Kristal Sotomayor
Directing
Biography
Kristal Sotomayor is an award-winning nonbinary Peruvian American director, producer, journalist and curator based in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Named one of “10 Latinx Filmmakers You Should Know About” by HipLatina, they are a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader Honoree and Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellow. They are in development on a number of short and feature-length directorial projects through their company Sotomayor Productions. Kristal’s work has also been supported by the Sundance Film Institute, Ford Foundation, Outfest, If/Then, Points North Institute, MDOCS, DCTV, and NeXtDoc.
Known For
A short film that pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. Poetically merging archival photographs and present-day footage from a community drag show, the film sparks conversation about the modern-day issues Mother Cavallucci revolutionized.
Don't Cry for Me All You Drag Queens
A Latinx immigrant mother makes waves with a historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with ICE.
Expanding Sanctuary
When a trans Latinx mermaid defies her mother’s warnings, she is forced to confront the violent legacies of colonialism, environmental destruction and the danger of being desired in the human world. The BlackStar Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab is presented with support from Independence Public Media Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation. This project has been supported by The Philadelphia Independent Media Fund administered by Scribe Video Center with funds provided by the Independence Public Media Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.
Las Cosas Que Brillan
To My Motherland is an experimental personal essay film that blends personal photographs and home videos to explore the complexities of immigration, language, and returning to the motherland.