When a single dad gets a life-altering diagnosis, his prodigy composer daughter partners with a spirited singer and psychic dog to unravel her family history and transform his perceptions of her from misguided to fiercely resilient.
NATALIA RISING Gifted 17 yr old composer Natalia (Nat) faces conflict with her ailing dad in pursuing a music career despite his worsening health. Determined to follow in her musician mom’s footsteps, Nat partners with free-spirited Annie and her psychic dog, creating a new music style. Their sound goes viral, prompting Nat’s dad to tighten his control and forcing Nat to mend past family betrayals.
Donna is an Indigenous Latine writer and director working in film and stage, focused on stories of women with unusual or heroic skills, humanity, or insights.
The Girl Next Door short (Grand Jury Prize, Mystic Film Fest; Jury Award, Silent River Film Fest; REMI Award, Worldfest-Houston; Finalist, NewFilmmakers NY; Best Short, Cleveland Indie Gathering; Honorable Mention, Cine Pobre Fest) screened at over 59 festivals worldwide, including Cascadia, Santa Monica, Philadelphia Latino Fest, Dumbo, and Australia Independent.
Her family mockumentary, Death of a Saleswoman is a 9-time award winner (e.g. KC FilmFest International; 7th Art Film Fest; Canada Int'l Film Fest; Portoviejo Film Fest; Virgin Spring Cinefest) and sold at Cannes / AFM / Berlin markets to stream globally across multiple platforms (iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo, Roku, YouTube, GooglePlay).
She is a multi-invited artist with her work, including NYSAF prestigious Filmmaker's Workshop (CLASH series), Cannes/MIPTV's Series in Development Market (CLASH series), Gotham's Film Market (The Girl Next Door feature; Death of a Saleswoman feature), Stowe Story Labs and Sidewalk Narrative Labs (Natalia Risings; CLASH series), PageCraft Labs (Natalia Rising; CLASH series), FS2P Lab (Natalia Rising), Reel Sisters/ BRIC Workshops (Natalia Rising; CLASH series), and Slamdance Labs (Dancing with Dean).
She created and leads the #MentorLatinaDirectors Fellowship and co-founded Broad Humor Film Festival. She earned her MFA in Film from Florida State University Conservatory.
Stowe Story Labs 2021, 2022
Sundance Institute Workshop for Screenplay and Directing
DTLA Film Festival 2019 - Best Screenplay
Executive Producer - Forrest Murray
Casting Director - Sunday Boling
Writer - Donna Bonilla Wheeler
Director - Donna Bonilla Wheeler
Polo Jones, Music Producer
