screen Industries; Voices that Matter: Dan Demissie; MetFilm School Berlin Scholarship; and MetFilm School Leeds Scholarship. Click to find out more and apply.
