Dawn D. Valadez
Production
Biography
Dawn Valadez is a queer, Xicana, filmmaker, social worker, artist, youth development specialist, resource wrangler, and impact strategist. Raised by her Mexican American single mother, she never planned on being a filmmaker. Her award-winning, ITVS funded, feature documentary (with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan), Going on 13, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Her media work focuses on race, class, education and coming of age in the 21st Century U.S.
Known For
A Mexican-American teenage farmworker dreams of graduating high school, when ICE raids in her community threaten to separate her family and force her to become her family’s breadwinner.
Fruits of Labor
Meet Ariana, Isha, Rosie and Esme as they let go of childhood and fumble, or sprint, toward an uncertain future. Without flinching, Going On 13 chronicles four girls' coming of age and the precarious moments between being a little girl and becoming a young woman. As they grapple with issues of school, family, friends, and identity, Going On 13 allows us to see what real girls face during this pivotal time of puberty, while providing a vehicle for discussing important developmental milestones.