Catalina Umpire, founder and director of Colectiva Rebela, was born and raised in Peru, where she lived until December 2024 before moving to Charlotte, NC. Passionate about film and creating spaces for young women to have a voice, she reflects, “Living in Peru for 16 years, I was able to witness the different realities tied with social background, economic hardship, and day-to-day problems. I always wondered why I never saw this on the movies I watched, which were predominantly American. I want Latina girls to grow up watching themselves on the screen, not someone they don’t identify with.” Her experience includes collaborating on the first edition of the Peruvian film festival Corte Final Fest, completing the NYU “TV and Industry Essentials” course—which required the creation of a short film from pre-production through post-production and festival submission—and serving as event coordinator for her school’s Spanish Honor Society.