HI, I'M VIA BIA!
WHO IS VIA?
Picture it.
The humid asphalt of Long Island, New York.
A young girl raised in a multi-generational Evangelical Puerto Rican and Jewish family where God was in charge (aka, my abuela).
I learned a lot in those days.
How to cut an avocado; how to memorize a Bible verse by turning it into a rap;
and how to mix English, Yiddish, and Puerto Rican slangs into one devastating diss.
Most people never knew how deep that diss went, but I knew... I knew.
I left Long Island and religion a while back (praise be)
yet their imprints have lasted through moves to Mexico City, DC, and Los Angeles,
where I've worked as a teacher, in social justice non-profits, and now, in filmmaking.
Through filmmaking, I've been able to explore emotional truths
via magical realism, animation,
and telling the occassional booty joke.
I've been fortunate to have projects go through labs with Sundance, Cine Qua Non (sponsored by AMPAS), and the Stowe Story Labs.
My first short (shot on film!),
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN,
about a little girl's first communion gone down the shitter,
was supported by Kodak and the Arlington Commission for the Arts
and was later distributed by HBO.
My latest project, POST COMEDY,
about a stand-up comic living in the shadow of her past,
received a camera and lighting grant through DC-Camera/WIFV DC,
and is on the festival circuit.
Producing other filmmaker's projects brings me so much joy,
and I've gotten to work on some great ones like:
LA JUANA (Dir: Anayamel); BRIDGE (Dir: Cristina Wolf);
and PETIOLE (Dir: Meghan Brown).
I'm also producing a 2023 Netflix/LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship short called
DEVELOPMENT (Dir: Chloe Caudillo),
starring Haskiri Velazquez (Saved By The Bell);
Sal Lopez (American Me; Full Metal Jacket);
Raquel McPeek Rodriguez (NCIS: Los Angeles); and Jeff Lorch (Our Flag Means Death).
On the writing side,
I recently optioned a cursey, feature-length Christmas comedy that I co-wrote;
and I have a porfolio of live-action and animated episodics, features, and shorts
that explore religion, race, memory, and gender roles but with a comedic lens
(and again, booty jokes).
I would love to staff on a 1/2 hour comedy or dramedy,
so if you're looking for folks to add to your room, hit me up for my original pilots/specs in the 1/2 hr comedy and dramedy spaces (animated and live-action)!
SHORT FILMS
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN
Via Bia: Writer | Producer | Director
Starring: Maggie Celeste, Neyla Cantu, and Yesenia Garcia
Producers: Wilson Smith and Michael Tully
Director of Photography: Yuta Yamaguchi
The story of a first communion gone down the shitter
POST COMEDY
Via Bia: Co-Writer | Producer | Director
Jax Baires: Co-Writer | Producer | Lead
Kunitaro Ohi: Director of Photography
A comedian's set is interrupted
by the one thing she never jokes about
LA JUANA
Via Bia: Creative Producer
Anayamel: Director | Writer | Producer | Editor
TeCheetah López: Lead Actress
Erin G. Wesley: Director of Photography
La realidad. La fantasía. La Juana.
Reality. Fantasy. La Juana.
DEVELOPMENT
A selected project of the 2023 Netflix/LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship
Via Bia: Creative Producer
Chloe Caudillo: Director | Writer | Producer
Haskiri Velazquez (Saved by the Bell; THE 40 YEAR OLD VERSION); Raquel McPeek-Rodriguez; Jeff Lorch; Leticia Castillo; and Sal Lopez: Lead Actors
Kim Cohen: Director of Photography
A corporate office worker lands a coveted leadership seminar only to realize that to get ahead in the company... she has to become JUST LIKE the Boss
OR... LEAVE A MESSAGE
Copyright 2014