Born in the United States, Madalena arrived in France at the age of twelve, after a childhood touring the Americas and Europe with the circus. She studied theater, French literature and philosophy, before obtaining a Master’s degree at the Parisian School of Social Sciences and graduating from the French film school, La Fémis in 2024.

Her two short films, Traces of Love (2023) and Lost in Thought (2024) circulated around French film festivals such as Côté Court, Amiens Film Festival and 7ème Lune. She is currently writing Things that fall, a feature film that takes place in Lapland on a circus tour, based on the relationship between a human cannonball and her young daughter. As the laureate of the Septentrionales research and exploration residency, from August until October 2025, Madalena will be developing Des Maisons et des papillons («Houses and Butterflies»), a literary and cinematographic reflection on wandering and belonging, from both womens’ and childrens’ perspectives. Somewhere between her memories of touring the Nordic countries as a child, and her artistic experiences while travelling as an adult, she will explore the themes and passions that she hopes will inspire and help her finish the writing of her first feature film.