Maria Lavelle is a British-Norwegian writer, producer, and director currently based in Norway.

Lavelle’s short film, Holy Jail, was accepted to the Norwegian International Film Festival, and later won the Audience Award for Best Student Short at the Oscar-qualifying Austin Film Festival. Her works as a producer have been accepted to some of the top festivals in both the US and the UK

History
Lavelle’s passion for filmmaking started when she, as an 11-year-old, was hospitalized for several months. From the hospital bed, she went with Charlie to the Chocolate Factory, bicycled across the sky with E.T. and Elliott, and witnessed Pippi Longstocking show off her superhuman strength – all through the small box TV hanging on the wall next to her IV-stand. While she eventually recovered, the newfound fascination for storytelling stayed with her.

After pursuing a career as a professional track athlete and Olympic weightlifter, Lavelle moved to the US on an athletic scholarship in 2014. Augustana University in South Dakota became her home for the next three years. There, she combined her studies in journalism and theatre with her love for filmmaking.

Lavelle’s first film—a documentary about the homeless in South Dakota, titled Over the Bridge — packed a punch locally, and was accepted into numerous festivals across the country. As a result, she became a frequent guest speaker at local board meetings and other universities dealing with the homeless issue. The documentary is now used for educational purposes across the American Midwest.

In 2021, Lavelle graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious graduate film program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and moved her production company NOET to Haugesund, Norway, where she currently resides.