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SEP CREATOR

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Monica Villamizar

Monica Villamizar is a Colombian-American filmmaker and TV correspondent. Most recently selected as a member of the 2025 Snarky Elephant Cohort, Monica directed and produced the documentary “Transition” about an Australian journalist who embeds with the Taliban while undergoing gender transition. The film Premiered at Tribeca 2023 and Sheffield Documentary Festival 2023.

BIOGRAPHY

Filmmaker/Producer/Documantarian

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She was a producer on the Nat Geo documentary “The First Wave” directed by Matthew Heineman, about New York’s biggest Covid-19 Hospital, which won the 2022 EMMY for Best Documentary. Monica also produced the Showtime series The Trade (Season Two) on Human Trafficking and Immigration, which premiered at The Sundance 2020 Film Festival, and was recently nominated for 4 EMMYs including best documentary.

 

As a journalist she has won 2 EMMYS and has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Mali, Congo DRC, Mexico, El Salvador and Haiti and other countries, at times filming directly on the front lines. Monica has covered the drug wars in Colombia and Mexico, gaining exclusive access to cartels and smugglers. She covered the Arab spring, the war against ISIS in Iraq and the advance of jihadism in West Africa. In September 2019 she reported on an experimental Ebola vaccine and was a subject of the trial led by Dr Anthony Fauci. She covered the Ebola outbreak of Eastern Congo DRC until her team and WHO doctors came under attack by rebel militias.

PROJECTS

PROJECTS

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Featured
Project

ZARI

“Zari” is a 19-minute cross-cultural coming of age short film that explores queerness, gender expression, and identity, set in and around a Delhi sari store amidst preparations for a wedding.

AWARDS

NewFest 

Grand Jury Prize for New York Narrative Short (Zari)

NewFest 

 Audience Award for Narrative Short (Zari)

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival

Audience Award for Narrative Short (Zari)

Portland Film Festival

Best Narrative Short (Esperanza)

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival

Best Screenplay

Ojai Film Festival 

Best Student Short

South Asian Film Festival of Montreal 

Best Short Fiction

South Asian Film Festival of America 

Audience Award for Narrative Short

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PRESS

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Zari to Screen at Inaugural Napa Valley Asian American Film Festival
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Highlighting Films from CAPE: API Women + Nonbinary Filmmakers
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South Asian Filmmaking Spotlighted At CAAMFest 2025
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Mountain Mayhem: The 34th edition of Shortsfest
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Shruti Parekh: Award Winning Filmmaker & Director of Zari

Apply For Our Incubator Program

We are looking for emerging film industry creators whose work embodies our mission's principles. Creators should consider themselves actively looking for ways to expand their networks, grow creatively, and support to advance their projects. For creators with a single project in film or theater and/or their representing parties, please see our Pitch Portal.

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