Dawn Valadez

Dawn Valadez (born March 18, 1965) is a Mexican-American documentary filmmaker and fundraiser based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She directed and produced the documentary film, Going On 13 and co-directed The Pushouts. The film premiered on September 1, 2009. It was the winner of Best Documentary at LA Femme Film Festival 2008, Best Documentary at Broad Humor Film Festival 2009, and the Cine Golden Eagle Award 2008. The documentary explores the lives of four young girls of color in the Bay Area, Ariana, Isha, Rosie, and Esme and follows their stories from the ages of 9 to 13. The film captures the girls' transition from being a child to becoming a young woman, their struggles with family matters, self identity, and everyday life.

THE PUSHOUTS - Valadez co-directed and produced The Pushouts (2018), a documentary about Victor Rios, who at one point was a teenager involved in gangs, but is now a well-appreciated university professor. The film explores breaking the school-to-prison pipeline.