Maura Ugarte

Professor Maura Ugarte is a documentary filmmaker and editor whose work has appeared at True/False Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival, and Palm Springs International Film Festival, among others. Prior to joining Mason, she was Clinical Associate Professor in Catholic University's Media and Communication Studies Department for several years. While there, she developed curricula and a certificate program in filmmaking. She also served as a fellow and then Associate Research Director at the Center for Media and Social Impact working on their fair use and documentary ethics projects. 
 

Her latest film, All Tied Up and Neatly Tied, is an archival documentary on the 1981 coup attempt in Spain framing it as a metaphor for some aspects of American politics. Prof. Ugarte co-produced and edited the feature documentary Uncensored on violence perpetrated against journalists in Colombia during the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s, which received a grant from the Southern Documentary Fund. The film appeared at the Bogota Human Rights International Film Festival amongst others.
 

Prof. Ugarte’s work focuses on deconstructing and recontextualizing dominant narratives about how we see ourselves and our communities, and how documentary films, by helping us understand our history, can aid in advancing social justice. 

Degrees

• M.F.A., Film and Media Arts, American University
• B.A., Film and Video, Columbia College Chicago