Co-Directors
Monica Villavicencio, Stephanie Liu
Editor
Monica Villavicencio & Stephanie Liu
Consulting Editor
Co-Editor
Assistant Editor
Cinematographer
Kristian Melom
Additional Cinematography
Music
Diego Rojas
Sound
Rachel Saldivar
Narration
Contact
Monica Villavicencio, Xerophile Studios, monica@madebyxerophile.com
Over her 40-year teaching career, Juana has remained unwavering in her commitment to her students. While she’s led many school orchestras, this one is different. The majority of her students come from undocumented immigrant families from Central and South America, who have made new homes along Buford Highway — one of the South’s most diverse corridors. For many, this is their only chance at music education.
LA ORQUESTA follows Juana, a determined teacher and activist, and her orchestra through one school year. Using cinéma vérité, intimate interviews, and personal archival footage, the film tells the story of a community coming together to offer children opportunities that should be available to all, even as they face health, financial challenges, and growing hostility toward immigrants. LA ORQUESTA offers a fresh perspective on the immigrant experience, one that celebrates art, beauty, and the transformative power of music.
Monica Villavicencio is a writer and filmmaker in Atlanta. She tells stories because it’s the best way she knows to make sense of our lives. In previous incarnations, she was an NPR Kroc Fellow and has written and produced for public media, an aviation-themed Filipino travel show, and the University of San Francisco, among others. She studied literature and anthropology and also writes fiction.
Stephanie Liu is a Chinese-American documentary filmmaker and writer. She’s passionate about stories, both discovering and telling them. Before making films, she worked at ABC News’ Washington bureau and the World Bank, where she produced multimedia from Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and the Comoros. Born in Chengdu and raised in the Deep South, she has since called many places home.