Valeria Contreras is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer from the U.S.-Mexico border. Through her company, Apis Mellifera Productions, she develops and produces independent films across the U.S. and internationally, with projects selected for industry programs and markets including The Gotham Project Market, Film Independent Fast Track, and the Bogotá Audiovisual Market. As a storyteller, Contreras is drawn to stories rooted in community that explore identity, love, and the meaning of home. Her credits include “Not My Name” (Focus Features Award for Social and Cultural Impact), “Wings” (Tyler Perry Studios Dream Collective), and “Oranges” (NALIP Director Incubator, Sponsored by Netflix).

Contreras is a Producers Guild of America Create Fellow, Film Independent Fiction Producing Lab Fellow, NALIP Director Incubator Fellow, and Cine Qua Non Fellow. She holds an MFA in Film, Creative Producing from Columbia University and a BA from The University of Chicago. She is an Assistant Professor of Practice at The University of Texas at El Paso.