Laura Esteban is an award-winning Galician documentary filmmaker based in London. She studied BA (HONS) Audiovisual Communication at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.
After working as a self-shooting director in Barcelona, she moved to London, where she decided to focus entirely on the path she had always been passionate about: documentary. She completed her MA Documentary Film at the London College of Communication of the University of the Arts London, where she made her first documentary: ‘Daughters of the Sea’. This short documentary was highly commended in the Grierson Awards 2022, nominated in 14 international festivals and won 4 awards. The film was commissioned by the Council of A Coruña (Spain), within its education department.
Her films are non-fictions which are centred on women, character-driven stories that unfold different realities across the globe, from Japan to Spain. From showing short format docs in Japan to sexist discrimination in Galicia, Laura is interested in the female condition, the structural gender discrimination in society and the boundaries between reality and fiction.
AWARDS
‘Daughters of the Sea’ (Spain/UK, 2021)
Highly commended in the Grierson Awards 2022
Best Student Documentary in London City Film Awards 2022
Best Short Documentary in Toronto International Women Film Festival 2022
Best Director in First Women Film Festival 2022
Best Short Documentary in Women Directors Film Carnival 2022
Special Mention Social Documentary in Premios Miquel Fàbregues 2022
Finalist in Directed By Women Turkey 2022
Semi-finalist in London Indie Short Festival 2022
Semi-finalist in Stockholm Short Festival 2022
Semi-finalist in Paris Women Festival 2022
Official Selection in Women's Film Festival (Newark) 2022
Official Selection in Women Cinema and Arts International Film Festival 2022
Official Selection in Madrid Indie Film Festival (MADRIFF) 2022
Official Selection in Fescilmar Poland 2022
EXHIBITIONS
-‘Daughters of the Sea’ - Lethaby Gallery (2 de noviembre 2022, London)
- ‘Naked Perspectives: uncovering the stories of everyday life’ - Gallery 46 (5 de mayo 2023, London)
PRESS
- London against the war
- Galicia: Women of the Coast
“We were completely immersed in this well-paced, generational family story which absorbed viewers into the lives of this community. Laura has a really strong grasp of their craft and storytelling, creating a very professionally executed film.”
Judges' Citation, The Grierson Awards 2022
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Documentary Lab Research and Development | Aug 2024 UnionDocs Center of Documentary Art, New York City
MA (Distinction) Documentary Film | Oct 2020 - Dec 2021 London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (UAL)
The art of vision. The filmmakers investigate the images | Nov 2015 Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB)
Postproduction of sound for audio-visual with Pro Tools | Nov – Dec 2016 Centre Investigation Formation Occupational (CIFO L’Hospitalet), Barcelona
BA (Hons) Audio-visual Communication | Sep 2011 – Feb 2016 University of Santiago de Compostela and Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona