Karina Mariano studied film production at Concordia University. Active in the independent film community in Montreal since 1997, she produces and directs short films projected in various festivals around the world. Among other various jobs in film festivals around the city, she worked as a programmer at the Rendez-vous du cinema québécois between 2002 and 2007. For the love of independent, hand-made, true and beautiful cinema, Mariano co-founded the Montreal Underground Film Festival (MUFF) in May 2006 with her partner in crime Zoë Brown. Hold Me, Don't Let Go (2005) et TA.BA.RN.AC. (2006) are her two most recent films. She is presently in pre-production on a documentary film project.