Become Who You Needed

Maria is a 19-year-old Portuguese university student in the Bachelor of Economics at Nova SBE in Lisbon. Maria was born in Lisbon and lived for 14 years in Madrid, Spain. Her multicultural experiences awakened her interest in social matters such as mental health issues in teenagers and the diminishment of creativity in modern education systems, among others. This lit up her passion for cinema as she believes it is the ideal art form to raise awareness of these topics. Maria uses short films and videos to educate herself and the world around her on these matters and their importance and urgency, while also delivering a cinematic experience through the use of innovative film techniques that fit into each of her film’s messages, such as the use of long takes or specific framing and composition approaches. Maria considers filmmaking and production the best pursuits for her since they merge all of her passions, such as economics, arts, and social concerns. She aspires to become an agent for change through her filmmaking style, perspective, form, and storytelling. Maria has so far directed and produced two short films, “Lighting Fires” (2021) and “Become Who You Needed” (2022). They have landed a total of 20 awards and selections in Film Festivals around the globe, such as in Prague, Rome, Madrid, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Paris, London, Boston, Tokyo, Seattle, and Berlin as a first-time filmmaker.