Meet Sara Cabrera – Aragon and Idalina Leandro: Co-founders of Her Film Company

Sara Cabrera – Aragon (right) and Idalina Leandro (left) are the co-founders of a majority-women film production company, Her Film Company, based in Toronto, Ontario. Their objective is to empower female filmmakers and to create a company were women take priority in key creative roles. Their films are made for everyone, with a focus on female social and political issues worldwide. We caught up with Idalina and Sara to discuss their professional journey’s and to hear more about their current project, An Open Conversation, a documentary exploring the emotional reality that women face when they miscarry. 

My first job was…

Sara – My first job in film was as a PA.

Idalina – My first job in film was acting in a docu-drama filmed in France called ‘Tenerife’.

My proudest accomplishment is…

S – Having edited a documentary that helps give a platform to voices of change.

I – My daughter.

My boldest move to date was…

S – Leaving a stable job where I was unhappy for contract work that I believed in.

I – Making a documentary about pregnancy and infant loss.

I got into the film production industry because…

S – I want to help create a space for women’s stories.

I – I wanted to be an actress since I was about 11 years old

The most exciting project I am working on at the moment is…

S – A documentary about women’s health, a subject that often does not get a lot of attention. I am getting to meet some amazing women both in front of and behind the lens.

I – A documentary about miscarriage called ‘An Open Conversation’ and meeting incredibly brave and strong women who have the courage to talk about it and to change the stigma that surrounds that subject.

My greatest advice from a mentor was…

S – To go after things even if you are scared (especially if you are scared).

I – I never had a mentor.

“We still have a long way to go, but it does feel like people are starting to look around and see that there needs to be changed in the balance of representation, not just in media but in society as well.”

My biggest setback was…

S – Not believing in myself.

I – Negative self-talk

I overcame it by…

S – It is still a struggle, but something I work on every day.

I – Trying to do things that scare me and put me out of my comfort zone.

If I were to pick one thing that has helped me succeed, it would be…

S – Finding other like-minded people in the industry and forming valuable friendships.

I – Trying to be a role model for my daughter.

I surprise people when I tell them…

S – I’m Mexican. I’m not sure why.

I – How much I have travelled and where I have travelled.

I stay inspired by…

S – Looking at the kick-ass women around me, doing amazing things every day.

I – Surrounding myself with positive people and amazing inspiring women!

The future excites me because…

S – Things are changing, slowly but they are changing. You are starting to see more stories that reflect real women on screen and a lot of that is because there are more women getting opportunities to create those stories. We still have a long way to go, but it does feel like people are starting to look around and see that there needs to be changed in the balance of representation, not just in media but in society as well.

I – Because the future is female and women are finally able to rise up and have their voices heard!

My next step is…

S – Idalina and I are still working on producing a documentary with women in key creative roles and hopefully from there we will gain enough momentum to create more projects.

I – To finish production on ‘An Open Conversation’ and to make films that have more women in key creative roles.