WFT Ireland welcomes our Ukrainian members. If any producers or PMs are looking for creatives or collaborators, please meet director and video editor Meriem Mamutova!
About Meriem:
I was born in 1986. My grandparents were deported to Uzbekistan in 1944. My father, my older sister were also born there. When I was 4, my family and I moved to Crimea. We were fortunate to have a house since my grandparents had bought it a year before we arrived. Many Crimean Tatars did not have homes. The 90s, after the collapse of the USSR, were difficult for my parents, but they shielded us from the hardships. I think I had a happy childhood. After finishing school, I enrolled in the university’s history
department. The thesis I wrote on the history of the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisaray was the best in our group. I worked in schools for 3.5 years, and then I received an offer to try myself in editing. I started in the music department, where I learned how to put the right music to enhance the effect. Then I continued in the newsroom. This was during 2013-2014 when Russia occupied Crimea, and I learned to work quickly and in stressful situations. Our channel (ATR) was closed in 2015 because it was in opposition to the Russian government. After that, I worked at Qara Deniz production, where I edited 1–15-minute video stories, organized the technical part of concerts and meetings, and operated the console during live broadcasts. However, the most important thing for me was creating several documentaries where I served as a director and video editor. My goal in these works was to convey to people how much my people suffered, yet also managed to survive, return to their homeland and fight for their rights.
Examples:
– Women who saved Crimea
– Right to the motherland. Asret village – Nostalgia
– Don’t build a monument to me
In October 2023, I came to Ireland with my sister’s family. And here we are trying to build our new life.
Welcome to the WFT Ireland community, Meriem, and we are looking forward to all the new projects that this collaboration will bring!
