Mariana Serrano is a first generation Peruvian-American writer/director from Miami, FL. Her primary focus is exploring the human condition as it pertains to connection and by crafting complex characters that amplify underrepresented voices within her narratives; specifically working from a female centered lens with the aim of capturing the full spectrum of womanhood.

Her film UN PEQUEÑO Corte was funded as part of PBS' The Latino Experience, which aired nationally in 2021. It went on to screen at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, New York Latino Film Festival and won Best Short Film at Sunscreen Film Festival, the Jury Award at FilmGate Festival and the Third Prize in the Knight Made in MIA category at the Miami Film Festival in 2022. Most recently the film was announced as a Grand Prize winner of the HBO “Max” Latino Short Film Competition and was acquired by the platform to stream in 2023.

She has worked as a collaborator on numerous independent projects as well as on studio-led films and television shows – most recently serving as the Showrunner’s Assistant for the Netflix series PULSE.

Her project, ARROZ, LECHE Y POWERBALL, was selected for the launch of the Oolite Art's Family Commission initiative and premiered at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival. The film was an official selection of the 22nd Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, and went on to win Best Film at FilmGate Festival and Best TV/Web Series at the 2023 Orlando Film Festival. She intends on showcasing the project’s viability for episodic development as it continues its festival run.

Her directorial debut feature-film, Gator Boots, is currently in development and was selected as a finalist at the 2020 New Orleans Film Society - South Pitch Narrative Competition and was a WEG fellow as part of the WEG & Untitled Ladies Script Club Development and Pitch Lab 2024. As she continuously expands her filmmaking ecosystem she hopes to build cultural bridges through her work.