WILLA is a production & distribution company, recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and supported by Sundance Institute, that amplifies exceptional storytelling across genres to enable narrative change around today’s most pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues.
Elizabeth Woodward
Founder and Producer
Elizabeth Woodward is the founder and CEO of WILLA.
She was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30, DOC NYC 40 Under 40, Berlinale Talents, and is a Sundance Catalyst Fellow, an Impact Partners Producers Fellow, and a Film Independent Fast Track Fellow. Her recent films include ANOTHER BODY (SXSW Special Jury Award, Emmy nominee), YOU RESEMBLE ME (Venice Film Festival, executive produced by Spike Lee, Claire Denis, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, Riz Ahmed) and ON THE DIVIDE (Tribeca Film Festival, POV on PBS). Other notable projects include Netflix’s THE GREAT HACK (Academy Award shortlist, Emmy nominee, BAFTA nominee, Sundance Film Festival), HBO’s hit series THE VOW: A NXIVM STORY (New York Times Best TV Shows of 2020), a VR experience PERSUASION MACHINES (Sundance New Frontier, SXSW).
Her films have been supported by Sundance Institute, Impact Partners, Film Independent, Field of Vision, The Gotham, Chicken and Egg, New York Foundation for the Arts, the International Documentary Association, among others. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, BAFTA North America, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Council on Foreign Relations Young Professionals Group, the Documentary Producers Alliance, and the Frontline Club.
Elizabeth graduated magna cum laude and phi beta kappa from Brown University and received a masters with distinction from the University of Cambridge. She speaks fluent French and proficient Italian.
Team
Ana Fernanda Torres
Producer | Distribution & Impact Coordinator
Ana Fernanda Torres is a producer/director/writer originally from Tampico, Mexico. After graduating from film school in Mexico City, she started working internationally with filmmakers like John Woo, Gabriela Tagliavini, Christopher Zalla, Tony Mark, and Nick Cassavetes.
As a producer, her released films include A HISTORY OF LOVE AND WAR (Rotterdam International Film Festival, FICUNAM, theatrical premiere 2025), THE PILGRIM (Morelia Film Festival), as well two short films which she also directed, FRONTERA (Morelia Film Festival, Shorts México) and SISYPHUS (currently in post-production). As a writer, she’s a member of TINTA (Audiovisual Writers Association in Mexico) and currently developing two feature films, VAMPIRE and HEMATOMA.
Passionate about cinema as a form of self-expression and an advocate for democratizing storytelling, Ana joined WILLA in 2025 and speaks fluent Spanish, English, and French.
Marina Hunt
Co-Producer | Distribution & Impact Manager
Marina Hunt is a Co-Producer at WILLA supporting projects across the slate. She was Associate Producer on ANOTHER BODY (Emmy nominee, SXSW Special Jury Award), Distribution & Impact Manager on Alonso Ruizpalacios’ LA COCINA (Berlinale, Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee) and Distribution & Impact Coordinator on Dina Amer’s YOU RESEMBLE ME (Venice Film Festival, Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, Riz Ahmed, Claire Denis).
Marina previously worked for award-winning directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s company Break Thru Films (Netflix’s Emmy Nominated REVERSING ROE, Film Independent Spirit Award and Emmy Nominated THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT, Emmy and Gotham nominated THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK), where she conducted research and wrote pitch materials for documentary films & series in development, and liaised between Break Thru Films and its collaborators. She got her start working at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she developed multimedia content on subjects relating to international relations and governance for the CFR’s World 101 website. Marina attended Brown University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and contributed to a year-long investigative reporting project led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tracy Breton, published in The Providence Journal and The Public’s Radio. She speaks fluent Spanish.
Sara Ghadimi
Associate Producer | Distribution & Impact Coordinator
Sara is an Associate Producer at WILLA supporting all projects across the slate. She most recently worked on the release and impact campaign of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ LA COCINA (Berlinale, Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee) and the impact campaign and creative distribution of Oscar nominated short A LIEN by Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz. She was the Production & Distribution Coordinator on ANOTHER BODY (Emmy nominee, SXSW Special Jury Award) and assisted in the release of Dina Amer’s YOU RESEMBLE ME (Venice Film Festival, Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, Riz Ahmed, Claire Denis).
Sara graduated cum laude from McGill University in Montreal, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. During her studies she gained experience by working at the Milken Institute and in the non-profit world. Since joining WILLA, Sara has been able to bridge her passion for policy and the championing of social rights with filmmaking. She speaks fluent Italian and French.
Ella Paolucci
Production & Distribution Assistant
Ella joined WILLA in August 2024 as a Production and Distribution Assistant, supporting projects across the slate. She recently worked on Alonso Ruizpalacios’ LA COCINA (Berlinale, Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee) as a Distribution Assistant.
Ella graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociocultural Anthropology and a minor in English. During her time at Cornell, she served as a Research Assistant to an Environmental Anthropologist on a project exploring the social implications of the environmentalist movement. She continued her degree for a semester at Trinity College Dublin and participated in a summer fieldwork course in Semliki, Uganda. Since joining WILLA, she has been able to bring her passion for visual ethnography and storytelling to the world of independent cinema.