Meet the 2024–2025 SFFILM Youth FilmHouse Residents

SFFILM Education’s Youth FilmHouse Residency, in partnership with SFFILM Makers, is an annual program that begins in the Fall semester for Bay Area students grades 9–12 who identify themselves as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) and are excited to explore careers in film and filmmaking.

Throughout the residency, students have engaged with other SFFILM residents, SFFILM staff, film industry professionals. This year’s curriculum balances practical skills like production strategy and technique along with training, panels, and lectures to highlight industry knowledge and possible career paths through our artist network.

Who are the SFIFLM Youth FilmHouse Residents?

Aisha Rae McCulloch

My name is Aisha (Rae) McCulloch and I’m a sophomore at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. I’ve lived in San Francisco all my life, and the vibrant community I’m surrounded with has shaped my interests (both art-related and not) profoundly. I am a student athlete and committed to learning and growing inside the classroom, but also spend much of my time working on creative projects like poetry (spoken word/slam), drawing, and films (screenwriting and, of course, watching).

Who would play you in a movie and why?

My twin sister would probably play me in a movie because she looks similar to me, knows all about my experience, and is convinced she’s an amazing actor (although I’m not).

Ali-David Abdullah

My name is Ali-David Abdullah, I’m in the 12th grade and I live in Oakland. I have done a few projects with my teachers, learning about camera work and lighting. I make videos for content creation documenting various scenes in my life.

Aztli Ortega Arriaga

My name is Aztli (as-tlee) and I’m a senior taking my first film class at Berkeley High School. I have been writing and drawing many fictional stories ever since I could pick up a pencil, usually about relationships between people with hidden strengths and weaknesses- with a sci-fi twist. I just moved back to Berkeley two months ago, and have lived in many states and cities in the U.S. Besides writing and drawing, I like playing the trumpet as part of the 11:00 BHS Jazz Band, listening to experimental EDM, playing video games, and watching movies/shows. Other than making a couple animal documentaries as part of the Maine STEM film challenge, I’m early in my journey as a filmmaker specifically, but not as an artist.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

I’m inspired by every artist who has ever put out a piece of themselves into the world for everyone to see. I also admire the boldness and determination of artists who have had their films overlooked due to it having a diverse protagonist or complex message.

Cipriano Villalon

I’m Cipriano or Cip, I’m in 12th grade at Abraham Lincoln High School, and I live in San Francisco. My experience in filmmaking is pretty small. I only took a short camp this summer on how to do some stuff and made a documentary about water conservation. Since that’s the only work I’ve done I have multiple themes or narrative I’ve worked on, but I definitely would like to. As for accomplishments I guess I watch a lot of movies. I try to watch one or two a week so I’ve probably watched 100 in the last year.

What are some goals you have for your filmmaking career?

I want to be able to properly put what I think or ideas I have on a paper and hopefully a screen.

Diego Zarate

My name is Diego Zarate and I’m a 17 year old 12th grader at Berkeley High School. I’ve had a passion for filmmaking ever since I was eight years old and making iMovies with my cousins. As I’ve gotten older I’ve moved on to taking a number of video production and media classes at school, along with film workshops over the summer. As a result, I’ve produced a number of original short films which tend to cover topics that are personal to me such as religion, music, and the experience of growing up. I started with a more experimental lens in my work, but I’ve been moving more towards narrative storytelling as I develop my voice as a filmmaker.

Ella Killingsworth

My name is Ella and I’m a senior at Skyline High School in Oakland. I’ve always had an inkling for filmmaking at a young age but I had really started to pursue this passion during high school. In the past, I focused more on observing and helping others on their projects, but it’s time I put my ideas into fruition. I’m currently working on my first independent narrative film that I hope to release this year, which I’m very excited about!

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

I think my dad inspires me a lot. He’s always there to listen to my ideas and gives great advice when I’m stuck. And by being here I hope to make him proud.

Emi Harris

I’m Emi Harris, a junior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and resident of San Francisco. I get my filmmaking experience from the Film + Media art department at SOTA, as well as programs such as SFFILM. I enjoy exploring themes that navigate growing up and the fear of getting older. I would like to continue to explore narrative filmmaking and incorporating sentimental and nostalgic values and themes into my films.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

I really admire films that explore deep meanings through creative and inventive storytelling with distinct visual styles.

Julia Hayden Fung

My name is Julia Hayden Fung. I’m a senior and love all things film, theatre, photography, and dance. Recently, I won best female filmmaker at the April Sweden Film Awards, and best cinematography at Berlin Women’s Cinema Festival. I have been a part of numerous short programs at New York Film Academy, Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts in Berlin, Germany and jump at any opportunity to learn something new.

What are some goals you have for your filmmaking career?

I am super set on becoming a cinematographer, but I’ve spent a lot of time in acting, music, and directing too. I would love if my career includes any of that. I’m looking forward to being a part of creative, passionate sets and leaving an impact on people through my work 🙂

Kayen Manovil

Kayen Manovil is a bilingual Oakland-based filmmaker, actress, and high school senior at Berkeley High. As a student, Kayen works in leadership positions to bridge her school’s communities and create opportunities for underprivileged students. She recently worked as a Creative Collaborator and Host on KQED’s “The Fieldtrip Game” and sat on the Reel Stories Student Board during the 2023–2024 semester. Her films have screened at the Luminescence Youth Film Festival, SFFILM, and her newest work will screen at the All American High School Film Festival in October.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

My mom is the one who brought me into the industry in the first place, without her I likely wouldn’t have considered filmmaking as a primary career choice for myself.

Leela Chandra

My name is Leela Chandra, I’m from Oakland and I’m a junior at Bentley Upper School. I’ve gone to a few filmmaking camps before and I’m getting into creating short films by myself. In my films, I like to create coming-of-age stories that involve emotionally moving relationships and themes of growth and change.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

A lot of my inspiration comes from my own real-life experiences. I am also inspired by music, such as Bob Dylan and Charli XCX, and directors, such as Mike Mills and Emma Seligman that I like.

Luciana OrRico-Gomes

I’m Luciana, a sophomore at Oracle’s Design Tech High School, and I fell in love with filmmaking the second I gained access to the internet and the camera on my mom’s phone. I’ve been making films, writing music, and scripting plays since before I even started school. More recently, I’ve made films with SFFILM, at my high school, and through projects with a nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, what I love the most are psychological horror films for their ability to explore the deeper meaning of everything and who we are as people.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

Everyday life inspires me to be a filmmaker. The people I meet, the experiences we share – they all tell a story and I want to tell those stories through film.

Olive Read

Olive’s a high school senior who began making videos 6 years ago with her sister and has done that same routine ever since. She enjoys throwing bursts of color and glitter in her films and is inspired by filmmakers like Jacques Demy and Henry Selick. As an aspiring director, she independently creates films and promo videos for her school.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

My mom and uncle definitely inspired me to be a filmmaker. I grew up with all the 80’s movies they watched as kids and that definitely sparked my passion for storytelling and the aesthetics of the 80s has definitely become prevalent in my filmmaking.

Ray Li

I am Ray, currently a senior at Mills High School in Millbrae. The project I am working on at the moment is a sci-fi romance kind of story.

Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?

My mother used to take me out for movies every weekend when I was small, and I have always been interested in making stories and turning them into films.

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