Paola Cutri

Immersed in the cultural and artistic tapestry of Los Angeles, Paola developed a passion for the cinematic arts. As an undergraduate at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television, Miss Cutri was awarded the Gil Cates Fellowship for her artistic achievement in costume and stage design. She received her MFA in Film Production from USC's world-class School of Cinematic Arts, focused on writing/directing. Paola describes her filmmaking as an emotional expression embedded in stylized visuals, eclectic sensibilities, and metaphor. Her films integrate texture, color, and rhythm alongside compositional fluidity. As a Grand Prize winner of the Time Warner Cable Short Film Contest in Association with IFC, a panel of expert judges awarded her a trip to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Paola is an alumni of UCLA's Professional Program in Screenwriting/Producing. When not banging out ideas, she basks in the beauty of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and mangrove swamps off the Bay Islands of Honduras; she delights in the exploration of biodiversity hotspots-- rain and cloud forests-- in Pico Bonito National Park.