I'm Via Bia
I'm Via Bia
Writing Is My Bag
Writing Is My Bag
HELLO, MY NAME IS VIA
I'm an alumna of Sundance's Latino Screenwriting Project
(a script lab for Latino writers),
past winner of the Virginia Screenwriting Competition,
and writer/director of THESE COLORS DON’T RUN, on HBO and Hulu.
I recently shot POST COMEDY,
a short film about a Latinx comedian dealing with the shadow of PTSD.
POST COMEDY is the winner of a camera and lighting grant from
DC-Camera and Women In Film DC, and will premiere in 2020.
I have a strong background in education, social justice, and anthropology/linguistics. I love to write screenplays,
consult on scripts, create comedy content...
and I'd love to work with you.
My projects have been recognized by:
Latino Screenwriting Project Fellow 2015
Selected for a three-day lab to workshop THE RADISH BABY, my feature-length, magical realist script. Sponsored by The Sundance Institute and
CineFestival San Antonio.
Tangerine Entertainment Fellowship Finalist for Stowe Story Labs 2015
Winner of the 2015 Virginia Screenwriting Competition
The very contest that helped launch Vince Gilligan's (Breaking Bad) career.
Fox Writers Intensive Nominee
Selected by Melissa Silverstein of Women And Hollywood as one of five nominees for the Fox Writers Intensive - a rigorous, four-month curriculum focused on 1) developing original material; 2) learning and honing writing skills for multiple mediums; and 3) exploring the business of media and entertainment.
Latino Lens
Short Film Incubator
One of the final 12 projects in NALIP's 2016 Latino Lens Short Film Incubator for my short project, THESE COLORS DON'T RUN.
Spotlight Grant Winner
Recipient of Arlington County and Arlington Cultural Affairs 2016-2017 Individual Artist Grant for my short film project, THESE COLORS DON'T RUN
Filmmaker Grant Recipient
Awarded the 2016 Love Your Shorts Film Festival's Production Grant for THESE COLORS DON'T RUN
DC Shorts Film Festival Premiere
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN premieres at the 2017 DC Shorts Film Festival :)
Official Selection of the New York Latino Film Festival 2017
Sí! THESE COLORS DON'T RUN to screen in October 2017 at NYLFF sponsored by HBO
Official Selection of the 2017 Cucalorus Festival
Incredibly stoked for THESE COLORS DON'T RUN to screen at the Cucalorus Festival in November 2017!
Official Selection of the 2017 Austin Film Festival
AFF is one of my most favorite festivals (it's where I met many members of my virtual writing group The Writers Bloc) and I'm so glad we're screening our Austin-made film here!
Official Selection of the 2017 High Falls Film Festival
A legitimately dope festival focusing on women's narratives and movies shot on film :)
Official Selection of the 2018 Borrego Springs Film Festival
Just east of Hellhole Palms, CA, and the Anza-Borrego Desert, is this dark-sky town festival - a place where you can see billions and billions of stars. Pretty rad!
Official Selection of the 2018 Rosebud Film Festival
Sponsored by Arlington Independent Media, this DC fest keeps media indie and open to the public. ⭐️🎥⭐️
Official Selection of the 2018 San Diego Latino Film Festival
For 25 years, this festival has been providing critical media representation to Latinos and to the world. Qué chido!
Official Selection of the 2018 Houston Latino Film Festival
Houston is one of the most culturally diverse cities in America and we're proud to be screening our film to their huge Latinx community, and to people who just wanna watch some dang good movies, yo.
Official Selection of the 2018 Women In Film & TV International Short Film Showcase
With chapters all over the world, Women In Film and Television International screens shorts at special showcases each year. These Colors Don't Run has been chosen as the Washington DC chapter's official selection for 2018.
Official Selection of the 2018 Indie Grits Festival
This Columbia, SC festival celebrates the work of southeastern US filmmakers (with special attention to women and Latinx voices), puppetry, live music, and tons of other programming. It's a real one!
HOLY COW, HBO licensed our film!
Check us out in HBO Latino’s scheduled programming, or use On Demand and streaming to get us through all HBO platforms and Hulu!
TCDR included in “Reclamation,” a Feminist Fine Art and Film Series
Curated for contemporary gallery’s 2018 exhibit on reclaiming and transforming women’s portrayals in artistic mediums in conjunction with Stowe Story Labs, TriBeCa Film Festival, and more.
2019 Top 5 Short Script for Baltimore Screenwriters Competition
For short script, POST COMEDY, co-written with Jax Baires.
Winner of 2019 Equipment Grant from DC-Camera and WIFVDC
POST COMEDY, a short film I directed, produced, and co-wrote, selected to receive a beautiful ARRI Alexa Mini rental package, Zeiss Superspeed lenses,
lighting and sound equipment.
Indie Theatre Programs Night of Latinx Films
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN curated for Suns Cinema's night of stellar Latinx films in Mount Pleasant, DC
We're screening at a national museum in DC!!!
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN curated by the Spanish Embassy (Spain Culture & Arts) for their "Mujeres de Cine" series, screening at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, directly before feature, VIAJE AL CUARTO DE UNA MADRE, by Celia Rico Clavellino.
WHY ME?
Creative
Beneath the surface, new universes wait.
"Noticer"
From subject/verb agreement, to ferreting out the heart of a concept, to your latest haircut, I notice things BIG and small!
Communicative
If I have a question, I'll ask. In a concise, non-awkward way.
Easy To Work With
Working on film sets, with long-distance writing partners,
in schools, office environments, and in the social and criminal justice systems has given me the experience and flexibility to help you realize your goals.
Fun!
Writing doesn't have to be like pulling teeth. Unless pulling teeth is your idea of fun - in which case, cool. No judgment!
Responsible
Deadlines. Project management. Grant reports. Editing based on notes. I've done all this and more... in a timely manner.
Via's FILMOGRAPHY & MEDIA
A peek into some of my stuff for film and web
IMDb credits
Film work as director; writer; producer; wardrobe designer; HMUA.
The iChancla 5c - An iPhone parody (co-written with Youtube personality, Eddie G.)
Commissioned to write comedy content for this on-line cultural powerhouse.
Featured on Funny Or Die's Tweet Roundup
How did a SPORTS TWEET I wrote get play? By talking about our country's forefathers and a teeny tiny itty bitty piece of the male anatomy.
Click on the "sports tweet" imbedded link and scroll to @viadear's entry
Writer for Oh Em Gee, It's Eddie G! He's a Youtube sensation, yo.
Funnytweeter.com selected tweet
Click on the imbedded link or logo to see the legacy I shall leave my grandchildren.
Tweet in the comedy section of Paste Magazine :)
Growing up on Long Island somehow made its way into this tweet about appointing a Supreme Court Justice. (click on the hyperlink above or Paste logo, then scroll to #13 in the tweet gallery by @viadear)
Silly theoretical mathematics tweet featured on Mashable.com, y'all!
What do Trump, Boris Johnson, and Gary Busey all have in common? They're in one of my tweets featured on Mashable.com. Click on the hyperlink above or Mashable logo, and scroll to the tweet by @viadear.
Shown on Oprah and MSNBC. This award-winning documentary spotlights an innovative process between victims and offenders of violent crimes - facilitated dialogues held in prisons - created for both parties to discuss the crime, its effects, and to give and receive answers to their most persistent questions.
Guest Post for Women In Film & Video: Storytelling at Sundance
Short essay on the importance and reach of storytellers. Click on hyperlink above or Women In Film & Video icon for link ------->
DMV Filmmaker Interview with Kevin Sampson
An in-studio conversation on storytelling, early movie influences, culture, and what it's like to be in a Sundance lab.
"... a film with self-discovery at its heart."
Eliza Berkon's article on DC Shorts, featuring These Colors Don't Run :)
"... a young girl realizing [her] own independence... explored with humor and honesty..."
Full-length interview gets personal about These Colors Don't Run and Via (gracias, Carmela Baranowska!)
"I made my film because stories have the power to humanize."
Thank you for the shout-out, Kodak - we loved shooting on film!
"I was looking for a slightly dreamy, cinematic quality that felt like memory itself..."
[Click on Kodak icon to see post]
TCDR is part of Northern Virginia Magazine's #2 "culture story" of 2017. 😍🎥😍
"Local filmmakers such as Via Bia shine a light on the overlooked [short movie] art form, earning accolades for films that are written in our own neighborhoods..."
[click on Northern VA Mag hyperlink above to read more]
Interviewed for Final Draft article about the Austin Film Festival by Asmara Bhattacharya
"I feel... focused on writing work that is uncynical with honest emotionality."
RECENT FILM EVENTS
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN
IMAGES
Images used as inspiration, behind the scenes photos, screen grabs, and stills from
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN - a short I wrote and directed (and was supported by Kodak film).
Click on pics for additional thoughts from yours truly!
For more info on the project, go to:
www.thesecolorsdontrunmovie.com
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