Mariana Paredes Pelaez

About Mariana

Mexican filmmaker, visual storyteller, and cultural producer whose work explores the intersections of identity, memory, and public life. She holds an M.A. in Filmmaking from The London Film School and a B.A. in Communications from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Mariana has directed and produced documentary and multimedia content for museums, galleries, and cultural platforms across Mexico and the United States. She directed and produced the short film Envuelto, a character-driven story that explores emotional inheritance through the lens of food and tradition. Her feature documentary, The Wild Side (El Lado Salvaje), follows older adults as they discover personal strength through physical movement, and was developed with the support of key national film labs and fellowships. Mariana is also the co-creator and programmer of Cineclub Mx, a community-based screening series in Austin, Texas dedicated to showcasing emerging Mexican filmmakers and building cross-cultural dialogue through film. A committed advocate of accessible storytelling, Mariana’s work is driven by the belief that film can serve as a tool for civic engagement, collective memory, and social reflection. Her bicultural experience and deep commitment to community-centered media make her a strong candidate for public media projects. I am a filmmaker and creative who believes that storytelling is a tool for connection, visibility, and transformation. As a Mexican artist living in the U.S., my creative lens is shaped by migration, memory, and the emotional spaces between languages and cultures. What drives my storytelling is the desire to make visible what is often invisible: generational resilience, cultural expression in public life, and the beauty in small acts of survival. Whether through film, community screenings, or collaborative projects, I aim to create work that is rooted in empathy, grounded in place, and always in conversation with the audience.