Jianna Maarten Saada

Unflinching in their inspection of class, race, gender, and existence within a social paradigm skewed to reward affluence and access, Jianna Maarten Saada loves making thrillers that dig into the dark recesses of our psyche and show us the truths we prefer to keep buried.

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. Set in 1994, a year of major political upheaval, the show follows three women —a grieving mother, a Senator, and a journalist —who begin to unravel the labyrinthine web of transnational crime and geopolitical trade as they try to solve the growing number of interconnected femicides committed in Juarez. Based on years of research and one of the largest unsolved murder cases in history, it is best described as imagining The Wire as a crime thriller in Mexico in the 90s.

Having written and directed over fifteen shorts, her sixteenth short AMEND, written, produced and starring Belinda Gosbee, is premiering at 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 under Martin Barter 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. People often ask her if she had to choose between writing and directing, which would she choose? She considers this a silly proposition, for her, one does not exist without the other. Jianna lives in Los Angeles with her rescue poodle Atticus in constant pursuit of the perfect gluten free cookie. When she finds it, she’ll let you know.

Photo by Elissa Rascón Steinmetz