Juan Avella
Juan Avella is an LA-based writer-director originally from Caracas, Venezuela, who focuses on gritty, social crime stories and thrillers set in multicultural worlds. Juan holds a Business Administration degree with a minor in Banking and Finances, and a Screenwriting MFA from the AFI Conservatory, where he won the Fadiman Award for excellence in screenwriting for his crime feature BOLICHICOS. He has written and produced shows and promos for E! Entertainment Latam, Discovery Channel US, and NFL Networks, and was a 2016 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. His 2017 short film HIJO POR HIJO played in over 45 festivals, garnered 8 awards, and had a 5-week theatrical run in Venezuela, where it played nationwide before feature films in over 170 theaters. At the end of its festival run, the short was acquired by HBO for distribution and it currently airs on their platforms. In May 2018, Juan was a finalist for NALIP's Latino Lens Incubator program which awarded him a grant from the Time Warner Foundation to produce and direct a short film thriller he co-wrote entitled HER BODY. Juan is currently developing various TV and feature film projects and is repped by The Gersh Agency and Thruline Entertainment.
