A Los Angeles based writer/director, Jianna earned both degrees in storytelling at Columbia University's Creative Writing program and the American Film Institute's Directing MFA. Jianna is the recipient of the Blue Mountain Center residency, the Holleigh Bernson Memorial Scholarship, and a 2021-2022 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow. She taught filmmaking for the Sundance Institute and the Latino Film Institute where she helped design and bring filmmaking into Title I schools across the state of California.
- MFA Directing, American Film Institute
- B.A. Creative Writing Fiction Concentration, Columbia University
Courses
- JAMM 575: Post Production and Distribution
- JAMM 565: Media Production and Design
A Los Angeles based writer | director, Maarten Saada earned both degrees in storytelling at Columbia University's Creative Writing program and the American Film Institute's Directing MFA. A published author of literary fiction, Jianna is the recipient of the Blue Mountain Center residency, the Holleigh Bernson Memorial scholarship, and a 2021-2022 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow for her pilot El Otro Lado. Most recently, her new television horror pilot Winslow was selected to participate in the New York Stage and Film's nine-month program starting in August of 2024.
Having written and directed over fifteen shorts, her sixteenth short AMEND, written, produced and starring Belinda Gosbee, premiered at the LA International Shorts Festival in July 2023.
Her previous film SIN CIELO (Salaud Morriset/Marjed Pictures) won the Grand Jury Prize at Seattle International Film Festival and Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Young Jury Prize at Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, the Audience Award at Champs Elyées, the Grand Jury Prize, Best of Fest, and Audience Award at Ivy Film Festival in New York, runner up Jury Prize for Best Live Action short at Anchorage International Film Festival and many more wins around the world. With over 120 official selections at festivals world wide, Sin Cielo was named top ten at AFI fest and was a 2020 Oscar contender. Critics said Saada has a 'masterful way of framing scenes to create emotion' and called Sin Cielo a film 'that defies criticism and should be a benchmark for filmmakers with any intent on producing a piece of work that is relevant today.' Sin Cielo was distributed on HBO Max North America and Europe, Aftenposen. Kanopy, and many more channels.
Jianna got her start as a PA and worked her way up to production & location manager. An actor’s director, Jianna did a two-year Meisner program at the Sanford Meisner Center and studied with Ivana Chubbuck.
Currently in development on several features and television shows, Saada loves building rich, complex worlds with historical significance and twists on genres.