VALERIA A. AVINA
Valeria A. Avina is an award-winning queer and nonbinary Mexican film director, actor, clown, and voice coach based in New York City. Originally from Durango, Mexico, Valeria brings a bold, intersectional voice to stage and screen, blending poetic realism with magical storytelling and deep emotional truth.
They are the co-founder of Chimera Films LLC and currently serve as the Associate Festival Director at the Queer East Village Film Festival. As a director, Valeria’s work has been recognized across national and international festivals, including Best Film Noir at Flow Film Festival (2021), Winner at NYLFF (2022), and Winner of the Late Night Competition at SeriesFest (2023) for their pilot One Million Girls. In 2024, they wrote and directed the official trailer for the New York Latino Film Festival, ASI SOMOS. Their latest film, Hasta en la Luz, shot in Mexico City, is in post-production for the 2025 festival circuit and was a three-time semifinalist for the PANO Microgrants.
As a performer, Valeria has appeared on stages across the country, including Syracuse Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, INTAR, Drama League, Phoenix Theatre Company, The Flea, The Tank, and many more. They are a 2024 LATA Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy and the 2025 LATA Award winner for Best Actor with an Ensemble.
They serve as a Voice Instructor at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, the Regional Coordinator for Latin America at The Fitzmaurice Institute, and bring joy and healing as a Pediatric Clown with Healthy Humor in NYC hospitals.
Valeria is a proud member of NALIP, NFMLA, PANO, WGA, The Dramatists Guild, The Phoenix Theater Ensemble, and NAACP. Their work—both behind and in front of the camera—centers stories of queer joy, immigrant resilience, and radical imagination.