Kiersten Villanueva
Directing
Biography
Kiersten Villanueva is a Filipino American independent filmmaker based between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, known for creating character-driven stories centered on the Filipino American experience. As the founder of Tribu Tales and Head of Film/TV/New Media at Empowerhouse, Villanueva has written and directed more than a dozen projects while also building extensive behind-the-scenes experience across editing, producing, assistant directing, and major studio productions, including work with Atomic Monster, CBS, and AMC. He is also the writer and director of the upcoming horror film Mimic, which blends Filipino folklore with contemporary social fears.
Known For
Am, an ambitious Filipina nurse, leaves her family behind in the Philippines to chase the American Cream in the 1990s, only to find herself battling loneliness, cultural barriers, and unexpected hardships as she works to reunite with her daughter.
Milk & Honey
After his undocumented sister disappears amid escalating ICE raids and National Guard unrest in Los Angeles, a conservative Filipino man searches her apartment for answers, only to uncover a terrifying presence tied to the Aswang — a shapeshifting creature from Filipino folklore. As paranoia and guilt consume him, his desperate investigation spirals into a nightmarish confrontation with the monsters created by fear, division, and the false promise of the American Dream.
Mimic
When a clumsy scooter crash ruins her ube latte, a quirky trans woman and a charming stranger stumble into love, proving that sometimes the best things happen after a little mess.
Tiffany Blues
Union City, CA 2013. During a student march to rename a middle school after Filipino labor leaders, a disillusioned transfer student enters a barbershop and asks for a buzz cut.