Katerina Zhu
Where are you from?
I’m from the suburbs of New York, a tiny town on the Hudson called Hastings. It’s about 45 minutes from the city on the Metro-North.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I have basically the same thing every day because I’m such a creature of habit: a soft-boiled egg, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, avocado, a piece of toast with blueberry jam and Earl Grey tea with almond milk. I get up at 6 a.m. like clockwork. I feel best when I go to bed around 9 and wake up at 6--it’s just how my internal clock is set. I actually have a three-hour morning routine, which people make fun of me for, because I might not technically start “working” until around 9. But those three hours are really productive and precious to me. They prime me for the rest of the day.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I think as a sort of sensitive & lonely kid, movies felt like companions in this way. I was always affected by them to an alarming degree and wanted to understand how you could create that feeling for someone else. Also, I thought the only way I’d be able to meet my childhood crush, Robert Pattinson, was if I became a successful actor or director.
What are three movies you loved growing up?
The Parent Trap, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Titanic. I remember Titanic affecting me so much as a kid that I like slept on the floor of my parent’s room the night we watched it almost as if I had seen a horror movie and couldn’t be alone out of fear. I’ve always been really drawn to tragic romance and gothic romance—classic Romeo and Juliet territory.
What movie have you been into recently?
I’ve been re-visiting Haneke movies lately and also movies about high schoolers because my second feature, which I’m writing now, takes place at a boarding school. So I’ve been watching like Mean Girls and The Piano teacher–basically movies that are centered around bitchy teenagers and movies that are centered around desire.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Even the things I do for fun are usually tied to my work. I love going to see a movie at Lincoln Center with a friend, and even shopping can turn into research for me—I’m thinking about what a certain character might wear. I think the one time my brain really switches off is going out for a nice dinner maybe.
What do you do when you’re feeling down?
I do what probably the majority of people do when they feel down, which is, go for a walk or FaceTime one of my best friends. Ideally the walk is somewhere near the water, along a pier or somewhere with trees. Driving and listening to music also works, although I wish I had a car in the city. I no longer live in the same city as most of my best friends so our main way of keeping up with each other are 3-hour long FaceTimes which are almost always guaranteed to lift me out of a slump.
I’m from the suburbs of New York, a tiny town on the Hudson called Hastings. It’s about 45 minutes from the city on the Metro-North.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I have basically the same thing every day because I’m such a creature of habit: a soft-boiled egg, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, avocado, a piece of toast with blueberry jam and Earl Grey tea with almond milk. I get up at 6 a.m. like clockwork. I feel best when I go to bed around 9 and wake up at 6--it’s just how my internal clock is set. I actually have a three-hour morning routine, which people make fun of me for, because I might not technically start “working” until around 9. But those three hours are really productive and precious to me. They prime me for the rest of the day.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I think as a sort of sensitive & lonely kid, movies felt like companions in this way. I was always affected by them to an alarming degree and wanted to understand how you could create that feeling for someone else. Also, I thought the only way I’d be able to meet my childhood crush, Robert Pattinson, was if I became a successful actor or director.
What are three movies you loved growing up?
The Parent Trap, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Titanic. I remember Titanic affecting me so much as a kid that I like slept on the floor of my parent’s room the night we watched it almost as if I had seen a horror movie and couldn’t be alone out of fear. I’ve always been really drawn to tragic romance and gothic romance—classic Romeo and Juliet territory.
What movie have you been into recently?
I’ve been re-visiting Haneke movies lately and also movies about high schoolers because my second feature, which I’m writing now, takes place at a boarding school. So I’ve been watching like Mean Girls and The Piano teacher–basically movies that are centered around bitchy teenagers and movies that are centered around desire.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Even the things I do for fun are usually tied to my work. I love going to see a movie at Lincoln Center with a friend, and even shopping can turn into research for me—I’m thinking about what a certain character might wear. I think the one time my brain really switches off is going out for a nice dinner maybe.
What do you do when you’re feeling down?
I do what probably the majority of people do when they feel down, which is, go for a walk or FaceTime one of my best friends. Ideally the walk is somewhere near the water, along a pier or somewhere with trees. Driving and listening to music also works, although I wish I had a car in the city. I no longer live in the same city as most of my best friends so our main way of keeping up with each other are 3-hour long FaceTimes which are almost always guaranteed to lift me out of a slump.