Teresa Lavina | |
---|---|
Born | Bilbao, Spain | 21 February 1975
Nationality | Spanish/Basque |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Film director |
Years active | 2001–present |
Known for | Untold Secrets |
Spouse | Gavin Lennon |
Children | 3 (Joy, Dylan, and Eoin) |
Teresa Lavina (born 21 February 1975 in Bilbao, Spain) is a filmmaker based in Galway, Ireland.
Teresa Lavina was born in Bilbao, Spain in 1975. Lavina holds a First Class Honours degree in Film and Documentary from GMIT. She received an Academic Excellence Award for her Master of Arts, ‘The Representation of Ethnic Minorities on Screen in IrelandATU.
She is a filmmaker, a jury member at film festivals,[1] and a guest lecturer in colleges.[2]
She is the founder, artistic director and executive producer at Nova Productions Ltd., an Irish-based film production company.[3]
Lavina has participated in film festivals in different countries across the world including Ireland,[4] Netherlands,[5] Canada,[6] the United Kingdom,[7] and the United States.[8]
Lavina centres her work on themes of human rights and social justice with a particular focus on under-represented groups.[8]
Her works have been screened both locally—where her film Untold Secrets closed the 2021 Galway Film Fleadh[4]—and internationally where she has won awards and honors in Ireland, Canada, Spain, and the United States.[4] Lavina's films are listed on Mubi and FilmAffinity.
Her work has been funded by TG4, The Arts Office, and Creative Ireland as well as receiving development feature funding from Screen Ireland.[9]
In 2019, she co-created, and between 2019 and 2022, directed Shot by the Sea film festival in Galway.[9]
Year | Film | Genre | Role |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | The Audition | Feature Film | Director/Writer/Producer |
2016 | Still | Short Documentary | Director/Producer |
2018 | One for the Road | Pilot TV Series | Director/Producer |
2018 | Michelle | Short Documentary | Director/ Producer |
2019 | Bad Fruit | Short Documentary | Director/Producer |
2019 | My Light in the Dark | Short Documentary | Director/Producer |
2020 | Forgotten Ireland | Web Series | Director/Producer |
2021 | If Walls Could Talk | Web Series | Director/Producer |
2021 | Enniscorthy, a Four Day Republic | Feature Documentary | Director/Producer |
2021 | Untold Secrets | Short Documentary | Director/Producer |
2022 | Mincéir | Feature Documentary | Director/Producer |
2022 | 2022 TAITHÍ CÚIRTÉIREACHT AN LUCHT SIÚIL (In production) | 4 Part Series – TG4 | Director/Producer |
2022 | CROITHE & TELLAIGH (In production) | Feature Documentary | Producer |
2022 | Worlds Apart (In Production) | Feature Film | Director |
2024 | Las Casas Baratas de Romo | Feature Documentary | Director/Producer |
2024 | Las Barreras (In Production) | Feature Documentary | Director/Producer |
Year | Ceremony | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Dublin Underground Film Awards | Best Short Documentary |
Bad Fruit |
Won |
2019 | L.A Independent Film Festival | Best Short Documentary |
Bad Fruit |
Won |
2019 | L.A Independent Film Festival | Best Director | Bad Fruit | Won |
2021 | Valladolid International Film Festival | Tiempo de Historia Award Best Documentary | Untold Secrets | Nominated |
2021 | Toronto International Women Film Festival | Best Human Rights Film[10] |
Untold Secrets |
Won |
2021 | Vancouver Independent Film Festival | Best Social Justice Documentary |
Untold Secrets |
Won |
2021 | Amsterdam International Film Festival | Best Female Filmmaker (Honorable Mention) |
Untold Secrets |
Nominated |
Untold Secrets was the first ever made Irish Documentary about Mother and Baby Homes and Institutions in Ireland.
The film tells the story of some of those survivors and focuses on a young girl, Anne Silke, who was handed over to an influential Irish political family at the age of nine. It explores the suffering and abuse on Silke in the hands of her adoptive family.
Silke was posthumously given a voice in the film, giving a chance for closure to her family and loved ones. The documentary sheds light on the past and present nature of society [9]
Mincéir is a short documentary about the traditions of Irish Travellers.[11]