Marika Sonja Cotter

Marika S. Cotter is a screenwriter and director based in Los Angeles, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. In May 2011, she graduated from the prestigious Cinema-TV production program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. Before transferring to USC in 2008, Marika was an active member of the television production and independent filmmaking scenes in the San Francisco Bay Area. She made several shorts while attending College of Marin and working as a freelance production assistant for various networks as well as an in-house sports cinematographer for the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors. After graduating from USC in 2011, Marika wrote, produced and directed her debut feature-length film, Love: As You Like It, a "no-budget" ($16,000), modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy As You Like It set in San Francisco's Mission District. Love: As You Like It was crowdfunded and fiscally-sponsored by the Midpeninsula Community Media Center. It went on to screen at festivals both nationwide and internationally, and won several awards. Marika's mentors over the years have included Mardik Martin of Raging Bull and Mean Streets, Evgeniy Lazarev of the Moscow Art Theatre, Steve Zuckerman of Friends, Dr. Rob Clare of the Royal Shakespeare Company, screenwriter and producer Gabrielle Kelly, film critic Jan Wahl and film historian Dr. Drew Casper. As a screenwriter and director, she specializes in female-driven genre films and adaptations of classic literature.