SMILE Director's Statement

Growing up, I didn’t have female BIPOC directors as influences or role models, let alone Filipino female directors. So when I got the chance to not only direct a story with a juicy twist BUT to also cast a young Filipina girl to be the lead and big boss on screen, I jumped on the opportunity. Representation matters, and I’m proud to have this short be my first director’s piece. I learned so much from this experience - from pre-production all the way to the end of our festival run. But what I learned the most was that directing is what I am meant to do.