Maria Valdez is a Guatemalan-born, California-raised, award-winning director. Her passion is bringing human interest stories to life from the Latino perspective and amplifying authentic portrayals of Latina characters. She has applied her style to almost every genre, ranging from comedy and drama to action. The unifying thread that stitches her stories together is the celebration of family, culture, and the embodiment of strong Latino characters. Maria was selected for the Alliance of Women's Directors/Latina Directing Fellowship, the Women in Film Directing Fellowship, and Unlock Her Potential Mentorship Program. Maria is also a graduate of the UCLA Film School, where she received her MFA in the Writing/Directing program.