About
Meet the filmmakers behind Prodigal Daughter / Hija Pródiga,
a documentary born from lived experience, creative vision,
and a shared commitment to telling stories that matter.
Mabel Valdiviezo
Director, Producer, Editor
Mabel Valdiviezo is an award-winning Latine filmmaker, editor, and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores migration, gender, social, and environmental equality. Her credits include Following Pal (editor); Carlos Baron, Poeta Pan, PBS/KQED (director/producer); Soledad Is Gone Forever (director/producer); Sands of Silence, PBS World (associate producer); and River Webs, PBS (editor). Valdiviezo’s feature documentary Prodigal Daughter garnered a Cinema Tropical Best Latinx USA nomination, won Best Documentary at the Arizona International Film Festival, and received nominations at New Filmmakers New Fest and APRECI (Peru). Valdiviezo is an alumna of the Sundance Producers Conference, the Gotham Documentary Lab, IDA, BAVC, and NALIP.
Sara Maamouri
Co-producer & Editor
Sara Maamouri is a Tunisian American Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and editor whose work touches on social, educational, and political issues. Her recent films include Black Mothers Love & Resist (SFFILM 2022 and SIFF 2022), directed by Débora Silva Souza and Clarissa’s Battle (HRWFF NYC 2022), directed by Tamara Perkins and produced by Maamouri. Maamouri edited and produced We Are Not Princesses (Doc NYC 2018), and edited and co-produced the Peabody Award-winning film The Judge (TIFF 2017).
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle
Associate Producer & Impact Consultant
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle orchestrated her Through the Wall short and Sands of Silence feature documentary impact campaigns from Sidney to Tijuana; universities from Yale to Oxford to Buenos Aires and Hiroshima; women’s rights, human rights and immigrant rights organizations; and the United Nations. Chelo worked as an impact producer for Nasrin,on the jailed Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. She was lead impact producer for From Here (The WORLD Channel/America Reframed) and impact consultant for Storming Caesars Palace (Independent Lens).
Tupac Saavedra
Director of Photography
Tupac Saavedra is a Senior Producer at AJ+. He is a Bolivian-born cinematographer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker who has produced documentaries and short videos for Frontline World, Time/CNN, Yes Magazine, and Latino Public Broadcasting highlighting stories from Mexico, India, Cuba, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. Saavedra’s films include The Little Prince of the Andes which premiered on Al Jazeera, Witness, Bolivian Baroque, a 42-minute documentary that aired on European television and the film On The Road With Evo, is a close look at Evo Morales the person and the politician.
Rubi Valdivieso Flores
Associate Producer
Rubi Valdivieso Flores has collaborated with her sister Mabel Valdiviezo as an associate producer, assistant producer, and production coordinator on Valdiviezo’s productions, including the feature documentary Prodigal Daughter / Hija Pródiga (where she is featured as a film participant) and the short films Transparencia Accessible and Deseo Oculto. Valdivieso’s strong organizational skills and collaborative approach help turn creative visions into polished productions.
Jorge Vignati
Director of Photography
The late Jorge Vignati was the most celebrated filmmaker and Director of Photography working in contemporary Peru. He left an impressive body of work in feature films and independent documentaries. Vignati shot over eighty documentaries all over the world, including Nicaragua, Bolivia, Philippines, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal and the U.S. Among his many accomplishments, Vignati was assistant director and cameraman in Werner Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo.” He shot for National Geographic, BBC, Travel Channel, Discovery, and Paramount, among others.
Maggie Loredo
Impact Coordinator
Maggie Loredo is a narrative practitioner, impact producer, and immigrant rights advocate. Her work focuses on migration, gender, grief, and criminalization. Loredo is the impact producer of the film “El Digno Retorno” (2023), directed by Jose Eduardo Aguilar, and has collaborated on the film “Home is Somewhere Else” (2022). She is a member of the Global Impact Producers Alliance (GIPA) and coordinates the Migration and Narrative Practices Seminar and the Clinical area at the Collective of Narrative Practices. Loredo is the cofounder and former director of the Mexico City-based nonprofit Otro Dreams en Acción. She is also a photographer, writer, and embroiderer.
Elva Arrieta
Animator
Elva Arrieta is a director, art director, and animator specializing in stop motion, 2D, and mixed media animation. She is the founder of Wuf Studio, a Peruvian studio focused on independent projects with a strong identity. Her work spans documentaries, series, music videos, and short films, receiving recognition at prestigious international festivals such as the Shanghai International Film Festival, LA Shorts, and Animalatina, among others. She has also been selected for key development platforms like Ventana Sur and Stories x Women. Known for her visually distinctive style, Arrieta combines various techniques and materials to craft a unique visual language that enhances her storytelling.