Agnes Muljadi

One of the wonderful things about social media is that it allows people to embrace their niches. A fine example of that is the talented Agnes Maska (nee Muljadi), who found a large audience on Instagram as a vegan ballerina but has now found an even larger audience as an award-winning “visual narrator” (film director/producer) and social media influencer. She has been featured by outlets such as Dance, Vegan Health and Fitness, The Thirty, Daily Flash TV, and more. Three of her first four short films — The Dry Salvages, The Age of Blossoms, and In My End is My Beginning — won 28 awards between them at major film festivals. Her most popular social media outlet is by far her @artsyagnes Instagram account, which has more than 351,000 followers and growing.

Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, but raised in Seattle, Washington, Maska first found fame as Agnes Muljadi in the early 2010s. She was a professional ballet dancer keen to share her vegan lifestyle with others at a time when mainstream veganism still felt relatively new. Her success on Instagram and Facebook led to her becoming an influencer.

However, Maska had her sights set on larger screens, and in 2020, she directed and produced her first short film, In My End is My Beginning, which won three film festival awards. The Dry Salvages achieved similar success, but 2021’s The Age of Blossoms won an incredible 15 and drew particular praise from the LGBTQ+ film community. With more projects in various stages of production, Maska is quickly establishing herself as an emerging independent film director of note.