Filmmaker Profile: Ana Isabel Dow
Ana Isabel Dow
Ana Isabel Dow is a Mexican screenwriter, director, and actor with an interest in character-driven narratives that spotlight Latina protagonists. Her profound irreverence for established gender and social norms is informed by her experience as a queer first-generation immigrant.
Her short film, Virgencita, was awarded a grant for underrepresented filmmakers by 3Pas Studios, premiered at LALIFF, and has gone on to screen at NYLFF, Eastern Oregon Film Festival, and Micheaux. She recently served as a Young Mezcal jurist at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, and was the 2024 Columbia University nominee for the Princess Grace Award, which recognizes extraordinary emerging artists in film.
Ana Isabel has a BFA in Drama and Psychology from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA with honors from Columbia University, where she taught undergraduate screenwriting and organized with SWU (UAW Local 2710). She is a proud SAG-AFTRA and AEA member.
This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
What inspired you to create this film, and how did the initial idea come to you?
I wanted to honor my abuela, who died of lung cancer in 2005. I also recently became a mother, and have begun thinking about how foreign my traditions, culture, and language must feel like to her.
Can you tell us about the central themes of your film? What message or emotion did you hope to convey?
I wanted to examine the fragile nature of belief, and how our individual perspective informs our understanding an events. What may feel like a god-given miracle to one person can simply be a good day to another one.
Were there any films or directors that influenced your approach to this project?
My approach to this script was influenced by Stephen Spielberg's approach to filming childhood encounters with the supernatural.
What inspired you to pursue a career in filmmaking?
I came to this industry by way of acting. I started making films when I got frustrated at the kind of stories I was seeing on screen. I wanted to write stories that reflected who I am and where I come from - stories about Latine women and their relationships with each other.
If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
I took my first break this summer after 5 years of nonstop working on my film degree, and I spent most of it gardening so I guess maybe I'd be growing produce somewhere.
What’s the last book you read?
I'm currently reading The Long Island Compromise. Or I was until it gave me so much anxiety I had to put it down for a bit. It's a lot of fun, but this writer doesn't shy away from torturing her characters (and us).
Ana Isabel Dow’s Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
