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Katrina
Elias
Katrina Elias
Katrina Olivia Elias was born in Barranquilla, Colombia from parents of Lebanese, Spanish decent. Her parents immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio when she turned a year old. At the age of twelve, the small family relocated to Miami, Florida experiencing for the first time, life among a Hispanic majority, a development which would influence her writing works.
During most of her teens she wrote for the school newspaper and yearbook, and told original stories through modern dance and music-mixing, set and costume design. She began acting during her two-year attendance at the University of Tampa, and her studies at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she received an AA in Fashion and Design.
For the next ten years, along with designing and running her own leather furniture factory in the Miami Design District, she continued her acting studies; since appearing in many stage plays, short films, TV guest-star appearances, and full-length feature films. Some of her credits include, "Boston Public," "MD's," "Orleans," "Black Noir," "Stealth," "Night Out," "A Girls' Guide to Chaos," "Play On," and many national commercials.
Acting provided her with the onset experience to write and produce her first short film titled "Dreamkeeper," a story about a vigilante Native American woman who could foresee violent events, and her moral struggle with altering the future. It was shot in 16MM on her farm in rural Mississippi, just outside of New Orleans in 1998 where she began to write full length features, one of which was selected and honored at the New York International Hispanic Film and MTV Film Festival of 2001.
In her continued writing efforts, she wrote and sold "Bel & Ricky" a family situational comedy pilot, and three option episodes. She is the writer of the award-winning, comedy of errors stage play, "Abuelo's Legacy" (starring Liz Torres) which was produced by Nosotros, The Jude Shaw Theatre Company, The 5th Annual Hispanic Playwrights Festival of Fort Worth, and the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts.
Ms. Elias wrote "Red Colombian Sky" a one-act stage-play in early 2004. It was immediately selected for production by the 6th Annual Hispanic Playwright's Festival of Fort Worth, and soon after adapted for short film and renamed "Madam Marina," marking her directorial debut.
Besides writing, she fully enjoys being involved in every aspect of stage and film production, from set and costume design, to picture and sound editing.
"Madam Marina's" World Premiere took place in the beautiful Victorian City of Port Townsend, Washington along the Olympic Peninsula, September 2005. And since has been shown at the Ohio Independent Film Festival and the Queens International Festival.
Katrina is an alumnus of the Writers Boot Camp two-year television and film writing program, a member of Nosotros, NALIP, WIF, IFP and the Screen Actors Guild.
She happily resides in the Los Angeles area, enjoys yoga, hiking and pampering her 15-year-old toy-poodle, "Shadow."
Media
Week in Review is an hour-long public affairs show that focuses on California public policy issues. The show analyzes various state issues, from legislation to environmental standards, to consumer protection, and how it impacts the people of California. Katrina Elias , Writer/Producer/Director, talks about the politics of filmmaking and how it affects Latino films.
Writing
Awards:
Writing Awards: 'Best Latino Film' Duo Multicultural Center NYC "Madam Marina" 2006
'Best Director' Zoie Film Festival Madam Marina" 2006
National Hispanic Media Coalition & NBC Writing Fellowship 2006
'Best of NALIP On View' NALIP Convention "Madam Marina" 2006
'Best Of Ohio' Ohio International Film Festival "Madam Marina" 2005
NOMINEE for the 19th Annual Imagen Awards for 'Best Live Theatrical Production' to be held August 26th, 2004 "Abuelo's Legacy"
Selected participant of NALIP 2004 Producer's Academy, Tucson, Arizona
FINALIST of the Writer's Digest 72nd Annual writing contest ranked #56 of 18,000 literary entries 2003
WINNER of the 5th Annual Hispanic's Playwright Festival of Fort Worth, Texas 2003 "Abuelo's Legacy"
WINNER of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts Summer table-read Series 2004
WINNER of the Ricardo Montalban One-Act Play Competition 2003
FINALIST of the ABC Entertainment Talent Development Program 'Recognition of Creative Excellence' 2003
HONORABLE MENTION for 'Outstanding Writing' Teatro Humanidad Theater Festival 2003
FINALIST Screen Writing Competition The New New York International Latino and MTV Film Festival 2001
WINNER of the 6th Annual Playwrights Festival of Fort Worth, Texas 2004 "Red Colombian Sky"
Critic
Quotes:
"The tightest script of the evening was Katrina Elias' Red Colombian Sky...Elias has done a nice job of getting a lot of solid context, passion and conflict into a short script." Star-Telegram, Dallas-Ft.Forth
"...fast paced situational comedy, contains appealing characters portrayed by a committed cast...genuinely amusing chaos...a very funny show." LA Weekly
"...this familia romp plays primarily for fun - and - succeeds. But it does not touch lightly on the issue of cultural biases in some highly amusing way..." Star Telegram, Fort Worth, TX
"The humor is R-rated farce...this comic machinery works..." Dallas News
"Written with hot-blooded pizzazz...a spicy taste of chaos and passion..." Tolucan Times
"...Legacy slew of racial jokes provide much of the hilarity, fueled also by physical comedy and glimmer of something spiritual." NoHo LA
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