About Ana Lydia Monaco
Ana Lydia is a multiracial Mexican-American filmmaker who writes, directs, and produces heartfelt character-driven dramatic stories that straddle divergent cultures while challenging and satisfying audiences with political and social subtext.
Too American to be Mexican and too Mexican to be American, Ana Lydia straddles being "White Latina" and "Brown Latina," while being both Mexican and American, in her personal life and career.
A native Angeleno by way of the San Fernando Valley, she spent her childhood summers traveling in Mexico until her family decided to stay in Guadalajara—for five years. It was on the "patio" of her maternal great-grandmother's home where she wrote and directed her first play when she was seven years old.
After finishing middle school and high school in the San Fernando Valley, Ana Lydia attended the Fashion Institute of Design in Merchandising (F.I.D.M.). After graduation, Ana Lydia used a Sony Camcorder to document a heightened reality of everyday life in the 'burbs inspired by the Y.A. films of the era.
Working in the fashion industry, Ana Lydia managed various retail stores and quickly climbed the ranks. A pivotal moment for Ana Lydia's career came when she volunteered at a celebrity fashion show and A.I.D.s fundraiser. Her bilingualism and ability to communicate effectively with media pushed her towards a career in entertainment, fashion & lifestyle P.R.
For over ten years, Ana Lydia worked with Nike, Target, Disney Resorts, and several other Fortune 500 brands. In 2006, she opened her own firm, Padma Media & Marketing, where she also worked with Disney, A.B.C., Disney Resorts, Macy's, and other international lifestyle brands. To date, audiences can see Ana Lydia's experiential campaigns.
After more than 300 branded visual projects, five Lifestyle Bloggers Conferences, various freelance writing projects, and many industry awards, including two Congressional Awards, she realized that the only way to make a difference with the representation of LatinX and people of color in media was to write, direct and produce the stories she didn't see on the screen.
She applied and attended the top-ranked and number one design school in the world, Art Center College of Design (A.C.C.D.). She graduated top of her class with a degree in Film Studies, focused on Screenwriting and Directing, and a minor in DesignMatters, in 2018. That same year, Ana Lydia's photographs were selected for the countries largest Frida Kahlo juried exhibit.
Her scripts have placed at key industry fellowships, including the coveted WIF/Go 90 Top 25 Screenwriting Fellowship, clinching the finalist round at both the Oaxaca Film Fest in 2019 and the New York International Women Festival in 2021.
Ana Lydia's films have placed in over 25 film festivals, received various awards, including two Audience Awards at PIFF-LA, for MEETING BROWN and LOLA. LOLA is now making the film festival rounds, MEETING BROWN is streaming on SHORTS TV, and the MOLINA DOCUMENTARY, in honor of the first Latino Gallery at The Smithsonian, is part of the Smithsonian official film collection.
She's currently in pre-production & development for various Animated, TV & Film projects, including THE ACADEMY, MIAMI GHOST STORY, WHATEVER IT TAKES, EL LAY, PASS, LA DONA, PATSY'S SHELTER, among others.
Married and a mom to furbaby Princess Maya Candice Monaco and a rescue kitten Macy Louis Monaco, Ana Lydia is an Aquarius and INFJ. When she's not immersed in the L.A. art community, she's experimenting in the kitchen or sharing random musings with her more than 20,000 friends on Twitter.
Represented by Talent Law, Ana Lydia is also a freelance writer for Pipeline Artists and the Google-backed ELLY app. She is currently a Women in Film Mentee and founder of both #writersbrunch and #writersgroup. Reach her here.