EXPERTISES

Filmmaker

Kristal practices transformative filmmaking that humanizes and validates the lived experiences of underrepresented communities. They are in post-production on Expanding Sanctuary which began through the Film Scholars Fellowship with Scribe Video Center. They are a 2020 If/Then North Shorts Fellowship, 2020 DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab, 2020 Justice For My Sister Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab Fellow, 2019 Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia grantee, 2018 Leeway Foundation Art & Change grantee, and 2017 NeXtDoc Fellow.

Community Media

Drawing inspiration from their Peruvian heritage, Kristal’s community-based work practice focuses on Latinidad, immigration, and belonging. Formerly, Kristal was the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Scribe Video Center.

Festival Programmer

They serve as the Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and 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.

Film Critic

Kristal is an awardee of the Sundance Institute’s Press Inclusion Initiative, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Press Inclusion Initiative, AARP Freelance Fellowship at NLGJA | The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, the inaugural International Documentary Association (IDA) Magazine Editorial Fellowship, and a Lenfest Next Generation Fund awardee. Kristal is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and TIME’S UP Critical Database.

Investigative Journalist

They are a Co-Founder and journalist for ¡Presente! Media, a creative collective and production cooperative led by Latinx filmmakers that produce bilingual content focused on social justice. Kristal’s journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, Autostraddle, WHYY, The Points Guy, Submittable and Documentary Magazine.