Alana de Freitas

Alana de Freitas is an award-winning filmmaker and actress. De Freitas, who was born in Australia, moved to Los Angeles in 2015. She is most recognised for playing the title character in the Amazon Prime film “Before the Dawn,” which she also wrote and produced. She received the Best Actress Award for the part at the International Independent Film Awards, as well as the European Independent Film Awards. The movie also won Best Feature Film at the Focus International Film Festival and the American Film Awards.

ADF Productions, de Freitas’ production company, was established in 2017, and her films have received numerous accolades on the festival circuit. De Freitas’ directorial debut came in 2019 with the short film “Nancy,” which follows a mechanic who learns that his son is gay and then has to reflect on his shortcomings as a father. In addition to winning Best Short Film at the Vegas Movie Awards and the Hollywood Gold Awards, Best Screenplay at the International Independent Film Awards, and Best First Time Director at the New York Film Awards, “Nancy” also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival.

De Freitas was gratefully welcomed into the 2020 Women in Film Mentoring Program, because of her dedication to supporting women and marginalised groups both on and off the screen. In 2021, she appeared in Academy Award winner Nickson Fong’s horror film “Bashira.”