Sonya Vesterholt is a memoirist, award-winning documentary film instructor, producer, film festival jury member, radio host and speaker, and art gallery owner. She came to Denmark from the USSR in 1970. Vesterholt has a degree in Russian language and literature, taught Russian at Copenhagen University, and interpreted for the Danish Refugee Council. She also studied creative production at the National Film School of Denmark. Her books are Hunden Er Rask (2011) and Kjærlighetslandet (2016).