Documentary Films

Haiku Films works on documentary, independent projects, and commissioned works for foundations, non-profits, and communities, rooted in diverse, multicultural perspectives. As a filmmaker and film editor, Mabel Valdiviezo specializes in long-form vérité, intimate, character-driven films, crafting narratives that move audiences and honor the integrity of each story.

Prodigal Daughter

Filmmaker and artist Mabel Valdiviezo reunites with her family in Peru after 16 years of silence, confronting haunting childhood memories and a complex past as an undocumented immigrant in the United States.

Director, Producer & Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo        Feature-length documentary, 2024                            Cinema Tropical Best Latinx U.S. Film nominee Distributed by New Day Films

 

Sansa of Silence

We Arrive With Fire

We Arrive With Fire | Ne-kah Nuue’m Mehl Mech examines the past, present, and future of fire knowledge as Margo Robbins and her crew work to reunite fire and the land.

Directors: Roni Jo Draper, Marissa Lila Kongao                    Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo                                              Feature-length documentary, in progress

Sansa of Silence

Following Pal

Following Pal is a family’s quest to revive the music of Pál Hermann, a promising 1930s Hungarian composer whose life and career were cut short by the Nazis during WWII.

Director & Producer: Hanh Nguyen                            Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo                                              Feature-length documentary, picture lock

Sansa of Silence

Sands of Silence

Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage follows a filmmaker who, inspired by the transformation of the sex-trafficking survivors she is documenting, finds the courage to break her own silence about sexual abuse.

Director & Producer: Chelo Alvarez-Stehle          Associate Producer: Mabel Valdiviezo                    Feature-length documentary, 2018                        Screened on PBS’s WORLD Channel – Doc World Series

Sansa of Silence

Women with Altitude

Seven survivors of domestic abuse journey to the Bolivian Andes, battling extreme weather, altitude sickness, and personal tension. Their climb becomes a powerful metaphor for confronting life’s most colossal ordeals.

Director & Producer: Sarah Vaill                                  Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo                                            Feature-length documentary, 2011                        Screened at LALIFF, distributed by Journeyman TV

River Webs

River Webs explores the life and legacy of Japanese scientist, Dr. Shigeru Nakano, and the understanding he brought to the world of river ecology.

Director & Producer: Jeremy Moore                           Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo                                            Feature-length documentary, 2007                            Screened on PBS

 

Carlos Baron Poeta Pan

Carlos Baron, Poeta Pan

Carlos Baron, Poeta Pan follows Carlos Baron, Bay Area multicultural theatre evangelist, who takes us on a fascinating road trip to Chile to explore love and exile through the poetry of Pablo Neruda after the death of Pinochet.

Director & Producer: Mabel Valdiviezo            Documentary short, 14 minutes, 2007                    Screened on PBS at KQED and KQEH

Soledad is Gone Forever by Mabel Valdiviezo

Soledad Is Gone Forever

Soledad Is Gone Forever is a drama that explores the long-term psychological impact of political persecution through the eyes of Soledad Gonzales, a young photographer who learns her father’s remains have been found in a mass grave in Chile.

Director, Producer & Editor: Mabel Valdiviezo.    Executive Producer: Cesar Viana-Teague            Narrative short, 14 minutes, 2006                          Screened at Los Angeles International Films &          New York International Latino Film Festival

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