Biography

Marissa Velez is a Director and Creative Producer living in Brooklyn, NY. She was born in Miami, Florida to Puerto Rican parents whose love for movie-going and travel inspired her from a young age and remain her greatest influences in her work today. Much of Marissa's childhood was spent either drawing or shooting music videos-of her siblings-on her parent's VHS Camcorder, and renting classic 80's films from Blockbuster (Milos Forman's 1984 Amadeus was and still remains her favorite film). With an undergraduate degree in Art History and free "standby" travel as a pilot's kid, Marissa spent much of her early 20's in Europe finessing her French and hopping from one art museum to the next.

As a Director, Marissa's work is infused with her passion for European and American cinema from the 60's and 70's, and her own life experiences. The texture of memories from her childhood and her Puerto Rican roots are always woven into her narrative approach and she seeks out stories that allow her to explore and build from themes of identity, community, and connection in her work. Marissa's aesthetic has a proclivity for traditional celluloid filmmaking, whenever possible opting to shoot on 8mm, 16mm or 35mm film.
- IMDb mini biography by: Marissa Velez