Maria Maggenti (born c. 1962) is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, who has traditionally created

independent films An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

. She was the

script editor A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television and radio programs, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas wit ...

for the American television series ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' (2003) and has written many episodes for the show as well, but is perhaps best known for the feature film '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' (1995). Her film '' Puccini for Beginners'' was in competition at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2006. She was also an activist with

ACT UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...

for many years.Maggenti, Maria. Interview with Sarah Schulman and Jim Hubbard. ACTUP Oral History Project. February 16, 2005. MIX: The New York Lesbian & Gay Experimental Film Festival. December 11, 2005
Actupralhistory.org

Early life and education

Maggenti was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Her childhood was spent in London, Rome, New York City, and Washington, DC. Maggenti attended

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, where she studied

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and Greek and Latin Classics. She then earned her MFA in filmmaking from NYU Graduate School.

Career

She moved to New York City and worked in television commercials and the production of gay rights and AIDS activist documentaries. During this time, she put together letters "asking friends and colleagues to support her enrollment at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Film School". Maggenti wanted to create films regarding gay and lesbian life that were more realistic and missing from mainstream movies. She then enrolled in

's Graduate Film Program and was awarded a teaching fellowship. During the time between 1990 and 1994, Maggenti worked on various short films. Her 1995 debut film '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' helped Maggenti transition into and make a name for herself within the film community. Maggenti originally developed the script for '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' as a project for NYU's Graduate Film Program.

Films

The two movies Maggenti created were low-budget and low-profit. The first movie she ever created was '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)'', which turned out to be successful even with no budget. Maggenti began thinking about the script with the image of a tomboy, who she later realized was based on her first girlfriend. The film was made with an all-female, unpaid crew. Her movie, '' Puccini for Beginners'' (2006), a romantic comedy based on her first big love affair with a man, was filmed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

over the span of 18 days, and was released on September 2, 2006. After working on her first few films, Maggenti relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, shifting her focus to television writing. In

, she wrote for the crime series ''

'', which was released in 2002. Maggenti's involvement writing for the ''Without a Trace'' was a transition due to the fact that she was working alongside others instead of alone; as she had been doing for ten years. She describes how she, "ultimately came to love it" and "loved her colleagues." While she did enjoy being in the company of "all these smart people," she adds that from a lifestyle point of view, she did not like "the idea that we had to work Monday through Friday every day in an office for 11 straight months." Maggenti also wrote an episode of '' 90210'' and ended up co-producing several other episodes as well. In 2007, she was commissioned by

to create a movie for a cell phone. In 2010, Maggenti started to co-write the comedy, ''Monte Carlo'', which was released in 2011.

Activism

As a core member of

New York, an activist group working to impact the lives of people with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, Maggenti co-authored some of the group's educational materials, and has been a participant and documentarian of many of the group's direct actions. As a member of the ''ACT UP Oral History Project'' she is one of the people preserving the history of ACT UP and the years of the AIDS pandemic, in filmed interviews with the people who have lived through it.Carlomusto, Jean. Interview with Sarah Schulman and Jim Hubbard. ACTUP Oral History Project. February 16, 2005. MIX: The New York Lesbian & Gay Experimental Film Festival. December 11, 2005
Actuporalhistory.org
Crimp, Douglas. ''AIDS Demographics''. Bay Press, 1990. (Comprehensive early history of ACT UP, discussion of the various signs and symbols used by ACT UP, and the films documenting the movement.)

Personal life

Maggenti is bisexual.

Awards

Maggenti received the Best Feature award for her movie '' Puccini for Beginners'' at the, 2007 Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. ''Puccini for Beginners'' was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006

Filmography

* '' Doctors, Liars & Women (1988) * '' The Love Monster'' (1990) * '' Waiting for War'' (1991) * ''

Name Day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...

'' (1993) * ''

La Donna è mobile "" (; "Woman is fickle") is the Duke of Mantua's canzone from the beginning of act 3 of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Rigoletto'' (1851). The canzone is famous as a showcase for tenors. Raffaele Mirate's performance of the bravura aria at the opera' ...

'' (1994) * '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' (1995) * '' The Love Letter'' (1999) * '' Puccini for Beginners'' (2006) * ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

'' (2011) * ''

Before I Fall ''Before I Fall'' is a 2010 young adult novel written by the American author Lauren Oliver. The novel is written in the first-person perspective of a teenage girl, Samantha Kingston, who is forced to relive the day of her death every day for a ...

'' (2017)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maggenti, Maria American television writers Bisexual women writers Bisexual screenwriters Members of ACT UP Smith College alumni American women film directors American LGBTQ film directors American LGBTQ screenwriters Living people 1962 births American women screenwriters American women television writers 21st-century American screenwriters American bisexual writers 21st-century American women writers Film directors from Washington, D.C.