Ashley Maria

What does a filmmaker do if she wants to overcome an issue she’s having in her life? Well, she makes a movie about it.

Soon after I started my directing career in Los Angeles, I knew I needed to make an honest film that investigated the shocking experiences I was having. I knew a career in film would be difficult but was quickly disheartened by the number of times I was referred to as a woman-director, as if I hadn’t yet earned the right to be called a Director. I looked beyond my own situation to see that my female colleagues were faced with similar obstacles. Rather than getting discouraged, I got to work. 

MOVIE SCREENING AT SXSW EDU MARCH 8: Pioneers in Skirts | 11am CST | Austin Convention Center/Ballroom A

The daughter/mother filmmaking team will be joined on stage by two Educators -- Sharon Cuffee & Frank Reed -- for a post-screening conversation about How To Use The Power Of Film To Positively Interact With And Influence Students.

ABOUT ASHLEY MARIA: Ashley is an Emmy Nominated director and writer located in Los Angeles, CA. She received her MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, is the recipient of the prestigious Directors Guild of America award, she is a Blackmagic Collective Fellow, and most recently, she was recognized as the “Best New Director” at the DTLA Film Festival.

Ashley is also an advocate for advancing women’s opportunities. She is a North American delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women – the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the
advancement of women.

When not on set, Ashley is a directing instructor at UCLA’s Film School and a sound instructor at the American Film Institute’s Young Women in Film program.