Cecilia Cornejo

Cecilia Cornejo is a Lecturer in Cinema and Media Studies at Carleton College since 2013. A Chilean-American documentary filmmaker and artist, her work focuses on themes of home, immigrant experience, and historical trauma through community-engaged practices.

• University of Iowa, BA
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MFA

Her projects include collaborations with underrepresented groups in Northfield, Minnesota, such as Making Noise ~ The Story of a Skatepark (2016) and Ways of Being Home ~ Between Northfield & Maltrata (2020). Recent explorations like The Wandering House and The Embroidery Project extend her practice beyond traditional filmmaking.

Her accolades include:

• 2020 McKnight Fellowship for Community-Engaged Artists
• Residencies at Chiloé Museum of Contemporary Art (2025), Anderson Center (2022), Ragdale Foundation (2021), and Lanesboro Arts (2019)
• Grants from Forecast Public Art, Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Jerome Foundation

Her films are distributed by Women Make Movies and have premiered at MoMA's Documentary Fortnight and international festivals.