Maria Padilha is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, musician and mother born and raised in Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil, and is currently based in Santa Cruz, California.
She graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz, majoring in Film and Media Studies.
As a filmmaker, Maria Padilha exhibits a profound interest in personal narratives, exploring themes encompassing motherhood, intergenerational trauma, immigration, body expression, gender oppression, and colonialism. She perceives cinema as a conduit for integrating diverse forms of media, such as dance, music, and performance.
Employing an experimental feminist approach that prioritizes content over production values, Maria Padilha draws from personal experiences to create artwork that resonates with audiences and challenges conventional paradigms, inspiring viewers with her unique perspective.
In Brazil, she pursued studies in Anthropology, Sociology, and Politics while actively engaging in local cultural movements such as Tambor de Crioula. Her involvement in this cultural expression allowed her to cultivate a diverse range of artistic skills including dance, singing, and drumming.
She acknowledges the significance of oral traditions and appreciates the valuable insights that the masters of popular culture contribute to our understanding of our own stories.
