Valeria Contreras, an award-winning filmmaker and assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), has been selected as one of five directors for the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Directors Incubator, earning $35,000 in funding and mentorship from Netflix to bring her original film “Oranges” to life.
Contreras grew up in El Paso, always showing an interest in the arts. She started out illustrating educational comic books for young children and went on to found “Valdor Comics.” She later studied in New York City, earning her master’s in film from Columbia University.
“When I was super young, I would watch T.V. and I’d be excited to watch cartoons, I was inspired every time I would watch them, especially seeing the stories and seeing the different characters,” Contreras said. “I started developing cartoons and comics of my own when I was young and worked on educational graphic novels that taught kids about the environment or about different artists, but I really wanted to be able to gain experience doing live action films and being able to know what it is to be on set. So that initial interest led me eventually to my journey of wanting to go to film school.”
Inspired by her hometown’s values and history, Contreras has written films like “Homesick.” A film about a couple separated because of the COVID-19 pandemic and forced to be on different sides of the border. “Oranges” tells the history of the El Paso-Juarez streetcar by showing the story of two sisters the day before one of them moves away.
After being chosen to be in NALIP and Netflix director incubator, Valeria Contreras continues to develop her “Oranges” screenplay to eventually make the jump to a making a feature film. (Nathaniel Flores)
“A lot of my work experience was in politics and local government, and I think what I was really interested in was bringing together politics in the sense of storytelling.
It’s important to be able to use the medium to elevate stories that may have not otherwise been treated with the nuance or respect that they deserve,” Contreras said. “Trying to [in my work] explore stories alongside the U.S.-Mexico border, and really being able to not just explore stories as they have been in previous films, about violence or chaos, but really trying to explore stories about resilience, strength and love.”
To bring “Oranges” to life, Contreras collaborated with producer Soumya Singh, an adjunct faculty in Department of Communication and friend. She also partnered with Femme Frontera for this film’s production. Together, they outlined how they would finance the project, presenting both the creative and practical aspects of making a film to NALIP.
“It was just really an important moment, not just as a filmmaker, that’s a dream come true, but also to see the ways in which an organization, like the NALIP and Netflix could really support a story told alongside the U.S. Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, I think, to me, that’s a huge win.” Contreras said.
Contreras feels proud to represent her community in the film world and portray the stories of those who live between borders, being both Mexican and American, for every audience to see.
“It’s a true privilege to be able to experience that sort of melting of cultures, and being able to bring that into the work, and elevate it as something to be proud of, to be able to explore and define in a time where others want to define the region completely differently.” Contreras said.
Contreras’ mission is that her stories – those she tells through film and her own personal story as a Latina woman in the film industry – will inspire more people from the border to share their art, and to believe in the power of their voices.
“It means a lot to have the privilege to be able to be in spaces where one can be considered a leader. I feel there’s a sense of responsibility to not only use one’s voice to take up that space, but also to elevate others when given the opportunity to do so,” Contreras said. “Being able to be in those spaces is a tremendous privilege, but it’s not lost on me the amount of responsibility, duty and interest, to be able to open the door and bring others along to.”
As she steps into this new chapter, Contreras is excited for her newest challenge, transitioning from shorts to a full feature, and is hoping to achieve this goal through collaboration and hard work.
“‘Oranges’ is a proof of concept, short film for a feature screenplay that I developed through the El Paso Community Foundation border residency,” Contreras said. “I’m going to keep developing the screenplay, and hopefully be able to make that transition, not just making shorts, but eventually making a feature. Whether it’s ‘Oranges,’ as a writer, director, or other films.”
If this were a film, it would only be the opening scene. For Contreras, this milestone is not an ending, but the beginning of a vision rooted in border stories, resilience, and community.
Vivien Noe C is a staff reporter at The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
