The Work That Made Me: Diane Russo Cheng
Originally from New Jersey, Diane takes inspiration from her roots - combining the foundation of her loud Italian American upbringing and queer identity to tell complex and thoughtful stories.
Diane began her career as a photo assistant in the fashion industry. When social media pivoted to video, she took an interest in connecting fashion with storytelling. She's created work in fashion for British Vogue, Document Journal, and V Magazine. Her early fashion films went on to gain several festival awards, including Milan, Australia, and A Shaded View in Paris. From there, her filmmaking style caught the attention of commercial brands, and she has woven her identity into work with Nike, Under Armour, and Glossier. Her work has made the top 10 list at Berlin Commercial, and is celebrated by SHOOTS New Directors Showcase, among others.
In her personal work, Diane is committed to making socially conscious driven projects that amplify narratives around self identified women and her LGBTQ+ family. Diane was a finalist for The 2020 Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program with her screenplay REIGN, which went on to take second place at 2021 Slamdance, and Nashville screenplay competition. Her short film Wally Wenda is a comedic adventure set at sea that celebrates the glories of period blood. Wally Wenda had its premiere at Palm Springs Shortfest 2020 and is currently making people gasp and laugh in the festival circuit.
The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Diane> Prodigy Smack My Bitch Up. In my memory of it I remember feeling so relieved that a woman could be so unapologetically fucked up. As a gay person it was so formative for me. There was something about this video that a woman could be so raw and unapologetically real, a bit of a game changer that always stuck with me. Not sure if it holds up but I just like to remember how it felt when I first watched it.
The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Diane> This is a complex question for me because filmmaking is my 2nd career. Growing up I didn’t think I could ever be a filmmaker, it was something so cool but so far away. I didn’t know of any women directors when I was little. Years later when I met my wife- who is a filmmaker- she opened up the possibility for me, and made it accessible. When I first started making short form videos I always had Melina Matsoukas’s music video for Solange Losing You in the back of my mind. I wanted to create like she did and make really powerful feminine driven projects with simple yet sophisticated messaging behind them.
The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Diane> Every year I always rewatch a short film called WASP. By Andrea Arnold. I love how messy it is, but how it also cuts through to something that in some shape or form most people who have children can relate to or at least understand. This film is about a woman who won’t let the burden of having kids stop her from doing what she wants.
I’m very Dirty jersey so I connect with this kind of work, this kind of complicated woman.
My first professional project…
Diane> I did branded content with TeenVogue for adidas in 2019. I worked alongside model and dancer Symilone Vanne Dame in choreographing a powerful performance piece that embodied Adidas new collection at the time. We kept things light and mobile with our crew, shooting in the back streets of LA early on a summer morning. Looking back I still love those films, two heavyweight brands to be working with for the first time professionally.
The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Diane> So many projects. The misrepresentation of women and queer people especially since those are worlds I know so well. I’m really careful and thoughtful when it comes to how I portray my subjects in all my work. Putting work out that depicts and represents people or different groups of people out into the public sphere is something that has always felt like a great responsibility to me.
The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Diane> Tangerine, also Zola. I’m so inspired by that kind of storytelling and directing. So Good!
There’s a scene in Zola where you get a bird’s eye view of Zola and Stefani peeing in public bathroom stall stalls. You can see Zola’s pee looks like a healthy color, and Stefani’s is murky and dark red/yellow. It happens early in the film and it was such a great foreshadowing of the kinds of women we were about to watch. Such a brilliant way to share info about characters without dialog. It blew my mind. I love that kind of smart storytelling. Don’t give me much just give me all I need to know and what a fun and gross way to do it! Hell yes Janicza Bravo.
Thats how I feel about Tangerine as well. The characters are so strong, and the storytelling is so smart and connected. Sean Baker’s films feel so real they almost feel like documentaries.
The creative project that changed my career…
Diane> Transcenders for Nike. It's the story about Alexa's journey as a trans woman, navigating the toxic culture that encompasses skateboarding, and what it means to transcend fear through community.
I met Alexa almost two years before we made the film. And in that time I got to know her well and she became an important person to me. I had hours of recorded conversation with her and it was so hard to narrow it down to a story because I had to figure out how to incorporate a variety of themes - skateboarding, Alexa’s transition in relationship to herself and to skateboarding, and Skate Like A Girls core ideas - community, and getting back up when you fall. While we searched for funding I was grateful to have that time putting all the puzzle pieces together in a way that would flow and tell her story honestly. Figuring out how to do that with Alexa’s dialog and with imagery. Figuring out how to honour and celebrate her journey.
I kind of couldn’t believe it when Nike donated the money to bring the film to life, and it was so beautiful that they let the film live without changing the creative or theme to fit within brand guidelines. It was so generous. Thank you to the Nike SB team <3
The work that I’m proudest of…
Diane> A Significant Name for British Vogue. Its such a deep personal story about my wife. Shot and directed by me it was really intimate, and hard, and full of love and respect. It's a very personal project that always felt like such an important journey and story to tell, and the time we spent filming this together with all the input of her family will always be hugely important project of mine. Admittedly there was some bickering, which I guess is to be expected, but in the end it was all worth it due to how well it was received when it was released and of course the Vimeo Staff Pick it got.
I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Diane> Haha this would get me into trouble so pass on this one. There are projects that can feel right at the time but on reflection might not have been the greatest move to have worked on or they just might not have aged well for a number of reasons.
The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Diane> I just wrapped up an amazing project with adidas about women’s safety in running. As a runner this was so important to me, knowing the importance of feeling safe in your running environment and how sadly this is not the case for the vast majority of female runners. I felt so connected to the messaging and am so grateful to all involved!
