Brenda Avila-Hanna is an award-winning filmmaker and educator. Born and raised in Mexico City, her films focus on transnational stories between Latin America and the U.S. Brenda is a Fellow for the NMC Lab through LPB and a recipient of NALIP’s 2018 Media Market Fellowship. She is a two-time finalist for the International Documentary Challenge and a member-owner of New Day Films, where she serves as Team Lead for Equity and Representation. Brenda received an M.A. in Social Documentation from UCSC in 2013.

Libertad – Alejandra, an Indigenous, transgender woman from Oaxaca, Mexico escaped violence in her hometown and fled to the U.S. 27-years-ago. Today, Alejandra prepares for several long-awaited events in her life before her first homecoming trip: her gender-confirmation surgery, completing a degree, opening a restaurant and making peace with the Catholic Church. Alejandra’s lifelong quest for a safe place through her intersecting identities has turned her into a beacon of solidarity to many and a testament to the importance – and sometimes limits – of solidarity.