Stories that move people. Research that moves policy.
Welcome. I am a documentary filmmaker, author and impact producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and London.
I work at the intersection of human rights, climate, displacement and social change, using film, photography and research to bring complex issues into focus — and closer to the people living them.
You can order my poetry collection, Home is Where, at Finishing Line Press. My co-authored research monograph, Decolonizing Queer Migration is available now at Bristol University Press.
My research, film and photojournalism has been published by Oxford Migration Society, Bristol University Press, Frontiers in Human Dynamics, Freedom House, Migrant Voice, TPI News Rome, The Sacramento Bee, KTVU FOX 2 News, Culture and Capitalism, and the San Francisco International Film Awards. I am a Film Independent + CNN Documentary Series Fellow.
Currently, I am on the festival circuit with my award winning short documentaries, Heart of Compton, SpiritHorse and Sisters: Kabul to California. I am in production on my independent feature-length documentary, Through Riders in partnership with the Veloo Foundation. Additionally, I am in post-production on Taking Flight, a short film highlighting women in aviation.
In addition to filmmaking, I bring over a decade of experience in multimedia production, strategic communications, and humanitarian advocacy. My work has supported crisis response, UN-aligned campaigns, and community-based initiatives around the world.
I believe stories can do more than make us care. They can change what we understand — and, ultimately, what we are willing to change. My films and research explore themes of freedom, migration, and community: examining our deep connections with one another and the natural world through storytelling that invites audiences to step inside others’ lived experiences.
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“Her work is extraordinary. She has great intuitive grasp of, and connection with, her subjects and formidable technical skill. She is remarkably easy to work with. Generous, gracious, insightful, and disciplined.”
— Sally Seymour , Seymour & McIntosh Photography
“Isabel is a thoughtful and dedicated filmmaker. Her stories open viewers' eyes to new ways of thinking and are both joyful and contemplative.”
— Dawn Valadez, Filmmaker & Director of Artist Development at BAVC Media
“Isabel is a passionate and talented storyteller with an exceptional eye for detail.
I deeply appreciate her collaborative spirit and the joy she creates through her filmmaking process is infectious.”
— Keith Battle, Film Director and Educator, One Tiny Problem
