ARSHA

Viktoriya Shegay, born in 1995 in North-East Kazakhstan, initially pursued a career in music, graduating in 2015 with a focus on violin and viola. She then shifted her focus to documentary filmmaking, studying at the Kazakh National University of Arts. Her dedication led her to Marina Razbezhkina's School of Documentary Film and Theatre in Moscow, where she spent two years refining her craft. Upon returning home, Viktoriya directed her debut film, Unnoticed.

Unnoticed went on to win Best Documentary at the 7th Baikonur International Film Festival and was featured at the 17th Eurasia International Festival in the "Discovery of New Names" program. The film was also selected for the national competition at the 2023 Qara festival and was screened at the NomSiz Festival of independent cinema in Tashkent.

Viktoriya's work is grounded in telling unpretentious stories that capture life and reality as they are. Her deep connection to Central Asia inspires her to explore the region's cultural layers and everyday life through her films.

In 2022, she participated in RE-PUBLIC of cultural workers Edu-Art residency program in Chisinau, Moldova

In 2023, she participated in UNLOCK Prague Civil Society Centre’s civic summit in Prague, Czechia

In 2023, she also participated in the Civil Society program as part of the Fading TSE team. In 2024, she attended the Power of Visual: Creativity, Documentary, and Human Rights Summer University at Central European University in Budapest and took part in the Alternative Film Lab in Bishkek, receiving a 3000 euro travel grant for her ongoing project, Arsha.

Since 2021, Viktoriya has been living and working in Belgium, continuing her journey in documentary filmmaking.