BIOGRAPHY
LULU VALENCIA
I am a screenwriter, producer and director whose projects have won awards in international film festivals. I am a Mexican immigrant who is passionate about social justice issues, immigrant rights, racial justice and civil rights. My activism led me to LAX where I protested the 2017 Muslim ban and in 2020, I traveled several times to Atlanta to help register people to vote and to canvass for Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. I traveled to Texas to canvass for Beto O'Rourke and Nevada for Bernie Sanders. I also traveled to Washington D.C. to support the I Am Vanessa Guillen bill. In 2020 I was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by Women of Color Filmmakers for my work as an activist, community leader, and filmmaker.
I was born in Mexico and raised in the states. While finishing my undergraduate studies at Brown University, my best friend encouraged me to use my creativity, wit and humor to write screenplays. My comedy is influenced by In Living Color, the Wayans brothers, El Chavo del Ocho and MAD TV. My TV comedy pilot was a finalist at Atlanta's Peachtree Village International Film Festival screenplay competition and at the Women of Color Filmmakers Fall competition.
My directorial debut was in "Top Notch", a film I also wrote and produced. It screened at 25 film festivals and won Best Comedy, Best Director and Best Producer. My film, Shenanigans, won Best Comedy at the 2022 City of Angels Women’s Film Festival and at the Indian Film Festival Cincinnati in 2023. It was an official selection at the 17th Peachtree Village International Film Festival in Atlanta. I wrote, produced and directed Shenanigans. I also wrote, produced and directed Little G from East L.A. and Back Seat Sister.
I am a Women of Color Filmmakers Film Lab fellow, a mentorship program where I wrote, produced and directed I Am Still Here, a short drama about an elderly Latina in a nursing home who eagerly awaits a visit from her daughter. I wrote this film to humanize the elderly who’ve often become invisible and forgotten in this society. This film was an official selection at the Mexican American Film & TV Festival and at Georgia Latino International Film Festival.
I write diverse characters that capture the voices and experiences of those who have been exploited and silenced. My goal is to continue to write powerful stories that will impact others and bring messages of hope.