NYWIFT Blog

By Lily Hutcheson and Briana Wilson

Welcome to NYWIFT, Dolores Diaz!

Dolores Diaz is a Queens, NY native who grew up in a theater and musical theater world through Once Upon a Time in Richmond Hill. She later attended the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts and joined Angry Jellow Bubbles, an all-female sketch comedy group directed by Eva Minemar.

While attending the MA Media and Social Change program at CUNY Queens College, Dolores served as an assistant to media theorist Douglas Rushkoff and co-produced the 1st Annual Queens College Arts Festival.

She founded the production company Mulberry Queens Films LLC with Eva Minemar in 2018, and the duo has worked together on features, shorts, music videos, and documentaries. 

Dolores is now the Chair of the Board for Once Upon a Time Inc. and the Co-League Director for NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association), NY.

In our interview, Dolores discussed her production company, transitioning from theater to film, and the project that left the biggest impact on her.

Welcome to NYWIFT! Please introduce yourself briefly to our readers! 

Hi! My name is Dolores Diaz and I am an independent film producer and one half of the production company Mulberry Queens Films.

What brings you to NYWIFT?

That’s a great question! Well, I joined NYWIFT because I want to listen to others on how they work and the experiences they have had, learn from others, and apply it to my own work so I can be the best that I can be.

Also, I am developing a feature with three other women who belong to NYWIFT, and I wanted to sit at the cool girls’ table too!

You’ve produced many films and campaigns with even more in the works – which project has made the biggest impact on you so far, and what made it special?

 This question really made me stop and think—I feel like all the projects one works on leave their mark on you. [Laughs] I would say (at least at this very moment) that the project we produced that made me feel good about completing it was The Case. The Case was a half-hour episodic pilot starring Tony D Head about a cop who fell from grace and gets back to policing when a case about human trafficking falls into his lap, and he can’t turn away. 

Yes, it did well at festivals, but what made it so impactful was that we managed to create something so powerful and visually beautiful on a tight budget (and it was so cold and there were so many exteriors) AND the world literally shut down due to COVID the day after we returned the equipment! Needless to say, it was a wild time!

How does your experience with theater translate into your work in filmmaking?

 That’s a fun question! What I found so confusing when I went from theater to film is its “nonlinear-ness.” On stage, you have one shot to get it right and you do through the emotions in real time in front of one person or hundreds of people.

In film I found the process initially fragmented, but have grown to love and understand the love and care that goes into each shot to create magic for the viewer.

How do you bring a creative mindset to your partnerships with businesses?

I try to listen, or see, what the other party wants or envisions, I ask some questions and take it from there. Everyone is different and has different wants and goals so I try to see how I can fit and help to create the goal that is envisioned. Sometimes that’s making suggestions, sometimes it’s taking the reins, and other times it’s just following a bullet-point list of action items. In all scenarios, it’s fun to collaborate in any capacity and work with new people.

Photo courtesy of Mulberry Queens Films

Are there any current or upcoming projects you’re excited about?

Always! [Laughs] Mulberry Queens is starting to go the documentary route (which is especially exciting for yours truly because I consume copious amounts of documentaries) as well as in the creative developing stages of three features; two horrors and a powerful mother-daughter story with three other NYWIFT members!

Learn more about Dolores Diaz and Mulberry Queens Films at www.mulberryqueensfilms.com.

(All images courtesy of Dolores Diaz)