Valeria Avina is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning queer and nonbinary Mexican director based in New York City. Their work spans short films, digital series, branded content, and festival trailers that center queer joy, Latinx identity, and genre-bending narratives rooted in liberation.
They are the director and Associate Festival Director of the Queer East Village Film Festival and co-founder of Chimera Films LLC, a production company committed to inclusive storytelling and transformative filmmaking practices. Valeria directed ASI SOMOS, the official trailer for NYLFF 2024, and co-directed an Emmy-nominated broadcast piece with their wife in 2023.
Their short film Hasta en la Luz, shot in Mexico City, is currently in post-production and headed for the 2025 festival circuit. Past directorial work has been recognized by SeriesFest (Best Late-Night Pilot), Fuerza Fest (Best Directing), Flow Film Festival (Best Film Noir), and the New York Latino Film Festival.
As a director, Valeria blends magical realism, poetic intimacy, and bold visual storytelling to amplify the voices of queer, trans, and immigrant communities. They are a 2023 Doreen Montalvo “Do It Anyway” Scholarship Finalist, a three-time semifinalist for the PANO Microgrant, and an alum of the NALIP Diverse Women in Media Forum.