
ABOUT
Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx documentary filmmaker, programmer and curator, and journalist and film critic based in Philadelphia, PA.
Artist Bio
Kristal Sotomayor (they/she) is a nonbinary bilingual Latinx documentary filmmaker, festival programmer, awards manager, and journalist based in Philadelphia. 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.
Currently, Kristal is in 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. They are also in development on a animated short docu-fiction film called ALX THROUGH THE LABYRINTH that take a dive into the nonbinary Latinx Alice In Wonderland-like reality of contracting COVID-19; from the symptoms of vertigo to sensory loss and the labyrinth of seeking treatment. Kristal’s work has been supported by the If/Then North Shorts Residency, 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. They are an organizer for The Video Consortium: Philadelphia and a member of the filmmaking collectives SIFT Media 215 and Brown Girls Doc Mafia.
Kristal is also a Programmer for the True/False Film Fest, San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), and Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ+ 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 were a union organizer for Documentary Workers United (DWU), the union that represents IDA bargaining unit employees, and are working to secure the first collective bargaining agreement. In the past they were the Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) and Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Scribe Video Center. In the past, 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 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, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange, and the Arts + Business Council [Virtual] Creative Exchange Program.
They are also the Editor in Chief of the cinéSPEAK Journal and Co-Founder/Journalist of ¡Presente! Media, a collective led by Latinx filmmakers that produce bilingual content focused on social justice. Kristal’s journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, WHYY, Autostraddle, Modern Brown Girl and Documentary Magazine. They write the Latinx cinema column “Cine alzando voz” and serve on the Editorial Collective for the cinéSPEAK Journal. 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, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, CherryPicks Approved Critic, and the TIME’S UP Critical Database.

Filmmaking Accolades
Leeway x IPMF Artist + Activist Residency
2022
Scribe Video Center Philadelphia Independent
Media Fund
2021 & 2020
Justice For My Sister BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab
2020
Leeway Foundation Arts & Culture Grant
2019
Bryn Mawr College Film Studies Department Scholarship
2017
Philadelphia Contemporary Added Velocity Grant
2022
Bay Area Video Coalition Serial Storytelling Lab
2021
If/Then & Camden International Film Festival North Shorts Grant & Residency
2020
Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement Art is Essential Grant
2020
Youth FX Next Doc Fellowship
2017
Leeway Foundation Window of Opportunity Grant
2022
Independence Public Media Foundation Filmmaker Grant
2021 & 2020
Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia, Doc Society Media Maker Fellowship & Grant
2021, 2020 & 2018
Philadelphia Contemporary Velocity Fund Grant
2020
Scribe Video Center Film Scholars Fellowship
2018
MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute Visiting Fellowship
2021
DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Shorts Lab
2020
NALIP Latino Media Fest & Diverse Women in Media Forum Emerging Content
Creators Scholarship
2020
Double Exposure Festival Scholarship
2020 & 2018
Haverford College HCAH Flaherty Seminar Scholars
2017

Journalism Accolades
Lenfest Institute for Journalism Constellation News Leadership Initiative
2021
Sundance Film Institute Press Inclusion Initiative
2021 & 2020
International Documentary Association (IDA) Documentary Magazine Editorial Fellowship
2020
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Press Inclusion Initiative
2020
NBC University Visual Storytelling During Breaking News
2020
NLGJA | The Association of LGBTQ Journalists AARP Freelance Fellowship
2020
Lenfest Institute For Journalism Next Generation Fund
2020
Public Radio Exchange (PRX) Podcasting for Journalists Intensive
2020

Leadership Training
The Lenfest Institute for Journalism Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange
2022
Arts + Business Council [Virtual] Creative Exchange Program
2020
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Advocacy Leadership Institute
2021
Bryn Mawr College Leadership, Empowerment & Achievement Program (LEAP) Certificate
2017
Film Festival Alliance & Full Spectrum Features Film Festival Leadership Lab Fellowship
2021
Organizational Affiliations
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics
Sisters in Film and Television (SIFT) Media 215
Global Impact Producers Group
Ghetto Film School Roster
CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia
CherryPicks
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