Isabel Sandoval is a Filipino filmmaker and actress who lives in the United States. She directed the films ''Señorita'' (2011), ''

Aparisyon ''Aparisyon'' () is a 2012 Philippine psychological drama film written and directed by Isabel Sandoval. Set in early 1970s, where the story about the nuns in the period immediately preceding the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos.Er ...

'' (2012) and ''

Lingua Franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

'' (2019). She also directed a short film called ''

Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place in Tibet's Kunlun Mountains, Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by the British author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently ...

'' (2021) as part of the

Miu Miu Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Milan, Italy. Silvia Onofri is its CEO. History Miu Miu was established in 1992 ...

's ''

Women's Tales ''Women's Tales'' is an ongoing short film anthology series created by fashion brand Miu Miu. Aside from the stipulation that the films use Miu Miu clothing the all female directors are given free rein to create their films. Miu Miu has commission ...

'' series of female-directed short films commissioned by the fashion brand.

Early life and education

Isabel Sandoval was born in 1982 in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

in the Philippines.Clarisse Fabre,
« Brooklyn Secret » : une migrante transgenre au pays de Donald Trump
, July 1, 2020, ''Le Monde'' She graduated summa cum laude from the

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos (USC or colloquially San Carlos) is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word missionarie ...

, then moved to New York City. There, she earned an MBA from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Stern School of Business The Leonard N. Stern School of Business (also NYU Stern, Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business schools, business school of New York University, a private university, private research university based in New York City. Founded ...

. She transitioned in 2014.Eugene S. Robinson,
How Making a Film Led Isabel Sandoval to Come Out as Trans
", October 19, 2020, ''OZY''

Career

In 2011, Sandoval directed ''Señorita'', a film about a trans woman working on a political campaign and raising a young boy. She played the film's protagonist, though she was not out as trans at the time, and has said that the role helped her realize her identity.Rito P. Asilo,
Trans woman of substance
, November 23, 2020, ''Philippine Daily Inquirer''Jen Yamato,
Introducing Isabel Sandoval: The ‘Lingua Franca’ filmmaker on her indie drama
, September 7, 2020, ''Los Angeles Times''Dino-Ray Ramos,
‘Lingua Franca’ Director Isabel Sandoval Is “Seizing The Opportunity” To Showcase Filipino Narratives
, August 25, 2020, ''Deadline'' In 2012, she directed the film ''

'' (''Apparition''), starring actresses Jodi Sta. Maria and

Mylene Dizon Mylene Lilibeth Inocencio Dizon (; born September 6, 1976) is a Filipino actress. Known for her versatile work in independent film features and mainstream productions, she has received various accolades, including a Gawad Urian Award, two Lu ...

, about a convent of nuns in a remote area of the Philippines in 1971, just before the declaration of martial law by

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

.Jeannette Catsoulis,
In ‘Apparition,’ a Philippine Drama, Nuns Face Civil Strife
, July 9, 2013, ''New York Times''Apparition (Aparisyon): Busan Review
, October 7, 2012, ''Hollywood Reporter'' In 2019, she directed the film ''

'', which she shot in 16 days in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, starring herself, Eamon Farren and

Lynn Cohen Lynn Harriette Cohen (née Kay; August 10, 1933 – February 14, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles in film, television and theater. She was particularly known for her role as Magda in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', which sh ...

.Angelique Jackson,
‘Lingua Franca’ Filmmaker Isabel Sandoval Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)
, February 16, 2021, ''Variety'' In the film, Sandoval plays an undocumented Filipino trans woman who falls in love with the adult grandson of the elderly woman for whom she is working as a caregiver. Sandoval became the first out trans woman of color to compete at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

when ''Lingua Franca'' premiered there.Erica Gonzales,
Director Isabel Sandoval Wants to Shed Light on Invisible Women
, February 24, 2021, ''Harper's Bazaar''Carole Horst,
Immigration and Transgender Issues Fuel Isabel Sandoval's Drama ‘Lingua Franca’
, August 26, 2020, ''Variety'' The film won the award for best narrative feature at the Bentonville Film Festival, and was released by

ARRAY An array is a systematic arrangement of similar objects, usually in rows and columns. Things called an array include: {{TOC right Music * In twelve-tone and serial composition, the presentation of simultaneous twelve-tone sets such that the ...

and streamed on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. Sandoval was named Best Actress at the 18th International Cinephile Society Awards, and at the Pacific Meridian International Film Festival. In 2021, Sandoval wrote and directed ''Shangri-La'' (filmed in two months), a short film commissioned by the

project which asks female directors to examine "femininity in the 21st century", releasing it in February 2021.Sophie Shaw,
Filmmaker Isabel Sandoval Explores Forbidden Love in Miu Miu Tales' New Short Film
, February 23, 2021, ''L'Officiel'' Like ''Lingua Franca'', ''Shangri-La'' deals with forbidden love and racial prejudice. The same year, she signed with

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency, LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. With 1,800 employees in March 2016, it is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous client ...

. Sandoval is also developing a drama for FX, ''Vespertine'', and a film, ''Tropical Gothic'', about the haunting of a Spanish conquistador in the 16th century Philippines and based on the 1972 short story collection of the same name by

Nick Joaquin Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin (; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short story, short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaq ...

. In March 2021, ''Tropical Gothic'' won the VFF talent highlight award at the

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

, worth 10,000

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s towards its production and according to her recorded interview with GMA News, has plans to be screened at either

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. She directed an episode of the FX drama series '' Under The Banner Of Heaven'', which aired in 2022; it stars

Andrew Garfield Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...

. Sandoval plans to direct her next film ''Moonglow'', set in late-1970s Manila with

Arjo Atayde Juan Carlos "Arjo" Campo Atayde (born November 5, 1990) is a Filipinos, Filipino actor and politician who has served as the representative for Quezon City's Quezon City's 1st congressional district, 1st district since 2022. He is best known fo ...

attached into the project.

Styles and themes

Influences

Sandoval was inspired by films that depict impossible love relationships. She has stated that she enjoyed watching Hong Kong filmmaker

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...

's film, ''

In the Mood for Love ''In the Mood for Love'' () is a 2000 romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Wong Kar-wai. A co-production between Hong Kong and France, the film follows a man ( Tony Leung) and a woman ( Maggie Cheung) in 1962 who discover tha ...

'' (2000), for its style and profound melancholy. Its concept of emotional destination was a profound theme that influenced her. She sought to express illicit emotions that were distinctive, singular, and complex as she had not seen in films before. She was mentored by

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...

in developing the styles of work. Other films which she has cited as influencing her were: '' Ali: Fear Eats the Soul'' (1974) by director

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

, '' News from Home'' (1977) by

Chantal Akerman Chantal Anne Akerman (; 6 June 19505 October 2015) was a Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist, and film professor at the City College of New York. Akerman is best known for her films (1974), (1975), and '' News from Home'' (1976). The ...

, and ''

Klute ''Klute'' is a 1971 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Nathan George, Dorothy Tristan, Roy Scheider and Rita Gam. Its plot follows a ...

'' (1971) by

Alan J. Pakula Alan Jay Pakula (; April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Associated with the New Hollywood movement, his best-known works include his critically acclaimed "paranoia trilogy": the neo-noir m ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Isabel Sandoval
at Black Dog Films {{DEFAULTSORT:Sandoval, Isabel Living people 1982 births Filipino film actresses Filipino film directors Filipino women film directors Filipino LGBTQ film directors Filipino transgender actresses Filipino expatriates in the United States 21st-century Filipino LGBTQ people