Monica Thi is a filmmaker, art director, editor, and creative director based in Toronto, Canada. She creates with the intention of visually articulating feelings and translating thoughts by designing conceptual worlds for the audience to exist in. Monica’s personal art often explores ideas of connection, memory, identity, and reflection. Her philosophy of work is to viscerally capture a quality of empathy.

Her films have been screened at festivals such as the New York City Women’s International Film Festival, The Toronto Film Review, screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, while also winning the Best Production Design Award and Best Editing Award at Cinesiege hosted at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Her work has also been published in Local Wolves, Mimp Magazine, and A Title Magazine.

A piece of advice I would give to my younger creative self would be…. “I wish for you to believe in yourself as much as you believe in others. Simple, yet difficult, I know. It will take a whole lot of time, learning, listening, practicing, and growing, but it will be ready for you to receive at your own pace. Taking care of yourself is valuable, and it is important to do so before you take care of the people you love. It isn’t only a means of survival – it is to finally and fully live. And the first step in doing so is to tell and show yourself that you believe her too.

Take the time to find your own voice and then continually work on building and refining it. Your thoughts and your presence matters, regardless of what you might think otherwise. Being kind and humble can, and should, coexist with being strong and courageous. You are seen and you are loved, and you are allowed to, and will, take up space. And with that, try not to lose the curiosity and empathy in your lens on your way.”