IN MEMORIAM
Born on October 17, 1983, Vanessa Libertad Garcia was a Cuban–American writer and film director who grew up between the ‘burbs and hoods of Los Angeles, California. She extensively traveled the globe and ventured throughout Latin-America, India and Europe. Ms. Garcia strived to make art, both on the page and on the screen, that experimented with style, grappled unique issues and always challenged convention. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, she completed a myriad of successful projects in both the film and literary worlds. Through her books and films, Vanessa aimed to reflect the varied experiences of underrepresented, atypical and eccentric human communities, and candidly depict sub-cultural issues through distinctive styles that challenged conventional forms of storytelling. In short, she strived to produce intimate literature and cinema about uncommon lives for the collective heart.
While living in Germany from 2003 to 2004, Ms. Garcia attended a rigorous film program where she shot, directed and edited her first short documentary Parental Discretion Advised. It explores the underground world of schmoozing and the fine line between selling oneself and selling out. In the summer of 2004 she returned to the United States and worked as associate producer on Anayansi Prado’s documentary Maid In America, which documents the trials and tribulations of Latina domestic workers in the United States. Maid in America toured the film festival circuit screening at top venues such as Cinequest, Habana Film Festival, The Los Angeles Film Festival, and HBO’s New York International Latino Film Festival. It was bought by PBS Independent Lens and debuted on its network in fall 2005.
In spring of 2005 she wrote, directed, and edited the short narrative film and HSF/McNamara Creative Arts Grant recipient A Two Woman One Act, which depicts the destruction of a lesbian relationship between two repressed gangsters from a rough Los Angeles ghetto. In 2007, it screened at top film festivals such as The International Film Festival of Cinema and Technology, Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and Fusion: LGBT People of Color Film Festival. In 2005, she also shot, directed and edited the short documentary Little Statistics. The film travels through India's poorest neighborhoods setting up elementary schools with the Ninash Foundation for the neglected children of India's lowest caste; the “untouchable” class. The film takes a personal look at the impoverished children attending the Ninash schools and how the education received there has affected their lives. In 2008 Ms. Garcia co-produced the feature documentary Synthnation, which explores the revolutionary impact underground industrial music has had on “outcast” club and youth culture by investigating music geniuses such as VNV nation, Front 242, and others. It toured the international music festival circuit in 2009.
Ms. Garcia spent most of 2009 interweaving a collection of short stories and poems into a narrative that follows a group of gay and lesbian Latino club kids throughout the course of the 2008 presidential elections. The book, her first, titled The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive explores how they affect and are affected by the national politics happening around them. It drew laudable reviews from estimable literary publications such as The Midwest Book Review and is available in many online shops including Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and GiovannisRoom.com. As an author, her articles, short stories and poetry have been published in various esteemed publications including Spike Magazine, Lambda Literary, Amor Fati Los Angeles Art & Literary Magazine, and Indigest Magazine, and she often wrote articles via her blog BLOGGIMIA.
In 2010, Vanessa served as associate producer on the short narrative film Olivia, which screened at various film fests including The Frameline Film Festival, acted in The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue, directed two viral videos American Flag Made in China with performance artist Mistu Salmon and The Real Housewives America: Political Spoof Parody, and directed her first music video “A Tragic Disappearance” by recording artist Brit Manor.
While Vanessa was writing her first feature script Dear Dios, developing her second book of love poetry and essays called Bloody Fucking Hell, and after directing her debut feature Good Mourning, Lucille, she tragically took her own life on August 17, 2013, exactly one month before her 30th birthday. Good Mourning, Lucille was finished by cast and crew, debuted at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival and is now distributed online via Vimeo and Amazon Prime.
Links to articles on her untimely death:
INDIEWIRE LATINO BUZZ
HUFFINGTON POST
COLORLINES
Born on October 17, 1983, Vanessa Libertad Garcia was a Cuban–American writer and film director who grew up between the ‘burbs and hoods of Los Angeles, California. She extensively traveled the globe and ventured throughout Latin-America, India and Europe. Ms. Garcia strived to make art, both on the page and on the screen, that experimented with style, grappled unique issues and always challenged convention. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, she completed a myriad of successful projects in both the film and literary worlds. Through her books and films, Vanessa aimed to reflect the varied experiences of underrepresented, atypical and eccentric human communities, and candidly depict sub-cultural issues through distinctive styles that challenged conventional forms of storytelling. In short, she strived to produce intimate literature and cinema about uncommon lives for the collective heart.
While living in Germany from 2003 to 2004, Ms. Garcia attended a rigorous film program where she shot, directed and edited her first short documentary Parental Discretion Advised. It explores the underground world of schmoozing and the fine line between selling oneself and selling out. In the summer of 2004 she returned to the United States and worked as associate producer on Anayansi Prado’s documentary Maid In America, which documents the trials and tribulations of Latina domestic workers in the United States. Maid in America toured the film festival circuit screening at top venues such as Cinequest, Habana Film Festival, The Los Angeles Film Festival, and HBO’s New York International Latino Film Festival. It was bought by PBS Independent Lens and debuted on its network in fall 2005.
In spring of 2005 she wrote, directed, and edited the short narrative film and HSF/McNamara Creative Arts Grant recipient A Two Woman One Act, which depicts the destruction of a lesbian relationship between two repressed gangsters from a rough Los Angeles ghetto. In 2007, it screened at top film festivals such as The International Film Festival of Cinema and Technology, Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and Fusion: LGBT People of Color Film Festival. In 2005, she also shot, directed and edited the short documentary Little Statistics. The film travels through India's poorest neighborhoods setting up elementary schools with the Ninash Foundation for the neglected children of India's lowest caste; the “untouchable” class. The film takes a personal look at the impoverished children attending the Ninash schools and how the education received there has affected their lives. In 2008 Ms. Garcia co-produced the feature documentary Synthnation, which explores the revolutionary impact underground industrial music has had on “outcast” club and youth culture by investigating music geniuses such as VNV nation, Front 242, and others. It toured the international music festival circuit in 2009.
Ms. Garcia spent most of 2009 interweaving a collection of short stories and poems into a narrative that follows a group of gay and lesbian Latino club kids throughout the course of the 2008 presidential elections. The book, her first, titled The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive explores how they affect and are affected by the national politics happening around them. It drew laudable reviews from estimable literary publications such as The Midwest Book Review and is available in many online shops including Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and GiovannisRoom.com. As an author, her articles, short stories and poetry have been published in various esteemed publications including Spike Magazine, Lambda Literary, Amor Fati Los Angeles Art & Literary Magazine, and Indigest Magazine, and she often wrote articles via her blog BLOGGIMIA.
In 2010, Vanessa served as associate producer on the short narrative film Olivia, which screened at various film fests including The Frameline Film Festival, acted in The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue, directed two viral videos American Flag Made in China with performance artist Mistu Salmon and The Real Housewives America: Political Spoof Parody, and directed her first music video “A Tragic Disappearance” by recording artist Brit Manor.
While Vanessa was writing her first feature script Dear Dios, developing her second book of love poetry and essays called Bloody Fucking Hell, and after directing her debut feature Good Mourning, Lucille, she tragically took her own life on August 17, 2013, exactly one month before her 30th birthday. Good Mourning, Lucille was finished by cast and crew, debuted at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival and is now distributed online via Vimeo and Amazon Prime.
Links to articles on her untimely death:
INDIEWIRE LATINO BUZZ
HUFFINGTON POST
COLORLINES