Meet Diamond Abreu | Filmmaker, Writer, Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diamond Abreu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diamond, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a kid, I always escaped to different worlds– whether it was playing with my dolls, watching films with my father, or reading comic books. I was always somewhere else mentally. Creating stories is my superpower, a way for me to warp my reality and at the same time create something in the present moment. Filmmaking is a dreamscape for me to explore, to learn, and to heal while being safe. Being an artist is about playing with the different filters you put over your life, trying to understand how reality moves around you and how people think. It’s about trying to make sense of your emotions, an event in your life, or even changing your reality to something you wanted. I love working in a creative field because of the community, challenges, and fulfillment it gives me. I chose a creative field because I wanted to bring the worlds in my head to life and make others feel something cathartic. The first time I saw one of my films on a big screen, I realized that I had found my calling– not to make films but to create stories. There’s this energy on a film set that you can get in no other place like the real world slowly melts away and you seamlessly slide into this fictional world that you created. It’s truly magical and it’s an irreplaceable feeling. Now that I’ve graduated from college, I’m excited to expand on my artistic abilities to create stories through other formats.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was young, I remember I wanted to be an astronomer. I wanted to study the unknown, the vastness and mysteries of space. I always felt like there was always something bigger than me that I wanted to be a part of. That enthusiasm transitioned into this escapist fictional world that I wanted to explore. Films to me are about evoking emotion, making people feel like they are beyond their homes or theater seats. It’s truly something magical and difficult to achieve. I wanted to understand how to make people feel like they were a part of something bigger and unknown, something they were taken on a journey to explore. I never saw myself being a filmmaker till the fifth grade where I was told for the first time to write a story about anything I wanted. That’s where I saw the power of storytelling. I liked living in the fictional world in my head and bringing other people into that. I love the feeling of being seen and heard by others. I felt like films were able to enhance my writing and truly move people with sounds, visuals, and performance. One of the challenges was being able to learn the true process of filmmaking and how it requires collaboration from different parties. I enjoyed being able to be with others, working together to bring one vision to life. I’ve been very lucky to have multiple communities support me throughout the way and empower me. Even though film in the past has majority been a male-dominated space, it’s changing. Last summer I was in a seminar with cinematographer Natasha Braier discussing how to navigate film spaces as a woman and/or non-binary.

One unique aspect of my art is adding color to shots with a twist. I’ve been making films that are more thriller/dramatic with stories following a sole character. I have also made personal documentaries about my life or other people in my life that are important to me. This past semester in college, I made a documentary about my brother and I also was a cinematographer on my friend’s thesis film which follows a sole character navigating a world that he belonged to for so long but was freshly rejected. What’s important to me is showing the human experience and bringing it down to its core on screen. I love films that are metaphorical with symbols and experimental and I try to bring that into my own work.

Now that I’ve graduated from college, first in my family, my next step is writing more poetry, creating music, and moving forward to creating films with my friends. I’d to continue to surround myself in a creative environment and find more supportive communities with other artists.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Union Square has always been a place for me to walk around, especially walking to Washington Square Park you see and meet so many different kinds of people. If you walk even farther you can go to the west side which is near the water, Hudson River Park. It’s nice to walk around there as well and get some air away from everyone.

One of my favorite places in the city has to the MET, I love going there to reflect and journal. It’s completely free if you’re an NYC resident! Another place I’d check out is the Museum of Moving Images in Queens, it’s a great place to learn about film history and technologies. They also do some screenings of iconic films. It’s a great place to really appreciate the advancement of film and movies.

The Lower East Side is a clash of culture, you can easily walk to Chinatown, Little Italy, or Soho from here. There’s a lot of mom-and-pop shops that make the experience unique. The Essex street market is the gem of the lower east side, it contains different types of food from all over and a great sitting area on the second floor where it overlooks the streets. East River Park is a great place to take a seat and eat a crepe from Creperie at Ludlow street.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From the beginning, my family has always preached that I should do something that I love in life. When I began my path in film, they challenged me and made me push myself further to reach my goals. They encouraged me to search for programs outside of school to learn filmmaking and find a community where I could be further supported. My family is big on doing things yourself, and making your limitations your strengths. I was given a small digital camera where I created my first film that went on to the Tribeca Film Festival’s “Our City, My Story” My friends have equally supported me by showing up to my screenings, acting in my films, and helping out on film sets. They’ve been such a big part of the stories I’ve been able to create and have always reminded me in times of doubt that stories are necessary and my unique perspective matters. Luckily in college, I was able to find even more friends and collaborators. We’ve bonded on film sets, late nights in our school’s editing lab and have grown better along the way. In college, I was able to find a program within the Tribeca Film Institute as a fellow where I was able to specialize in a specific film track. I was able to study under Chayse Irvin, cinematographer for Blackkklansman which inspired me and made me further aspire to become a cinematographer in the field. Besides filmmaking, I’ve also been a part of writing communities both online and through programs such as Girls Write Now, which has helped me get my foot in the door with opportunities to be published. My poem was recently selected to be published in The Young Writer’s Initiative issue about self-reflection. My family and friends have shown support by buying copies on amazon and pushing me again to follow this path.

Website: diamondabreu.com

Instagram: @shyescapist

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diamond-abreu-7737411b1/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKXRLveWrF_Ps42CScZ4dhQ

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Juven-Issue-Young-Writers-Initiative/dp/B08W2YG292 (Link to physical copy of Juven Issue II: Self Portrait) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep04-cinematography-w-diamond-abreu/id1552252248?i=1000513592262 (Link to Podcast Interview about Cinematography on Apple Podcasts) https://open.spotify.com/episode/5VsBy8yZDIr2DKjYEqmWxK?si=a8Qu87i8QIesND03O7p3mg&dl_branch=1 (Link to Podcast Interview about cinematography on Spotify) https://www.tfiny.org/filmmakers/detail/diamond_abreu (Tribeca Film Institute Fellow Bio)

Image Credits
2 Black Sheep Directed by Diamond Abreu, Director of Cinematography Diamond Abreu Twenty Seven Directed by Abigail Kollek, Director of Cinematography Diamond Abreu Juven Issue II: Self Portrait