DATE: Thursday, January 14
TIME: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
LOCATION: Tara Theater - Jack Audiotorium
PRICE: $18 General Admission | Free for current Emory students and Atlanta Film Society members!
In partnership with the Emory Center for Ethics, Ethics & the Arts Program, the Atlanta Film Society presents a free screening of MATININÓ and a Q&A with Director Gabriela Díaz Arp. This screening is a part of Emory University's ongoing Ethics At The Movies series. This event is free and open to the public; Ticket reservation is required.
FILM SYNPOSIS
Matininó begins with the decision of ldaliz Villanueva to flee from a violent marriage when her two daughters—María and Desirée—were 6 months and 7 years old. As a way to heal from this experience and explore cycles of violence, the Villanuevas come together to craft a fantasy film—reimagining themselves into an alternative world where women hold the power. The plot of the fantasy unfolds in parallel with the family’s creative process, as the family navigates their own personal grief and the fantastical demands of the world they have created. Through this lens, the family is able to explore difficult histories in a way that centers their narrative on the possibility of new worlds.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Gabriela Díaz Arp is an independent director and producer from the Puerto Rican diaspora whose work explores how visual storytelling can deepen human understanding and connection. She challenges documentary conventions by incorporating fictional elements, emerging technologies, and collaborative approaches that push the boundaries of the form. Her first documentary feature, Matininó, premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows four generations of Puerto Rican women as they transform their experiences of violence into a fantasy film. Matininó was supported by Sundance, Film Independent, IDA, Doc Society, BAVC, the Ford Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Firelight Media, Working Films, Studio IX, and the Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic film commissions. Gabriela’s work also spans narrative and immersive storytelling. Her most recent narrative short, La Estrella, premiered at the 2026 Arizona International Film Festival and has screened at Cine Las Americas, the Nogales International Film Festival, XicanIndie Film Fest, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival. The film received awards for its portrayal of recovery advocacy and mental health from the Ethos Film Awards, the Mexican Film and Television Awards, and NoMoreHurt.Her virtual reality film Meeting a Monster, created in collaboration with Oculus’ VR for Good, explores the memories and motivations of former white supremacist Angela King. The film premiered at Tribeca and screened at festivals around the world, including Cannes NEXT, Sheffield DocFest, the Atlanta Film Festival, and the New Orleans Film Festival. It was featured in WIRED and received Adobe’s Creative Advocacy Award. Gabriela holds a Master of Arts in Visual Communication from UNC-Chapel Hill and lives with her husband and two children in Atlanta, Georgia.
ETHICS AT THE MOVIES
Ethics at the Movies is a documentary screening series presented by the Center for Ethics at Emory University, featuring in-person post-film conversations with members of creative teams. Ethics at the Movies has screened over 40 films and hosted such distinguished guest artists as Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand; photographer and filmmaker Ansley West; Regina Kelly, the inspiration behind the film American Violet; and Foreign Press Association Journalist of the Year Award and Peabody Award winner Saeed Kamali Dehghan, among others.