Julie Tinker Ward - Motion Graphics Designer and Animator
Julie Tinker is a designer and producer of animation and motion graphics. She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts, where she graduated as valedictorian. Prior to that, she studied Communication (BA) and Sociology (MA) at Stanford University. After working in communication for non-profits and later as a designer for several NY firms, including Number Seventeen and Empax, a firm dedicated to branding “the good guys,” Julie founded Tinker Co in 2010 and has since done work for Nike, Jet Blue, The New York Times, Discovery, PBS, Seventh Generation, International Planned Parenthood, and Alliance for Climate Education, among other clients. While Julie feels no project is too small or too grand to work on, she has a particular love for working with people and companies who try and make the world a little bit better for all of us.
Luis Dechtiar - Editor
Luis Dechtiar is a Brazilian-American editor and director of documentary and fiction films. He has worked on a variety of international productions, taking him to India, the Czech Republic, Liberia, Colombia, Israel, and the Congo. Luis was the co-editor of Youngstown Boys, a feature-length, EMMY Award-winning episode of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series directed by Jeff and Mike Zimbalist (The Two Escobars). He is currently Senior Editor and Creative Director at DDC International. View his work at cargocollective.com/luisdechtiar
Anna Low - Graphic Designer
Excited to work with the Luchadora team, Anna comes to the project with a formal education in photography and art education, with a BA from Hampshire College, a year studying at Speós, The Paris Photographic Institute, and a MA in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After many years of teaching in the Chicago Public School System and running an art department at a private school in Rhode Island, she made the scrappy leap to full time artist. She now divides her time more or less equally among bookbinding, printing using antiquated photography techniques, web / graphic design, teaching, and the rest of life (which includes a wonderful family, a sassy rescue mutt, hiking, and vegetable gardening). Her photographs and artist books have been exhibited throughout New England and the East Coast and published in several periodicals, including Maine Magazine. Her studio is bright and sunny, in Auburn, Maine.
In Mexico, Lucha Libre rivals soccer in popularity and has been a beloved national pastime since the early 1900’s when masked men first came to embody the struggle between good and evil in the ring. Women eventually fought their way into the sport – defying resistance from their male “luchador” counterparts and cultural expectations of femininity.
Luchadora follows Luna Magica - an aging lucha libre star who struggles to keep her status in the all-star professional league, make ends meet as a single mom in Mexico City, and regain custody of her son who was taken by her estranged husband because of her job as a Lucha Libre wrestler.
Luchadora is a short documentary that shines light into the fascinating sub-culture of female lucha libre wrestling in Mexico and explores issues of gender and power through Luna’s “lucha” both in and out of the ring. It is a universal story about following a dream and fighting for what you love.
River Finlay – Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor
Before becoming a filmmaker, River spent many years living and working in Latin America as a public health expert. With a deep appreciation for good storytelling, a fascination with strong women characters, and a love of Lucha Libre, River left her day job and set out to Mexico to find Luna Mágica. When she is not working on Luchadora she is a Producer with Think Out Loud Productions where she melds her worlds of international heath and development with film working with clients such as International Planned Parenthood Federation, The World Bank, and Discovery Chanel.
River has a BA from Hampshire College, an MPH from Columbia University and an MA in Film and Video from American University.
Laura Franco Velasco – Producer, Cinematographer, Editor
Laura was born in Spain and moved to the United States after graduating from film school. Once in Washington D.C. she found herself inspired by the city’s diversity, enhancing her desire to tell cross cultural stories about extraordinary people. Her work has been aired on the CW, Channel 10 and at the DC Environmental Film Festival. She received a Visions "Media That Matters" Award of Excellence for her work on a short film about the Nicaraguan immigrants living in Costa Rica. Laura met River Finlay at American University and joined the Luchadora journey on the second shooting trip to Mexico in 2012.
Laura holds a A.A.S on Film Production, an A.A.S on Communication and Broadcasting Technology and a B.A. on Arts and Communication from American University.
