Hello, I’m Ankalli (Anka) Maldonado, born in Quito and a proud member of the Kichwa Otavalo community. I pursued my academic and practical training at INCINE, where I was accepted with a partial scholarship. Since 2015, my passion for photography has led me to work on seven short films, earning multiple nominations and official selections at student film festivals. My graduation project, “HUMANO,” stood out not only among my class but also internationally, as it became a finalist at the prestigious Academy Student Awards, among other recognitions.

In 2019, I participated in the “Three Days in Cannes” program, and in 2020, I received a scholarship from the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) to attend workshops organized by AMC (Mexican Society of Cinematographers) and FELAFC (Latin American Federation of Cinematographic Photography Authors). During this period, I developed short cinematic projects that gave me the opportunity to collaborate closely with directors, producers, and production designers who recognized my work as a director and cinematographer.

In 2023, I was selected for the Castello Errante cinematic arts residency in Italy, where I worked as Director of Photography on a short film and a documentary, currently in post-production. That same year, I joined COP 28 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Dubai, UAE, as a content creator.

Film and photography have taken me to projects in Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, New York, Los Angeles, and Peru, and I remain eager to continue exploring, creating, and telling new stories.

Currently, I lead my production company Ankafilms, collaborating on cinematic projects locally and internationally.