Kristal Sotomayor
Tell us about you and your work
I am a bilingual Latinx documentary filmmaker, festival programmer, awards manager and freelance journalist based in Philadelphia. Drawing inspiration from my Peruvian heritage, my community-based work practice focuses on Latinidad, immigration, and belonging. I aim to practice transformative filmmaking that humanizes and validates the lived experiences of underrepresented communities.
Currently, I am in post-production on EXPANDING SANCTUARY, an independent short documentary about the historic end to police surveillance organized by nonprofit Juntos and the Latinx immigrant community in South Philadelphia. The documentary began through the Film Scholars Fellowship with Scribe Video Center, co-sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. Also, I am in development on a animated short docufiction film called UNTITLED LATINX COVID-1619 PROJECT that take a dive into the Alice In Wonderland-like reality of contracting COVID-19; from the symptoms of vertigo to sensory loss and the labyrinth of seeking treatment. My film work has been supported by the MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute Visiting Fellowship, If/Then North Shorts Residency, DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab, Justice For My Sister Sci-Fi TV Screenwriting Lab, BAVC Serial Storytelling Lab, Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia Lab, and NeXtDoc Fellowship. I am a member of the filmmaking collectives SIFT Media 215, The Video Consortium: Philadelphia and Brown Girls Doc Mafia.
I serve as the Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) and as the Awards Competition Manager for the IDA Documentary Awards, the world's most prestigious event dedicated to the documentary genre. Formerly, I was the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Scribe Video Center. In the past, I have assisted with curation for the “Spotlight on Documentaries” at IFP Week, Camden International Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival and the award-winning PBS documentary series POV | American Documentary. Through their work, they have served as Curator/Juror for the 2021 Tri-Co Film Festival and were on the Jury Committee for Narrative and Documentary Shorts for the 2020 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. They have received leadership training from the Film Festival Alliance & Full Spectrum Features Film Festival Leadership Lab Fellowship, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Advocacy Leadership Institute and the Arts + Business Council [Virtual] Creative Exchange Program.
My journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, WHYY, and Documentary Magazine. I write the Latinx cinema column “Cine alzando voz” and serve on the Editorial Board for the film journal cinéSPEAK. I am a Co-Founder/Journalist of ¡Presente! Media, a collective led by Latinx filmmakers that produce bilingual content focused on social justice. My writing has been supported by the Sundance Institute Press Inclusion Initiative, TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative, the inaugural International Documentary Association (IDA) Magazine Editorial Fellowship, NBC University Visual Storytelling During Breaking News Program, and Lenfest Next Generation Fund. I am a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, CherryPicks Approved Critic, and the TIME’S UP Critical Database.
What inspires you?
My inspiration is my community and my family. I grew up in a space and time where there were so many in-accurate and racist portrayals of Latinidad. That really fueled me to begin my journey in film to correct that. I also think that my guiding star in my work is always the story and telling a story that offers a different perspective on a community or neighborhood.
What does community mean to you?
For me, community means a place where I can be honest, open, and trusting with those around me. There are particular people I think of as my community/familia but there are also certain locations that are community. In terms of the people who are my community, it has to be the Philly filmmaking community, in particular community media arts spaces. I’m also in a community around my close knit group of friends. The regions of Philadelphia that I feel at community are in the Latinx neighborhoods in Philly where you can hear salsa, bachata, or dembow in the streets (in particular South Philadelphia).
Favorite film
This is always a hard one because I work in film but I have my go-to films for different occasions and genres. My overall go-to film is Bridget Jones Diary directed by Sharon Maguire, my favorite documentary is Memories of a Penitent Heart directed by Cecilia Aldarondo, my favorite experimental film is The Holy Mountain directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, my favorite narrative film is Chungking Express directed by Wong Kar-wai, my favorite Peruvian film is Cancion sin nombre directed by Melina León, and my film on repeat (right now) is In The Heights directed by Jon Chu.
Favorite song
My favorite song is anything by Bad Bunny!
Favorite place
My favorite place in the world is anywhere in Philadelphia and my happy place is South Philly Barbacoa for brunch on a weekend.