Meet Victoria Lartey | Filmmaker and Director

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

Hi Victoria, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success is God, because with God–success looks different. In an industry where the saying “you’re only as good as your last project” stands true, it’s easy to get caught up in the accolades, mass recognition, and clout. So you can only imagine how one might feel when they don’t have those things (yet or anymore). In this season I’m in, I’m huge on letting God lead the way while I’m putting the hard work in to do my part. This industry can be filled with ALOT of no’s, not yet’s, and “hurry up and wait’s,” but the key is to keep going despite what it may look like and despite what you feel. And I don’t know about you but I would’ve BEEN QUIT (lol) if it wasn’t for my faith and knowing that there is a plan for my life. And I want people to see and know that when they see me, my work, accomplishments, etc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My films are truly an extension of me, I often call them my babies because that’s how special they are to me. And it’s crazy because before I started this journey in the film and television world I used to work in fashion. And I remember I was in Australia studying abroad at a fashion school and I was miserable. Like I just remember being like “wow, I am not passionate about this at all–I just want to shop.” And at this time I was already exploring filmmaking independently with no real clue as to what I was doing and I remember making a deal with myself like “when I get back to the states I’m going to take film seriously and I’m just going to create, create, create like my life depends on it and if it takes me somewhere–I know that this is what I’m supposed to do.” And that’s exactly what happened. I have been blessed with probably the most supportive parents on earth and they bought me a camera and I was just filming stuff…literally. I remember when I applied to the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) film and television program at the school I attended, my portfolio wasn’t even legit films. It was literally just random clips of stuff I had filmed. No cohesiveness, not even any dialogue, literally random footage. And that’s when I knew (haha). But that just goes back to what I said about God being a factor behind my success. Since then I have written and directed several short films, worked on television shows that I grew up loving like Atlanta and The Game (the reboot), and a host of other films and dope projects and there is so much more to come. When people see me, I want them to know that “I’m just a girl” (s/o tiktok lol). A girl with big dreams who is trying everyday to make sure they come true.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is funny because I actually dread when people come to visit me for the simple fact that there is so much to do here in Atlanta. The only thing I know for sure is that Sunday we are hitting brunch and Tuesday we are going to we’re going to Covers for karaoke lol. Oh, and we have to hit Rock Steady for the vibes. I’m all about good food and a good time while keeping my windows in tact lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When people ask me how I did something or how I got somewhere within the industry, I always tell them I had a bit of a cheat code because I went to film school. In film school, I was truly blessed to be surrounded by some talented, dedicated, hardworking filmmakers and creatives that not only inspired me, but collaborated with me and pushed me to be great. I have so much love for Z, Kahrice, David, and Miles. 9.9 times out of 10 if you see any of my films or projects chances are at least one (if not all) are in the credits for being apart. Without them, I truly don’t know if I would’ve been able to create in the capacity that I have.

Website: www.victorialartey.com

Instagram: @LarteyitsFrench

Image Credits
@adopeblackkid