IndieWire, the online film publication, has included Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi and Panamanian-American filmmaker Janicza Bravo in its annual list of twenty rising women directors to know in 2020.
“The third time is the charm for Chilean producer and filmmaker Maite Alberdi, who follows documentaries The Grown-Ups and Tea Time with the delightful non-fiction feature The Mole Agent,” says the online publication on the director’s Sundance film. “The movie follows an 83-year-old widower who infiltrates a nursing home at the behest of a private detective. Alberdi blends a humorous character study with the intricate thrills of a spy movie to deliver a comical and touching documentary that is just begging for an American narrative remake.”
Alberdi has become a solid voice in the international documentary world, developing a very personal narrative style that achieves an intimate portrayal of the characters she works with through everyday stories in small-scale worlds.
“Janicza Bravo was already an established industry name when she came to Sundance earlier this year to world premiere her A24-backed second feature Zola,” writes IndieWire’s Zack Sharf. “With Zola, Bravo takes on a ripped-from-the-headlines story and infuses it with an impassioned style that is bound to elevate the director’s profile when A24 releases the film later this year.” IndieWire named Zola a Sundance highlight and a rambunctious crowdpleaser.
Bravo, the daughter of Panamanian tailors who was born in New York City and was raised between Brooklyn and Panama City, had already made a splash in American independent cinema with her debut feature Lemon, which was screened both at Sundance and SXSW and had a U.S. theatrical release by the hand of Magnolia Pictures.
