Elia Urquiza is a Spanish filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her work often explores the line between documentary and fiction.  Her first feature film, “Next”, a portrait of four kids trying to become successful actresses on the outskirts of Hollywood, won critical appraisal all over the world (Winner of the Special Jury Award in the Malaga Film Festival, and official selection in Visions du Reel, Rizoma Film Festival, Cinespaña Toulouse, L’Alternativa Barcelona, Margenes Film Festival, etc...). 

“De Carmen a Carmen ̈, a portrait of the popular Spanish transvestite icon, Carmen de Mairena, obsessed with the flamenco legend Carmen Amaya, was one of her first works. After that, Elia was one of the six promising directors selected to direct a part of the collective documentary film "Between the Dictator and Me", a lyrical essay about the figure of dictator Francisco Franco, which was showcased in over 150 venues worldwide. Another of her pieces, "Story of a Child", was shown at the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Center (CCCB) as part of a master class of two of her favorite filmmakers, Victor Erice and Abbas Kiarostami.

Lately, Elia has been focused on TV both as a writer and director. Her work on the innovative series "Lost L.A." was nominated for an LA Emmy in 2018. In fiction, she has directed three episodes for the Catalan show "Vintage," which explores the friendship of two lifelong friends who, approaching their sixties, find a need to redefine their relationship with the world around them. Recently, she directed one episode of the Portuguese TV show "Vanda," produced by Legendary TV, La Panda, and SPI, and distributed internationally by Hulu. As a writer, she has been part of the new show "Minimum Wage," directed by Julia Solomonoff (Showrunner) for Viacom / Paramount+.

Since 2012, she has been a founding partner at La Panda Productions, a creative collective of bilingual directors, writers, and producers based in Los Angeles that formed following the Spanish economic crisis. The group has garnered international attention and was featured in Variety's "Spanish directors to watch" list. La Panda has developed an array of internationally acclaimed independent films.

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In her native country, Elia received the prestigious La Caixa fellowship that enabled her to explore the possibilities of fiction in the Film Directing Program at CalArts under the mentorship of legendary director Monte Hellman.  She has resided between Spain and California ever since. Elia has also won the Principe de Viana Grant for Artistic Studies, the Women in Film Production Grant, and has been a Punto de Vista X Films Fellow.