Erika Valenciana is a Chicana filmmaker and educator from Chicago. She is a graduate of the Film & Video program at Columbia College Chicago. Her short films have screened at festivals internationally and received top placing awards, recently including Best Documentary Director at the DTLA Film Festival and the Madrid International Independent Film Festival, Best of Fest at the Ocean City Film Festival, and Special Mention at the Quito International Film Festival. Erika’s work has been supported by Tribeca Film Institute, Puffin Foundation, Kartemquin Films, Stowe Story Labs, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Illinois Arts Council, Ragdale Foundation, Allied Media Conference, and Full Spectrum Features. Erika amplifies the voices of her community of women and non-binary filmmakers of color through Mezcla Media Collective’s Leadership Circle. She uses film to share underrepresented stories building towards a media landscape where diverse experiences are visible and celebrated.

The Punk Show in Chicago — A brash Chicana teen ropes in her goody-two-shoes best friend into a blundering road trip from Kansas City to Chicago for a concert and a secret abortion.