About
Meet Maria Gabriela Cardenas, a filmmaker originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She's been on her artistic journey since she was just two years old, dabbling in everything from singing to painting and photography. No matter where she was, Maria Gabriela was always knee-deep in creative projects. Whether she was belting out tunes, capturing moments with her camera, or painting beautiful horses, creativity was her constant companion.
But things took a turn when she was eight, and her parents split up. That's when Maria Gabriela found solace in the world of movies and TV shows. Those stories became her refuge, sparking a question in her mind: "How can I be part of this?"
Fast forward to when she was sixteen. Maria Gabriela took a life-changing trip to Los Angeles for a film summer program. That was the beginning of her love affair with filmmaking. After high school, she decided to make Los Angeles her home base, all because of her passion for bringing stories to life on the big screen, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Filmmaking in 2015 and a Master's Degree in Producing in 2018.
Maria Gabriela Cardenas specializes in crafting gripping stories across crime, thriller, drama, and horror genres, delving deep into the human psyche. Her films tackle themes such as the loss of oneself, survival, and overcoming fears. Take her directorial debut, "A Dark Foe," for example. It's a psychological thriller following a guilt-ridden FBI agent haunted by his sister's abduction and battling Nyctophobia, an irrational fear of the dark. He must confront the cunning serial killer who took her away. The film received a limited theatrical release in the summer of 2021 and was distributed by Vertical Entertainment and is now available to watch on Prime Video. "A Dark Foe" garnered praise and featured industry luminaries like Selma Blair, Academy Award Nominee Graham Greene, Bill Bellamy, and Glenn Moreshower. Collaborations with professionals like stunt coordinator Carl Cifalo and visual effects expert Sam Nicholson, president of Stargate Studios, further elevated the project.
Currently, Maria Gabriela is fully immersed in developing her second feature film, "Joelle." The story revolves around a gifted teenager with dreams of winning a major singing competition. However, she becomes ensnared in her aunt's relentless pursuit of conformity to societal beauty standards. Set in Venezuela, the film shines a light on the damaging effects of those standards and the pressure they put on people.
Maria Gabriela is a fellow of the Alliance of Women Directors Mentor Latina Directors Fellowship class of 2024. Plus, she was a fellow of the Blackmagic Collective Future of Women of TV in 2023.
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When she's not behind the camera, Maria Gabriela's still flexing her creative muscles. You might find her writing, playing the piano, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or hitting the gym. For her, creativity isn't just a job—it's a way of life.