After getting rejected for a job because of her accent, a desperate young immigrant opts for the help of a mysterious device that alters her voice but fears she may lose herself in the process.
THE INTERVIEW follows Maria, an immigrant trying to find a job after receiving her work authorization card. It opens with her working for cash as a cleaning lady but soon after receives her work authorization. We follow her as she goes through numerous interviews, and is turned away time and time again. On one such occasion, she learns it’s because of her accent. Through a chance encounter, she obtains a mysterious device which alters her voice to sound like a native English speaker. She uses it at her next interview but to no avail. Devastated and lost, she throws the device away and decides she isn’t going to compromise who she is to try and win a job. With a new confidence about herself, she attends another interview. The story ends with her cleaning again and waiting to hear back from her last interview. She isn’t getting her hopes up but has a positive outlook on the future.
Ksenia is a film director, screenwriter, producer and video editor currently based in Chicago. Her work covers social justice and mental health as well as women’s, immigrant’s and LGBTQ+ rights stories. Driven by her own experiences, she’s always been fascinated by stories about human strength and willpower, but especially stories with a female protagonist. Ksenia’s films have been screened at a multitude of film festivals around the globe. She is a recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Albert P. Weisman Award, the Carole Fielding Student Grant, the Arch Bruce Brown Foundation Grant and the Lya Dym Rosenblum Professional Development Award. Her short film, Jack and Anna, has screened at 40+ festivals including the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival. It won the Best Global Short: Beyond the Rainbow Award at the 2019 SCAD Savannah Film Festival and has been nationally recognized at the 42nd Telly Awards. Moreover, Ksenia earned nominations for the Young Director Award, Cannes Lions as well as the Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase at the Gotham Awards. Her portfolio includes credits on numerous well-known productions in various roles. She is currently developing a few independent projects while participating in various industry programs and workshops. She is an alumni of the AICP Mentoring Program Cycle 2 (Mentor - Jennifer Sprunger, E.P. at Ridley Scott Associates), and she was a semi-finalist at the 2023 CDDP-Commercial Directors Diversity Program. In 2024, Ksenia was nominated for the Princess Grace Awards. Among her most recent awards are the Illinois Arts Council Creative Accelerator Fund Grant, Creative Projects Grant and Puffin Foundation Grant towards the production of her short film, The Interview. She was also nominated for the Tribeca Through Her Lens Program.
Illinois Art Council Creative Accelerator Fund 2025 - Grant Winner
The Puffin Foundation 2025 - Grant Winner
PANO Microgrant 2024 - Semifinalist
Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition 2023 - Semifinalist
Screenwriters Network 2023 - SWN Short Film Screenplay Competition Finalist
Co-Writer/Editor - Brian Naughton
Producer - Samantha George
Producer - A.M. Tapia
Director of Photography - Gabriel Jung
Sarah Cayce - Casting Director
