Hi! My name is Salome Sowa (they/them/she). I am a queer and neurodivergent filmmaker, writer, and recent graduate of NYU's Tisch Film & TV program. Raised in the South, between Georgia and North Carolina, I draw inspiration from New American Gothic, cinematic surrealism, and Jungian dream analysis to deconstruct my childhood experiences within the distinct cultural landscape of the region. As an autistic individual, visual media allows me to represent and untangle the complex inner world of my mind. It gives me a means to process emotions with curiosity, transforming pain into creation. Living with CPTSD, I have learned that each time I turn inward—engaging with my experiences through art—I step further into the present and closer to liberation from the past. Growth and change are at the heart of my work. To be and become is my highest calling, and I find strength in the understanding that freedom is always possible. My genre of choice is body horror, as I see the human form as a conduit for externalizing the soul’s internal landscape. By reshaping psychological pain into something tangible, I aim to confront taboos and destigmatize conversations about trauma and mental suffering. By shedding my skin unapologetically—by being forthright about what has happened to me, however awful—I encounter God again: in myself, in my community, and in the vast spiral of healing that is the journey of life. Filmmakers who inspire my work include David Lynch, Julia Ducournau, Paul Thomas Anderson, Hal Ashby, Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Gregg Araki, and Chantal Akerman.