A filmmaker, photographer, and passionate creative, Angelique Pineda has been making an impact in the film world for nearly a decade, despite only being in her twenties. Pineda’s modest yet intriguing body of work tackles compelling subjects, spanning from themes of growing up and maturing to colorism and generational trauma.
This 26-year-old filmmaker began her movie-making journey in 2011, first making videos as a hobby before realizing she wanted to pursue it as a career choice. Pineda started off with aspirations as a YouTuber before a short film she entered into a national high school film competition set her off on a new path.
“In my junior year of high school, I made a short film specifically for a contest for the National Coalition Against Censorship,” Pineda says in her interview with Catalyzer Media. “It was kind of a commentary about censoring comedy and if it should be done or shouldn’t be done.”
In 2015, Pineda won first place at the NCAC Youth Freedom of Expression Film Contest for this film, titled “Only If You Let It,” which she directed, shot, and edited. For Pineda, this was the catalyst that encouraged her movie-making mission.
“Only If You Let It,” which later screened at the 2016 All American High School Film Festival, marked the first of many short films this young filmmaker would go on to craft. “Miracle Baby,” a film she directed and shot, aired on PBS Hawaii, going on to win first place in PBS Hawaii’s 2017 Hiki No Best Profile Piece Award. Centered on a fellow classmate of hers, “Miracle Baby” follows a girl who had cerebral palsy and explores what her journey was like growing up.
Raised in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, before moving to Oxnard, California in 2018, Pineda still holds strong ties to Hawaii. She worked as a mentor for students for Hawaii Women in Filmmaking in the summer of 2017, passing on her experience as a filmmaker to other young women. Her Filipino heritage has also shaped her filmmaking journey, with Pineda advocating that the industry needs to present more women of color as film leads.
Pineda has continued to be successful in her many filmmaking pursuits. In 2018, her short film “Skin” earned the honor of being an award recipient at the Cinematografo Original’s 2018 Student Short Film Contest. As Pineda puts it, “Skin” was largely a commentary about the skin bleaching industry in the Philippines, “and how it really affects the youth, especially Filipino youth.”
For Pineda, she feels a certain release when she writes or makes films. She states, “whenever I make films, whenever I try to write something that is from my heart, I feel like I have to do it, otherwise it’ll be in my brain, it will be itching at me. I can’t not do it.”
Looking to expand her horizons in the film industry, Pineda has gone on to hone her filmmaking skills at Oxnard College and California State University Northridge. In 2023, her short film “How to Grow Apart” was screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival. A piece that Pineda directed, co-wrote, and edited, it went on to win the Best Female Director award at the Central Coast International Film Festival.
Pineda described the experience of making “How to Grow Apart” as being guerilla-style, having made the film without a crew. Instead, she utilized her two best friends from back home in Hawaii. Not having much time, Pineda and her friend acted in it, and a third friend did the sound, getting as much help from others as they could.
Her advice to other aspiring filmmakers is to use what you have. She suggests that you write around your budget and reach out to people you know, trust, and love. Whether you simply need background actors or someone to hold a boom mic, “people are more willing to help than you know,” Pineda encourages, especially if you pay for their lunch.
Pineda knows the value of others’ contributions to her work, having helped with several other productions herself. She states, “I would love to be remembered for the stories that I write, but also for the stories that I am part of and help make.”
Recently, Pineda has worked as a producer on the short film “Through Her Eyes,” which is currently in post-production. As Pineda declares in her interview with Catalyzer Media, “regardless of whether or not I am director, producer, art department, editor, whatever the deal is (…) I think that I put my all into it and even if it’s somebody else’s project, I feel like me being in it is me backing them and the message that they have.”
Filmmaking is not all that this young creator does, however. Pineda is also a photographer on the side, having been a part of Converse’s Pride campaign in 2022. She also de-stresses by making jewelry, which she occasionally offers at flea markets in Ventura County. Still, her creative passions seem to have the strongest ties with the film industry.
She states, “It is a beautiful thing to make art, and to make art with people. I think film is beautiful because it is the product of a group of people that have the same vision in mind and decided to make something.”
We can’t wait to see what this budding creator’s future holds. If it’s anything like her body of work so far, it’s sure to be captivating. To watch Angelique Pineda’s collection of short films and other projects, check out her personal portfolio or visit her YouTube channel.
Photos by:
Potter Lallone, Joss Refauvelet, Nathan McMackin, and Patrick Shartzer
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