‘Maestra’ looks at what happens when women come together – the extraordinary. In March 2022, fourteen women gathered in Paris to show the world the singular talent that unites them and which, for far too long, has been considered the pursuit of only men. Mothers, daughters, rebels, leaders – over four days, each took to the stage to compete in ‘La Maestra’, the only competition in the world for female conductors. A mother of twin toddlers from Athens, determined to show her kids anything is possible, a Ukrainian doing all she can to focus on her art and the competition in front of her while Russia invades, a Polish student just starting out, and a French immigrant returning to the city that closed its doors to her many years ago. Personal stories of survival, passion and perseverance are woven together with the drama and excitement of this one of a kind event created to break yet another glass ceiling for women.

*Join us after the screening on January 10th for a post-screening Q&A with Director Maggie Contreras

Maggie Contreras is an award-winning filmmaker who has delved into a wide range of worlds. Her critically–acclaimed, muti–award–winning feature directorial debut MAESTRA premiered in competition at Tribeca (2023) where it won an audience award. Maggie’s latest work includes Peacock’s GOOD ONE with Mike Birbiglia and the 2024 SXSW award–winning feature, PRECONCEIVED. Previously, Maggie produced the award–winning JONATHAN SCOTT’S POWER TRIP which premiered at Hot Docs and made its broadcast debut as part of PBS Independent Lens. The beloved feature GILBERT, a Gilbert Gottfried story, premiered at Tribeca and was distributed by Gravitas with exclusive SVOD on Hulu. Maggie’s work has been seen on major networks and streamers including Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, PBS, AMC, and the NFL Network. She has directed commercial spots for major brands and international organizations and is currently in development on both a documentary series and feature. When not making her own films, Maggie is building a curated consulting service dedicated to connecting documentary filmmakers and philanthropic capital to maximize their social impact in film production and distribution.