PERFORMER BIO

ANA DE LARA (Born Ana Bartulabac) immigrated to Canada from the Philippines at the age of seven. She grew up in Victoria BC and studied acting at Presentation House Film and Theatre School in Vancouver,  under the direction of Catherine Caines and Anthony Holland.

After graduating from Presentation House in 1988, Ana adopted her grandmother's maiden name (de Lara) as her stage name. She found work sporadically as an actor and also began pursuing stand-up comedy. 

Ana's aspirations came to a halt when she became pregnant at the age of 23 and was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) a year after she gave birth to her daughter. Her medical condition became intermittently life threatening and debilitating and she would spend almost 10 years fighting for her life before going into remission. 

As her health improved, Ana immersed herself in acting classes and developed a special interest in improvisational theatre.  She studied intensively with Vancouver Theatresports League and was selected for their Resident Improvisor Program.  She also trained with Bay Area Theatresports in San Francisco, where she studied with improv guru Keith Johnstone. 

Since returning to the acting scene, Ana has entertained audiences playing roles in independent films, TV, Internet productions, plays, music videos, and improv and stand-up comedy shows. 

Ana's acting credits include appearances in Freshman's Wharf (2011 Leo Award Nominee for Best Web Series), Tumbling After (Jury Prize, 2008 Waterford Film Festival, Ireland), and Terminal City (2006 Leo Award Winner for Best Dramatic Series.)  She performs regularly at The Comedy Works with On the Spot Improv and can be seen in Montreal Improv's Smackdown and Theatre Ste. Catherine's Sunday Night Improv.

Ana has also worked as an acting instructor for numerous schools, including the Screen Actors Studio, the Victoria Motion Picture School, and the Pacific Film and New Media Academy.


FILMMAKER BIO

Ana initially studied video production to enhance her repertoire as an acting teacher. She attended the Gulf Islands Film & Television School and further honed her skills by participating in workshops and filmmaking competitions at CineVic, a society of independent filmmakers in Victoria, BC.

In 2007, Ana won the "Audience Favorite Award" in three Cinevic events:
Reel to Reel Music Video Competition;
Film Slam 48-Hour Filmmaking Contest; and
Super 8 In-Camera Edit Challenge. 

Encouraged by the responses to her work, Ana began to pursue filmmaking as a career. From 2008 to 2011, de Lara wrote, directed, and produced four award-winning short films:

In Control, a drama about domestic violence from the perspective of a child, won the Jury Prize for Best Children's Film at the 2008 Commffest Film Festival in Toronto.

First Winter Last, an anti-racism visual poem about immigration, earned the Jury Prize for Best Canadian Fiction in the 2008 CBC Radio-Canada International Migrations Competition.

Bamboozle, a screwball comedy about the worst day ever, took home the 1st Place Jury Prize at the 2009 Vancouver Asian Film Festival Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon Competition. 

Near Silence, a drama that deals with Huntington's disease and euthanasia, won the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the 2011 Vancouver Women In Film Festival.

De Lara's films have screened internationally at numerous festivals including the Rhode Island International Independent Film Festival and the Montreal World Film Festival.  She has received funding and support from the BC Arts Council and the National Film Board, and is a Women in the Director's Chair alumnae.