Olya Zueva was born in Russia, in Vladivostok - a harbor town, with a mix of random communist remains, expanding consumer culture, and people trying to survive in the oppressed, uninspiring environment. In a way, hers is a story of many: a girl feels she is destined for more than her hometown. She left home and became a model, walking the runways of Paris, Milan, London, yet, she was still unsatisfied. In 2006, she moved to New York and became an actress, further unsatisfying. Only when she wrote and directed her first short film did she find meaning. Ever since, her focus has been to make films as a director. She worked and collaborated on many projects with other filmmakers, and wrote and directed a number of her own short films. In 2012, she graduated with honors from The New School in Film and Screenwriting. In 2016, she directed her first feature film, Na rayone (2018) ("In The Hood"), which she also wrote the script for. Zueva currently lives and works between Moscow and New York.