Lorena R. Valencia is a Mexican filmmaker based in New York City. 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 directorial debut and MFA thesis film Cuanacaquilitl (Dandelion, 2022) received the 2022 National Board of Review Student Award and is currently an Official Selection at various film festivals such as the Morelia International Film Festival (Mexico), Atlanta Film Festival (USA), and the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival (Australia). She is also a member of the New York Women in Film and TV organization (NYWIFT) and was a nominee for the 2021 BAFTA-NY Jeff Hunter Charitable Trust award as well as a recipient of the 2020 Dr. David M. Milch Foundation award and the 2021 Bert Saperstein Communication award.
Lorena is passionate about both narrative and documentary storytelling and is interested in addressing issues such as reproductive rights, identity and belonging, and motherhood. She is currently directing “Mi Ranchito” a documentary short film that explores resilience and love for the land, while developing her debut feature film "Mayahuel".