12 Facts About Natalia Almada

Natalia Almada's films include "Everything Else ", El Velador, El General, All Water Has a Perfect Memory, and Al Otro Lado, and her work has appeared at numerous national and international venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Sundance Film Festival, the Guggenheim Museum, the Munich International Film Festival, and the Cannes Directors' Fortnight.

Natalia Almada won the 2009 Sundance Directing Award Documentary for her film "El General".

Natalia Almada is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow and the first Latina filmmaker to win the award.

Natalia Almada was born and raised in Sinaloa, and later moved to Chicago alongside her Mexican father and American mother.

Natalia Almada received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the College of Santa Fe, and continued her studies at the Rhode Island School of Design with a full scholarship, where she received her Master's in Photography.

Natalia Almada's inspiration comes from her positionality as a dual citizen, who grew up in two entirely opposing economic, social, and political settings, moving back and forth seasonally between Mexico and the United States.

Natalia Almada eliminates the criminality from issues such as dictatorship and drug trafficking by looking at the issues from a lens focused on basic human needs, and the economic and political barriers that interfere.

Natalia Almada's films are largely influenced by her Mexican heritage, and the stories that have come to her from her experiences living in Sinaloa, as well as the stories told to her by her family.

Natalia Almada's documentaries are non-linear, and are made by her directly inserting herself into scenarios so that she is able to get a first-hand perspective of the stories that she is portraying to her audience.

Natalia Almada received a Creative Capital Award to develop the film in 2005.

Natalia Almada tells the story from an economic standpoint, and follows the life of a young Mexican worker to bring light to the economic circumstances that often lead Mexican citizens to resort to drug trafficking and illegal migration in order to achieve a better life.

In giving a face to the persistently growing problem, Natalia Almada adds a human perspective to a story that is typically told through a political, criminal lens.