Team Halcyon
Director: Grace Hanna
Grace Hanna is a Filipino-American filmmaker obsessed with heartfelt genre stories. Grace has been a director’s assistant and shadowed on Aquarius (NBC) and Chance (Hulu). Their work has been shortlisted for competitions at Sundance Sloan, Disney, and Sony. A graduate of AFI, Grace received the Alan J. Pakula and Henry Hathaway awards. Their shorts have premiered at multiple festivals around the globe, like Athens Film Festival and Last Frame in London. Grace had a media fellowship with ArtsConnection in NYC; was selected for the Can Serrat Writer Residency in Catalonia, Spain; and completed a mentorship in Manila under F. Sionol Jose.
Producer: Eduardo Maia
Eduardo was born and raised in Brazil, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film & TV Production at USC, where he is focusing on producing and directing both documentary and scripted films. He originally came to America to study Computer Engineering, and had a long tech career, building products and leading Engineering teams at Facebook and Microsoft. He is interested in stories about queer integration into the mainstream, as well as stories told by - and about - historically underrepresented groups.
Writer: Derek Manansala
Derek Manansala is a Filipino-American comedy writer and filmmaker based in LA. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University and is pursuing his MFA in Film & TV Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Derek completed the improv and sketch writing programs at the Upright Citizens Brigade NY, also training at the Magnet Theater, People’s Improv Theater, and Annoyance Brooklyn. Since moving to LA, Derek has trained in clowning at the Elysian Theater, improv at The Groundlings, and sketch at the Pack Theater, where he wrote on house team, “Speakeasy,” directed by Jesse Esparza (Mixed-ish, Maggie).
Cinematographer: Mike Maliwanag
Mike Maliwanag (pronounced MAH-lee-WAH-nahg) is a Filipino-American cinematographer based in Los Angeles. His work has premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Outfest, and other festivals across the world. Mike’s purpose is to continue to shoot films for underrepresented communities. When not shooting he likes to travel and eat food from different parts of the world. He is currently obsessed with okonomiyaki from Hiroshima, Japan.
Editor: Jazmin Jamias
Jazmin Jamias is a Filipino-American filmmaker. She is a San Francisco State University graduate with a degree in Cinema with an emphasis in fictional filmmaking. Her senior thesis film I HATE THE COLOR RED screened in over 25 film festivals. Her short student documentary THE ALTERED LIVES OF LAVONNE SALLÉ screened in 18 film festivals. Jazmin recently graduated from the American Film Institute as an Editing Fellow. She was the recipient of the Anne V. Coates award for Best Student Editing. Jazmin is also a registered nurse with a BSN and over 16 years of experience.