The El Paso Community Foundation welcomes Valeria Contreras as the new artist of the Border Art Residency (BAR) for its Spring/Summer seasons. Valeria Contreras is an award-winning filmmaker and storyteller from El Paso, Texas. Valeria is currently developing a feature film screenplay, “Oranges,” set in El Paso, with her residency running until October 2025 in the Border Art Residency’s artist living space and work studio.

Valeria is passionate about amplifying cultural narratives surrounding the U.S.-Mexico Border. The residency provides artists like Valeria a six-month retreat for creative work with a fully furnished living space and work studio in El Paso’s historic Five Points neighborhood, a monthly stipend, and paid utilities.

Valeria is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Columbia University, where she earned an MFA in Film & Creative Producing, receiving the Michael Hausman/Buffalo Mike Filmhaus Foundation Award and the 3Pas Studios Award. She has served on the Young Mezcal Jury at the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. Valeria is a Producers Guild of America Create Fellow and Film Independent Producing Fellow. Her first short film, “Homesick,” screened at festivals including Femme Frontera and the Oscar-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival. Through her independent production company, Apis Mellifera Productions, Valeria is developing a slate of international feature films in collaboration with filmmakers from the U.S., Colombia, Nigeria, and Canada.

“After growing up in this community, I am passionate about reframing narratives surrounding the U.S.-Mexico Border. With “Oranges,” I aim to highlight connections—family, love, and shared experiences—rather than the often-emphasized themes of separation, violence, and chaos. The story explores the relationship between two sisters and their sense of movement across time, anchoring their story with the historic El Paso streetcars,” said Valeria

The Border Art Residency, established in 1997, is a project of El Paso Community Foundation that enables artists to pursue their craft without the worry of immediate sales or an outside job to pay for housing expenses. Artists selected for the program are able to achieve a greater degree of personal growth by concentrating on individual goals. They also share progress with local students, educators and the public. The Residency offers a living/studio space in the heart of the El Paso, Texas historic Five Points neighborhood.

To donate, please visit: epcf.org/bar and for more information, please call (915) 533-4023 or visit: BorderArtResidency.com