ABOUT | valeriaavina

Valeria A. Aviña (they/them) is an Emmy-nominated, Telly Award-winning queer and nonbinary Mexican film director, writer, 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, sharp humor, and magical storytelling with raw emotional truth.

They are the Director of the Queer East Village Film Festival and co-founder of Chimera Films LLC, a production company rooted in community, innovation, and queer liberation. Known for their brilliant comedic voice, Valeria’s writing explores pleasure, identity, and transformation through irreverent, heartfelt, and culturally grounded narratives. Their original short ESPLASH, a queer Latinx comedy about sexual liberation, won Best Audience Award and Best Directing at Fuerza Fest and is currently being developed as a short film.

Valeria’s directing work has received national and international recognition, 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 NYLFF trailer ASI SOMOS. Their latest film, Hasta en la Luz—shot in Mexico City—is an official selection of the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) Shorts Program, a Best Relationship Drama Award finalist at Austin After Dark Film Festival, and was a three-time semifinalist and two time finalist 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 more. They are a 2025 HOLA Award nominee for Best Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor for La Niña y La Ballena. 2025 Ilka Payan TALIA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, 2025 LATA Award winner for Best Actor with an Ensemble, and a 2024 LATA Award winner for Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

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 the NAACP. Their work—both behind and in front of the camera—centers queer joy, immigrant resilience, and radical imagination, always with a wink, a laugh, and a whole lot of heart.