Mariana Fabiano

Mariana Lorena Fabiano (born Janusry 28, 1980) is an American film director, writer, and producer. Sometimes nicknamed the "Queen of Indie Films", Fabiano is one of the most prominent figures in. She has worked on both comedy and drama films, which are known for their ensemble casts and distinct visual style. They explore topics such as, , , , , and the. Fabiano has won nunerous acclaides, and three of her films have appeared on OEN's yearly list of the Best Films of the 21st Century, and Fabiano herself has been on the website's annual list of Hollywood's Latinx Top 10 since it was first published in 2020.

Fabiano was only 22 years old when she directed her first full-length feature film, First Week (2002), which she wrote and directed by herself; it received critical acclaim. She then founded Ambrosia Pictures and worked on Wells Done (2005), Epicenter (2008), and Cartoonists (2010). She received nominations for the for  and  for her first animated film, Storm Island (2012), and collaborated with the Hoffman brothers on Magnum Focus (2015).

Fabiano's second animated film, Everything in the Universe (2018), won seven Academy Awards, five Vision Awards, and the Hollywood Film Festival's Special Bonus Prize. Fabiano also directed the segment "Alone in the World" in the anthology film The World Around You (2021), which won her second Golden Camera. Her next film, Haystacks, is scheduled for a 2024 release.

Early life and family
Fabiano was born on January 28, 1980 in. Her father, Lorenzo Antonio Fabiano, is a musician with the band Blue Ocean; he is of, , and origin. Her mother, Lorena Maria Garcia Fabiano (née Garcia Suarez) was an author of, , and origin. Her twin brother, Enrique Antonio "Ricky" Fabiano, is an actor and standup comedian.

Fabiano graduated from in 1997. She later attended the, and graduated with a in 2001.

Career
Fabiano's first film was the First Week (2002), starring Gloria and Julio Benitez. The film is set in 1993 and follows two twin siblings as they attempt to survive their first week of high school. It was inspired by Mariana and Enrique Fabiano's own high school experience. According to Fabiano, First Week was produced on a budget of just $450,000 and completed in two months. Despite this, it received critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $466 million.

Personal life
Fabiano began dating Jason Morkel in 2007, and the two got married in June 2013. In September 2023, they moved from to.