Maris Lidaka
@marislidaka.substack.com
I’m a filmmaker and documentary editor:
https://marislidaka.com/
Founder of The Blended Future Project.
https://blendedfutureproject.com/
Resources - nue.bio/MarisLidaka
https://marislidaka.com/
Founder of The Blended Future Project.
https://blendedfutureproject.com/
Resources - nue.bio/MarisLidaka
My 2 realities of being mixed in America:
1 - Your family sees you as whole
2 - Society asks you to pick a side
1 - Your family sees you as whole
2 - Society asks you to pick a side
July 3, 2025 at 7:12 PM
My 2 realities of being mixed in America:
1 - Your family sees you as whole
2 - Society asks you to pick a side
1 - Your family sees you as whole
2 - Society asks you to pick a side
3 things 20 years in Hollywood taught me:
July 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM
3 things 20 years in Hollywood taught me:
One of the most visually satisfying actions for an editor is this:
Archiving a project and watching the drive space go up.
Archiving a project and watching the drive space go up.
July 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
One of the most visually satisfying actions for an editor is this:
Archiving a project and watching the drive space go up.
Archiving a project and watching the drive space go up.
My grandmother proudly called me her Latvian grandson since birth; the entertainment industry tried to make me prove I belonged.
July 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
My grandmother proudly called me her Latvian grandson since birth; the entertainment industry tried to make me prove I belonged.
What documentary editing is really about:
July 1, 2025 at 7:11 PM
What documentary editing is really about:
Three rules before starting any documentary edit:
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
July 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Three rules before starting any documentary edit:
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
• Organize your footage
The cruel paradox of documentary editing:
The more footage you capture, the better chance you have of making something great.
The more footage you capture, the harder it becomes to actually find and use what you need.
The more footage you capture, the better chance you have of making something great.
The more footage you capture, the harder it becomes to actually find and use what you need.
June 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The cruel paradox of documentary editing:
The more footage you capture, the better chance you have of making something great.
The more footage you capture, the harder it becomes to actually find and use what you need.
The more footage you capture, the better chance you have of making something great.
The more footage you capture, the harder it becomes to actually find and use what you need.
When companies push AI-generated content while cutting diverse creator programs. They're showing us the truth:
They'd rather replace all human creativity than include certain humans.
They'd rather replace all human creativity than include certain humans.
June 30, 2025 at 3:13 PM
When companies push AI-generated content while cutting diverse creator programs. They're showing us the truth:
They'd rather replace all human creativity than include certain humans.
They'd rather replace all human creativity than include certain humans.
I didn't know that simple a conversation with my grandmother for a 3rd grade assignment would become my secret weapon for editing Creative Force, a documentary about Ukraine.
Creative Force Trailer
CREATIVE FORCE is a feature-length documentary that explores the courageous exploits of ordinary Ukrainians who channel their professional skills into acts of bold…
vimeo.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:08 AM
I didn't know that simple a conversation with my grandmother for a 3rd grade assignment would become my secret weapon for editing Creative Force, a documentary about Ukraine.
The most creative thing you can do on a documentary is organize your footage first.
June 29, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The most creative thing you can do on a documentary is organize your footage first.
When I heard the story of my Latvian grandmother's escape from the invading forces of Russia. I had not idea that decades later it be the emotional grounding I needed to edit a documentary about Ukraine:
https://vimeo.com/1071194910
https://vimeo.com/1071194910
Creative Force Trailer
CREATIVE FORCE is a feature-length documentary that explores the courageous exploits of ordinary Ukrainians who channel their professional skills into acts of bold…
vimeo.com
June 29, 2025 at 1:07 AM
When I heard the story of my Latvian grandmother's escape from the invading forces of Russia. I had not idea that decades later it be the emotional grounding I needed to edit a documentary about Ukraine:
https://vimeo.com/1071194910
https://vimeo.com/1071194910
The greatest advantage you have as a beginning filmmaker is freedom from expectations. Use this time to experiment wildly, fail spectacularly, and discover your unique voice before the pressure of investors.
June 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The greatest advantage you have as a beginning filmmaker is freedom from expectations. Use this time to experiment wildly, fail spectacularly, and discover your unique voice before the pressure of investors.
Your first films will be flawed. Your tenth films will still be flawed. But film fifteen might just be good enough to open doors that seemed permanently locked.
Make the bad ones now so you can get to the good ones sooner.
Make the bad ones now so you can get to the good ones sooner.
June 27, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Your first films will be flawed. Your tenth films will still be flawed. But film fifteen might just be good enough to open doors that seemed permanently locked.
Make the bad ones now so you can get to the good ones sooner.
Make the bad ones now so you can get to the good ones sooner.
Waiting for "the right opportunity" in filmmaking is like waiting for someone to hand you a winning lottery ticket. The right opportunity is the one you create with whatever tools you currently possess.
June 27, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Waiting for "the right opportunity" in filmmaking is like waiting for someone to hand you a winning lottery ticket. The right opportunity is the one you create with whatever tools you currently possess.
Diversity is, and always has been, the future of film.
Click to read more: https://marislidaka.substack.com/p/the-future-of-diversity-in-film #Inspiration #Engage #Explore #Filmmaking #IndieFilm #BlendedFuture #Blog #Article
Click to read more: https://marislidaka.substack.com/p/the-future-of-diversity-in-film #Inspiration #Engage #Explore #Filmmaking #IndieFilm #BlendedFuture #Blog #Article
June 27, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Diversity is, and always has been, the future of film.
Click to read more: https://marislidaka.substack.com/p/the-future-of-diversity-in-film #Inspiration #Engage #Explore #Filmmaking #IndieFilm #BlendedFuture #Blog #Article
Click to read more: https://marislidaka.substack.com/p/the-future-of-diversity-in-film #Inspiration #Engage #Explore #Filmmaking #IndieFilm #BlendedFuture #Blog #Article
The resources you need to start filmmaking:
June 26, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The resources you need to start filmmaking:
The filmmaker's path isn't a straight line to the top - it's a winding staircase of small projects that build your skills, network, and reputation one step at a time.
June 26, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The filmmaker's path isn't a straight line to the top - it's a winding staircase of small projects that build your skills, network, and reputation one step at a time.
Many aspiring filmmakers want to direct the next Marvel movie but can't convince their friends to help on a weekend shoot. Start by mastering the 10-minute film before dreaming of 120 minutes.
June 25, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Many aspiring filmmakers want to direct the next Marvel movie but can't convince their friends to help on a weekend shoot. Start by mastering the 10-minute film before dreaming of 120 minutes.
They say "pick a side" because the middle threatens their entire worldview.
They demand categorization because your complexity makes their simplicity look hollow.
They insist on borders because your existence proves these lines are fiction.
A blended identity isn't confusion - it's evolution.
They demand categorization because your complexity makes their simplicity look hollow.
They insist on borders because your existence proves these lines are fiction.
A blended identity isn't confusion - it's evolution.
June 25, 2025 at 3:12 PM
They say "pick a side" because the middle threatens their entire worldview.
They demand categorization because your complexity makes their simplicity look hollow.
They insist on borders because your existence proves these lines are fiction.
A blended identity isn't confusion - it's evolution.
They demand categorization because your complexity makes their simplicity look hollow.
They insist on borders because your existence proves these lines are fiction.
A blended identity isn't confusion - it's evolution.
We're constantly being pulled toward panic and fear rather than creation.
But every successful movement against oppressive systems began with structured, intentional action—not chaotic reaction.
But every successful movement against oppressive systems began with structured, intentional action—not chaotic reaction.
The Blended Future Project | Maris Lidaka | Substack
Helping to create the multicultural world we need to see. Sharing the tools, the journey, and providing resources to build authentic stories that need to be archived. Click to read The Blended Future Project, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
marislidaka.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
We're constantly being pulled toward panic and fear rather than creation.
But every successful movement against oppressive systems began with structured, intentional action—not chaotic reaction.
But every successful movement against oppressive systems began with structured, intentional action—not chaotic reaction.
The old model no longer serves independent creators.
Unless you're Ryan Coogler with Warner Brothers handling your marketing, you need both filmmaker craft AND content creator savvy.
This isn't selling out—it's survival in an industry actively hostile to filmmakers from the global majority.
Unless you're Ryan Coogler with Warner Brothers handling your marketing, you need both filmmaker craft AND content creator savvy.
This isn't selling out—it's survival in an industry actively hostile to filmmakers from the global majority.
June 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The old model no longer serves independent creators.
Unless you're Ryan Coogler with Warner Brothers handling your marketing, you need both filmmaker craft AND content creator savvy.
This isn't selling out—it's survival in an industry actively hostile to filmmakers from the global majority.
Unless you're Ryan Coogler with Warner Brothers handling your marketing, you need both filmmaker craft AND content creator savvy.
This isn't selling out—it's survival in an industry actively hostile to filmmakers from the global majority.
The most productive creatives don't have more inspiration than you—they've just built frameworks that make creativity inevitable rather than occasional.
June 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The most productive creatives don't have more inspiration than you—they've just built frameworks that make creativity inevitable rather than occasional.
Most creatives fail because they:
June 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Most creatives fail because they:
If your identity doesn't fit neatly into society's little boxes, don't shrink yourself to fit. The world needs your full humanity now more than ever.
https://blendedfutureproject.com/our-resources/
https://blendedfutureproject.com/our-resources/
OUR RESOURCES – The Blended Future Project
This is where you can browse products in this store.
blendedfutureproject.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:08 AM
If your identity doesn't fit neatly into society's little boxes, don't shrink yourself to fit. The world needs your full humanity now more than ever.
https://blendedfutureproject.com/our-resources/
https://blendedfutureproject.com/our-resources/