Gabi is a filmmaker, writer, director, producer originally from Cuba.

SHORT FILMS!
Her comedy LITTLE CON LILI (2019) won the HBO Women in Comedy Festival, was distributed on HBOMax (2019–2021), and optioned by Netflix (2021–2023). Her follow-up short THE 90 DAY PLAN (2020) won the HBO Women in Comedy Festival and distributed on HBOMax (2020–2023). Gabriela’s musical comedy BERTIE THE BRILLIANT (2023), made in partnership with WarnerMedia and Latino Public Broadcasting, earned her the NFMLA Director of the Year award (2023) and was distributed through PBS (2023–present). Her dark-comedy WHAT TO EXPECT (a single-take film), was made in partnership with Latino Public Broadcasting, distributed with PBS (2026). Gabriela’s heist-action comedy short SKRRRT! (2025), funded by Netflix and produced by Cate Blanchett/Coco Francini (Dirty Films), toured festivals in 2026 and the feature is in development with Dirty Films. Gabi's feminist martial-arts rom-com #BLESSED (2026), developed through Dan Lin’s Rideback Rise fellowship, premiered at LALIFF (2026). Her next short film CUQUI (2027) was selected for the TriBeCa/Chanel: Through Her Lens program (2025) and has received the Tribeca Institute and Miranda Family Foundation Colectivo grant (2026), going into production in Dec 2026 and premiering at Tribeca Film Festival (2027).

FEATURE FILMS!
Gabriela's feature LITTLE CON LILI was named Top 5 feature screenplays on The Black List / LatinX List (2023) and optioned by Netflix (2021-2023). Her feature script SKRRRT! won The Athena List's Disney Development grant (2024). THE KIDNAPPING OF CASIMIRO CORONADO was developed through Rideback Rise (2024). Her feature FOR YOUR OWN GOOD was top 5 at Tribeca's Untold Stories  (2024), and is in development with Gina Rodriguez's production company I Can and I Will Productions, and Unapologetic Projects. Her latest micro-feature film ALMOST SOMETHING, is being submitted to programs, labs, and actively seeking financing.

FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS!
Gabriela s a three-time TriBeCa Institute fellow, most recently a fellow in the Tribeca/Miranda Family Foundation Colectivo Program (2026); previously a fellow in the TriBeCa/Chanel Through Her Lens program (2025), and TriBeCa Untold Stories (2024). Gabi was a fellow/filmmaker in the inaugural Cate Blanchett/Annenberg Inclusionost Proof of Concept Accelerator (2024-2025), and was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of Rideback Rise (2024). She is currently a finalist for the Cintas Foundation grant (2026), and the Creative Futures Collective grant (2026). She is a recipient of the National Association for Latino Arts and Cultures grant (2024). She is a two time recipient of the Latino Public Broadcasting production grant (2023, 2024), and a recipient of the WarnerMedia OneFifty grant (2022). She is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Film Accelerator fellow (2022), a Film Independent Directing Lab fellow (2020), and a Hedgebrook Screenwriting Lab fellow (2016).

EDUCATION!
Gabi holds a BFA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, majoring in Theater with a double-minor in Chicano/a studies and African American Studies (2001-2005), and she holds two MFAs from California Institute of the Arts (2012-2015).

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD!
Before venturing into filmmaking, she was a spoken word poet, performing at over 1000+ colleges and universities in the United States, as well as performing at international congresses including Havana Jazz Plaza (2001) and World Social Forum (2005). She has opened for artists including Pitbull, Mos Def, and the Black Eyed Peas, as well as social and political figures including Kamala Harris and Maxine Waters.

FUN FACTS!
(1) Gabriela's first job was at McDonalds. (2) In 2008, she cycled across the US, and in 2010, she rode the AIDS Life-Cycle (San Francisco-Los Angeles) raising money for The LGBTQ+ Center of Los Angeles. (3) Gabi ran the Hackney half-marathon and raised funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians (2026). (4) Gabi is a mom of two young (and highly opinionated) humans, and a dog named Oso. (5) Gabi is a salsa dancer and competed internationally as part of an all-women Cuban salsa team.