Mariah Barrera is a Mexican-American filmmaker and writer born and raised in Michigan. She is based in New York City as a first-generation student at Columbia University. Her films have been shown at Academy Award-Qualifying film festivals such as Urbanworld, Cleveland International Film Festival, and DOC NYC and highlighted by NowThis, Stylecaster, The Washington Post, and Adobe Gen Create. She has garnered recognition as a YoungArts Alumna, Mitú-Walmart Film Mentee, Hispanic Heritage Foundation Awardee, and Sotheby's Art Noir Grantee. She has participated in film fellowships/mentorships with Still I Rise Films, Picture Farm, and Panavision x Made in Her Image. She has also interned with companies such as Yahoo's BUILT BY GIRLS and MACRO.

Her films aim to amplify themes of social justice and equity, drawing from her family’s experiences in the urban Midwest. Using these stories, she is passionate about bridging the gap between narrative and documentary through poetry. Her most recent film, "Still Here," which follows three brothers affected by violence, poverty, and prison is streaming on Still I Rise Films. She is also working on her second documentary as a Still I Rise Films Fellow. She is currently a 2024 NeXt Doc Fellow.

find me on IG @mariah.gb