Raisa Bonnet

Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to parents who owned a bookstore, Bonnet naturally became interested in telling stories. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Puerto Rico where she made her first short film. This film got her accepted into the New York University's Graduate Film Program, completing the degree of Master in Fine Arts. Bonnet resides in Puerto Rico, teaching filmmaking courses at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. Traveling to prestigious film festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, Luna Vieja, her most recent short film, has been very well received internationally. These viewings of the film opened the doors for Luna Vieja to be presented in many other festivals in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Utah, Seattle, Chicago, Guadalajara, La Habana, San Juan, Rincón, Port of Spain and Santo Domingo. Luna Vieja won best short film in the Seattle International Film Festival and Best Director and Actress in the Cinefiesta International Film Festival. In addition, Bonnet received a scholarship from the National Board of Review for this short film and traveled with NYU to the First Run Film Festival to present Luna Vieja at the Directors Guild of America for winning the 2nd prize award in the Graduate Film Competition. Bonnet won the Filmmakers Immersion Pitching Contest in the Trinidad and Tobago International Film Festival for the development of her first feature film script, Afloat.