I’m a Denver-based documentary filmmaker.

I found my way into filmmaking via necessity and serendipity. After getting my Biology degree, I moved to Brazil to immerse myself in the art of Capoeira, living and volunteering in the lower city of Salvador, Bahia. In 2002, a couple friends and I banded together to make a fundraising video for the neighborhood arts & education group, teaching ourselves to shoot and edit along the way. After that, I got the chance to work as Portuguese Interpreter/Translator for the HBO documentary “They Killed Sister Dorothy” (Emmy Nominated for Best Long-Form Investigative Journalism). I spent the four years that followed as an associate producer for an award-winning production company where I gained experience and mentorship to begin working as an independent director and editor. The first feature documentary I directed, “Bay Of All Saints” premiered in competition at SXSW and won the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary, among other accolades. That same year, I became a mom and started Westwoman Films, creating character-driven impact stories for non-profits. 

Documentary filmmaking is hard because real life is messy and doesn’t want to be squeezed into a two-dimensional frame. But when we find ways to use that frame to shape new, ever-expanding understandings, the medium achieves its highest potential. And when that happens, I feel happy.

Personal Hero: Jia Tolentino

Side-hustle: Ghostwriting dinner toasts

Notable Shortcoming: Won’t get my kids a pet

Special Skill: Sleeping on planes