Lorena is an Emmy-nominated, New York-based Mexican writer-director, producer, and the founder of Lákhesis Films, a production company dedicated to crafting narratives that represent and empower BIPOC communities. She holds an MFA in Film from the City College of New York and a BFA in Design and Visual Communication from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Her MFA thesis film Cuanacaquilitl (Dandelion, 2022) received the Best Short Film Award at the 16 Days 16 Films Film Festival, an Honorable Mention at the Highland Park Independent Film Festival, and the National Board of Review Student Award. Cuanacaquilitl is an Official Selection in several international film festivals, including the Morelia International Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival, the New York Latino Film Festival, and the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Film Festival.
Lorena's work has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Fox5 News, CUNY TV, BRIC TV, among others. Lorena is a member of the New York Women in Film and TV organization (NYWIFT) and the Brown Girls Doc Mafia. She was a nominee for the 2021 BAFTA-NY Jeff Hunter Charitable Trust Award and a grantee of the Emerging Content Creators Workshop at the NALIP Media Summit in 2022.
Passionate about narrative and documentary storytelling, Lorena focuses on issues like reproductive rights, identity, and belonging. She is currently directing the documentary short "Meyolotl" and developing her debut feature film "Mayahuel," selected for the 2024 Cine Qua Non Lab's Storylines workshop.