Our Team

Meet Our Founder

“ 10 Latinx Filmmakers You Should Know About ”

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2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader

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Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellow

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Film Festival Alliance Film Festival Leadership Lab Fellow

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“ 10 Latinx Filmmakers You Should Know About ” – 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader – Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellow – Film Festival Alliance Film Festival Leadership Lab Fellow –

Kristal Sotomayor is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and curator. Drawing inspiration from their Peruvian heritage, Kristal’s community-based work practice focuses on Latinidad, immigration, and belonging. They practice transformative filmmaking that humanizes and validates the lived experiences of underrepresented communities. To that end, Kristal founded the queer BIPOC-owned and operated media production company, Sotomayor Productions, which works at the intersection of investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking to advance the portrayals of Latinx and queer communities.

Kristal has been named one of “10 Latinx Filmmakers You Should Know About” by HipLatina, a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader honoree, and received the prestigious Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellowship. Kristal’s work has been supported by the Sundance Institute’s Cultural Impact Residency, If/Then North Shorts Residency, BlackStar Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, Outfest and Traverse32’s Creative Hope Incubator, MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute Visiting Fellowship, DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab, Justice For My Sister Sci-Fi TV Screenwriting Lab, BAVC Serial Storytellers Lab, Scribe Video Center Film Scholars Fellowship, Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia Lab, and NeXtDoc Fellowship.
Kristal has served as a curator for acclaimed film festivals across the country including SFFILM (Oscar qualifying festival), True/False Film Fest, Frameline, Tri-Co Film Festival, and were Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. Formerly, they served as the Awards Competition Manager for the IDA Documentary Awards, the world's most distinguished event dedicated exclusively to the documentary genre. They have assisted with curation for the "Spotlight on Documentaries" at IFP Week, Philadelphia Film Festival, and the award-winning PBS documentary series POV | American Documentary. They have been awarded the Film Festival Alliance Film Festival Leadership Lab Fellowship, NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute, and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange.
They are also the Editor-in-Chief of the cinéSPEAK Journal and Co-Founder of ¡Presente! Media, a collective led by Latinx filmmakers that produces bilingual content focused on social justice. They served on the Board of Director for GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. Kristal’s journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, WHYY, Autostraddle, Modern Brown Girl, and Documentary Magazine. Kristal’s writing has been supported by the Sundance Institute Press Inclusion Initiative, TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative, IDA Magazine Editorial Fellowship, NBC University Visual Storytelling During Breaking News Program, and Lenfest Constellation News Leadership Initiative. They are a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, CherryPicks Approved Critic, and the TIME’S UP Critical Database.

Meet the Team

Maya Winneg

IMPACT COORDINATOR
Maya Winneg is a filmmaker and producer based in Philadelphia. Their work, be it personal, public access or in support of important projects like Expanding Sanctuary is fueled by their keen interest in the people in their life and community. Recurrent themes include family threads or coping with existential dread, often through a surreal and joyful lens.
Tyler Rocio Ecoña

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE
Tyler Rocio Ecoña is a Peruvian-American artist, writer, and administrator in Philadelphia. A former intern of Cartoon Network Studios, their multidisciplinary work has been developed with organizations such as Power Street Theatre, Susquehanna University, Philly Women's Theatre Fest, Cannonball Festival, Beacon Theatre, and Temple University’s IoD, amongst others. They are passionate about community building and uplifting intersectional voices in the creative world and beyond; her work seeks to create spaces that empower diverse narratives while reflecting the world around us. BFA: The University of the Arts.
Charlie Manrique Douglas

LEAD INTERN
Charlie is a Queer and Latinx cinematographer from León, Mexico and southwest Florida. They study Film & TV and African American and Black Diaspora Studies at Boston University. Passionate about social justice, Charlie is invested in telling the stories of historically underrepresented minority communities through their work. They believe that in order to thoroughly educate audiences and trigger social change, a visual platform is necessary to stimulate empathy and true understanding. In their free time, they love creative writing, illustration, and talking about their bulldog, Rubble. Visit their website if you’re interested in learning more or connecting: charliemqd.com
Sara Fueyo

INTERN
Currently a Senior in college studying Communications and Program Production, Sara Fueyo credits her love for entertainment to her colorful upbringing in Miami, Florida. Inspired by the constant buzz of the cities music, culture, and art, Fueyo aims to tell stories that reflect the electric energy she was raised on. When she isn't busy writing new work or getting behind a camera, Fueyo spends her free time baking TikTok recipes and reading funny memoirs.
Remington Vaughan

INTERN
Remington Vaughan is a documentary TV and film producer and director based in Philadelphia. She is currently majoring in Communication Studies and Film and Media Arts and minoring in Italian Studies at Temple University. They are the creator and producer of Shedding Light, a documentary style TV show that centers the disability community in and around Philadelphia. She is also the producer and director of Queer Temple, an LGBTQ+ talk show that discusses LGBTQ+ culture internationally. Their short film, Fishtown: Then and Now, a documentary exploring the fraught relationship between community members in a gentrifying neighborhood received an Honorable Mention of Best Nonfiction at the Diamond Screen Women’s Film Festival. Remington is excited for the opportunity to intern with Sotomayor Productions and cannot wait to see what she will help out with!
Norma Mejia

INTERN
Norma Mejia is a Mexican-American filmmaker and photographer from Houston, Texas, currently studying Film & Media Studies with a certificate in Education Studies at Yale University. Her work blends analog and digital practices, rooted in experimental and documentary storytelling. She explores themes of memory, identity, and place, often drawing from personal and cultural archives to illuminate everyday life. Norma is passionate about creating cinematic work that uplifts underrepresented voices and preserves community narratives with care.