Welcome. I am a documentary filmmaker, impact producer, and communications strategist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Award-winning digital content creator with over a dozen international documentary awards and CNN partnership. Extensive field experience in refugee camps and ongoing involvement in Afghan resettlement. Strong network with international organizations, media, and think tanks. Skilled in public speaking, social media strategy and investigative research.
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 in post-production of my independent feature-length documentary, Growing Up in America: Life After the Taliban. In addition, I am on the festival circuit with my award winning short documentary, Heart of Compton.
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.
At the heart of everything I do is a belief in the transformative power of storytelling. My films and research explore themes of freedom, migration, and community—examining our deep connections with one another and the natural world through participatory and sensory storytelling that invites audiences to step inside others’ lived experiences.
I am a UC Berkeley alumna holding a B.A. in Journalism and History of Art and completed my M.A. with Distinction in Migration and Global Development at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
Pre-order my forthcoming co-authored book at Bristol University Press. Follow on socials, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and sign up for my newsletter below.
“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
