On Your Radar: Nadia Bedj

On Your Radar is a Grad Film News segment that features a current student. We asked Nadia Bedj a few questions and this is what she said.

Where do you consider home and what is it like there?

My home is New York. I moved here around 2011 and instantly fell in love. The city is alive on every corner, and despite all the struggles that test your survival mode and perseverance, it welcomed me every time I crossed passport control. I was born in Moscow, Russia, but I haven’t been able to go back since 2022. It breaks my heart, but I will always carry the childhood memories that shaped me.

What is the best advice you've ever received, and why?

To live life. Fall in love, lose your mind, make mistakes, and reflect on them. Live fully so you can tell the stories you’ve lived through—and make great films. 

Describe your earliest cinematic memory.

I could say Tarkovsky, but honestly, it was a Russian satirical show called Puppets. I thought it was a children’s cartoon because there were dolls—puppets—talking and doing things. It felt strange, though, because all of them were old men. Eventually, I realized that each puppet represented a politician or celebrity—it was a political satire show that was very popular in Russia in the ’90s. Cartoons were only on TV at certain times and on specific channels, so I really enjoyed watching something. The show was eventually shut down in the early 2000s due to censorship.

See Nadia's work at nadiabedj.com
@bedj (instagram)