The film tells the story of one young woman's journey from a small Colombian town to the streets of New York. A bright, spirited 17-year old, Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Colombia and works stripping thorns from flowers in a rose plantation.

The offer of a lucrative job involving travel - in fact, becoming a drug "mule" - changes the course of her life. Far from the uneventful trip she is promised, Maria is transported into the risky and ruthless world of international drug trafficking. Her mission becomes one of determination and survival and she finally emerges with the grace that will carry her forward into a new life.

Directed by Joshua Marston, the film is in Spanish, with English sub-titles. An HBO Films/Fine Line Features release, MARIA FULL OF GRACE was honored with the Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and two awards at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival including the Alfred Bauer Prize for Best First Feature for director Joshua Marston. Running Time: 101 minutes.

Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria)

Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1981, Catalina Sandino Moreno became interested in theatre and stage at an early age. In 1997, while still in high school, she enrolled in the Ruben Di Pietro theatre academy in Bogotá.

During her four years at the academy, she acted in such productions as "Acuerdo para Cambiar de Casa" by Griselda Gambaro, "The Dark Room" by Tennessee Williams, and "Laughing Wild" by Christopher Durang.

After making her film debut in Maria Full of Grace, Moreno relocated to New York City, where she attended The Lee Strasberg Institute. She recently made her New York stage debut in the Frog & Peach Theatre Company's production of Shakespeare's "King John."