Genre
Synopsis
Prodigy musician Natalie is the oddball in her rural town. Living very much ‘on the outside’, she thinks life cannot be worth living as she's denied her right and freedom to pursue greatness. When free-spirited singer Annie rents the empty place next door, the two meet accidentally and decide that partnering with each other, rather than fighting, is their best jam.
When Natalia's oppressive and closed minded family intercede, Natalia has to decide whether it's best to fight for her prodigious talents and her friendship with Annie, or stay where she is to piece together her frayed, broken family.
Bio
Donna is a narrative director and writer whose brand is stories about women with unusual and heroic skills, humanity, or insights. She explores cultural silencing and erasure, ancestral powers, and rugged individualism and isolationism, versus community and belonging.
Her projects are Nicholl SFs, Gotham No Borders, Slamdance Labs, Austin Film Fest, and MIPTV/Cannes Series selects, among others. Her imaginative mockumentary-mystery, Death of a Saleswoman, about glass ceilings faced by high-achieving women, took home wins from international festivals, sold at Cannes/ AFM/ Berlin markets, and streams globally on multiple platforms.
Her short film, The Girl Next Door, about a voiceless harmonica virtuoso, screened at 56+ international and U.S. festivals. She's developing the feature version, Natalia Rising, in addition to other feature projects.
Donna created and leads the #MentorLatinaDirectors Fellowship for Latina and Indigenous TV and Film Directors via Alliance of Women Directors. She also happily directs theatre, and is a member of Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative.
She develops her works with support from Film Fatales, Alliance of Women Directors, CA Center for Cultural Innovation, Sundance Institute Collab, Reel Sisters/African Voices, PageCraft, and Women in Film. She's a former skydiver, rock climber, and experienced off-road driver.
Updated Comedy/Dramedy Reel: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/978561720/8afb75910e
Screening History
Seattle Transgender Film Festival 2020
Outfest LA 2020
San Francisco Documentary Film Festival 2020
Socially Relevant Film Festival 2020
Awards History
Mystic Film Festival 2019 - Grand Jury Award
Silent River Grand 2020 - Jury Award 2020
WorldFest Houston 2021 - 54 Remi Award