Akiva Penaloza

About

Akiva Penaloza is a passionate Mexican woman who hails from New York City.  She graduated from Pepperdine University in 1988, then cut her teeth in the competitive world of women’s service publications.  Working her way to Executive Editor, her expertise in the field coalesced in her creating Maternity Fashion & Beauty, a niche publication for a burgeoning pregnancy market.  After a successful career creating visual publications, Akiva returned to her dream, filmmaking.  She entered the American Film Institute, winning the Target Foundation grant at the behest of Academy Award Winner Diane Keaton.  In 2006, she won funding to direct her short, La Chiva, from the Latino Lens Film Challenge sponsored by Mercury and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).  She is a storyteller committed to telling stories that are passionate and filled with value.   Akiva Penaloza lives in Queens, New York.