Filmmaker Maria Victoria Ponce was raised in Richmond, CA. She’s mastered the art of telling stories that speak to her individual experience of coming up there, as well as the awkwardness that’s universally found in the process of growing up– no matter where you’re from.

Recently, she invited Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena to stop by and see the family photos that inspire her coming of age films. They discussed the inspiration for her films and what it means to rep Richmond's Latino community.

A 2022 Ranin Fellow, Maria says she now has the resources to tell more stories about Richmond, and plans to expand to other genres, including drama and horror. 

Watch her film Ruda.

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