Magi Avila

Magi Avila made her directorial debut with the multi-award winning, humorous, educational, and inspiring documentary "Altitude Not Attitude". It obtained north American distribution by Gravitas Ventures after winning 'Best Documentary' at the Spotlight Documentary Awards and Virgin Spring Cinefest. Altitude Not Attitude is a semi-finalist and official selection on 20 more film festivals, including IDA, the world's most prestigious Documentary Awards, and the Academy Award Qualifying Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival. After a rewarding career in Mexican films, television, theatrical and operatic productions, Magi Avila made her way to the Mecca of Entertainment -Hollywood. Magi Avila's most recent work as an actress can be seen now in "My American Family" TV Series on Amazon Prime featuring Danny Trejo. Also, on the feature film "Dog Eat Dog" with Oscar winner, Nicolas Cage, and 4 times Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, directed by Paul Schrader. Dog Eat Dog premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, obtaining a long-standing ovation. She also has a pivotal role in "First Kill" with Mr. Bruce Willis and Hayden Christensen. Magi Avila also appears in "A Better Life" with Oscar nominee Demian Bichir, directed by Chris Weitz (Twilight Saga "New Moon"). Other U.S. Television credits include a starring role on Jerry Bruckheimer's "Training Day" with the late Bill Paxton. She also worked in the final episode of the acclaimed drama television series "The Shield", from Shawn Ryan. Magi Avila has performed as a lead and co-starred in US Theater Productions such as "Nuevo California" with the San Diego Repertory Theater and "Little Red", with the Josefina Lopez' Los Angeles based Casa 0101 organization, among others. Magi was the co-writer, producer and lead performer of the Musical Theater production of "Carmen Miranda - The Lady In The Tutti-Frutti Hat". At the beginning of her professional career in her native Ensenada, Mexico, Magi presented as an opera singer and with a choral group known as "Voces De Primavera", under the direction of her beloved mentor, the late Maestro Jose de Jesus Veliz Ochoa. She performed for celebrities, dignitaries, and the then president of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo. Magi also served a short stint as a News Reporter and on-camera talent for the Mexican television network, Televisa. As a teenager, Magi took on several modeling jobs appearing in print ads and popular television commercials. Magi studied her 4 years of theater and arts at the Autonomous University of Baja California Extension, her M.A. in theater of the body at the University Guadalajara A.K.A. UDG. She then moved to the USA to study at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, for 3 more years. Miss Avila has continued sharpening her acting skills with several acting coaches in Hollywood. Now she has her own acting coaching business called Successful Actor Academy, which offers the online 6 weeks course for aspiring and intermediate actors the Six Steps Formula to Becoming a Working Actor. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Magi Avila is immensely grateful for all the people with whom she has had the pleasure of collaborating, throughout her career in the USA and Mexico. Written by Luis Reyes