Through lovingly rendered detail and an acutely tuned ear, Melissa expertly documents the interstices of a wide and deep humanity. Whether chronicling a young Mexican-American woman coming of age in a household of Clairol products and altars to the Virgin of Guadalupe or recreating her grandfather's travels through the 1940s as a WWII chaplain,in her award-winning film Be Home Soon: Letters from My Grandfather,  Melissa's deft hand renders the particular, universal, and in revealing the anatomy of individual experiences, uncovers compelling universal truths.

 

Melissa’s films have been screened by The San Francisco International Film Festival, The Pacific Film Archive, The Mill Valley Film Festival, The Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and The Oakland Museum to name a few. She has received awards from the San Francisco Foundation and the Pioneer Fund.

 

In addition to her personal work as a filmmaker, Melissa has also produced short promotional works including a greatest hits video for the comedienne Kate Clinton, a tribute video for the International Museum of Women, another for Dr. Dean Ornish, as well as a highlights video for a month-long retreat for the SYDA Foundation.