1. Who are you?

I am a queer filmmaker, editor and facilitator based in Edinburgh - www.aniaurbanowska.com.

I am a parent to two cats - Dexter-King and Theodore-Blue and a Whippet called Juno.

When I am not in front of the screen or behind the camera I love hanging out with my friends, ideally dancing to electronic music into the early hours.

2. How did you get here?

When I was a teenager I kept a notebook of lists and ratings for films that had any queer storylines - spoiler alert, the list wasn’t very long!

I always craved for better representantion of queer people in film; this, combined with my enthusiasm for visual storytelling, led me to pursue filmmaking at Edinburgh University.

My passion for capturing queer stories naturally led to working on projects with other LGBTQIA+ people and communities.

I love collaborating with other artists to explore and experiment with the medium of film and create work about subjects such as identity, sexuality and family.

Last year I was very honoured to be asked by Sanctuary Queer Arts to collaborate with them and well, here I am!

3. What does the concept of sanctuary mean to you?

A safe space filled with love and respect, where everyone can be themselves without fear of judgement or disregard.

4. What does your sanctuary look like?

A game of rounders with other queer folk, a refreshing swim in the sea, delicious dinner at a vegan restaurant, followed by many hours of dancing in one of Berlin’s clubs and a quiet and lazy day in bed with a loved one.