Filmmaker Spotlight
This year's Nogales International Film Festival is proud to welcome an incredible lineup of filmmakers joining us from across the United States, Mexico, and right here in Arizona. Our Filmmaker Spotlight celebrates the creative voices behind the stories on screen, featuring bold new talents, award-winning directors, and visionary storytellers whose work reflects the diverse cultures and communities of the borderlands and beyond.
Throughout the festival, you'll have the chance to meet these artists in person—at screenings, Q&As, panels, and parties. From Sonora to Tucson, Los Angeles to Mexico City, these filmmakers are bringing powerful perspectives, fresh ideas, and unforgettable films to Nogales. Come celebrate their work, hear their stories, and be part of the conversation.
Denisse Prieto
Producer
'Las Tres Sisters'
Denisse Prieto is a producer and casting director from Guadalajara, Mexico. Her passion for telling stories has led her to produce over 10 films, including one of the highest grossing films in the history of Mexican cinema "Ya Veremos". Some other films include "The Waiter", "For Better, For Worse", "A Woman with No Filter", the Mexican unit of "Emily the Criminal" and her latest film "Sisters".
Valeria Maldonado
Writer/Producer/Actress
'Las Tres Sisters'
Valeria Maldonado is a Mexican-American actress, writer, and producer passionate about telling bold female stories. She co-wrote, produced, and starred in Las Tres Sisters, acting opposite Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso). She also starred in Saving Paradise opposite William Moseley. Her work includes Coco, NCIS, Better Things, and a viral LALA commercial with Chris Evans. Valeria has also starred in Mexican films like El Efecto Tequila and Aquellos Ojos Verdes, which premiered at Cannes.
David Alvarado
Director
'American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez'
High school dropout turned Stanford MFA, David Alvarado directs and produces award-winning documentaries, including Bill Nye: Science Guy, We Are as Gods, and The Immortalists. Pioneering record-breaking Kickstarter and branded funding models, this Latino filmmaker chronicles trailblazers in science, arts, and human rights.
Everett Katigbak
Producer
'American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez'
Everett Katigbak is a documentary filmmaker and creative director whose independent practice, Works By Everett, focuses on brand storytelling, documentary film, and artist collaborations for brands and organizations that want to communicate in a human, authentic way and stand apart from the ordinary.
Before founding Works By Everett, Everett spent over two decades at the intersection of culture and technology, from designing exhibitions at the J. Paul Getty Museum to building creative teams at some of the most influential tech companies of his generation, including Facebook (where he co-founded the Analog Research Lab), Pinterest, Stripe Press, and Anthropic, where he shaped a human-centered creative identity for one of the world's leading AI companies.
His documentary work has been recognized by the Library of Congress and the Ken Burns series. His latest film American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez won the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary and Festival Favorite at the 2026 Sundance Film Festiva. Through Works By Everett, he partners with brands and cultural institutions that value authentic storytelling and the amplification of underrepresented voices.
Ben DeJesus
Director
'Leguizamo Does America'
Ben DeJesus is an Emmy and Tony-nominated director, producer, writer, and four-time Imagen Award winner with over 15 years of experience in the U.S. multicultural, Latinx, and youth markets. Alongside his longtime partner, award-winning actor, writer, and social activist John Leguizamo, Ben co-founded their production company Casa NoHo Studios, carving out a unique niche with a diverse slate of television, documentary, non-fiction, film, and digital content.
With over 200 hours of programming to his credit including docs, non-fiction, episodic series, music videos, and branded content- Ben's vision and creativity shine brightly. His most recent project, he co-created, directed and executive produced 12 episodes of the hit series Leguizamo Does America for MSNBC/Peacock. Prior to that he exec produced and directed American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos (PBS), a 3-part limited series hosted by Leguizamo, that takes viewers on a captivating journey through the rich and often overlooked contributions of Latinos in America.
Sandy Hernández
Sandy Hernández is a Dominican-American actress based in Los Angeles, best known for playing Minerva Mirabal in the Disney Production for Star+ ''The Roar of the Butterflies'', Elisabeth Serra in ''The Calling'' (Peacock), and Milly Quezada in the upcoming musical biopic about the Queen of Merengue ''Milly''. Sandy Co-produced her first short film ''Metamorphosis'' with Candy Santana founder of the production company ''Anima Azul''
Isabel Castro
Director
'Selena Y Los Dinos'
Isabel Castro is a four-time Emmy-nominated, Mexican-American filmmaker who combines a practice in journalism and art to tell stories about immigration, civil rights, and identity. She splits her time between Mexico City and Los Angeles. Castro directed, produced, and filmed the Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary short “USA v Scott,” the Emmy-nominated “Darlin,” and the Emmy-nominated Netflix docu-series “Pandemic.” Her debut project, “Crossing Over,” won a 2015 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. Castro has worked on dozens of stories as a producer, cinematographer, and multimedia journalist for The New York Times, as an Edward R. Murrow-award winning producer at “The Marshall Project,” on two seasons of the Emmy-award winning series “VICE” on HBO, and as an Emmy-nominated producer covering civil rights and policy at “VICE News Tonight” on HBO. “Mija” is her feature film debut.
Per Prinz
Director
'Coyote'
Per is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker. Born and raised in Austria he comes from a family with an exceptional musical history, creating in him a love for arts and filmmaking at a very young age. After working in the art department in the Austrian film industry, he moved to the US to study film in 2009, completing his studies with 8 awards out of over a dozen nominations. Since then he's worked as a DP and director on award winning films and projects with talent such as Kevin Hart, Christopher Lloyd, Jessica Rothe, Mike Starr, Doug Jones and many others.
Today he calls the Colorado foothills his home where he enjoys life with his wife and three children while traveling the country and the world to work on various projects. Story always comes first in Per's work. It is his philosophy that the imagery should always support the story and never draw attention away from it.
Monica Lopez
Southern Arizona Film Commissioner
Film Tucson
As Production Manager at Film Tucson, Monica oversees and coordinates film and media productions in Southern Arizona, serving as the primary liaison between filmmakers and local resources. She specializes in securing locations, navigating permitting processes, and connecting productions with skilled local crew and vendors. Monica’s expertise has supported projects for major brands such as SCHWINN, GARMIN, TOYOTA, AUDI, and EXPEDIA, as well as a current project with TELEVISA-UNIVISION, alongside independent films, documentaries, and music videos. She ensures smooth, compliant, and well-supported shoots throughout southern Arizona and across the border into Sonora.
Alejandro Mendivil
Producer
DVL Filmhouse
Alejandro Mendivil is a producer, communications specialist, and founder of DVL Film House, a binational audiovisual production company operating in Mexico and the United States. Since 2013, he has led commercial, institutional, and creative projects that combine cinematic storytelling with innovative communication strategies, while also developing short films, documentaries, and original works exploring the culture, identity, and landscapes of Northwestern Mexico. Through his productions and industry collaborations, Mendivil has helped support the growth of Sonora’s audiovisual sector, advocating for regional filmmaking, cross-border production, and the development of Sonora as a strategic hub for film and television production in North America.
Ricky Schwarzbeck
Hermosillo Film Commissioner
Sonora Mex
Riky Schwarzbeck currently works with the Hermosillo Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he plays a key role in promoting Sonora as a world-class filming destination. With over a decade of experience in the audiovisual industry, he has helped attract major national and international productions to the region by showcasing Sonora’s diverse landscapes, from deserts and beaches to border communities and historic towns. His work includes collaborations on acclaimed films such as Sonora, Buy Me a Gun (Cómprame un Revólver), and Trigal, as well as commercial campaigns for global brands including the NBA, Nissan, Polaris México, and MG Motors. Schwarzbeck has also worked alongside internationally recognized filmmakers and artists including Viggo Mortensen, Carlos Reygadas, and David Pablos. He currently leads Hermosillo’s Film Support Office and represents the city before IMCINE and the Mexican Film Commission, continuing to strengthen Sonora’s position as a growing hub for film and television production.
Robb Wilson King
Production Designer
'Coyote'
Robb Wilson King is an acclaimed American production designer known for his visually distinctive work across film and television, including acclaimed productions such as Breaking Bad, Rush Hour, and Rudy. With a career spanning multiple decades and productions across the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia, King has become recognized for crafting immersive cinematic worlds that balance large-scale visual storytelling with grounded emotional realism.
Raised in Los Angeles near the historic Disney backlot, King developed an early passion for design and filmmaking that would shape his career in the art department and production design fields. His work has earned recognition from the Art Directors Guild, including award nominations for The Librarian series and The Bling Ring, as well as an ADG win for Secrets in the Walls.
Lisa Belcher
Director
'House of Abraham'
Lisa is an award-winning director, actor, writer & producer under her Austin based production company, Jump Rock Pictures. She directed the feature thriller/horror House Of Abraham, starring Natasha Henstridge and Lin Shaye. Her many short films have played film festivals all over the world, earned many awards (including Best Director), and also received distribution. She is in development on a feature romantic comedy that will go into production in Austin in 2025.
Jon Proudstar
Actor/Producer
'They Wait'
Jon Proudstar is a Tucson-born actor, filmmaker, writer, and comic book creator whose career spans more than three decades in film and television. A citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe with Yaqui, Maya, Mexican, and Jewish heritage, Proudstar has appeared in numerous acclaimed productions including Reservation Dogs, Young Guns II, Walker, Texas Ranger, Into the West, and Barking Water, working alongside actors such as Viggo Mortensen, Val Kilmer, and Javier Bardem. In 1998, he was selected for the prestigious Sundance Institute Writers Lab, later participating in the Sundance Directors Lab in 2005, where he was mentored by filmmakers including Robert Redford and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Proudstar also created Tribal Force, recognized as the first all-Native American superhero comic book, which was later inducted into the Smithsonian Institution’s Native Pop Culture collection.
Roberto Ortiz
Writer/Director
'Ángeles FC'
Roberto Ortiz is a Mexican director, writer, and cinematographer best known for the documentary Ángeles FC, a film exploring community transformation and healing in Mexicali through women’s soccer and grassroots activism.
Luisa Bravo
Producer
'Ángeles FC'
Luisa Bravo is a Mexican producer whose work focuses on socially driven and community-centered storytelling, including the documentary Ángeles FC, which highlights redemption, youth, and resilience through sport on the U.S.–Mexico border.
Truen Pence
Editor
'Borrowed From Earth'
My earliest memories were watching interviews that my dad shot on Super 8 from the 1960’s–80’s. From DC anti-war protests to interviews with the town’s oldest resident, this appetite for story behind the lens seeped into my life and became my career. I began making films by building a small production company with friends specializing in short films and commercials, following our passion for interesting people and stories, leading to feature documentaries in the wine industry that opened to festivals across the US and Europe. I spent 7 years at the digital creative agency Instrument, directing films and commercials, and creating work that helped spawn an entire team of content makers, producers, motion designers and strategists, making commercials, branded content, and documentary film projects around tech and lifestyle industries.
My client work includes Apple, Adidas, Levis, Google, Pinterest, YouTube, Squarespace, Nike, YETI, Danner, Stumptown, Amazon, Microsoft, as well as award-winning digital storytelling projects.
David J. Aberle
Writer/DIrector
'They Wait'
David J. Aberle is a Navajo traditional medicinal practitioner, filmmaker, and founder of Silver Eagle Productions whose work explores Indigenous perspectives on spirituality, storytelling, and the unseen world. Currently studying Film and Television at the University of Arizona, Aberle has directed and produced projects including Guardians of the Sacred Flame and the paranormal docuseries Unearthing the Supernatural, featured on NBC, Peacock, Discovery, and the Travel Channel. A recipient of the Southern Arizona Film Society’s Film Positives Grant and participant in the 2025 SoAZFilm Mentorship Program, he recently completed his thesis film They Wait featuring Jon Proudstar, continuing to build recognition for his distinct voice as an Indigenous storyteller dedicated to preserving culture, spirituality, and community through film.