“Brownsville Bred” – Latina Filmmaker Elaine Del Valle Brings Her Award-Winning True Story to Theaters Nationwide

Writer, director, producer, and casting director Elaine Del Valle makes history with the release of Brownsville Bred, a deeply personal, musically infused coming-of-age drama inspired by her true story. The film, which has already garnered awards on the festival circuit, opens nationwide on September 19, 2025.

Brownsville Bred is the first feature Del Valle has both written and directed, marking a major milestone in her multi-hyphenate career. The project—originating as her acclaimed Off-Broadway one-woman play, later adapted into a novel, and then a short film that won the SXSW Audience Award—has evolved into a 94-minute feature that cements her voice as a groundbreaking Latina filmmaker.

A Story Rooted in Resilience and Identity

Set in 1980s Brownsville, Brooklyn, the film follows Elaine (Nathalia Lares, with Summer Rose Castillo playing young Elaine) as she navigates adolesence, family fractures, and the chaos outside her window. Through her Puerto Rican roots and the father who once broke her heart, she discovers that family can be both our greatest wound and our greatest salvation.

The film also stars Broadway veteran Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In the Heights) as Elaine’s father, alongside Susanna Guzmán (Babes), Karina Ortiz (Orange is the New Black), Gabriela Amerth, and Pierre Jean Gonzalez (Hadestown).

Women Behind the Camera

Brownsville Bred is not just a story about a young girl’s resilience—it’s a testament to women’s voices in independent cinema. Del Valle, a native New York Latina, shepherded the project through years of challenges, proving that perseverance and vision can bring even the most personal stories to the screen.

The feature was made possible in part by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment’s NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, a program dedicated to empowering women creators. This backing allowed Del Valle to helm a story that resists Hollywood’s limiting boxes for Latinas and instead unites diverse voices around universal themes of family, forgiveness, and identity.

Critical Momentum

From SXSW to LALIFF, Brownsville Bred has captivated audiences across generations and backgrounds.

Del Valle shares:

“I made this film to honor my community, my family, and the stories that shaped me. Women in film—especially Latinas—are often told what stories we’re allowed to tell. Brownsville Bred is proof that our voices are powerful, universal, and necessary.”

She adds:

“When adapting my story into a screenplay, I was often advised to make the father the protagonist because people thought his stakes were higher. But I was determined that a young Latina girl should lead this story. We need to be the heroes of our own stories, and it’s so important for films to let young women see themselves that way.”