Director's Works
The Blood Calls You Home (La Sangre Llama) Sonia Malfa
Sonia Malfa is a writer and director working across film and commercial storytelling, distinguished by emotionally authentic, human-centered narratives that resonate with global audiences. Moving fluidly between global campaigns and independent filmmaking, her work prioritizes the quiet moments that shape human experience, crafting performances and visually poetic worlds that feel deeply lived-in.
Her work includes collaborations with global brands such as Nike, Facebook, Comcast, Citibank, L’Oréal, Ulta Beauty, and Vogue Italia, alongside independent narrative and documentary filmmaking. Her films have been recognized by major festivals and international awards bodies, including the Tribeca Film Festival, Clio Awards, Webby Awards, Telly Awards, 1.4 Awards, One Show Awards, and Kinsale Shark Awards.
She has received support from leading arts foundations and industry institutions, including the Jerome Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). She was selected for the DGA/AICP Commercial Directors Diversity Program, the NALIP Women of Color Incubator (2024), and the Actors Studio Directors Unit (2024–2025).
Sonia is currently developing narrative film and television projects while continuing to collaborate with global brands on story-driven campaigns.
What does it mean to return to a place your body has never known, but your spirit never left? La Sangre Llama (The Blood Calls You Home) is a meditation on ancestral memory, cultural reconnection, and the quiet power of women’s resilience.
As a Puerto Rican–American writer and director, I am inspired by the rhythms of nature, mythology, and the Caribbean diaspora. In collaboration with writer and actress Shamikah Christina Martinez, La Sangre Llama explores the universal experience of returning to one’s homeland, reconnecting with ancestors, and reclaiming cultural identity across generations.
Years ago, I moved to Puerto Rico to live with my grandparents in San Juan. Like our protagonist, I sought reconnection with my roots, my language, and the land itself. Studying Bomba with the Cepeda family and traveling across the island deeply shaped my identity and continues to influence my storytelling.
La Sangre Llama is more than a title; it is an ancestral call, a pull that crosses oceans and generations. This film is a poetic act of remembrance and a reclamation of ancestral cultural power silenced by colonialism, fear, and shame.
Rooted in the Caribbean diaspora’s rich poetic and cultural traditions, the film uses poetry as both narrative and invocation. Through lyrical writing, music, and performance, we honor the memories carried through blood, spirit, and story.
Through this work, we aim to uplift Caribbean diasporic voices and create space for healing, reconnection, and pride.
