Samuel Contreras was born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico. At the age of eleven, his family immigrated to the United States, settling in the City of Fresno, California. As a result, Samuel worked hard to fulfill his dream of going to college, something his parents in their small rural town in Guanajuato did not have access to. In 2011, Samuel completed his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Film and Media Studies. Making him the first in his family to graduate from college. 

Samuel completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in Social Documentation at the University of California, Santa Cruz, making him part of the first cohort to receive an MFA at UCSC. His thesis film, “The Battle for Matheny Tract,” is a documentary that raises public awareness around water rights issues, imposing decision makers to create sound policies that will ensure safe, clean, and affordable water for all communities in the San Joaquin Valley. The film has been invited to several film festivals, including the prestigious Margaret Mead Film Festival in New York. 

Samuel has received the Human Rights Fellowship from UC Berkeley School of Law,  The Arts Fund for Excellence Award from UC Santa Cruz, the Artist Disruptors Grant from the Center for Cultural Power and The Big Tell Film Grant from the Central Valley Community Foundation.  

As a filmmaker, he is committed to social justice and to documenting people power, capturing the beauty of diverse cultures and immigration, and creating the space through the art of filmmaking for individuals and communities to tell their stories and contributions to social change.

Currently, Samuel is a Film and Media Arts Associate Professor in the Department of Media, Communications, and Journalism at California State University, Fresno, the first Mexican to be offered tenure track in the almost 100 years of history of the department.  

 
Send me an email, and let’s collaborate on your visual story:
sacontremfa@gmail.com