(February 23, 2004) — “And the Golden Globe for the year’s best director goes to…Ana Julfayan!” Senior Ana Julfayan has been passionate about film making and directing from a very young age. “I helped put together my first play when I was only in fifth grade,” she said. “I loved writing little stories here and there and realized how amazing it would be to turn them into reality.” In the summer of 2002 Julfayan took a film workshop at Universal Studios where she got the opportunity to not only use actual sets and cameras, but to write three scripts and make them into short films. “One of the biggest joys I’ve experienced is seeing my imagination and creativity put to life up on the screen,” she said. Her favorite film is called “Silence” and depicts a young girl’s struggle with dating. The film is in black and white and does not include any dialogue, a technique Julfayan says enhances the film’s overall effect by allowing room for multiple interpretations. This past summer she took an advanced film course at the New York Film Academy for three weeks where she continued writing short scripts. She then flew back to Universal Studios to make them into films. According to Julfayan, the course opened her eyes to the world of directing, because she was able to cast real Screen Actors Guild (SAG) actors, scout locations, use sound stages, mix music and use sync sound studios. Last year she interned for the casting company Cameo Casting in Beverly Hills and began working there as a casting assistant after less than two months of her internship. Julfayan is currently working for a music video director and has already directed the making of videos of the rock bands Trapt and Cradle of Filth. Her older sister, who is involved in fashion and design, helped her design the sets and costumes. Because directing involves traveling to different locations, Julfayan spent many weekends, as well as school days, in New York and Texas. “The traveling is another aspect that appeals to me about this profession,” she said. “It’s not a problem that I miss classes once in a while because I’m still able to keep my grades up.” Julfayan said that always being surrounded by older people when she was in the workplace was sometimes a bit overwhelming. “I had to prove myself to them, show them that I was just as capable and dedicated as them.” Her co-workers, however, weren’t the only people Julfayan had to prove herself to. Because she was so young when she started getting involved in internships her parents were a bit skeptical. But according to Julfayan, after they saw how hard she worked and the intense passion she had for film they supported all of her endeavors “110%.” In the future Julfayan plans to be a director and run her own production company. “I love making movies because of the thrill it gives me not for the income it’ll bring,” she said. “I think that’s the most important thing you have to look for when choosing a career.” She believes that if one truly has a passion for what she is doing then success is an inevitable outcome.