Born in Jakarta in 1991, Monica Vanesa Tedja (they/she) is a Chinese-Indonesian filmmaker based between Berlin and Jakarta, whose films pose questions around minority identity issues through intimate character work, while also exploring the tensions of black and white morality: ranging from religion and sexuality to the non-binary identity. Drawn into details and the interconnectedness of things, Monica tends to work with personal stories, in which the realm of memories, fantasy, and reality are blurred together. Their latest short film, DEAR TO ME, has won the best short film at the FIRST STEPS AWARDS 2021 and received Special Mention from the Youth Jury at Open Doors Screenings at Locarno Film Festival 2021.

Monica is concurrently developing their debut feature film, DEAR FAMILY.