Rebecca Murga has been a NALIP member for years. She believes having the support of people who want to see you grow and be better is critical to a filmmaker, and she is thankful for having that support.

Murga’s father came to the United States when he was 16 years old. He instilled in her the idea of service and giving back, which influenced her to join the military shortly after 9/11. Throughout that experience, she was able to interview a multitude of people from different backgrounds. As a filmmaker, having that experience and witnessing combat really impacted and shaped who she is beyond being Latina.

“I think filmmaking and the media is so powerful because it tells stories and it shapes who we are, and how we’re going to see our history,” she says. “51% of the population are women, and you have such a large population of Latinos in this country who are doing amazing things – they’re doctors and they’re lawyers and they’re working in various places, and if we don’t tell those stories, nobody else is going to. I think it’s important to tell those stories in an honest and authentic way.”

Murga has had the opportunity to be a part of the American Film Institute (AFI), and through that she got into an ABC program where she was able to shadow directors of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” According to Murga, these opportunities came from receiving a NALIP grant. To her, #WeAreInclusion is about telling stories that are meaningful and impactful, but also embody the community. “When you have those two things, the sky's the limit for artists,” she says.

She thinks right now is really the time for artists to come together to tell stories and get voices out there that are not being heard. She has never felt a more crucial time in the country for the media to really reflect the voices of young people in our community.

One Halloween, which was one of NALIP’s Latino Lens Shorts got picked up by HBO and it was released on Oct. 1st of 2016.

Murga was also a 2016 Ryan Murphy HALF Directing Fellow and as one of the Director for the ABC Directing Program and the ABC Casting Showcase from 2016-2018.

 

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Instagram: @rebeccamurga

Twitter: @rebeccamurga

Facebook: @rebecca.murga.1