Valentina Maurel

Valentina Maurel
Maurel in 2019
Born
Valentina Maurel Soto

1988 (age 37–38)
San José, Costa Rica
EducationInstitut national supérieur des arts du spectacle et des techniques de diffusion
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
Years active2017–present
MotherAna Istarú

Valentina Maurel Soto[1] (born 1988)[2] is a Costa Rican-French director and screenwriter.

Early life

Maurel was born in San José, Costa Rica, the daughter of Costa Rican poet Ana Istarú and French actor César Maurel. She studied art history at the University of Costa Rica for a year before moving to France at the age of 19.[3][4][5] She later studied film at the Institut national supérieur des arts du spectacle et des techniques de diffusion (INSAS) in Brussels.[6]

Career

Maurel's graduation film at INSAS, a short titled Paul Is Here, won the Cinéfondation First Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.[7][8] Her debut feature film, I Have Electric Dreams, opened the official competition of Film Fest Gent in 2022.[9] The film went on to win the Best Direction Award at the Locarno Film Festival, the Horizontes Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.[10] In September 2024, she served on the Horizontes jury of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival.[11] Her second feature film, Forever Your Maternal Animal, will compete in the Un Certain Regard competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.[12][13]

Personal life

Maurel is based in Belgium.[14][15]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Notes Ref.
2018 Paul Is Here Yes Yes Short film [16]
2019 Lucia in Limbo Yes Yes Short film [17]
2022 I Have Electric Dreams Yes Yes [18]
2026 Forever Your Maternal Animal Yes Yes [19]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Cinéfondation 2017 First Jury Prize Paul Is Here Won [20]
Film Fest Gent 2022 Grand Prix I Have Electric Dreams Special mention [21]
International Film Festival of India 2022 Golden Peacock Won [22]
Locarno Film Festival 2022 Golden Leopard Nominated [23]
Best Direction Award Won
Luxembourg City Film Festival 2023 Grand Prix Won [24]
Magritte Award 2020 Best Fiction Short Film Lucia in Limbo Nominated [25]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2022 Horizontes Award I Have Electric Dreams Won [26]
Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2022 Golden Alexander Won [27]

References

  1. ^ Calvario, Liz (30 November 2016). "Costa Rica International Film Festival 2016 Announces Full Lineup, Kelly Reichardt Tribute". IndieWire. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  2. ^ González, Nerea (17 May 2026). "Valentina Maurel, logro inédito de Costa Rica en Cannes: Intentamos inventar una industria". SWI swissinfo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  3. ^ Mora, Jorge Arturo (31 August 2022). "Valentina Maurel, la cineasta que zarpó desde Zapote para conquistar Locarno y Cannes". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  4. ^ Batista, Lelo Jimmy (7 March 2023). "Valentina Maurel: «Je voulais avant tout exprimer la confusion de l'adolescence»". Libération (in French). Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  5. ^ Lorfèvre, Alain (22 April 2026). ""Ce n'est pas très à la mode de parler d'une jeune femme qui est fascinée par le père ou par la virilité"". La Libre Belgique (in French). Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  6. ^ Barraclough, Leo (15 April 2026). "Forever Your Maternal Animal Picked Up by Heretic Ahead of Premiere in Cannes' Un Certain Regard (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  7. ^ Hopewell, John (26 May 2017). "Cannes: INSAS Student Valentina Maurel's 'Paul Is Here' Wins Cannes Cinefondation". Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  8. ^ Boyce, Laurence (11 June 2017). "Generation gap: Cannes 2017's prize-winning short films". British Film Institute. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  9. ^ Engelen, Aurore (27 September 2022). "Close to open the 49th edition of Film Fest Gent". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  10. ^ Meza, Ed (14 November 2022). "Valentina Maurel's Thessaloniki Winner 'I Have Electric Dreams' Explores Complexities of Family Relationships, Sexual Awakening". Variety. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  11. ^ González, David (17 September 2024). "Jaione Camborda to chair the San Sebastián jury". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  12. ^ Keslassy, Elsa; Shafer, Ellise (9 April 2026). "Cannes Film Festival 2026 Lineup: Asghar Farhadi, Pedro Almodóvar, Ira Sachs, Hirokazu Kore-eda Set for Auteur-Driven Competition". Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  13. ^ Dams, Tim; Parfitt, Orlando (9 April 2026). "Cannes unveils 2026 Official Selection". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  14. ^ Rebolledo, Matías G. (3 February 2023). "Valentina Maurel: "La ficción no está para reparar lo real, sino para ir a lugares incómodos"". La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  15. ^ Fernández González, Ana Beatriz (25 October 2023). ""Hacer películas solo pensando en un ideal es darle la espalda a la realidad y dejarnos a todos muy desamparados"". Semanario Universidad (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  16. ^ Tentindo, Will (12 April 2017). "Cannes 2017: Shorts, Cinéfondation titles revealed". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  17. ^ Baughan, Nikki (29 July 2022). "Locarno 2022 line-up guide: Piazza Grande and International Competition titles". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  18. ^ Engelen, Aurore (25 March 2022). "Tengo sueños eléctricos, the first feature by Valentina Maurel, is in post-production". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  19. ^ Engelen, Aurore (30 April 2026). "Valentina Maurel to present her sophomore feature, Forever Your Maternal Animal, in Cannes' Un Certain Regard". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  20. ^ Winfrey, Graham (26 May 2017). "Cannes Award Winners Announced in Cinéfondation Selection of Student Films". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  21. ^ Engelen, Aurore (24 October 2022). "Saint Omer wins the Grand Prize at Film Fest Gent". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  22. ^ Rosser, Michael (29 November 2022). "Costa Rica's 'I Have Electric Dreams' wins best film at International Film Festival of India". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  23. ^ Del Don, Muriel (15 August 2022). "Rule 34 wins the Golden Leopard in Locarno". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  24. ^ González, David (13 March 2023). "I Have Electric Dreams adds the Luxembourg City Film Festival trophy to its collection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  25. ^ Bradfer, Fabienne (8 January 2020). "«Duelles» et «Le jeune Ahmed» en tête des nominations des Magritte". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  26. ^ Lodge, Guy (24 September 2022). "Colombian Film 'Kings of the World' Tops San Sebastian Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  27. ^ Grivas, Alexis (16 November 2022). "Valentina Maurel's 'I Have Electric Dreams triumphs at Thessaloniki'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
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