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Hey, I'm Melina!
New York, New York
Melina Valdez is a New York-based Uruguayan filmmaker focusing on surreal perspectives, stories about identity, and complicated relationships. Raised predominantly in swampy South Florida, she drew inspiration from every source of art possible - books, music, painting, nothing was off-limits. Melina realized that films combined all of her interests, and she attended the College of Motion Picture Arts at Florida State University where she fell in love with directing. She graduated in 2017 and after some traveling, moved to New York. She uses her free time to write and direct short films, some of which screened in festivals throughout the U.S. Melina is currently in pre-production for a proof of concept short film based on her feature script SACA TU LENGUA which was selected for IFP WEEK 2020.
My Projects
Weapons and Their Names
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama
Unable to contend with the loss of her stepfather, a naive teenage girl skips school with her best friend to shoot guns in rural Florida.
This project got the green light!
PREP
New York City, New York• Film Short
Experimental, Shorts Program
A bodybuilding fever dream fueled by childhood trauma, food porn and acid techno music.
This project got the green light!
Projects I'm Supporting
Summer's End
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina• Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
Elliott, a closeted queer teen, catches his father cheating on his mother with a younger man on a family beach trip.
This project got the green light!
Field Mouse
New York City, New York• Film Short
Comedy, Drama
A fledgling addict abandons his family in their moment of need to indulge in a night of delusional theorizing with an out-of-towner.
This project got the green light!
MISTER SANDMAN
Vancouver, Canada• Film Feature
Horror, Fantasy
A mother-daughter road trip down memory lane turns into a nightmarish fight for survival against the author of their greatest fears.
This project got the green light!
Life at Sandy's
Tvedestrand, Norway• Film Feature
Drama, Horror
A grieving American stuck in a small Norway town finds solace in a sitcom with characters that slowly pull her into their sinister TV world.
This project got the green light!
Before They're 23
Boston, Massachusetts• Film Feature
Documentary
A feature documentary about the one in ten living with the debilitating pain of Endometriosis
This project got the green light!
Fingers In the Wind
New York City, New York• Film Feature
Mystery, Romance
Two strangers embark on a mysterious romantic affair when a young woman mistakes a nameless man for a complicated figure from her childhood.
This project got the green light!
PONY: Post Production, Exhibition and Distribution
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania• Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
A trans pre-teen defies a grieving mother and clueless best friend to embody their true gender and sexual identities after a family tragedy.
This project got the green light!
