Risa Mara Machuca is an award-winning filmmaker, champion surfer, entrepreneur, writer, producer, and advocate for women’s empowerment and body positivity. Born in New York and raised in San Blas, Mexico, Machuca grew up between two cultures with the ocean at the center of her life. The daughter of a fisherman and a beach-loving mother, she is bilingual in English and Spanish and brings an authentic connection to the worlds of surfing, storytelling, and Mexican culture.

Machuca is a two-time Mexican National Surfing Champion and has represented Mexico on the international stage, earning bronze and copper medals at the 2013 ISA World Surfing Championships. In 2019, she made history as one of the first women to represent Mexico at the Pan American Games’ Olympic qualifying competition.

Her career extends far beyond competitive surfing. As a filmmaker, Machuca has had her work screened at more than 100 film festivals. She wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film Así Es, which serves as the inspiration for the upcoming feature film, as well as Shortstop, which received the Runner-Up award for Best Short at SXSW.

A sought-after surf coach in Sayulita, Mexico, Machuca has also built a career as an entrepreneur and creative force in the surf and fashion industries. Her work championing women’s empowerment, body positivity, and inclusivity has been featured in The New York Times, CNN International, USA Today, Outside Magazine, and Upworthy, among other major media outlets, and has included a collaboration with Salesforce.

Most recently, Machuca was featured in The New York Times’ February 2026 coverage of Riviera Nayarit, highlighting the region and the surf culture she has been part of for decades.

Machuca was featured in Women Making Waves, published by Penguin Random House as well as Every Body Surf, published by Prestel. She has also appeared in modeling campaigns for Carve Designs, SaltGypsy, and Do Good Swimwear.

Machuca has curated programming for Festival Sayulita and is currently developing several film projects. Her work continues to explore themes of women’s empowerment, identity, cross culture integration, and the powerful connection between people and the ocean.

Drawing on her experience as a champion surfer, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for women in the ocean, Machuca brings the authenticity, creative vision, and lived understanding of the surf world that make Así Es uniquely hers to tell.

Risa Mara Machuca

Director & Producer