Behind the Story

Solaris Yan is an aspiring screenwriter and storyteller. Their stories are designed to transport readers and viewers to new worlds, immersing them in the narrative, while their documentaries aim to capture reality from a fresh perspective. 

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As they discover their passion for documentary video, their original spark stemmed from storytelling. Fantasy and fiction draw the most inspiration from Solaris. 

 

Solaris, a Media and Communications BA candidate at SUNY Old Westbury, won the 2025 Media Arts Celebration Awards for Best Documentary with their piece Sydney Mae Diaz | ANxioushum, and Best News Piece with their piece Gender Ideology. They were nominated for a 2025 Media Arts Celebration Award for their portait of a place, WGSS: Your New Comfort Corner, and their essay film, Big World, Little Things; Solaris was also nominated for a 2023 Media Arts Celebration Award for their multi-media journalism piece, SUNY Old Westbury: Bathrooms. Their script, Eldermist, was a Quarterfinalist in Filmmatic Sci-Fi/Fantasy Awards Season 2.